This is Alternative Medicine marketing research and can include information on the background, market structure, definitions, competitors, trends and developments of alternative medicine and is related to other topics such as health, healing, therapies and diets.

Table of Contents

[edit] Background

Complementary – or alternative - medicines consist of a variety of healing techniques and therapies collected from a many countries. Many elements can be traced to methods of healing developed in ancient civilizations including Africa, India, China and Tibet. Many of these approaches and treatments, however, have had limited acceptance in most medical organizations and have been little accepted as mainstream methods in hospitals and are not frequently covered by insurance companies or health maintenance organizations (HMOs).

These medical techniques can be used alone (alternative medicine) or in conjunction and as a supplement to conventional or mainstream medicines (complementary medicine).

An increasing number of people in western societies are accepting alternative medicine as a legitimate part of their medical treatment or health regimen. Estimates indicate that more than 620 million visits to alternative medicine practitioners were made by Americans in 1997 - a 47% increase over 1990. This number exceeded the 386 million visits made to mainstream medical practitioners in the same year. Common conditions for which people are most likely to seek alternative medicine treatments include chronic lower back pain, stress, migraine headaches, arthritis, depression and attention disorders. Alternative medicine treatments are also sought when conventional medical treatments fail, especially when all other treatments have failed to stem a terminal disease. Cancer, diabetes and other high profile diseases are becoming a more frequent target for the introduction of alternative medicines.

[edit] Market Structure

Alternative medicine can be grouped into five major segments of practice: alternative medical systems, mind-body techniques, biologically-based therapies, body-based therapies, and energy therapies.

It is estimated that 70% of Americans may use some form of alternative medicine. In 1998, the Los Angeles Times estimated Americans spent approximately US $18 billion in treatment. Over US $5 billion was spent on herbal products alone in 2004.

Trends in Alternative Medicine Use in the United States by Dr. David Eisenberg states that: “The prevalence and expenditures associated with alternative medical therapies in the U.S. have increased substantially from 1990 to 1997. This increase appears to be primarily due to increases in the prevalence of use and in the frequency with which users of alternative therapy sought professional services. In 1997, an estimated four in 10 Americans used at least one alternative therapy as compared with three in 10 in 1990. For adults aged 35 to 49 years in 1997, it is estimated that one of every two persons used at lease one alternative therapy”.

[edit] Industry Definitions

Some approaches, techniques and treatments include the following:

• Alternative medical systems – include traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, and unconventional Western practices like homeopathy and naturopathy.

• Acupuncture - one of the most widely accepted alternative medicine techniques in the Western world. It involves the stimulation of specific points on the body, usually by inserting very fine needles into the skin and underlying tissues. Sometimes, additional stimulation is provided with a very low voltage electrical current or by warming the needle.

• Acupressure - a variation of acupuncture, using localized massage instead of needles.

• Ayurveda - a medical system of India, using herbs, massage, yoga, and internal cleansing to reinstate balance within the body and with nature.

• Homeopathy - developed in Germany in the late 1700s, is based on naturally occurring substances, such as plant extracts and minerals, which are used to stimulate the body's natural capacity to heal.

• Naturopathy - emphasizes the avoidance and management of disease through a healthy lifestyle, treatment of the whole person, and use of the body's natural curative abilities It uses a combination of therapies, including nutrition, herbal medicine, homeopathy, physical medicine, exercise therapy, counseling, stress management, acupuncture, natural childbirth, and hydrotherapy.

• Mind-body techniques - a variety of approaches and treatments designed to improve the mind's capacity to affect bodily function and symptoms. It is based on the theory that mental and emotional factors can manipulate physical health. It uses behavioral, psychological, social, and spiritual methods to encourage health and prevent or cure diseases.

• Ancillary techniques – other approaches including relaxation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, meditation, imagery, biofeedback, and hypnosis. These are often suggested for treatment of coronary artery disease, headaches, insomnia, loss of urinary control, high blood pressure, asthma, arthritis, and pain.

• Meditation – suggested as offering several health benefits, including relieving stress and pain.

• Relaxation techniques - practices specially designed to relieve tension and strain with the effect of lowering blood pressure, reducing muscle tension, slowing metabolic processes, or changing brain wave activity.

• Hypnotherapy - hypnosis can be used to treat some ailments, such as certain pain syndromes and conversion disorders, in which apparent bodily illness is actually due to psychological stress.

• Biologically-based therapies - involve the use of chemicals derived from natural sources.

• Herbal medicine – derived from extracts, tinctures, infusions, decoctions, pills, and powders. It may involve a single herb or a mixture of different herbs to treat ailment and encourage health. In some Chinese herbal medicine mixtures, minerals and animal parts may be used as ingredients.

• Body-based therapies - methods that treat various conditions through bodily management.

• Chiropractic- spinal manipulation or other treatments are used in the treatment of back pain, headaches and a range of other ailments.

• Massage therapy - the treatment of body tissues to encourage wellness and reduce pain and stress. It involves a variety of methods, from stroking and kneading (as used in Swedish massage) to applying pressure to specific points (as used in Shiatsu, acupressure, and neuromuscular massage), and are used to treat musculoskeletal, nervous, and circulatory systems of the body. Massage may be useful in relieving pain, muscle soreness, fibromyalgia, and anxiety in people with cancer, and may also lower stress and anxiety.

• Energy therapies - focuses on the energy fields thought to exist in and around the body (biofields) and uses external energy sources (electromagnetic fields) to manipulate health and healing.

• Bioelectromagnetic-based therapies - the use of pulsed fields, magnetic fields, or alternating- or direct-current fields. Various musculoskeletal conditions have been treated with magnets.

• Reiki - a technique of Japanese origin involving the channeling of energy through the practitioner’s hands and into the person's body to promote healing.

• Botanical Medicine - prepared from whole leaves, roots, stems, etc. of a plant

• Detoxification - removal of latent toxins from the body. Common detoxification techniques include specific diet protocols, herbs, supplements, and massage.

• Orthomolecular medicine - management of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, hormones, and metabolic intermediates. Used for the avoidance and treatment of ailments.

• Reflexology - therapies that involve the appliance of manual pressure to precise areas of the foot corresponding to areas of the body, in order to relieve stress, endorse well being, and prevent and treat diseases.

[edit] Market Metrics

Another estimate indicates that spending on alternative medicine could now be as high as US $50 billion annually. Of this amount, almost $20 billion was paid to medical practitioners as out-of-pocket, or non-reimbursed expenses.

The leading markets of Alternative Medicine are:

• United States
• China
• E.U. Countries

Representative Alternative Medicine Industry Players include the following:

• Shanghai Honghao Chemicals Co., Ltd. (China)
• Shangdong Medicines & Health Products Imp. & Exp. Corp. (China)
• Anpas Corporation (USA)
• Scientific Research Institute, Inc. (Germany)
• Vasu Healthcare Pvt. Ltd (India)
• Trygve Enterprise Inc. (USA)
• Hishimo Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. (India)

[edit] Trends and Recent Developments

The amount of the demand for alternative therapy is considerable, in spite of the relatively low rates of insurance coverage for these services. Estimates show that dietary supplements have become a $6 billion sector and are expected to grow at an annual compound rate approaching 25% for the foreseeable future.

The Centers for Disease Control estimated that 74% of Americans have used alternative medicine and that the average American spent $60 on various remedies in 2005.

Especially due to an aging population, the Alternative Medicine market is expected to experience continued and faster growth.

[edit] Sources

National Institute for Alternative Medicines, USA

Wikipedia

Answers.com

US Census Bureau

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medice in the United States

Stanford Today Science and Medicine News

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Medicare Drugs Marketing Research

Hospitals Marketing Research

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