Alternative Therapies for Cutaneous Disorders

Abstract

THE ARTICLE by Sollner et al 1 explores the prevalence and patterns of alternative (also known as complementary and unorthodox) medical therapy use by patients suffering from malignant melanoma. To no one's surprise, interest in alternative therapies runs high in this population (54%) and the use of alternative treatment is documented in 1 of every 7 cases. These findings are consistent with several larger studies that suggest a prevalence of alternative therapy use among all patients with cancer of 11% to 25%. 2-4 Sollner et al contend that patients interested in alternative medical therapies were sufficiently informed about disease and that their compliance with the dermatologists' recommendations and prescriptions was as high as that of patients with melanoma who expressed no interest in alternative therapy.... 1 This is consistent with the observation from a US national survey that 96% of the persons who sought the services of alternative medical