Traditional and Complementary Medicine use: Fibromyalgic Patients

Abstract

Aim The aim of this study is to determine the Traditional and Complementary Medicine (TCM) use among patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS), their perspective and if they benefited from these applications. Method This cross-sectional study was held in Adnan Menderes University Hospital, during 01/10/2019-01/02/2020. A face-to-face questionnaire was applied to consecutive volunteered FMS patients in outpatient clinic. The questionnaire consists of 3 sections and 34 questions, including the patients' sociodemographic, FMS-related features, and TCM-related questions. Results Of the 140 patients, 54.3% had stated that they used at least one TCM method. The most common methods were phytotherapy (43.4%), acupuncture (39.5%), cupping (21.1%), nutritional supplements (17.1%), and chiropractic (9.2%). 63.2% of the patients indicated that they consulted the doctor before using TCM. 77.6% of patients stated that they benefited from TCM methods and 72.4% of these patients were willing to recommend these methods to others. Conclusion The rate of TCM use and the rate of benefit from these methods were found to be high among FMS patients in our study. Keywords: ibromyalgia, traditional medicine, TCM, family medicine.