The study found that although older adults often have poorer health, it is middle-aged adults who are most likely to turn to complementary and alternative medicine. They also found that race and ethnic backgrounds don't matter as much as age does in whether an individual used self-care methods.
"You'd expect that older adults and ethnic minorities would be the greatest users of complementary and alternative medicine because they tend to have more illness and relatively less money and often hold different beliefs about medicine. But, in fact, they don't," lead author and sociologist Dr. Joseph Grzywacz said.
As a result, many traditional health care providers are scrambling to give baby boom aged patients what they want. Some now offer hypnosis, acupuncture, massage, vitamins, herbal supplements, meditation, yoga and guided imagery along with conventional medical care, the Detroit Free Press reports.
One example of that is providing hypnosis as an alternative to anesthesia for surgery. Andrew London, Ph.D., from the Center for Policy Research at Syracuse University, said that the worldview of the baby boom generation is apparently reflected in their approach to health.
"The baby boomer generation was countercultural. They questioned authority - and medicine is a form of authority," London said.
The study appears in the most recent issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
