February is National Wise Health Consumer Month

Maybe you knew this, I didn't. But the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) , which is part of the National Institutes of Health, knows about it and is asking people to get informed.

What is CAM you ask? It is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine.

What's interesting is that while not considered part of conventional medicine they are in fact very popular. A study released in July 2009 found that U.S. adults spent $33.9 billion out-of-pocket on visits to CAM practitioners and purchases of CAM products, classes, and materials.

The CAM site on NIH has a ton of useful information. One particularly interesting section is a list health conditions ---asthma, arthritis, anxiety-- and the studies done that have been shown to help that condition.

There is even a section that provides tips on how to talk to your health care provider about CAM.