People with diabetes are 1.6 times more likely to seek out complementary and alternative medicine than those in the general population. That's the conclusion of a recent study from the Medical University of South Carolina based on information from a nationally representative sample of the US population.

In the general population, estimates of alternative medicine use were not significantly different across selected chronic medical conditions other than diabetes. Among people with diabetes, those who are over age 65 and have more than a high school education are more likely to use alternative medicine.

The American Diabetes Association acknowledges that there are alternative therapies that many patients find helpful. The Association urges people with diabetes to carefully examine claims made by practitioners who are not in the healthcare mainstream and to let their primary healthcare provider know if they are following other regimens.

Related information: Alternative Therapies | Unproven Therapies

Source:  Egede LE, Ye X, Zheng D, et al. The prevalence and pattern of complementary and alternative medicine use in individuals with diabetes. Diabetes Care, February 2002;25:324-329. (Abs.)