Complementary and alternative medical treatment of XXXX : a survey of licensed North American naturopathic physicians.

@entity1 @entity5 @entity0 @entity620
CONTEXT: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is on the rise in the United States, especially for @entity0 @entity1 . Many CAM therapies are delivered by licensed naturopathic physicians using individualized treatment plans. OBJECTIVE: To describe naturopathic treatment for @entity1 with @entity0 . DESIGN: Cross-sectional mail survey in 2 parts: screening form and 13-page survey. SETTING: Bastyr University Cancer Research Center, Kenmore, Wash. @entity1 : All licensed naturopathic physicians in the United States and Canada (N=1,356) received screening forms; 642 (47%) completed the form. Of the respondents, 333 (52%) were eligible, and 161 completed the survey (48%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographics of naturopathic physicians, development of treatment plans, CAM therapies used, perceived efficacy of therapeutic interventions. RESULTS: Of those respondents screened, 497 (77%) had provided naturopathic care to @entity1 with @entity0 , and 402 (63%) had treated @entity1 with @entity0 in the previous 12 months. Naturopaths who were @entity1 were more likely than @entity1 to treat @entity0 (P < or = .004). Of the survey respondents, 104 (65%) practiced in the United States, and 57 (35%) practiced in Canada; 107 (66.5%) were @entity1 , and 54 (33.5%) were @entity1 . To develop naturopathic treatment plans, naturopathic physicians most often considered the stage of @entity5 , the @entity1 's emotional constitution, and the conventional therapies used. To monitor @entity1 clinically, 64% of the naturopathic physicians used diagnostic imaging, 57% considered the @entity1 's quality of life, and 51% used physical examinations. The most common general CAM therapies used were dietary counseling (94%), botanical medicines (88%), antioxidants (84%), and supplemental nutrition (84%). The most common specific treatments were @entity620 (39%), coenzyme Q-10 (34%), and Hoxsey formula (29%).
