Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Japanese Perspective

Abstract

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasing rapidly. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies 65–80% of the world’s health care services as ‘traditional medicine’ (1). Therefore, from the viewpoint of the population ratio, more people use CAM than modern western medicine. Although much attention has been focused on CAM not only from physicians but also basic medical researchers, scientific evidence for most CAM is still sparse. Emergence of CAM as a new current of medicine depends on whether or not precise scientific evidence can be accumulated. Why has CAM become so popular among ‘consumers’? I think that the following factors are responsible: ● CAM is easy to understand and familiar ● CAM is non-invasive, with few side effects ● CAM helps improve quality of life (QOL) or activity of daily life (ADL) ● CAM helps one to maintain one’s own health ● Western modern medicine does not fully correspond to the patients’ demands ● the trend towards a more holistic medical approach ● ballooning medical expenses In this overview, I will describe and discuss the current status of CAM in Japan. The situation in Japan should be of much interest, since Japan is unique as a country in which highly advanced modern Western medicine coexists with traditional Asian medicine.