The benefits of complementary and alternative medicine in serving public health were highlighted by experts at a conference held in HCM City on Feb. 24.
At the conference held by the UNESCI Centre for Public Health, they said this branch of medicine, a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine, give patients more health care choices.
Alternative medicine has also become popular in industrially advanced countries including the US , they noted.
A survey conducted by the National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the US found 74.6 percent of its residents used complementary and alternative medicine therapies and 54.9 percent used it in conjunction with western medicine.
Most of them use the complementary and alternative medicine to treat and prevent problems involving their joints.
Another study conducted by the Health Forum under the American Hospitals Association also showed that many hospitals in the US are providing complementary and alternative medicine therapies to meet patients’ demands.
In 2008, 37 percent of hospitals in the US used these therapies, an increase of 26.5 percent over 2005.
Complementary and alternative medicine has been applied widely in Canada, the UK Ireland, France, Germany and Australia, the conference heard.
Experts at the conference also noted that “Universal Energy”, one of the complementary and alternative medicine therapies, has also been applied in other fields including agriculture in Vietnam in order to limit the use of chemical fertilisers and insecticides to protect farmers’ health as well as the natural environment./.
At the conference held by the UNESCI Centre for Public Health, they said this branch of medicine, a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine, give patients more health care choices.
Alternative medicine has also become popular in industrially advanced countries including the US , they noted.
A survey conducted by the National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the US found 74.6 percent of its residents used complementary and alternative medicine therapies and 54.9 percent used it in conjunction with western medicine.
Most of them use the complementary and alternative medicine to treat and prevent problems involving their joints.
Another study conducted by the Health Forum under the American Hospitals Association also showed that many hospitals in the US are providing complementary and alternative medicine therapies to meet patients’ demands.
In 2008, 37 percent of hospitals in the US used these therapies, an increase of 26.5 percent over 2005.
Complementary and alternative medicine has been applied widely in Canada, the UK Ireland, France, Germany and Australia, the conference heard.
Experts at the conference also noted that “Universal Energy”, one of the complementary and alternative medicine therapies, has also been applied in other fields including agriculture in Vietnam in order to limit the use of chemical fertilisers and insecticides to protect farmers’ health as well as the natural environment./.
