REPLY1
The patterns regarding the use of complementary and alternative medicine among the general population have been established in which the 2002 data depicts the number of persons who use CAM with prayer and those who do not. In the investigation, it was found that CAM therapy represented one of the highly common form of prayer that was being used by well over 60 percent of the individuals involved in the survey. On this issue, it has also been pointed out that the use of complementary and alternative medicine has increased in a dramatic fashion over the past few years. It is also observed that “Several studies of CAM utilization reveal that reported use increases dramatically and may even double when prayer is included in the definition of CAM” (Ernst, 2015). Among the 60 percent of people who use the complementary and alternative medicine with prayer, the prayer has been categorized based on such aspects like yoga as well as the spiritual healing. In a different direction, it has also been indicated that application of the term prayer during the use of CAM is presented with the need for providing a distinction among the various forms of spiritual healing linked to CAM.
The percentage of people using CAM without prayer includes many of the adult population representing 36 percent of CAM users in the United States alone. The foregoing percentage encompasses the persons who have been reported to use variable therapies of CAM in a period of the past twelve months. While 10 different therapies did not include prayer, three out of the 10 CAM therapies were used with prayer (Ernst, 2015).
Reference
Ernst, E. (2015). Complementary medicine: Common misconceptions. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 244-247.
REPLY2
Americans are using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The most comprehensive and reliable findings to date on Americans’ use of CAM were released in May 2004 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). They came from the 2002 edition of the NCHS’s National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), an annual study in which tens of thousands of Americans are interviewed about their health- and illness-related experiences. Approximately one- third of adults use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). (NAACM, 2012) CAM is used with or without the use of conventional medicine. According to this nationwide survey, almost two- thirds (62 percent) of US adults used prayer. (NAACM, 2012) By incorporating prayer, Americans use CAM in hopes that treatment and prevention of disease have better odds and overall, the quality of life is enhanced. The survey did indicate that CAM was used greater by women, individuals of higher education, individuals recently hospitalized and former smokers compared to other groups. Spiritual practices (use of prayer) are one way of being involved in the health and healing of oneself. It is said that forty-three percent of individuals pray for their health, while twenty-four percent have others that pray for them. (NAACM, 2012)
NAACM.(Ed.). (2012 ). More Than One-Third of U.S. Adults Use Complementary and Alternative Medicine, According to New Government Survey. Retrieved from https://nccih.nih.gov/news/2004/052704.htm