More than a third of Americans are now using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and about one in thirty physicians is making a referral for CAM services. Generally, mind-body therapies are recommended, but only after conventional therapies have been exhausted. Yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises are being prescribed most frequently. Thirty four billion dollars were spent in the year 2007 on CAM services. Twenty two billion was spent on natural products and twelve billion on more than 350 million visits to CAM practitioners. Yet, this only amounts to 1.5% of all health care costs.
