No abstract

CAM use is clearly not uncommon among primary care patients in rural areas, with more than half of patients reporting some type of use. This study suggests that further research should elicit opinions on CAM among people who do not regularly access a conventional primary care provider, as well as assess the relationship between CAM and conventional medical treatment in terms of cost and health benefits.

Our findings showed a much lower rate of internet use for medical/health information compared with a 2006 nationwide survey. This finding suggests that promoting health/medical information through websites or other on-line resources might not be the most effective way to reach a majority of patients in remote, rural or border areas.

To address the low dietary adherence issue in clinical practice, it is important to promote a diet plan that has a broad spectrum of diet options to better match individual patient food preferences, lifestyles, and personal health profiles. Whole Foods Diet (WFD) offers more diet options to patients and guides them on how to make the right diet choices. This preliminary study assessed patients' adherence to the WFD and summarized the lessons learned.