Alternative and Complementary Medicine: Yuppie Health

A 2006 market study by Thomson Medstat PULSE, an ongoing, privately-sponsored consumer health survey, on alternative and complementary medicine use among “Highly Educated, High-Income Americans” proves it’s not just for those who can’t afford conventional medicine.

Those with the most choices for healthcare are trying out naturopathic modalities by the score.

Everything from herbal supplements to the 5,000-year-old Indian medicine, Ayurveda was included in that market analysis, for treatments that ranged from pain to diabetes, with regular visit statistics at a minimum of twice a year, proving its now a lifestyle.


Fueled by an interest in self-reliance, the report said, this socio-economic group is taking greater responsibility for treating themselves.

Among the modalities studied in the report, some were more popular than others. Herbal supplements came in as the number one form of alternative medicine, followed closely by massage and chiropractic care. Mind and body practices, energy therapies, and naturopathy were somewhere in the middle.

All reported to have dialogue with their primary care physicians regarding their use of alternative medicine, and to have had begun using it for general wellness.