Payesh (Oct 2004)
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM): Knowledge, attitude and practice in Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Objective(s): To study the knowledge, attitude, and practice of complementary medicine. Methods: This was a descriptive study of a random sample of 4123 adults aged 15 years and over in Tehran, Iran. Data were collected in face-to-face interviews and participants were asked to indicate whether they knew about complementary and alternative medicine and whether they were used or using CAM. Results: The survey showed that 83.2% of the respondents were familiar with some form of complementary medicine. Herbal medication was the most popular CAM modality; Therefore, excluding herbal medication, 58.6% of studied population knew some form of complementary medicine. The best-known forms of CAM in the Tehran population were: Herbal medication (75.6%), acupuncture (43.6%), hypnosis (39.2%), energy therapy (28.1%), yoga (22.1%), meditation (5.3%) and homeopathy (4.1%). 42.2% of studied population had used some form of complementary medicine. Herbal medication was again the most popular, but apart from herbal medication, 9.6% of the study population had used some form of complementary medicine. The most prevalent CAM modalities were: Herbal medication (38.4%), energy therapy (3.4%), yoga (3%), acupuncture (2.7%), meditation (5.3%), hypnosis (1.2%) and homeopathy (0.4%). Conclusion: Public knowledge and demand for complementary medicine seems to be high. With growing demand, CAM deserves greater attention from health planners, policy makers, and a more scientific approach from the academic community. In the absence of hard evidence, we should not be influenced by those who either blindly promote or stubbornly reject complementary and alternative medicine. Appropriate legislation by the ministry of health might help to ensure certain minimum standards such as proper regulation, standardized record-keeping and effective communication. Patients also need to be protected against unqualified, substandard practice, inappropriate treatments or unethical research activities (This would also facilitate ongoing medical assessment of CAM). The future of CAM should (And hopefully will) be determined by unbiased scientific evaluation.
