Those patients most likely to use alternative therapies were well educated middle income whites aged 25 to 49 years old. This group also contains a high number of registered voters.

It was more than a year ago that the U.S. Congress, behind Senator Tom Harkin, began pushing for more research in alternative therapies. It resulted in the National Institutes of Health new Office of Alternative Therapies which will attempt to evaluate many alternative therapies including acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, and others.

Health Care Costs

Our national cost for health care rose to over $675 billion in 1990, with an estimated increase of 12% for 1991. Here are just some of the shocking facts about the health of our work force and its financial effects:

… Almost 500 million work days are lost per year due to employee ill health, with back problems (93 million) and heart disease (26 million) leading the list.

… Employers pay $300 more for each smoker compared to non-smokers.

… Lost productivity due to smoking cost the economy $65 billion per year, that's $10 million per hour or $2 for each pack of cigarettes.

… Alcoholics and smokers have twice the absenteeism as other workers.

… About 14,000 person work years are lost each year in private industry due to workers who suffer from cancer. That includes $10 billion in lost earnings.

What can be done about these problems? One successful approach is health promotion programs implemented by some companies for their employees. An example is the Coors Brewing Company, which saves $5.50 for each dollar spent on health promotion, amounting to $3 million a year in cost savings. Specifically, reduced absenteeism, reduced recuperation days, reduced health claims and cheaper insurance premiums. Most company programs include educating employees on healthy lifestyles. Some offer monetary incentives for meeting wellness goals and penalty programs for not meeting goals. Many companies now have on site fitness centers and health risk appraisal programs.

The most common areas being attacked are smoking and stress. Waste Management Inc., with 36,000 employees, saves up to $15,000 per employee per year on programs they've instituted. Cardiac rehabilitation is another frequent program returning huge savings for the company. Coors, for example, has saved $2.3 million in lost wages and $1.9 million in rehabilitation costs thus far.