Most Americans over age 50 do not disclose alternative medicine use to physicians, survey finds

A telephone survey of almost 1,600 U.S. adults over 50 years of age found that 69% did not disclose their use of complementary and alternative medicines to their physicians, according to a press release from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

The NCCAM, a part of the National Institutes of Health, partnered with AARP in conducting the survey.

Investigators found that of the 69% of respondents who did not disclose complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use, 42% indicated that their physician did not ask about such use, 30% indicated that they were unaware they should inform their physician, and 19% said there was inadequate time during the office visit to inform the physician, according to a report on the survey on the AARP Web site.

"An open dialog between consumers and their physicians is critical to ensuring safe and appropriate integrated care," said Margaret A. Chesney, MD, deputy director of NCCAM, in the press release.

The most commonly used CAMs include massage therapy, chiropractic medicine, herbal products and dietary supplements, according to the survey report.