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Abstract

Objectives: Our aim was to gather information about complementary medicine applications used by chronic renal failure patients and their relation to demographic factors. Materials and Methods: Of 1750 chronic renal disease patients who were undergoing hemodialysis, only 450 patients attended in the study. Among 450 patients, 388 gave consent and were interviewed using a previously tested questionnaire. Questions about complementary and alternative medicine use, a list of commonly used methods, and the sources of knowledge about these were asked of all patients. Results: We observed a significant difference in the patients who were using complementary and alternative medicines before and after diagnosis of chronic renal disease (P < .001). We noted that 87% of the patients used complementary and alternative medicines before diagnosis and 49.8% used these after diagnosis. Among the patients who used complementary and alternative medicines, 76% had faith in these therapies. Of patients who used complementary and alternative medicines, 95% believed that the remedies or processes used were beneficial to their health. Furthermore, 71% of users had great confidence in these therapies and had no belief that these could be harmful. Of those who used complementary and alternative therapies, 51% had no idea whether these therapies were harmful. The source of knowledge was mass media tools (47%), social life (friends, relatives, neighbors, colleagues; 45%), and other patients with chronic renal disease (8%). Conclusions: Complementary and alternative medicine therapies have a significant impact on patients with chronic renal disease. Doctors can warn patients about possible dangers of complementary and alternative medicine remedies and treatments. Key words: Chronic renal disease, Complementary and alternative medicine, Hemodialysis IntroductionEnd-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a progressive chronic disease, and there is no cure. Medical technologies such as hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and renal transplant are prolonging lives; however, many patients still die from the disease. The adaptation of these patients to illness and accepting life changes with ESRD are not always straig htforward. Chronic hemodialysis requires significant alterations in lifestyle, and there are many potential problems, which can be grouped as physiologic, psychosocial, and economic. [1][2][3][4] During the early phases of hemodialysis, patients are especially vulnerable to anxiety, depression, and demoralization due to feelings of restriction emerging from hemodialysis treatment. 1-9 Although religious beliefs could be an important factor in a patient's ability to cope, patients have been reported to try other various complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) throughout their illness and dialysis process. [10][11][12][13] There are no clear and consistent definitions of alternative or complementary medicines. Because CAM practices involve many components, some definitions have been found to be incomplete, whereas others have been...

Assessment of complementary and alternative medicine use among patients admitted to the emergency room: a descriptive study from a Turkish hospital

“…Factors such as culture, sex, age, race, socioeconomic status, religion, and education level can affect the rate of use of CAM methods (Tindle et al, 2005). In Turkey, the usage rates of up to 87% CAM were reported in studies conducted for different diseases (Tan, Uzun & Akçay, 2004; Akyüz Özdemir, Erdal & Haberal, 2018; Okyay & Koçyiğit, 2018; Özkan, Karaca & Sarak, 2018). The main reasons why people prefer CAM methods are to avoid the adverse effects of drugs, maintain a life without drugs, to strengthen the immune system, the belief that CAM methods are natural and harmless, positive feedback from other patients, and curiosity (Waterbrook et al, 2010).…”