Go Australia!

A survey of more than 3000 South Australians during 2004 found 52.2 per cent used complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM), such as herbal remedies, aromatherapy and Chinese medicine. This is higher than other regions of the world such as the US where a 2004 study estimated a third of the population to be using CAM. CAM includes herbal medicines, Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, vitamin, mineral and nutritional supplements, homeopathic medicines and aromatherapy products. The new study also included a range of therapies like chiropractic, osteopathy, naturopathy, homeopathy and acupuncture. In the Australian research, nearly 40 % of CAM users were taking vitamins, more than 20 % took herbal medicines and 13.6 % were taking mineral supplements.