Use of Alternative Therapies by Active Duty Air Force Personnel

Personnel serving in the military have access to a unique health care system and may also have different cultural values than the general public. According to Kleinmans concept of a health care system as a social reality, three aspects of any health care system are the popular lay sector, or self treatment, the traditional sector, and the folk sector, where alternative therapy falls. As the military looks at Building Healthy Communities, with emphasis on self care and healthy lifestyles, alternative therapies may play a key role as an intermediary between self care and tertiary care in the traditional, costly health care system. The purpose of this study was to determine extent of use of alternative health care by active duty Air Force personnel. Survey forms were mailed to 205 active duty officers in the Washington, D.C. area. Response rate was 58 percent. Thirty-four percent of respondents had used at least one form of alternative therapy. Massage therapy was most commonly used 15 responders, followed by herbs 11, relaxation techniques 10, megavitamin therapy 10,and. finally chiropractic therapy 9. Commercial weight loss programs and self-help groups were also used by the respondents. Symptoms for which alternative therapies were used included back problems I6, allergies 9, sprainsstrains 9, headaches 9, and weight problems 8. Some personnel indicated they used alternative therapies as prevention, not for disorders. Fifty-eight percent of respondents, whether they had previously used these therapies or not, indicated they would use alternative therapies if indicated. The top therapies officers would use were chiropractors, relaxation techniques, massage therapy, and megavitamin. The study concludes use of alternative therapies in the sample of the military population is similiar the general public.