Background\nComplementary medicine (CM) is popular in Switzerland. Several CM methods (traditional\nChinese medicine/acupuncture, homeopathy, anthroposophic medicine, neural therapy,\nand herbal medicine) are currently covered by the mandatory basic health insurance when\nperformed by a certified physician. Treatments by non-medical therapists are partially covered\nby a supplemental and optional health insurance. In this study, we investigated the frequency\nof CM use including the evolvement over time, the most popular methods, and the\nuser profile.\nMethods\nData of the Swiss Health Surveys 2007 and 2012 were used. In 2007 and 2012, a population\nof 14,432 and 18,357, respectively, aged 15 years or older answered the written questionnaire.\nA set of questions queried about the frequency of use of various CM methods\nwithin the last 12 months before the survey. Proportions of usage and 95% confidence intervals\nwere calculated for these methods and CM in general. Users and non-users of CM\nwere compared using logistic regression models.\nResults\nThe most popular methods in 2012 were homeopathy, naturopathy, osteopathy, herbal\nmedicine, and acupuncture. The average number of treatments within the 12 months preceding\nthe survey ranged from 3 for homeopathy to 6 for acupuncture. 25.0% of the population\nat the age of 15 and older had used at least one CM method in the previous 12 months.\nPeople with a chronic illness or a poor self-perceived health status were more likely to use\nCM. Similar to other countries, women, people of middle age, and those with higher education\nwere more likely to use CM. 59.9%of the adult population had a supplemental health\ninsurance that partly covered CM treatments.\nConclusions\nUsage of CM in Switzerland remained unchanged between 2007 and 2012. The user profile\nin Switzerland was similar to other countries, such as Germany, United Kingdom, United\nStates or Australia.
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