New Data Provide Comprehensive Understanding of Americans’ Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)

What:
The release of a nationwide government survey on trends and demographic use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among both adults and children in the United States. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will hold a telephone briefing to discuss the findings of the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).

Why:
The 2007 NHIS provides data on who is using CAM, what they are using, and why people are turning to CAM, among other related topics. It marks the first time questions were included on children’s use of CAM, as well as the first available trending data on CAM use in adults compared to the 2002 NHIS data on CAM use.

When:
December 10, 2008 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EST

Where:
Telebriefing and online presentation. By responding to this invitation media will receive information to dial-in to the telebriefing and to obtain access to an online presentation.

More Information:
To RSVP and receive dial-in information and online presentation access please contact Lauren Musiol at 202-745-5051 or musiollk@mail.nih.gov.

Who Should Attend:
Credentialed media only, please.
Hosts: Josephine P. Briggs, M.D., Director, NCCAM and Richard L. Nahin, Ph.D., M.P.H., Acting Director, Division of Extramural Research, NCCAM and Patricia M. Barnes, M.A., Statistician, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine’s mission is to explore complementary and alternative medical practices in the context of rigorous science, train CAM researchers, and disseminate authoritative information to the public and professionals. For additional information, call NCCAM’s Clearinghouse toll free at 1-888-644-6226, or visit the NCCAM Web site at nccam.nih.gov.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation’s Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
References:
Barnes PM, Bloom B, Nahin R. CDC National Health Statistics Report #12. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults and Children: United States, 2007. December 10, 2008.
Barnes P, Powell-Griner E, McFann K, Nahin R. CDC Advance Data Report #343. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults: United States, 2002. May 27, 2004. http://nccam.nih.gov/news/camstats.htm.