Hawaii Med J. 1999 Dec; 58(12): 329-32.

Awareness of, use and perception of efficacy of alternative therapies by patients with inflammatory arthropathies.

Camara K, Danao-Camara T.

Straub Clinic and Hospital, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA.

Fifty one patients with chronic inflammatory polyarthritis were surveyed on unconventional treatments they used to self-treat their condition. Awareness of the availability of alternative therapies (ATs) was universal. Sixty-six percent (66%) of patients had tried one or more ATs. The most popular ATs were dietary manipulation (no red meat, dosing with vinegar and honey), the wearing of magnets and copper bracelets, and acupuncture. The best predictors of AT use were male sex, Caucasian race and formal education beyond high school. Numbers were too small to make definitive statements about perceptions of efficacy, but the users of magnets and fish oils tended to be dissatisfied with these ATs, while those who had tried bee stings, herbs and hormones claimed effectiveness.