The Use of Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) in 1001 German Adults: Results of a Population-Based Telephone Survey

In a telephone survey, 1001 adults from the population of Lubeck were questioned about the use of complementary alternative medicine (CAM). About 42 % of the responders used CAM. Among the users was an overproportional number of well-educated women. The most frequently used forms of CAM were acupuncture (34.5%), homeopathy (27.3%) and phytotherapy (9.7%) for treatment of chronic pain (36.3 %), uncomplicated flu conditions (16.9 %) or as a general tonic (14.7%). In 65% of the cases medical doctors performed the CAM.