Now, these things are being taught in Western medical schools, not necessarily the techniques of how to do them, but certainly about them. Dr. David Spiegel, medical director of the Complementary Medicine Clinic at Stanford University Medical Center, said he was not surprised by the survey's findings. Traditional doctors are seeing that people are voting with their feet and with their pocketbooks. Health insurers in the past have refused to pay for alternative therapies, but that also is changing as insurers realize they can save money. For example, unconventional treatment might call for exercise or chiropractic or acupuncture for back pain, while the traditional approach might be surgery.
Studies show that as many as one in two U.S. adults uses some form of alternative medicine.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.