THE ROLE OF COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE IN EUROPEAN AND ASIAN PATIENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL-DISEASE

Citation
Ga. Moody et al., THE ROLE OF COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE IN EUROPEAN AND ASIAN PATIENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL-DISEASE, Public health (London), 112(4), 1998, pp. 269-271
Citations number
20
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Public, Environmental & Occupation Heath","Public, Environmental & Occupation Heath
Journal title
ISSN journal
0033-3506
Volume
112
Issue
4
Year of publication
1998
Pages
269 - 271
Database
ISI
SICI code
0033-3506(1998)112:4<269:TROCMI>2.0.ZU;2-K
Abstract
Three hundred and eighty-two patients with known inflammatory bowel di sease (IBD) (190 European and 192 Asian) and 190 with coeliac disease were sent a previously validated questionnaire to investigate patients ' use of alternative medicine and their views on its effectiveness. De tails sought included whether they had ever consulted an alternative p ractitioner, whether they had followed a course of treatment and its c linical effects. Information about where patients had heard about such alternative practitioners and whether they were told to discontinue t heir current allopathic medication was also sought. Results were analy sed after three consecutive mailings, including one in Gujurati to Asi an patients. A randomly selected group was re-interviewed four months later. To validate the study alternative medicine practitioners were a lso interviewed to investigate what percentage of their attendees have IBD and how many of those clients were Asians. One hundred and fifty- eight questionnaires were returned from European patients with IBD (re sponse rate = 83%), 145 from patients with coeliac disease (response r ate=76%) but only 81 Asian patients with IBD (response rate = 42%). Fo rty-seven European and Asian patients with inflammatory bowel disease sought advice or treatment from an alternative practitioner, compared with only 11 with coeliac disease (Chi(2)= 11.64, df= 12, P < 0.003). There was no significant difference in consultation rates between Asia n and European patients with LED (Yates corrected Chi(2)= 0.78, ns). T he most common practitioners consulted by all groups were homeopaths ( n =23) and herbalists (n = 27) but 20 patients consulted more than one practitioner at a time. Patients with coeliac disease and European pa tients with IBD had consulted osteopaths (n = 6) and reflexologists (n = 7). Ten patients with IBD had also attended a spiritualist and five Asian patients a hakim. Common sources of information about alternati ve remedies included friends and relatives (n = 13), the media (n = 11 ), word of mouth (n = 11) and family practitioners (n = 6). Most patie nts were advised to continue their current medications, although two h ad been told to stop and 10 advised to reduce the dose of their allopa thic medications. Twenty alternative medicine practitioners stated tha t overall between 2-5% of their attendees have IBD with 10% of those c lients being Asian. Asians preferred to consult Asian practitioners ra ther than European practitioners. There was no clear consensus as to w hether complementary therapies were felt beneficial, although many pat ients with IBD believed them to be helpful.