Association between Disease‐Specific Quality of Life and Complementary Medicine Use in Patients with Rhinitis in Taiwan: A Cross‐Sectional Survey Study

Abstract

Rhinitis is a common medical condition and can seriously impact patients' quality of life. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between disease-specific quality of life and use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities among Taiwanese rhinitis patients. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken at the outpatient department of otolaryngology in a medical center in Taiwan. Sociodemographic information, disease-specific quality of life (Chinese version of the 31-item Rhinosinusitis Outcome Measure, CRSOM-31), and previous use of CAM modalities for treatment of rhinitis of the patients were ascertained. Factor analysis was performed to reduce the number of CAM modalities. The resulting factors were analyzed for their association with CRSOM-31 score using linear regression analyses. Results from the multiple linear regression analyses indicated that Factor 1 (traditional Chinese medicine), Factor 2 (mind-body modalities), Factor 3 (manipulative-based modalities), female sex, and smoking were significantly associated with a worse disease-specific quality of life. In conclusion, various CAM modalities, female sex, and smoking were independent predictors of a worse disease-specific quality of life in Taiwanese patients with rhinitis.

Complementary and Alternative Medicines Used by Middle-Aged to Older Taiwanese Adults to Cope with Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey

“…Recent studies have suggested that middle-aged to older adults tended to seek different kinds of CAM to help them improve the harmony between their mind, body, and spirit [ 6 , 18 , 24 ]. Middle-aged adults, especially women and those with a higher education level, tend to search for more valuable sources of information to use different kind to CAMs and share their experiences with their friends [ 20 , 30 , 34 ]. In Taiwan, the prevalence rate for CAM use in the previous 12 months was 38 to 86% among people aged 18 years and above to maintain their health.…”

“…The questionnaire was developed in a 3-step procedure of preliminary drafting according to our previous published paper [ 20 ], revision based on five expert opinions, and final editing. Questionnaires on CAM uses within the past three months was classified into six categories according to the classification system for various modalities from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) [ 4 ].…”

“…Studies have indicated that up to 80% of the general population used at least one CAM in the past year. The reasons why they seek CAMs included enhancing disease-fighting properties through antioxidant supplements, improving disease-specific quality of life, increasing vital energy flow, and improving their physical and mental health [ 18 , 19 , 20 ]. Traditional Chinses medicine (TCM) treatments or herbal products, muscle relaxation techniques (e.g., yoga, massage, tai chi, dance, and exercise), functional food and dietary supplements (e.g., probiotics and vitamin D), mindfulness activities (e.g., Ayurveda and Reiki), and aromatherapy were the most popular CAM interventions used at home to ease the symptoms induced by COVID-19 infection, support the immune system to avoid infection, or promote psychological wellbeing in order to return to normal life during this stressful time [ 10 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”

Luteolin Attenuates Allergic Nasal Inflammation via Inhibition of Interleukin-4 in an Allergic Rhinitis Mouse Model and Peripheral Blood From Human Subjects With Allergic Rhinitis

“…TCM is the most popular complementary treatment used for allergic disease in Asian countries (Man, 2009;Hon et al, 2015;Yonekura et al, 2017). According to our previous survey, about 34% patients who visited our department for rhinological disorders had received TCM treatment (Koo et al, 2014). Although there is evidence supporting the efficacy of TCM for treatment of AR, the methodology of these clinical trials was frequently inadequate.…”