Other than dietary supplements, the use of CAM for weight loss is relatively low, according to researchers at the University of South Carolina, Columbia.

How low?

First, the details.
Among 11,211 respondents to a questionnaire, the analysis focused on 372 people who had used CAM within the previous 12 months.

The most often used therapies?

  • Yoga (57%)
  • Meditation (8%)
  • Acupuncture (8%)
  • Massage (8%)
  • Eastern martial arts (6%)

Among CAM users, 63% used it alone, 27% in a group setting, and 11% under the supervision of a CAM practitioner.

The bottom line?
People who used other weight loss methods were most likely to also use CAM, suggesting that CAM is often added to other weight-loss strategies.

9/8/07 21:47 JR

Hi, I’m JR

John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.