The Midwest is cautious and slow to embrace nontraditional therapies that have been used on the Coasts for many years. But area consumers are turning to complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies, often without telling their doctor. Local providers are beginning to embrace CAM, albeit they are few and far between. Still, those doing so say they fear criticism from "traditional" colleagues.
Additionally, local hospitals are for the most part not embracing CAM and refuse usage for such therapies as acupuncture within their walls. Part of the problem is that consumers and health-care providers lump complementary and alternative together. The reporter's goal was to explain the differences, to raise awareness on CAM research and educate consumers on what is available locally.
See the archived story and the questionnaire in which the reporter writes about how this story was written.