complimentary and alternative medicines increased in hospitals globally

CAM is (complimentary and alternative medicine) is increasing in hospitals due to patient's demands as more Americans and Australians are finding relief through alternative forms of health care. Hospitals have increasingly expanded programs in order to attract this patient base as well as to optimize care options. CAM inpatient programs nearly doubled between 1998 and 2001, as attitudes and perceptions toward alternative medicine change, and they keep increasing. The Journal of the American Medical Association states that 42 percent of U.S. adults receive at least one of sixteen alternative therapies surveyed.
According to a report released by the American Hospital Association (AHA), more than a quarter of surveyed hospitals are offering Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) programs to the patients they serve. CAM can include acupuncture,Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy, chiropractic, diet and lifestyle changes, herbal medicine, and massage therapy among other types of non-Western treatments. The top six therapies offered by the AHA member hospitals and sought by Americans include massage therapy, tai ji, yoga, qi gong, relaxation trainings, acupuncture, guided imagery, and therapeutic touch. Studies showed that Americans paid for most of these services out of pocket, spending $13.7 billion annually on CAM products and services, making it an attractive market for many struggling hospitals.People are looking at these as they want to be in charge of their helth and want to focus on therapies which treat you as a person.