Breathing, Chiropractic, Diet-Nutrition, Massage, Meditation, Religion/ Spirituality, Yoga

The use of prayer as CAM

The use of prayer is rarely queried in surveys of CAM use. Here are the highlights from a Centers for Disease Control survey on the use of CAM. It’s based on interviews with more than 31,000 adults. The report is available here (then go to the “Barnes PM” link) and here.

In the past 12 months?

  • 62% of adults used CAM (when CAM included prayer specifically for health reasons)
  • Excluding prayer, 36% of adults used CAM

The 10 most commonly used CAM therapies

  • Prayer for one’s own health (43%)
  • Prayer by others for one’s own health (24%)
  • Natural products (19%)
  • Deep breathing exercises (12%)
  • Participation in prayer group for one’s own health (10%)
  • Meditation (8%)
  • Chiropractic care (8%)
  • Yoga (5%)
  • Massage (5%)
  • Diet-based therapies (4%)

6/25/06 13:17 JR