Willingness of Individuals with IBD To Use Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Abstract

Purpose: Interventions that are not based on the standard therapeutic approaches of western medicine are categorized as techniques of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). However, almost half (3 billion people) of the world's population rely on their traditional CAM systems as their primary form of health care. Even 30% of Americans use CAM for their ailments. In this study we evaluated the willingness of IBD subjects to use CAM and their experiences with these therapeutic modalities. Methods: We had subjects with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) complete questionnaires that assessed disease severity, disease duration, and respondents’ opinions and experiences with various CAM techniques including acupuncture, western herbs, Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, probiotics, vitamins and minerals, aromatherapy, colon cleansing, hypnosis, and nutritional supplementations. The subjects were also asked about their views on the role of diet and type of food on the course of their disease. Results: We recruited 53 cases of IBD (16 UC and 37 CD). Most UC subjects (69%) and about half of CD subjects (49%) thought CAM could be beneficial for their IBD and 44% & 32%, respectively, were currently using CAM remedies. Among IBD subjects only 2% thought that alternative medicine is not effective, 28% believed that this approach is quite potent and effective, 56% were unsure, and 7% would never use it without their doctor's advice. Many subjects were willing to try different CAM techniques including acupuncture (55%), western herbs (57%), Chinese medicine (57%), Ayurvedic medicine (53%), probiotics (53%), vitamins and minerals (70%), aromatherapy (47%), colon cleansing (28%), hypnosis (38%) and nutritional supplementations (70%). Also, 70% of IBD subjects believed that diet affects their disease activity. There were no significant differences between type of IBD (UC vs. CD), disease severity and duration in their responses to these questions. Conclusion: Prior studies showed that IBD subjects use CAM more than subjects with other GI ailments in the US (30% vs. 15%). Our study showed that 32–44% of IBD subject are currently using CAM and one third to one half are willing to try it. More than half of cases were open to the idea of using CAM. Also, more than two thirds of IBD subjects thought diet affected disease activity. Thus, we as physicians should address the issue of CAM use very seriously when we approach our patients’ concerns in our clinical encounters.