Complementary and alternative medicines among residents in upland cavite, Philippines: their knowledge, patterns of use and attitudes

Abstract

The study was aimed to determining the knowledge, patterns of use, and attitude towards the use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) by herbalists (n=38) and lay people (n=582) from the municipalities of Indang, Maragondon, Amadeo, Magallanes, and Alfonso and the city of Tagaytay, all located in the upland portion of the province of Cavite. Data pertinent to the afore-said aims were gathered through questionnaires and focus group discussions. Nine forms of CAM were documented as used by the interviewees. Leaf extract (decoction) and traditional massage (hilot)was the most prevalent types of CAM across all studied areas, contributing 71% (n= 440) and 54% (n= 335), respectively. Furthermore, their widespread utilization was mainly due to the recommendations from family members (31%, n=192) and doctors (35%, n= 217). Amongst the various ailments associated with the use of CAM, common colds (70%, n= 434), cough (69%, n=428), and fever (61%, n= 378) were the most treated. Overall, a generally positive attitude towards the use of all forms of CAM recorded in this study was shown by most participants in all the surveyed municipalities/city. Therefore, present study concludes that CAM plays a major health care role amongst the interviewees.

Assessment of perception, experience, and information-seeking behavior of the public of Ras Al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, toward usage and safety of complementary and alternative medicine

“…These findings of ours are consistent with the other findings, which reported herbal medicines/natural products as most commonly used CAM. [ 24 30 ] Although CAM usage pattern varies among countries and population, majority of studies reported herbal and natural products were most commonly used. [ 6 ] This could be due to easy availability and accessibility of herbal medicines and dietary supplements and consumers often presume them as safe over conventional medicines.…”

“…[ 16 17 ] Vast numbers of studies from different parts of the world have made an attempt to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of health-care students toward CAM usage and a considerable number of studies addresses the CAM usage pattern among general public and patients. [ 5 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 ] The data from these studies reveal that there is a wide variation in the knowledge, attitude, and practice of medical professionals, patients, and general public toward CAM usage.…”

Discoursing the use of complementary therapy for cancer care in Indonesia: A perspective

“…Traditional medicine or complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) continues to increase its use globally (Horneber et al, 2012;World Health Organization, 2019). This treatment method is found in almost every country, such as in continental Europe (Eardley et al, 2012;Eurocam, 2014;Kemppainen et al, 2018), Australia (Xue et al, 2007), America (Roth and Kobayashi, 2008) ; NCCAM, 2013) and Asia (Khan and Sajid, 2014;Pengpid, 2015, 2018;Ching, Flores and Acelajado, 2016;Farooqui et al, 2016;Mastura et al, 2017;Reihaneh, Ramezani & Ramezani, 2017) with a tendency to use more and more from year to year. Worldwide, traditional and complementary medicine is one of the mainstays in health services (World Health Organization, 2013).…”