Complementary and alternative medicines and dietary interventions in multiple sclerosis: What is being used in South Australia and why?

• Published in: Complementary therapies in medicine Vol. 17; no. 4; pp. 216 - 223
• Main Authors: Leong, E.M, Semple, S.J, Angley, M, Siebert, W, Petkov, J, McKinnon, R.A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Scotland Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2009; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Australia; Complementary and alternative medicine; Complementary Therapies - utilization; Diet; Dietary intervention; Education; Educational Status; Fatty Acids, Essential - therapeutic use; Female; Females; Frequency; Gender; Health Care Surveys; Health sciences; Humans; Internal Medicine; Male; Medical Education; Minerals - therapeutic use; Multiple sclerosis; Multiple Sclerosis - therapy; Nutrition Therapy - utilization; Perceptions of efficacy; Phytotherapy; Questionnaires; Reasons for use; Severity of Illness Index; Society; South Australia; Studies; Survey; Surveys and Questionnaires; Vitamins - therapeutic use; South Australia; Australia; Germany; Perceptions of efficacy; Multiple sclerosis; Complementary and alternative medicine; Dietary intervention; Survey; Frequency; Australia; Reasons for use
• ISSN: 0965-2299; 1873-6963
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2009.03.001

Summary Objectives To investigate the usage patterns of complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs), as well as dietary interventions, by South Australian people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Design Self-administered postal survey. Setting Questionnaire mailed to recipients of the South Australian (SA) MS Society newsletter ( n = 1230). Main outcome measures Patterns of CAMs use and dietary interventions, reasons for using/not using CAMs in MS, sources of CAMs information and monthly expenditure on CAMs/dietary interventions. Results A total of 428 surveys were returned (response rate 34.8%) of which 416 met the inclusion criteria for analysis. The majority of SA people with MS who responded reported using CAMs/dietary interventions (64.7%). Respondents with tertiary education and those with mild and moderate disease reported highest CAM use. The most frequently used CAM product categories were vitamins (81.8%), essential fatty acids (80.7%) and minerals (62.5%). Commonly used herbal products included Ginkgo biloba (18.2%) and valerian (16.4%). Popular diets were the low fat (39.8%), low/no sugar (23.8%) and gluten-free (16.4%) diets. The majority of those using CAMs/dietary interventions did so concurrently with conventional treatments (72.1%). Reasons for use included: general health and well-being; to alleviate ‘general’ as well as specific MS symptoms such as muscle weakness, urinary or memory problems and mobility. Conventional health professionals, and friends/family, were the most common sources of information. Monthly expenditure was most commonly AUD$20–49/month. Conclusion This study reports frequent use of CAM/dietary intervention amongst SA people with MS. The majority of users did so in conjunction with conventional treatments.