Alternative medicine expert witnesses may opine on herbal medicine, acupuncture, and homeopathy. Statistics suggest that more Americans are embracing therapies outside of mainstream medicine. In 2007, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 38.3 percent of adults said they used some form of alternative medicine, up from 36 percent five years earlier. Just over 44 percent of people ages 50 to 59 report using complementary medicine.
The lines between conventional and complementary medicine are blurring. Many hospitals and mainstream physicians have adopted these techniques as options for patients. Three examples of such therapies are healing touch, biofeedback and Reiki.
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