Women and Better Educated Likely to Use Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Why is it that women and people with higher levels of education are more likely to use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)? The study released by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tells us who is likely to use it and what is likely to be tried (acupuncture, yoga, meditation, chiropractic, message and herbal remedies) but it doesn’t answer why this demographic is more likely to use CAM.
What I’ve found in my practice is that those who have college educations or advanced degrees have a better sense of the role they play in contributing to their own health and wellness. They understand that they can’t be passive participants in their own health. Additionally, they understand that Western medicine has limitations especially in treating chronic pain issues such as arthritis or other musculoskeletal disorders and that a reduction in pain, rather than elimination of pain, may be their best outcome especially if they are trying to avoid unwanted side effects from medications.
It’s easier to understand the role that education plays – that’s been clearly demonstrated over the years but what is less clear is why women are more likely to try CAM. I could speculate but I’d rather see some studies that look into this question and hear your thoughts on the issue.
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One big factor might be availability. I suspect that there’s a circular sort of thing happening. The alternative practitioners tend to go where the money is, which is also where the better educated tend to congregate. Added to that is the spotty insurance coverage for alternative treatments, making it more likely that the more educated/wealthy would have the resources for co-pays, extra visits, etc that are often prohibitively expensive for a large segment of the society. Don’t know — just speculating. I know that where I live, there are many alternative practitioners, and I suspect the area wouldn’t support such a concentration if there weren’t enough people able to pay cash for their services.
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