"Use of Alternative Therapies is Growing", OC Register, 5/28/08

The trend in veterinary medicine mimics what is happening with people...holistic medicine comprises a group of medical and healthcare practices and products that are not considered part of conventional medicine. Complementary medicine is used with conventional medicine, while alternative medicine is used in place of it. The most comprehensive findings to date on American's use of complementary and alternative medicine were from a study released in 2004 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the National Center for Health Statistics...62% of those surveyed said they use some form of complementary or alternative medicine. Most said they do not tell their (regular) doctor about it...A 2006 study by the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences shows the same trend among pet owners. More than half of the pet owners surveyed said they use complementary medicine to help their cats and dogs...A survey of 254 people whose pets were being treated at the university...Many of those people said they don't tell their vets they are receiving these treatments, nor do they seek input on the treatments from a vet..."

(above taken in brief from Dr. Gordon's regular column. Brings to mind some interesting and concurrent thoughts about: consumer preference and choice, consumer thoughts regarding conventional medicine, and medical "trends"....Thoughts?)