A Comparative Expected Value Analysis Study on Complementary and Alternative Medical (CAM) Treatments and Procedures for 12 Common Ailments in the United States

The present study conducted expected value analysis on ten complementary and alternative medical (CAM) procedures (acupuncture, acupressure, aromatherapy, biofeedback, chiropractic, homeopathy, hypnosis, meditation, naturopathic and reflexology) treating twelve common ailments (addiction, anxiety, arthritis, cancer, depression, high blood pressure, headaches, inflammation, insomnia, oral hygiene, pain, and stress) in the United States. It was found that medication provided more value treating alcoholism than CAM. It was found that medication provided more value reducing the prevalence of smoking than CAM. Group therapy, reflexology, psychotherapy as well as acupuncture did provide value in terms of overall healthcare costs with less than a 1-year payback period, but provided less value than yoga, exercise and meditation due to their lower costs and similar success rates when treating anxiety, depression and stress. Acupuncture, which can be up to 100 times more expensive, was not found to provide more value for patients in in the early stages of diabetic neuropathy than over-the-counter medications. The cost of acupuncture which can be up to 100 times more expensive than over-the-counter medication was not found to have provided more value for patients with lower acuity levels suffering from Fibromyalgia. It was determined that for patients with lower acuity levels, aspirin or ibuprofen available for just a few cents each provided more value than both acupuncture and biofeedback in the eradication of a headache. It was determined that aspirin and ibuprofen available for just a few cents each provided more value than Turmeric in the eradication of inflammation. The average cost of acupuncture and aromatherapy per session is more than 250 times the cost of over-the-counter sleeping aid available for about 20 cents each, which had similar effectiveness results. Coconut oil is more expensive resulting in fluoride mouthwash providing more value when it comes to oral hygiene. It was determined that for patients with lower acuity levels aspirin or ibuprofen available for just a few cents each provided more value than acupuncture in the eradication of non-chronic pain.