The number of patients undergoing treatment with alternative medicine in the United States from 1990 to 1997 increased from 34% of the population to 42%.<sup>9 Eisenberg D.M., Davis R.B., Ettner S.L. , et al. Trends in alternative medicine use in the United States, 1990–1997: Results of a follow-up national survey JAMA 1998 ;  280 : 1569-1575  [cross-ref]

Cliquez ici pour aller à la section Références</sup> Currently, there are more visits to alternative health practitioners than total visits to all primary care physicians. Insurance companies and managed care organizations have begun to increase coverage of some alternative therapies,<sup>28 Pelletier K.R., Marie A., Krasner M. , et al. Current trends in the integration and reimbursement of complementary and alternative medicine by managed care, insurance carriers, and hospital providers Am J Health Promot 1997 ;  12 : 112-122

Cliquez ici pour aller à la section Références</sup> and most medical schools now offer courses in this discipline.<sup>36 Wetzel M.S., Eisenberg D.M., Kaptchuk T.J. Courses involving complementary and alternative medicine at US medical schools JAMA 1998 ;  280 : 784-787  [cross-ref]

Cliquez ici pour aller à la section Références</sup> Other countries around the world also use these therapies. Surveys suggest that 33% of the Finnish population<sup>32 Vaskilampi T., Merilainen P., Sinkkonen S. , et al. The use of alternative treatments in the Finnish adult population Clinical Research Methodology for Complementary Therapies London: Hodder & Stoughton (1993).  204-229

Cliquez ici pour aller à la section Références</sup> and 49% of the Australian population have used some form of alternative medicine.<sup>20 MacLennan A.H., Wilson D.H., Taylor A.W. Prevalence and cost of alternative medicine in Australia Lancet 1996 ;  347 : 569-573  [cross-ref]

Cliquez ici pour aller à la section Références</sup> Some of the more common alternative therapies have included acupuncture, biofeedback, chiropractic, energy healing, herbal medicine, homeopathy, hypnosis, imagery, massage, relaxation techniques, and vitamins and minerals.

The scope of this article does not permit an extensive review of all of these (and other) therapies. A focus on a few of these options should suffice to introduce the conventional medical practitioner to alternative medicine in prostate cancer. The material discussed is based on the author's experience because no formal survey of alternative medicine in prostate cancer has been published to date. The use of alternative medicine in prostate cancer may be as extensive as its use in the general population as suggested by recent surveys. At the author's center, supplement use is now recorded as a standard part of the written medical history.