This information enables individuals to learn about treatment methods that their doctors have not yet recommended. Third, allopathic medicine is not fail-proof. Many diseases or conditions do not respond well to conventional medicine, and many conventional medicines create as many problems as they are designed to solve. Three factors hindering the acceptance of CAM include the following. First, the pharmaceutical and insurance industries are not likely to support the use of complementary medicine. Complementary procedures are used as adjuncts to allopathic methods that are more profitable. Similarly, doctors may not suggest conventional methods under the assumption the patient may not return to the office. Second, "researchers do not know how safe many CAM treatments are or how well they work," ("Complementary and Alternative Medicine"). Safety is usually less of a concern than efficacy. However, many scientists and doctors are concerned that patients are being misinformed. Complementary medicine may offer false hope to those who might benefit more from conventional...

Complementary and alternative medicine may also be associated with New Age spiritual movements, which reduces its credibility to the general public. Religious individuals might suspect that herbal remedies and other complementary practices are sinister. A third hindrance to the acceptance of CAM is cost. Complementary and alternative medicine is usually not covered under existing insurance plans, although some do allow for scientifically proven interventions recommended by doctors.
References

"Complementary and Alternative Medicine." Medline Plus. Retrieved Nov 22, 2009 from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/complementaryandalternativemedicine.html

National Institutes of Health. What is complementary and alternative medicine? National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Retrieved Nov 22, 2009 from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/

University of Maryland Medical Center. "Complementary and Alternative Medicine Index (CAM)." Retrieved Nov 22, 2009 from http://www.umm.edu/altmed/