Alternative therapies such as meditation and acupuncture are becoming increasingly popular among American adults.
The use of these therapies for pain management has surged over the past two decades, with chronic pain sufferers leading the way. The most widely used alternative therapy was meditation which rose from 7.5% of respondents in 2002 to 17.3% in 2022.
Alternative therapies such as meditation and acupuncture are becoming increasingly popular among American adults. According to a study published in JAMA Network Open, the use of these therapies for pain management has surged over the past two decades, with chronic pain sufferers leading the way. The most widely used alternative therapy was meditation which rose from 7.5% of respondents in 2002 to 17.3% in 2022.
More than one-third of American adults now supplement or substitute mainstream medical care with treatments long considered alternative.
“It's become part of the culture of the United States.”
㱈
It's becoming more accepted among younger people.㱖
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author uses sensationalism by stating that more than one-third of American adults now supplement or substitute mainstream medical care with alternative therapies like meditation and acupuncture.
More than one-third of American adults now supplement or substitute mainstream medical care with treatments long considered alternative.
Fallacies
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(85%)
The article presents a positive view of alternative therapies such as meditation and acupuncture. The author uses language that depicts these treatments as mainstream and widely accepted, which could be seen as an attempt to downplay the fact that they were once considered alternative. Additionally, the use of statistics such as 37% of adult pain patients using nontraditional medical care is presented without any context or comparison to traditional methods. This can give readers a false sense of equivalence between these treatments and conventional medicine.
The doctor is in. So is the yogi.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The article discusses the rise of alternative therapies such as meditation and acupuncture for general wellness, stress management use, sleep, energy and immune health. The author is Matt Richtel who has a financial stake in Stanford Medicine which produces content on these topics.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author Matt Richtel has a conflict of interest on the topic of alternative therapies such as meditation and acupuncture. He is reporting for The New York Times which is part of the mainstream medical care industry.
Almost every person living with chronic pain has been told by a doctor, loved one, friend or even strangers that they should try a complimentary health approach to pain management.
The idea is to get pain patients to reduce or stop using opioids and other medications by utilizing alternative health therapies such as massage, meditation and acupuncture.
A new study shows that there has been surge in the use of these therapies by Americans over the last two decades, with chronic pain sufferers leading the way.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health looked at data from the 2002, 2012, and 2022 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to evaluate the use of seven alternative therapies: yoga, meditation, massage, chiropractic care, acupuncture, naturopathy and guided imagery/progressive muscle relaxation.
The most widely used alternative therapy was meditation which rose from 7.5% of respondents in 2002 to 17.3% in 2022.
Complimentary Health Approaches Used by U.S Adults Between the years of 2004 and 1986, US adults increasingly used CHAs for pain management.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it implies that all people with chronic pain have been told to try a 'complimentary health approach' when this may not be the case for everyone. Secondly, the article uses sensationalist language such as 'surge', 'most widely used alternative therapy', and '$28.3 billion spent on CHAs in 2012'. This creates an exaggerated impression of how popular these therapies are and how much money is being spent on them. Thirdly, the article does not provide any evidence to support its claims about the effectiveness of these therapies for pain management.
The article does not provide any evidence to support its claims about the effectiveness of these therapies for pain management.
The article implies that all people with chronic pain have been told to try a 'complimentary health approach'.
The use of sensationalist language such as 'surge', 'most widely used alternative therapy', and '$28.3 billion spent on CHAs in 2012' creates an exaggerated impression of how popular these therapies are.
Fallacies
(75%)
The article presents a clear and concise overview of the use of complementary health approaches (CHAs) for pain management. The author correctly identifies that CHAs are often recommended as an alternative to opioids and other medications. However, there is no evidence presented in the article to support this recommendation or any claims made about the effectiveness of these therapies.
The most widely used alternative therapy was meditation, which rose from 7.5% of respondents in 2002 to 17.3% in 2022.
Bias
(85%)
The article promotes the use of complementary health approaches (CHAs) for pain management. The author uses language that implies CHAs are a better alternative to opioids and other medications. The article also presents data showing an increase in the use of CHAs over time without providing any information on their effectiveness or safety.
The idea is to get pain patients to reduce or stop using opioids and other medications by utilizing alternative health therapies such as massage, meditation and acupuncture.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The article discusses multimodal care for chronic pain and mentions several alternative therapies such as yoga, meditation, massage, chiropractic care and acupuncture. The author is Pat Anson who has a financial interest in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) which may compromise his ability to report on NIH research objectively.
Pat Anson mentions that he was previously an executive director at the American Pain Foundation, which received funding from pharmaceutical companies. He also notes that he has a financial interest in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its role in pain research.
Complimentary health approaches (CHAs) include yoga, meditation, massage, chiropractic care, acupuncture,
Accuracy
Meditation was the most widely used alternative therapy in 2022 with 17.3% of respondents using it
Yoga saw the largest increase in utilization from 5% of respondents in 2002 to 15.8% in 2022
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author uses a loaded term 'complimentary health approach' to describe alternative therapies which implies that they are not effective or scientifically proven. However, research has shown that many of these therapies provide low to moderate levels of pain management and have been incorporated into best practice pain management guidelines.
The article does not document what kind of pain conditions the respondents had, how often they used an alternative therapy, or even whether the treatment worked.
The author uses the term 'complimentary health approach' to describe alternative therapies which implies they are not effective or scientifically proven. However, research has shown that many of these therapies provide low to moderate levels of pain management and have been incorporated into best practice pain management guidelines.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing a study published in JAMA Network Open without providing any context or information about the methodology used in the study. Additionally, the author makes a false dilemma by suggesting that alternative therapies are only useful for reducing opioid use and not for treating pain conditions. The article also contains an example of inflammatory rhetoric when it describes chronic pain sufferers as leading the way in using alternative therapies.
The author uses an appeal to authority by citing a study published in JAMA Network Open without providing any context or information about the methodology used in the study.
The author makes a false dilemma by suggesting that alternative therapies are only useful for reducing opioid use and not for treating pain conditions.
The article contains an example of inflammatory rhetoric when it describes chronic pain sufferers as leading the way in using alternative therapies.
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The Pain News Network has a conflict of interest on the topic of alternative pain therapies as they are owned by a company that produces and sells some forms of these therapies.
. . . Naturopathy, and guided imagery/progressive muscle relaxation.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The Pain News Network has a conflict of interest on the topic of alternative pain therapies as they are promoting them in their article. The author does not disclose any financial ties or personal relationships with companies that produce these therapies.
. . . Naturopathy, and guided imagery/progressive muscle relaxation.
