Alternative (“complementary”) medicine is big business: $30 billion a year in U.S.

A new report from the National Health Statistics, based on  a 2012 national survey, reflects what a massive business alternative/complementary medicine has become in the U.S.:

An estimated 59 million persons aged 4 years and over had at least one expenditure for some type of complementary health approach, resulting in total outof-pocket expenditures of $30.2 billion. More was spent on visits to complementary practitioners ($14.7 billion) than for purchases of natural product supplements ($12.8 billion) or self-care approaches ($2.7 billion).

Wow.

The reports covers everything from goofy crap like chelation and homeopathy to sometimes-wacky-sometimes-reasonable practices like chiropratic and naturopathy to well-proven approaches like tai chi and yoga: “The complementary health approaches analyzed for this report include: acupuncture, Ayurveda, biofeedback, chelation therapy, chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation, energy healing therapy, diet-based therapies, guided imagery, homeopathic treatment, hypnosis, massage therapy, meditation, naturopathy, natural product supplements, progressive relaxation, qi gong, tai chi, yoga, movement therapies, craniosacral therapy, and traditional healers.”