More than one-third of U.S. adults use alternative medicine regularly, according to a survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This could have implications for consumer preferences regarding healthcare.

The survey found that about 28% of adults used alternative medicine — such as prayer, natural products, meditation and yoga — because they believed conventional medical treatments would not help them with their health problem.

The CDC surveyed 31,000 people aged 18 years and older as part of its 2002 National Health Interview survey.