The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), which is a part of the National Institutes of Health, has reported that 3.1 million Americans used acupuncture and Oriental medicine in 2007, a 50% increase since 2002. The most recent report was posted January 9,2009.
Part of what’s causing the increase is the frustration with the standard health care system in the U.S. With ever increasing co-pays, reports of dangerous drug side effects, and sometimes ineffective and costly surgeries, natural and safe alternatives are seeing increasing popularity.
In 2002 2.1 million patients used acupuncture, but in 2007 the number jumped to an estimated 3.1 million.
In 2007 17% of adults used CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) most often for musculoskeletal problems, including back pain, neck pain, joint pain, arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions.
The study also gave acupuncture particularly high marks for its research quality. Out of 40 systematic reviews identified by the National Library of Medicine involving acupuncture, massage therapy, naturopathy or yoga published between 2002 and 2007, the only studies that found sufficient evidence to conclude that the given therapy was effective for a given condition all used acupuncture as a form of treatment.
http://nccam.gov/news/camstats.htm
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