The Contribution of Complementary and Alternative Medicine to Reduce Antibiotic Use: A Narrative Review of Health Concepts, Prevention, and Treatment Strategies

Abstract

Aim. The aim of this narrative review was to explore the potential contributions of CAM to reduce antibiotic use. Methods. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews with a specific, limited set of search terms and collected input from a group of expert CAM researchers to answer the question: What is known about the contribution of CAM health and health promotion concepts, infection prevention, and infection treatment strategies to reduce antibiotic use? Results. The worldview-related CAM health concepts enable health promotion oriented infection prevention and treatment aimed at strengthening or supporting the self-regulating ability of the human organism to cope with diseases. There is some evidence that the CAM concepts of health (promotion) are in agreement with current conceptualization of health and that doctors who practice both CAM and conventional medicine prescribe less antibiotics, although selection bias of the presented studies cannot be ruled out. There is some evidence that prevention and some treatment strategies are effective and safe. Many CAM treatment strategies are promising but overall lack high quality evidence. Conclusions. CAM prevention and treatment strategies may contribute to reducing antibiotic use, but more rigorous research is necessary to provide high quality evidence of (cost-)effectiveness.

Reduced antibiotic use after initial treatment of acute respiratory infections with phytopharmaceuticals- a retrospective cohort study

“…Above all, we do not know why the same physician prescribed phytopharmaceuticals for one patient but not for a comparable patient. There may have been differences in symptoms, severity, and/or duration of the disease or with regard to undocumented risk factors [17]. Patient preferences may have also played a role.…”

“…Their efficacy and safety have been demonstrated in placebo-controlled clinical trials [12][13][14][15][16]. The use of such phytopharmaceuticals could contribute to a reduction in the number of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions for lower and upper tract respiratory infections, but further evidence is needed to corroborate this [17].…”

Stand der Komplementärmedizin in Deutschland

“…Somit kann eine komplementärmedizinische Behandlung auch dazu beitragen, die Ausbreitung multiresistenter Keime einzudämmen (AMR). Qualitativ gute Studien aus Phytotherapie und Homöopathie geben darauf Hinweise, dass der unangemessene Einsatz von Antibiotika bei Mensch und Tier, eine der Hauptursachen für die Entstehung multiresistenter Keime, durch komplementärmedizinische Behandlung reduziert werden kann [27,28].…”

Corrigendum to “The Contribution of Complementary and Alternative Medicine to Reduce Antibiotic Use: A Narrative Review of Health Concepts, Prevention, and Treatment Strategies”

“…In the article titled “The Contribution of Complementary and Alternative Medicine to Reduce Antibiotic Use: A Narrative Review of Health Concepts, Prevention, and Treatment Strategies” [ 1 ], affiliation 11 was incomplete. Therefore, it is updated from “University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse 46, 3010 Bern, Switzerland,” to “University of Bern, Institute of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Freiburgstrasse 46, 3010 Bern.” This affects the affiliation details for authors Ursula Wolf and Klaus von Ammon.…”