DIY check up: when to consider alternative care

According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly 40 percent of Americans use some form of medicine deemed “alternative” or “complimentary” to established medicine. We discuss four popular forms: acupuncture, chiropractics, osteopathy and homeopathy.

Kate Dailey, health editor for Newsweek, helps us unpack which forms of alternative medicine have been shown to help patients when conventional medicine has failed. Dr. Jack Killen, deputy director of the Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health says there’s a long history of practices once called “alternative” that have entered the mainstream, like hospice care or Lamaze birthing classes. The scientific community eventually works to find out why or exactly how these therapies help patients.