Monday, October 18, 2010

$34 Billion Spend Annually on Alternative Medicine



If you needed another reason to grow your own herbs besides your love of gardening, your passion for fresh herbs for teas, cooking or crafts or creating your own herbal remedies, a recent study shows how economical your herb garden actually is.



According to a study that was recently released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
"That includes a wide range of services from meditation and yoga to dietary supplements, such as echinacea and ginseng."

The article, $34 billion spent yearly on alternative medicine, states:
"Alternative medicine now accounts for more than 11 percent of out-of-pocket spending on health care in the United States, the researchers said.
About 44 cents out of every dollar spent on alternative medicine was for products like fish oil, glucosamine and echinacea. Spending on these products was nearly $15 billion, or about a third of what Americans spend out-of-pocket for prescription drugs."
Because herbs and herbal preparations sold do not fall under FDA guidelines, many experts and concerned about contamination in products that consumers just naturally think are regulated.

So, in addition to your herb garden and personal herbal blends being easier on the pocketbook, they are probably a lot safer than purchased supplements.

photo used with permission under morgueFile Free License

All written content ©2010 Patrice Campbell unless otherwise noted.