scholarly journals Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in a Pregnant Population, Northwest Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Yohannes Kelifa Emiru ◽  
Betelhem Anteneh Adamu ◽  
Melak Erara ◽  
Tigist Chanie ◽  
Abyot Endale Gurmu

Background. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) appears to be the source of healthcare particularly in the majority of pregnant communities of Africa due to its intrinsic qualities as well as its accessibility and affordability. Despite acknowledged benefits of CAM use in pregnancy, majority of users are unaware of its safety and effects on fetal development. The present study was aimed at examining CAM use among pregnant women in Northwest Ethiopia to provide an opportunity for future investigations on the effectiveness of CAM modalities in the management of pregnancy-related complications across the country. Methods. This was an institution-based cross-sectional study which was conducted at Poly Clinic Health Center in the Northwest part of Ethiopia between March and May 2018. Two hundred and eighty two Ethiopian women were conveniently recruited to take part in the study. Structured questioners were used for the survey. Descriptive statistics of sociodemographic and CAM use characteristics were expressed in frequencies and proportions. Chi-square test was performed to determine the difference between CAM user and nonuser. Besides, binary logistic regression analyses were performed to examine predictors of CAM use in the study population. The result was considered statistically significant if P value ≤ 0.05. Results. The prevalence rate of CAM use in pregnant women was 89.36% with the commonest practice of spiritual healing (65.2%) and herbal supplement (51.8%) CAM therapies. Use of CAM positively associated with marital status and previous number of children. The odds of using CAM among single/not married women were 3.22 times higher (COR: 3.22, CI: 1.07-9.64) as compared to married women. Pregnant women with no children were 3.30 times more likely (COR: 3.30, CI: 0.92-11.84) to use CAM than those women having ≥3 children. Lower odds of using CAM significantly associated with educational level (COR: 0.20, CI: 0.046-0.93) and antenatal care (COR: 0.45, CI: 0.18-1.13) in a binary logistic regression model. Conclusions. A considerable number of pregnant women were utilizing CAM including herbal products as part of their maternity care. This finding provides a reference on the use of CAM for policy-makers, health professionals, and parents. Further studies are needed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of specific CAM modalities with particular focus on herbal medicinal products.

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. A118-A118
Author(s):  
Pamela Jo Johnson ◽  
Katy B. Kozhimannil ◽  
Neha Ghildayal ◽  
Todd Rockwood ◽  
Lori Knutson

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yara Quzmar ◽  
Zeina Istiatieh ◽  
Hala Nabulsi ◽  
Sa’ed H. Zyoud ◽  
Samah W. Al-Jabi

Abstract Background The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasing worldwide. To the best of knowledge, there is a lack of studies that assess CAM use by Palestinian women during pregnancy. This research aims to determine the prevalence of Palestinian women’s use of CAM during pregnancy, the most frequently used CAM products during the pregnancy period, the main sources that encourage the use of CAM among pregnant women, and the causes of CAM use. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in Palestine using a questionnaire from April 2018 to March 2019. The samples were selected by convenience sampling, including currently pregnant or previously pregnant women in the Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN) clinic at Rafedia Hospital and in primary health care clinics in Nablus city-Palestine. The questionnaire covered socio-demographic variables, health status, types and frequency of CAM used, patients’ sources of information, causes of their usage, attitudes, and beliefs. Results Four hundred currently or previously pregnant women participated. Three hundred fifty-five (91.5%) used at least one method of CAM during pregnancy. Most women used at least one method of biologically-based therapies during pregnancy (87.7%). One hundred and one pregnant women (26.7%) utilised at least one type of herb during pregnancy. The most-reported herb used by 12.3% of participants was anise. Of the mind-body therapies, prayer was the most commonly used method during pregnancy (8.3%). Two hundred and sixty-one (65.3%) participants used CAM because they believed CAM was not harmful to them or their babies during pregnancy. Participants gained most of their information about CAM from their families (43.8%) and friends (24.3%). Approximately two-thirds of participants (64.0%) thought that obstetricians should be able to advise on commonly used CAM. Conclusions During pregnancy, CAM products are commonly used, and it is important to determine what types are being used by women in Palestine. These findings supplement the body of knowledge on the use of CAM by pregnant women. Pregnancy care providers need to be aware to the familiar types of CAM that women use.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 153473542098391
Author(s):  
Chieh-Ying Chin ◽  
Yung-Hsiang Chen ◽  
Shin-Chung Wu ◽  
Chien-Ting Liu ◽  
Yun-Fang Lee ◽  
...  

Background Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is becoming more common in medical practice, but little is known about the concurrent use of CAM and conventional treatment. Therefore, the aim was to investigate the types of CAM used and their prevalence in a regional patient cohort with breast cancer (BC). Methods BC patients were interviewed with a structured questionnaire survey on the use of CAM in southern Taiwan at an Integrative Breast Cancer Center (IBCC). The National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) classification was used to group responses. Over a period of 8 months, all patients receiving treatment for cancer at the IBCC were approached. Results A total of 106 BC patients completed the survey (response rate: 79.7%). The prevalence of CAM use was 82.4%. Patients who were employed, were receiving radiotherapy and hormone therapy, and had cancer for a longer duration were more likely to use CAM ( P < .05). Multivariate analysis identified employment as an independent predictor of CAM use (OR = 6.92; 95% CI = 1.33-36.15). Dietary supplementation (n = 69, 82.1%) was the type of CAM most frequently used, followed by exercise (n = 48, 57.1%) and traditional Chinese medicine (n = 29, 34.5%). The main reason for using CAM was to ameliorate the side effects of conventional therapies. Almost half (46.4%) of these CAM users did not disclose that they were using it in medical consultations with their physicians. Most chose to use CAM due to recommendations from family and friends. Conclusion A large portion of BC patients at the IBCC undergoing anti-cancer treatment courses used CAM, but less than half discussed it with their physicians. Given the high prevalence of CAM, it would be justifiable to direct further resources toward this service so that cancer patients can benefit from a holistic approach to their treatment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii303-iii304
Author(s):  
Fatma El-Khouly ◽  
Syed Adil ◽  
Harry Hendrikse ◽  
Gertjan Kaspers ◽  
Christof Kramm ◽  
...  

Abstract INTRODUCTION Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a rare and aggressive childhood brainstem malignancy with a two-year survival rate of ≤10%. In this international survey study we aim to evaluate the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in this patient population. METHODS Parents of-, and physicians treating DIPG patients were asked to participate in a retrospective online survey with questions regarding CAM use during time of illness. RESULTS 120 parents and 75 physicians contributed to the online survey between January and May 2020. Physicians estimated that &lt;50% of their patients used CAM, whereas 69% of the parents reported to have used CAM to treat their child during time of illness. Cannabis was the most widely used form of CAM, followed by vitamins and minerals, melatonin, curcumin and boswellic acid. CAM was mainly used to actively treat the tumor. Other motivations were to treat side effects of chemotherapy, or to comfort the child. Children diagnosed ≥2016 were more likely to use CAM (χ2=6.08, p=0.014). No significant difference was found between CAM users and non-users based on ethnicity (χ2=4.18, p=0.382) and country of residence (χ2=9.37, p=0.154). Almost 50% of the physicians do not frequently ask their patients about possible CAM use. CONCLUSION This survey demonstrates that worldwide a considerable number of DIPG patients use CAM. Physicians should be more aware of potential CAM use and more actively discuss the topic. More research is needed to gain knowledge about possible anticancer effects of CAM and their interactions with conventional therapies.


Cephalalgia ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 493-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Rossi ◽  
G Di Lorenzo ◽  
MG Malpezzi ◽  
J Faroni ◽  
F Cesarino ◽  
...  

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in migraine is a growing phenomenon about which little is known. This study was undertaken to evaluate the rates, pattern and presence of predictors of CAM use in a clinical population of patients with different migraine subtypes. Four hundred and eighty-one migraineurs attending a headache clinic were asked to undergo a physician-administered structured interview designed to gather information on CAM use. Past use of CAM therapies was reported by 31.4% of the patients surveyed, with 17.1% having used CAM in the previous year. CAM therapies were perceived as beneficial by 39.5% of the patients who had used them. A significantly higher proportion of transformed migraine patients reported CAM treatments as ineffective compared with patients suffering from episodic migraine (73.1% vs. 50.7%, P < 0.001). The most common source of a recommendation of CAM was a friend or relative (52.7%). In most cases, migraineurs' recourse to CAM treatments was specifically for their headache (89.3%). Approximately 61% of CAM users had not informed their medical doctors of their CAM use. The most common reason for deciding to try a CAM therapy was that it offered a ‘potential improvement of headache’ (47.7%). The greatest users of CAM treatments were: patients with a diagnosis of transformed migraine; those who had consulted a high number of specialists and reported a higher lifetime number of conventional medical visits; those with a comorbid psychiatric disorder; those with a high income; and those whose headache had been either misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all. Our findings suggest that headache clinic migraine patients, in their need of and quest for care, seek and explore both conventional and CAM approaches. Physicians should be made aware of this patient-driven change in the medical climate in order to prevent misuse of healthcare resources and to be better equipped to meet patients' needs.


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