Below are some interesting statistics and facts about holistic and alternative therapies, unfortunately most statistics are for America as this seems to be more widely publicised than UK figures, but given that it is still interesting reading;

According to a major American news channel; half of all medical schools now provide training in Holistic or complementary medicine. 

85% of holistic therapists today are female

The World Health Organisation has estimated that 65% to 80% of the people in the world (which is roughly 3 billion) use Holistic or complementary medicine as their main source of healthcare.

There are over a quarter of a million Holistic massage centres and schools in the US alone.

In 1993, the US market for herbal remedies was about $1.5 billion US Dollars which is actually ten times more than that spent on sleeping pills purchasable without a proscription in US shops.

There are over 250 official massage schools with accreditation in the US

Internationally only 10% to 30% of the world actually uses modern conventional medicine, 70 to 90 percent use alternative medicine.

Roughly $21,000,000 of American Federal money has been used on Holistic or complementary medical research ever since the early 1990’s at the National Institutes of Health and Public Health Services.

Almost 1/3rd of US medical institutes (one of which is Boston’s Harvard and also Yale), and Georgetown Universities also provide material for courses in Holistic or complementary methods.

74% of US people want a more natural methodology for their general wellbeing healthcare.

Almost 85% of Americans that have had a complementary or holistic treatment would have another treatment; about a third of Americans have had a complementary or holistic treatment.

The American government funds the implementation and general practice of acupuncture in drug rehabilitation programs.

In Britain today there are five homeopathic hospitals which are responsible to the British National Health Service.

A third of drugs prescribed in Germany today is in fact not a chemical compound but an herb.

Ten percent of US citizens today are a patient of a chiropractor.

In the early 90’s, US citizens paid greater number of visits to alternative healthcare 
suppliers (over 400 million) than to standard general doctors (over 380 million).

A third of US citizens used alternative or holistic medicine in the early 90’s.