Mind-body therapies such as yoga, meditation and deep-breathing exercises appear to be gaining more acceptance in mainstream medicine.
Mind-body therapy is used by more than one-third of Americans, and that number is rising. They found that one in 30 Americans using some type of mind-body therapy was referred to the treatment by a medical provider.
Researchers analysed data from 23,393 households that took part in the 2007 U.S. National Health Interview Survey. Nearly 3 percent of the people in those households, or about 6.3 million people, used mind-body therapies after referral by a mainstream medical provider, it was found. These people tended to be sicker and used the health-care system more than people who started using the therapies without a referral.
It was found that providers were referring their patients for mind-body therapies as a last resort once conventional therapeutic options failed. It made the researchers wonder whether referring patients for these therapies earlier in the treatment process could lead to less use of the health-care system and, possibly, better outcomes for these patients.
The above study suggests that mind-body therapies have really become a mainstream approach to care but further research is needed to guide physician and patient decision-making regarding their use.
Mind-body therapy is used by more than one-third of Americans, and that number is rising. They found that one in 30 Americans using some type of mind-body therapy was referred to the treatment by a medical provider.
Researchers analysed data from 23,393 households that took part in the 2007 U.S. National Health Interview Survey. Nearly 3 percent of the people in those households, or about 6.3 million people, used mind-body therapies after referral by a mainstream medical provider, it was found. These people tended to be sicker and used the health-care system more than people who started using the therapies without a referral.
It was found that providers were referring their patients for mind-body therapies as a last resort once conventional therapeutic options failed. It made the researchers wonder whether referring patients for these therapies earlier in the treatment process could lead to less use of the health-care system and, possibly, better outcomes for these patients.
The above study suggests that mind-body therapies have really become a mainstream approach to care but further research is needed to guide physician and patient decision-making regarding their use.