Prevalence Of Alternative Medicine Use Research Articles

Use of alternative medications among diabetic patients in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia: a survey study

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common chronic disorder among the Saudi population; it reaches up to 20% of the population. Alternative medicine (AM) use among the Saudi population is more common among the elderly due to some beliefs. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of AM use among diabetic patients and their adverse effects, and to raise awareness about these acts. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the use of AM among diabetic patients in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia. We interviewed 558 people with diabetes of both genders and all ages in hospitals and primary care clinics in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia. Results: A total of 558 diabetic patients participated in the present study. Most included patients (61.6%) were type II DM. Only 17.9% of the patients were using AM, while 66.4% were not, and 15.7% had used AM prior. Only 4.7% of the diabetic patients preferred AM use, while 24.4% preferred modern medicine use. 12.8% of the participants reported that AM could cause adverse effects. Most patients were regular in drug use (70%), while only 6.8% were not committed to drug use. Conclusion: The present study found the prevalence of AM use among diabetic patients to be 17.9%. Only 4.7% of the diabetic patients preferred AM use. The most used AM were fennel flower, honey, and herbs. Gender and education were significant factors in AM use among diabetic patients.

A Comparison of Alternative Medicine Users and Non-Users in Patients With Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

Hidradenitis suppurativa patients often seek non-prescription therapies. To determine the prevalence of alternative medicine use and characterize the differences between patients who report using alternative medications versus those who do not. We surveyed 67 patients with hidradenitis suppurativa regarding demographics, alternative medicine use, disease severity, and quality of life. 25 (37.2%) of the HS subjects reported alternative medicine use. Alternative medicine users tended to be younger (36.7 vs 40.8 years), have a shorter time since diagnosis (12.6 vs14.6 years), and reported worse quality of life (14.1 vs 11.0) than non-users. These differences were not statistically significant. Limitations included a small sample size. Alternative medicine use among patients with hidradenitis is common regardless of disease severity; even mild disease may drive patients to seek alternative treatment. J Drugs Dermatol. 2021;20(10):1072-1074. doi:10.36849/JDD.6046.

Alternative medicine use by individuals with major depression.

To describe the use of alternative medicine (AM) by persons with major depression and to examine the factors associated with AM use among these individuals. We used data from the 1994-1995 and 1996-1997 National Population Health Surveys. We selected subjects who had major depression according to the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short Form for Major Depression (CIDI-SFMD). The prevalence of AM and conventional health service use by the subjects was calculated for each survey and was stratified by province. We employed logistic regression to examine the factors associated with AM use. There was a temporal trend toward increasing use of AM among persons with major depression. The prevalence of AM use among subjects with major depression was 7.8% in 1994-1995 and 12.9% in 1996-1997. Female sex, having more than 12 years' education, and having 1 or more long-term medical conditions were associated with an increased likelihood of using AM. The sex difference in AM use depended on subjects' age in 1996-1997. General practitioners, mental health specialists, and AM providers should be aware of their patients' use of both conventional medical services and AM because there may be interactions between conventional and alternative treatments. Communication and, if possible, cooperation may lead to improved outcomes in the management of depressive disorders.

Use of alternative medicine in a sample of HIV-positive gay men: An exploratory study of prevalence and user characteristics

Although many HIV-positive individuals use alternative medicine, little is known about user characteristics. In this study, the prevalence of alternative medicine use in a sample of 70 HIV-positive gay men is assessed and characteristics of alternative medicine users are identified. Seventy-one per cent (50/70) of the sample used at least one alternative therapy since HIV serostatus notification, alone or in combination with traditional medicine. A logistic regression was used to identify those measures which are characteristic of alternative users. It revealed that the typical user is a person with symptomatic HIV disease (Wald = 6.18, p = 0.01), who reports little or no pain (Wald = 10.01, p < 0.01) and actively tries to cope with disease-specific problems (Wald = 7.35, p = 0.01) while expressing his feelings about them (Wald = 7.66, p = 0.01). In the sub-set of subjects using antiretroviral medication, those also using alternative medicine reported using more antiretrovirals and better adherence to them, than those not using alternative medicine.

Alternative medicine use in patients with localized prostate carcinoma treated with curative intent

Alternative medicine therapies are estimated to be used by 7-64% of cancer patients but up to 72% do not inform their physician. To the authors' knowledge little useful information is available regarding the prevalence of alternative medicine use by patients with prostate carcinoma. Thus, the authors attempted to evaluate the prevalence of alternative medicine use by prostate carcinoma patients treated with curative intent by either radical prostatectomy, brachytherapy alone, or a combination of brachytherapy and external radiation therapy. Between January 1997 and May 1998, 234 men with clinically localized prostate carcinoma underwent radical prostatectomy (54 patients) or brachytherapy (180 patients) with (74 patients) or without (106 patients) external beam radiation therapy. In July 1998 a questionnaire was mailed to all patients comprised of multiple questions regarding alternative medicine use to which 190 patients (81%) responded. The overall prevalence and types of alternative medicine therapies used were assessed and the relation between age at procedure, pretreatment prostate specific antigen level, clinical stage, pretreatment Gleason score, and type of treatment with the use of alternative medicine therapies was evaluated using univariate and multivariate analysis. The prevalence of alternative medicine use by prostate carcinoma patients responding to the survey was 43% (81 of 190 patients). No significant differences in alternative medicine use were observed between the patients who received brachytherapy alone (38%), those who underwent radical prostatectomy (40%), and those treated with combined brachytherapy and external beam radiation therapy (51%). Vitamins, prayer or other religious practices, and herbal medicines were the most commonly used therapies in these patients. Higher pretreatment Gleason scores were associated with a greater use of alternative medicine therapies on both multivariate and univariate analyses. Finally, using multivariate analysis, younger prostate carcinoma patients were more likely to use alternative medicine therapies than older patients. Alternative medicine use is very prevalent among patients treated for localized prostate carcinoma. Because some of these treatments may have a potential biologic impact on tumor behavior and, consequently, on definitive or surrogate therapeutic endpoints, patients should be questioned carefully regarding alternative medicine use during routine tumor follow-up.