ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE - Status of - In 1990, one out of three Americans saw an alternative health care practitioner, totaling more than 400 million visits. This was more visits than to all conventional primary care physicians. Over 13 billion dollars we re paid for these services, of which $10 billion was out-of- pocket and not reimbursed. Surveys show about 50% of patients with cancer and human immunodeficiency virus will use unconventional practices at some point during their illness. Over 50% of con ventional physicians use or refer patients for complementary and alternative medical treatment in the United States. Almost one-third of family practice residencies in the United States have some type of complementary and alternative practice, and over 32 medical schools offer courses in complementary and alternative medicine. Complementary and alternative medicine straddles the border between conventional and unconventional practices. The Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health has a list of key words and search strategy suggestions for finding more information about alternative and complementary therapies from on-line databases, including MEDLINE. In general, therapies such as homeopathy, acupuncture, and manipulation in the hands of those properly trained, and mind-body techniques such as meditation, biofeedback, and prayer are not likely to have significant or severe side effects. With more serious illness, scientifically- based evidence for complementary therapies needs to be the standard. Primary care physicians should be leaders in linking complementary alternative medicine to conventional medicine. "Alternative Medicine, Jonas, Wayne B., M.D.," The Journal of Family Practice, July, 1997;45(1):34-37. (Address : Wayne B. Jonas, M.D., Office of Alternative Medicine, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 31, Room 5B35, MSC 2182, Bethesda, MD 20892 U.S.A.) 27792 [med]