Modern medicine failed her. She turned to toad venom instead.

Sly Young does not always trust what she calls "woo-woo" medicine. But when her mental health treatments stopped working as well during the pandemic, she started looking for other options. She tried spiritual ceremonies, yoga, and even toad venom — a substance that researchers are studying as a possible treatment for depression and anxiety. Young's story is part of a bigger trend: many Americans, especially people from minority and immigrant communities, are turning away from traditional Western medicine.

Young grew up around traditional healers, which made her more open to trying different kinds of care. She also had painful experiences with the regular health care system. As a Black woman, she said some doctors dismissed her symptoms, and growing up in a cult where she experienced abuse made it hard to trust authority figures. A family history of drug addiction also made her afraid of taking prescription pills. "I was willing to have toad poison put in my body before I was even willing to take my antidepressant medicine," she said.

More and more people are trying what experts call complementary and alternative medicine. These are health care approaches that are not usually part of standard Western medical care, or that come from other cultural traditions. This field was worth $193 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $244 billion by 2033. A 2024 study found that the share of Americans using practices like yoga, acupuncture, and naturopathy nearly doubled between 2002 and 2022.

Some people are drawn to alternative medicine because of their cultural backgrounds. James Sherrell works at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, a hospital that serves many refugees and immigrants who speak up to 140 different languages. He said some Ukrainian patients distrust vaccines because of memories of forced vaccinations under the Soviet Union. "If you don't approach that conversation with respect, you're not going to get very far," Sherrell said.

Language barriers make things even harder for some patients. Winnie Chan grew up near Washington, D.C., as the child of Chinese parents who follow Traditional Chinese Medicine. When she was diagnosed with mild scoliosis, her doctor recommended physical therapy, but she could not explain what that meant to her parents in Chinese. Her parents preferred treating pain with acupuncture and cupping, a practice that uses suction cups on the skin to improve blood flow.

Cost is another big reason people look for alternatives. Sherrell said many immigrants are shocked to discover that a trip to the emergency room in the United States can cost thousands of dollars. Stories about surprise medical bills spread quickly through communities, making people afraid to go to hospitals even when they are sick. This fear is not limited to immigrants — rising health care costs have worried many Americans, even those who have insurance.

Young experienced the cost problem herself last year when she could not afford her prescription medicines. A friend offered to send her microdosed mushrooms — a type of psychedelic substance — to calm her anxiety enough to find other help. "Sometimes that was the only thing accessible," she said. Psychedelic drugs are still mostly illegal under federal law, though some states are beginning to allow limited medical use, and experts stress the importance of professional guidance.

In an ideal world, Young said, she would not have to choose between Western medicine and other approaches. She has learned how to work better with doctors, such as bringing a trusted friend to appointments as an advocate. "I found my balance is blending them all," she said. "Holistically it's all of that in different percentages, depending on what I need."