Lower odds for consulting complementary and alternative medicine practitioner, taking CAM
TUESDAY, June 2, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Women with hypertension and diabetes are less likely to consult with a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioner and to self-prescribe CAM, according to a study published in the June 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
David Sibbritt, Ph.D., from the University of Technology Sydney, and colleagues used data from a 2010 survey involving 9,748 women to examine the correlation between heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes and use of CAM and conventional medicine. Most women (2,335) had hypertension only, and only 78 reported having heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes.
The researchers found that women with hypertension were less likely to consult with a CAM practitioner and use self-prescribed CAM (odds ratios, 0.82 and 0.86, respectively). Women with diabetes were also less likely to consult with a CAM practitioner and use self-prescribed CAM (odds ratios, 0.66 and 0.68, respectively).
“Compared with studies conducted on CAM use and other chronic illness groups, the use of CAM by women with heart disease, hypertension, and/or diabetes in this study was lower, and future research is needed to explore patients’ perceptions of cardiovascular risk and the role of CAM in their self-management in the community, among other issues,” the authors write.
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