Finding wellness off the beaten path

In recent decades, complementary medicine has gained tremendous popularity. Today millions of Americans practice yoga and meditation, take nutritional supplements, get stuck with tiny acupuncture needles and try out special diets -- all in the name of good health. Many Americans swear by these alternative therapies as an effective way to control the stress of modern life and manage both chronic and acute health conditions.

A new report from the U.S. National Department of Health and Human Services looks at the popularity of complementary health approaches throughout the country. The report, based on a 2012 survey of 34,525 adults, identifies regional variations in health care trends. It turns out where you live has a lot to do with whether you take herbal supplements or master downward dog.

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Herbal dietary supplements

According to the report, the most popular alternative or complementary treatments are non-vitamin and non-mineral supplements -- such Echinacea, fish oil, gingko biloba and pre- or probiotics.

The survey found 17.9 percent of Americans took supplements, which are not currently regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Though herbal supplements are widely used, research on their benefits varies as greatly as the products’ claims. Fish oil, one of the bestselling supplements, has been found to improve brain function but also to increase prostate cancer risk. And some research finds a number of herbal supplements can be downright dangerous, especially in large doses.

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Herbal dietary supplements

Dietary supplements, not including vitamins or minerals, were most popular with people in the Mountain region (28.7 percent), Pacific region (23.3 percent), and West North Central states (23.1 percent). Such products were less popular in the Mid-Atlantic and much of the South.

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Chiropractic and osteopathic care

The report found 8.5 percent of Americans opted for some type of chiropractic care. Chiropractors use a type of hands-on therapy to adjust problems related to the body’s structure and especially the spine, and some people tout it as a miracle cure.

But some health experts say there is little research to prove that the treatment is effective and safe.

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Chiropractic and osteopathic care

Chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation are especially popular in the West North Central states -- a region ranging from Missouri and Kansas to the Dakotas and Minnesota -- where 16.4 percent have tried it; and in the Mountain region, at 11.4 percent. Texans and their neighbors around the Gulf are the least likely to see a chiropractor.

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Yoga

According to the report, 8.4 percent of Americans opt to say “namaste” and practice yoga, while 4.1 percent do some form of meditation or deep breathing. Not surprising to many, the report finds these forms of alternative therapy are especially popular on the West Coast.

And yoga is big business: The age-old practice, which has its roots in India, is a $27 billion industry in the U.S., according to the Yoga Journal.

Many experts say turning yourself into a pretzel has many health benefits, from aiding digestion to preventing obesity and reducing stress. Yoga has also been found to help people cope with a wide range of chronic health problems, including multiple sclerosis, chronic pain and cancer.

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Yoga

Yoga with deep breathing or meditation is 40 percent more popular on the West Coast than in the country as a whole. It's practiced by 12.1 percent of people in the Pacific region and 11.5 percent in the Mountain region, compared to just 5.1 percent in parts of the South.

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Massage therapy

Massage therapy was the fourth most commonly used holistic health treatment, according to the report, with 6.8 percent of Americans giving it a try.

Massage not only relaxes the body and feels great, the treatment can also relieve sore muscles and help a person recover from serious injury.

According to a survey conducted by the American Massage Therapy Association, 43 percent of people who answered a questionnaire said they turned to massage for medical reasons, 32 percent said they went to see a massage therapist to help manage stress and 24 percent used massage to reduce pain.

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Massage therapy

Researchers found people living in the Pacific, Mountain, and West North Central regions were most likely to have used massage therapy during the past 12 months. It was much less popular in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.

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Acupuncture

Acupuncture, a 2,000-year-old staple of traditional Chinese medicine, is used to alleviate all manner of health problems.

A 2013 study from the Journal of Alternative Medicine found that as of 2007, 6.8 percent of Americans reported trying acupuncture at some point in their life and 1.5 percent reported using it in the past 12 months.

For the therapy, an acupuncturist inserts tiny, specially-designed needles in specific points of the body – known as meridians – which are said to correct imbalances that block the flow of qi, which is Chinese for “life force.”

Some recent studies have found acupuncture can help with the management ofchronic pain, aid smoking cessation and boost fertility. Other researchers say the benefits simply demonstrate the power of the placebo effect.

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Special diets

Though the diet industry is a $60 billion business, only 3 percent of Americans surveyed for the report tried a special diet, which ranged from a basic vegetable-based approached to highly-restrictive programs including the Zone, vegan, gluten-free, Atkins, Paleo and Ornish diets.

In recent years, fad diets based on principles such as ketogenics have become popular with people on the quest to trim down and manage weight-related health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Research varies on their effectiveness.

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