Eight out of 10 Danes are interested in using some form of alternative medicine, reveals an extensive survey carried out by TrygFonden and the research centre Mandag Morgen.
Some 67 percent of Danes say the national healthcare system should be more open to alternative healing practices, such as homeopathy, acupuncture or chiropractic, and 60 percent would like to see these treatments covered by the public health insurance system.
More than half of the 6,000 respondents believe alternative therapies can be just as effective as traditional medicine.
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Open discussion needed
Charlotte Yde, the chairwoman at Sundhedsrådet, which is the umbrella organisation for alternative practitioners in Denmark, contends many Danes feel frustrated because they cannot freely discuss alternative treatment with their doctors.
Alternative treatment researcher Helle Johannessen agrees that Danish doctors should openly discuss alternative medicine options with patients.
“In other European countries doctors use alternative treatment to a much greater extent than doctors in Denmark,” Johannessen told DR.
“[International experience] shows that some forms of alternative therapy can improve quality of life and reduce anxiety and nausea in cancer patients.”
