NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Doctors in America are harboring an embarrassing secret: Many of them are going broke.

This quiet reality, which is spreading nationwide, is claiming a wide range of casualties, including family physicians, cardiologists and oncologists.

Industry watchers say the trend is worrisome. Half of all doctors in the nation operate a private practice. So if a cash crunch forces the death of an independent practice, it robs a community of a vital ...

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it”

Upton Sinclair 1878-1968

The history of modern medicine

To understand the interesting world of doctors and vitamins it is useful to have a look back at the roots of modern medicine.

Hippocrates (460-377 B.C) a Greek Physician has been described as the founder of modern medicine. Doctors today are guided in their conduct by the ...

The answer to the title question is increasingly becoming a resounding yes, as doctors-from complementary care practitioners like naturopaths and chiropractors to mainstream general practitioners-get involved in the burgeoning dietary supplement market. While the American Medical Association continues to frown on doctors selling supplements as part of their practice, in a stagnant nutraceuticals market, the health practitioner market has been one bright spot. A small but growing niche, the practitioner market has suppliers to the ...

WASHINGTON — A quiet revolution is transforming how medical care is delivered in this country, and it has very little to do with the sweeping health care legislation that President Obama just signed into law.

But it could have a big impact on that law’s chances for success.

Traditionally, American medicine has been largely a cottage industry. Most doctors cared for patients in small, privately owned clinics — sometimes in rooms adjoining their homes.

But an ...