Survey of the use of complementary and alternative medicine among Korean diabetes mellitus patients.

Purpose: This study was designed to measure the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among Korean diabetes mellitus (DM) patients.

Methods: A 23-question survey on DM was used and included questions on demographic information (7), clinical information (7) and the utilisation of CAM (9).

Results: Of 223 respondents, 145 (65%) had taken CAM products, while 78 (35%) had not. At the suggestion of family members and relatives, 43.5% of the respondents started taking CAM products. A total of 57.9% of the users felt that it was effective, 30.3% considered that it regulated the blood glucose level and 27.6% felt it was effective in achieving psychological relaxation. Of 93 CAM materials used by respondents, 63.7% were various types of plants, 21.6% were animal material and 14.7% were a mixture of both. The majority of DM patients (81.2%) were trying a new type of CAM, and one third of all patients were trying to start using a new type of CAM after consulting with their physicians.

Conclusions: Doctors should recognise that complementary medicines are widely used by diabetic patients and should appreciate that these medicines can cause adverse effects. Doctors should therefore be prepared to question patients to determine what non-conventional medicines they are using.