not breaking news, but thought it was very interesting and did not know where to post it:

More and more people today are seeking treatment for illnesses and pain that are non-traditional in nature. Caring for your physical and spiritual needs can help better your quality of living, but it can take its toll on your pocketbook. What is alternative medicine or non-traditional treatment? Alternative medicine takes a holistic approach to caring for your mind, soul, and body. It is sometives a replacement for traditional or conventional treatment, and sometimes a complement to it. Some common non-traditional treatments that are becoming more widely accepted by medical practitioners include acupuncture for pain relief, herbal supplements to help with swelling or digestive problems, chiropratic techniques to relieve pain and pressure on the spine or other joints, and even relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and hypnotherapy. There are many reasons people turn to non-traditional treatments.

	Heart Conditions Annual pricetag: $68 BIL • Heart attacks: $15 BIL • Rhythm problems: $8.8 BIL • Chronic heart failure: $8.7 BIL • Coronary heart disease: $7.5 BIL • Valve disorders: $3.1 BIL
This category does not include many of the expenses for drugs to lower cholesterol or blood pressure. Most of these pricetags (some $41 BIL) are in hospital stays. Almost 20 million Americans have such heart ailments.
Source: Agcy Healthcare Resch and Qlty, 2002

	Trauma Annual pricetag: $56 BIL • Broken bones: $21 BIL • Sprains and strains: $7.4 BIL • Open wounds: $4.5 BIL • Joint disorders: $3.5 BIL • Bruises: $2.3 BIL
Some 36 million Americans are hurting from trauma-related injuries. Most of the resulting spending is for hospital stays ($21 BIL) or doctor visits and outpatient care ($19 BIL).
Source: Agcy Healthcare Resch and Qlty, 2002

	Cancer Annual pricetag: $48 BIL • Breast cancer: $6.5 BIL • Prostate cancer: $3.6 BIL • Skin cancers: $2.7 BIL
Eleven million Americans got cancer treatment, half as many as were treated for heart conditions. But the pricetags were nearly as much. The $23 BIL spent on hospital stays and $21 BIL on outpatient care probably also includes the pricetag of cancer drugs, most of which are given intravenously.
Source: Agcy Healthcare Resch and Qlty, 2002

	Mental Illness Annual pricetag: $48 BIL • Alzheimer's and dementia: $7.7 BIL • Affective disorders: $19 BIL • Schizophrenia and similar disorders: $3.4 BIL • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: $2.3 BIL
31 million Americans suffer from various mental illnesses. Most of the related pricetags are for drugs ($16 BIL) and doctor visits and outpatient care ($13 BIL.)
Source: Agcy Healthcare Resch and Qlty, 2002

	Respiratory Ailments Annual pricetag: $45 BIL • COPD: $4.5 BIL • Asthma: $11 BIL
Respiratory ailments afflict 50 million Americans. The biggest component of the pricetags is prescription drugs, which accounts for $15 BIL in spending. Most of the remaining pricetags are split between doctor visits and hospital stays (both $12 BIL.)
Source: Agcy Healthcare Resch and Qlty, 2002

	Hypertension Annual pricetag: $32.5 BIL
37 million Americans have high blood pressure. Aside from increasing their risk of heart attacks, the condition can lead to kidney damage or even blindness. Most of the pricetags are for drugs ($17 BIL), with another $8.6 BIL spent on doctor visits and outpatient care.
Source: Agcy Healthcare Resch and Qlty, 2002

	Arthritis And Joint Disorders Annual pricetag: $32 BIL • Arthritis: $7.8 BIL • Other joint disorders: $24 BIL
23 million Americans were treated for arthritis and other joint disorders. Most of the money went to doctor visits and outpatient treatment ($11 BIL) and hospital visits ($10 BIL.)
Source: Agcy Healthcare Resch and Qlty, 2002

	Diabetes Annual pricetag: $28 BIL
© Custom Medical Stock Photo
Diabetes is one of the fastest-growing health concerns in the Western world. There were 14 million diagnoses for the condition in the U.S. Most of the pricetag came from prescription drugs ($11 BIL) and doctor visits or outpatient care ($6.8 BIL.)
Source: Agcy Healthcare Resch and Qlty, 2002

	Back Problems Annual pricetag: $23 BIL
Back problems can be recalcitrant, and frequently there is little that can be done. For 18 million patients, most of the spending is for office visits and outpatient procedures ($12 BIL), with another $6 BIL spent on hospital stays.
Source: Agcy Healthcare Resch and Qlty, 2002

	Esophageal Disorders Total pricetag: $8.9 BIL
	+479%
Per patient pricetags are going down, but the number of people diagnosed with heartburn and related disorders increased by 509% to 10 million between 1997 and 1996-2002 as new drugs like Prilosec, Prevacid and Protonix lured sufferers to the doctor's office, driving total pricetags up.
Sources: Agncy for Healthcare Rsrch and Qlty, 1996-2002

	High Cholesterol Total pricetag: $13.6 BIL
	+212%
Cholesterol drugs like Lipitor and Zocor slash the number of heart attacks by a third and are the drug industry's biggest moneymaker. The number of people diagnosed jumped by 145% to 19 million, and expensive treatments drove pricetags up even more.
Sources: Agncy for Healthcare Rsrch and Qlty, 1996-2002

	Hemorrhoids Total pricetag: $1.2 BIL
	+174%
The number of people with hemorrhoids grew by only 23% to 1.2 million. But new technologies helped more than double total pricetags.
Sources: Agncy for Healthcare Rsrch and Qlty, 1996-2002

	Anxiety Disorders Total pricetag: $9.9 BIL
	+134%
While newer treatments such as Paxil and Zoloft may be costly, the real pricetag driver is the fact that the number of patients treated for anxiety doubled to 12 million over five years.
Sources: Agncy for Healthcare Rsrch and Qlty, 1996-2002

	Breast Cancer Total pricetag: $6.5 BIL
	+126%
The pricetags of cancer drugs continue to rise, and while the number of cases of breast cancer rose 65% to 1.2 million, the pricetag of treating the disease rose twice that much.
Sources: Agncy for Healthcare Rsrch and Qlty, 1996-2002

	Nonspecific Chest Pain Total pricetag: $6.6 BIL
	+124%
While the number of cases grew by only 23% to 3.2 million, making sure people don't have heart conditions is expensive, making pricetags more than double.
Sources: Agncy for Healthcare Rsrch and Qlty, 1996-2002

	Arthritis Total pricetag: $7.8 BIL
	+119%
The number of arthritis sufferers rose 30% to 2.8 million, but pricetags rose by four times that much. One possible reason: pricey pills like as Vioxx and Bextra, both now pulled from shelves for safety reasons.
Sources: Agncy for Healthcare Rsrch and Qlty, 1996-2002

	Viral Infections Total pricetag: $9.1 BIL
	+113%
The quantity of infections increased 12% to 10 million cases, but newer, more expensive (and effective) treatments caused pricetags to double.
Sources: Agncy for Healthcare Rsrch and Qlty, 1996-2002

	Lupus And Connective Tissue Disorders Total pricetag: $16.8 BIL
	+97%
Doctors have been studying to help the 15 million lupus sufferers in the U.S. (up 30% since 1996)--but helping pricetags money.
Sources: Agncy for Healthcare Rsrch and Qlty, 1996-2002

	Asthma Total pricetag: $10.7 BIL
	+83%
The number of cases of asthma increased 35% to 11 million from 1997, but the total pricetag rose 83%--the result of newer, more expensive drugs.
Sources: Agncy for Healthcare Rsrch and Qlty, 1996-2002

The two most expensive decisions a doctor makes are to send a patient to the hospital and to schedule a new appointment