Alternative Medicine Soars as Pharmaceuticals Sour

Alternative Medicine Soars as Pharmaceuticals Sour:

Despite a ruinous economy, dietary supplement sales in particular have seen continued growth over the past several years. According to research conducted by Nutrition Business Journal, dietary supplement sales increased 6 percent to $25.2 billion in 2008. The year prior also saw a 6 percent increase, despite slowing growth in most other product sectors.

Meanwhile, growth in prescription drug sales has been rapidly declining for the past eight years, slowing by 52 percent in 2007 over 2006 figures, and plunging a whopping 65 percent in 2008. Overall, growth in pharmaceutical drug sales has been dwindling since 2001, a sign that the tides may definitively be turning in favor of alternative and natural remedies.

Many insurance companies are also now covering alternative therapies including chiropractic care, acupuncture, massages, biofeedback, and herbal remedies. Some even offer discounted memberships to health clubs and other wellness incentive programs to encourage disease prevention and healthy living. After all, prevention is the best medicine as far as insurance companies are concerned as it saves them money in the long run.

Integrating medicine is proving to serve as an amiable catalyst for educating the public about the legitimacy and superiority of a natural, preventive approach to health care. It is guiding public thought away from the reactional symptom management paradigm towards natural disease remediation and prevention. As a result, what was once considered alternative is quickly becoming the new conventional.