CAM and MRI Anxiety

Complementary alternative medicine (CAM) has become increasingly popular in American culture and around the world100–102. An estimated 70% of Australians,​​ 51–82% of Taiwanese use CAM, and in the UK just over 46% of the population have used it100,103. In the U.S., approximately 40% of Americans have used some form of CAM in their health care, with millions of out-of-pocket dollars spent on these therapies89. The popularity and financial lucrativeness of CAM has not gone unnoticed by conventional orthodox medicine (COM) practitioners who have begun​​ incorporating it into their practices104. There is a considerable number of doctors and nurses who either practice CAM techniques with their patients or refer them to CAM practitioners104. A survey of critical care nurses concluded its use was commonly seen as a positive for their patients. Complementary medicine has been shown to be an effective and popular way to treat anxiety, and one survey of nurses​​ with 93% saying​​ it was helpful in​​ easing anxiety101,103. Another survey found CAM to be a common way to treat anxiety among Americans and found 56% of those surveyed used CAM for anxiety101. This survey also showed those who used CAM for anxiety declared the therapies were just as effective in treating anxiety as conventional approaches101,105. The growing acceptance of CAM and its gradual integration into conventional orthodox medicine (COM) along with research supporting its effectiveness in reducing anxiety, reinforces its usefulness in the MRI environment as an effective intervention101,101,106.