A Survey of Complementary and Conventional Medicine Use Patterns in the Veteran Population

Alternative Medicine, Attitudes, Beliefs, Veterans

Complementary Alternative Medicine, Veteran, Attitudes, Beliefs

In this protocol, the investigators proposed to assess the Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) usage patterns in a Veteran population using a CAM survey developed by Dr. Hernandez and colleagues. This survey, the Complementary, Alternative and Conventional Medicines Attitudes Scale (CACMAS), is a brief, self-report questionnaire that assesses medical use patterns, as well as attitudes about medical treatment and the relationship among these. The CACMAS will assess the potential role of individual beliefs and attitudes towards complementary and conventional medicine usage patterns, and possibly indicate how this scale might be used to predict optimal treatment offerings for a particular population given attitudes about medical treatments.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the United States has seen a steady and steep rise over the past two decades. A national survey of over 31,000 adults found that 36% of respondents had used CAM therapies in the last month, and this estimate increased to 62% when prayer for health reasons was included. Second, this same survey showed that CAM is often used to treat symptoms and illnesses associated with stress such as depression, anxiety, back and neck pain, and gastrointestinal disorders. Finally, many individuals experiencing high levels of stress lack access to conventional medicine due to lack of medical insurance, possibly increasing the attractiveness of CAM for these individuals. This ongoing systematic characterization of CAM usage patterns in civilian populations has not been mirrored in active military and military Veteran populations across the United States. Data from the less than handful of studies that have been conducted thus far, suggest that CAM usage patterns in military and military Veteran populations are influenced by demographics and certain medical conditions, as well as dissatisfaction with certain aspects of conventional care. While there appears to be some similarity between civilian and non-civilians populations, there remains much to be known in the latter population.

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