J Altern Complement Med. 2001 Dec; 7(6): 715-21.

Surveys of complementary and alternative medicine: part IV. Use of alternative and complementary therapies for rheumatologic and other diseases.

Wootton JC, Sparber A.

Alternative Medicine Foundation, Inc, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. jcw@amfoundation.org

This fourth review in the series covers eight recent U.S. surveys on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use by patients with rheumatologic and other autoimmune conditions, and summarizes seven studies of other disease categories. Regarding the previous reviews, the acronym CAM is used unless it is possible to refine the concepts. This reflects the problem that most survey questionnaires do not differentiate between adjunct or complementary therapies and alternative approaches to treatment.