Alternative medicine proving popular

People are opting for alternative treatments rather than relying on pharmaceutical ones to treat conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis.

New research which looked at five conditions – asthma, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis and heart disease, was published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health yesterday (Wednesday, 3 August 2011).

The population-wide study of more than 7,800 adults found about 24% of people used complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs), which included vitamin or mineral supplements and natural or herbal remedies, including homeopathy.

Co-author of the study, Professor Laurie Brown, of the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling at the University of Canberra, says the highest use of CAMs was by women over the age of 60 years, who had osteoporosis and arthritis.

Professor Brown claims about 40% of people who had osteoporosis were using CAMs products, either on their own or with prescribed medicines, and about 21% of people with osteoporosis used only CAMs. The research also indicated 24% of participants used only pharmaceuticals, with about 19% using them in combination.

In the case of arthritis, 22% used only CAMs, another 22% only pharmaceuticals and 16% used a combination.

However, Professor Brown warns if people are using combination treatments then they should be aware of the potential interactions and side-effects.

Dr Vicki Kotsirilos of the Australasian Integrative Medicine Association in Melbourne echoes Professor Brown’s thoughts and urges patients to discuss their use of CAMs with their doctor.

She says there is a large database of information on interactions between CAMs and pharmaceuticals that doctors can use to advise patients.

While Dr Kotsirilos welcomes the new study, she says it has some limitations.

One problem she identifies is that some of the treatments classified as CAMs are actually quite “mainstream” and should not be described as alternative therapies.

“They’ve bunched together calcium, vitamin D and fish oils which have got proven efficacy with other natural herbal remedies that may have fewer efficacies,” Dr Kotsirilos says.

Which do you prefer; alternative or pharmaceutical treatments? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.