scholarly journals Complementary and alternative medicine usage amongst multiple sclerosis patients in Iran

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 777-783
Author(s):  
Aliyeh Ranjbar ◽  
Babak Daneshfard ◽  
Sadegh Izadi
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Informed Choice ◽  
Cupping Therapy ◽  
Perceived Effectiveness ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis Patients ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and patterns of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) usage amongst multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in Iran and to evaluate the perceived effectiveness. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Data were collected from 194 patients with MS at the neurology clinics affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences by a semi-structured questionnaire. Results: The prevalence of CAM usage was 67.9%. Herbal medicine was the most common CAM used among the patients (64.2%). Cupping therapy, relaxation therapies, acupuncture, leech therapy were the other common CAM modalities used. Although less commonly used, yoga had the highest perceived effectiveness. Conclusions: Due to the high prevalence of CAM usage, physicians should inform their patients about the advantages and disadvantages of CAM so as to help the patients make an informed choice.

scholarly journals The Prevalence of Complementary and Alternative Medicine amongst Multiple Sclerosis Patients in Iran

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
aliyeh ranjbar ◽  
sadegh izadi
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Cupping Therapy ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Perceived Effectiveness ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis Patients ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and patterns of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) usage amongst multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in Iran and to evaluate the perceived effectiveness and factors affecting these therapies. Methods This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study. Data were collected from 194 patients with MS at the neurology clinics affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences by a semi-structured questionnaire. Results The prevalence of CAM usage was 67.9%. Herbs were the most common among patients (64.2%). Cupping therapy, relaxation therapies, acupuncture, leech therapy were the other common CAM modalities. Yoga had the highest perceived effectiveness. Conclusions Due to high prevalence of CAM usage, physicians should inform their patients about the advantages and disadvantages of CAM in order to make them aware of their choices.

Use and Self-Reported Benefit of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Multiple Sclerosis Patients

2006 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijayshree Yadav ◽  
Lynne Shinto ◽  
Cynthia Morris ◽  
Angela Senders ◽  
Sara Baldauf-Wagner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Low Fat ◽  
Perceived Benefit ◽  
National Multiple Sclerosis Society ◽  
The Common ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis Patients ◽  
Fat Diets ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

We conducted a survey to study the prevalence and types of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies used by multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in Oregon and southern Washington. We mailed questionnaires to 5316 people using the mailing list of the Oregon Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). The survey enquired about demographic and clinical characteristics, use of various CAM and conventional therapies for MS by the respondents, and the respondents' self-perceived benefit ratings for the various therapies. We received 2026 responses (38%). Eighty-four percent of the respondents reported using one or more CAM therapies at some time after diagnosis of MS (CAM users), the most common being diet (59%), nutritional supplements (46%), herbal treatments (36%), and mind-body therapies (32%). CAM therapies rated as very beneficial included yoga; meditation; Swank, vegetarian and low-fat/low-cholesterol diets; and vitamin B12. Respondents also used conventional exercise (86%) and disease-modifying therapies (77%). Our survey confirms the common use of various CAM therapies by MS patients. CAM therapies such as low-fat diets, essential fatty acid supplements, yoga, and meditation appear to be frequently used and considered very beneficial by a significant number of MS patients and may warrant further exploration.

scholarly journals Prevalence, Purposes, and Perceived Effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in a Hypertension Population: A Questionnaire Survey

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huanhuan Hu ◽  
Gang Li ◽  
Jiali Duan ◽  
Takashi Arao
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Perceived Effectiveness ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Or Education ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cam Use ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widely used among patients with hypertension. This study aimed to determine the use of CAM in community-dwelling individuals with hypertension. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was administered to 318 hypertension patients to examine prevalence and patterns of CAM use; the use of CAM, specifically for treatment of hypertension or other conditions, and perceived effectiveness of CAM were examined. CAM use in the last 12 months was reported by 236 (74.2%) participants. Only 13.1% of these CAM users reported using CAM to treat hypertension. CAM users did not differ statistically from non-CAM users by age, marital status, health status, duration of hypertension, income, or education. Females showed a significantly higher prevalence of CAM use than that of males (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.09, 3.11). Family/relatives, doctors, and patients themselves were the three main sources of information about CAM. More than 70% of responses were able to perceive the effectiveness of alternative medical systems, mind-body medicine, and manipulative/body-based therapies. There was a high prevalence of CAM use among hypertension patients, although the majority of CAM use was not specifically for hypertension. Further research is needed to assess the safety and efficacy of diverse CAM.

Demographic and health-related factors associated with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in multiple sclerosis

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Shinto ◽  
V Yadav ◽  
C Morris ◽  
J A Lapidus ◽  
A Senders ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Education Level ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Cam Use ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is high among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), yet there are no reports on the association between CAM use and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in MS. To examine this relationship, a cross-sectional survey and SF-12 was used to collect demographic and HRQL data from 1667 survey respondents. Factors examined for their association with CAM use included, age, gender, race, self-reported disease severity, disease-modifying drug (DMT) use, MS duration, MS type, education level, physical and mental well-being. Multiple regression analysis revealed that female gender, high education level, longer MS duration, lower physical well-being and not using DMT were independent factors associated with both ‘ever’ and ‘current’ CAM use. The finding that a drop in physical component score (PCS) of the SF-12 is independently associated with an increased odds of ‘ever’ CAM use, ‘current’ CAM use, and ‘past’ CAM reflect an association of CAM use with PCS regardless of time of use. Although, temporality of this relationship cannot be established, as this was a cross-sectional study, a longitudinal study is warranted so that we can establish if HRQL is predictive for CAM use in MS.

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