This article analyses the trends in the use of Complementary Health Approaches (CHA) in the USA over the last 2 decades, comparing 2002, 2012 and 2022 data from  National Health Interview Survey, NHIS (NHIS). The NHIS is an annual survey conducted by telephone among US civilians aged 18 and older. The questionnaire includes questions about the following CHAs: acupuncture, chiropractic care, guided imagery, progressive relaxation, meditation, massage, naturopathy and yoga. 

The number of adults reporting use of any of the CHAs has increased significantly over the past 20 years, with yoga being the health approach with the largest growth (from 5% in 2002 to 15.8% in 2022). Of all the health approaches, yoga for pain management is the reason for the greatest reported increase. Meditation is the CHA with the highest prevalence of use (17.3 % in 2022). The rising use of CHAs for pain management reflects the nationwide increase in pain prevalence and may be due to the inclusion of CHAs in pain management guidelines while reducing the use of opioid medications.