The Use of Integrative Therapies in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Shanghai, China

Abstract

Objective. To investigate the current use of integrative therapies (IT) in the treatment of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods. A cross-sectional, multicenter clinical epidemiological survey was conducted in 12 hospitals in Shanghai. We investigated the type and frequency of IT use and determined whether the use of IT correlated with demographic, social, or disease-specific characteristics in our patient population. Results. A total of 231 (89.5%) of 258 patients with ALS were eligible for the study and 229 (99% of all) of 231 reported the use of at least one IT for the treatment of ALS. Vitamins and Chinese herb decoctions, Chinese herb compounds, massage therapy, and acupuncture were the 5 most commonly used therapies. There was a strong association between education level, income, and use of IT. A household income of more than 75,000 RMB ($49,995) correlated with multiple IT use, and married patients used IT more often than single individuals. The main reasons for using IT were to treat weakness and fatigue, muscle atrophy, the development of ALS, depression, insomnia, limb pain or numbness, and side effects associated with Riluzole. Conclusion. The use of IT is common in patients with ALS in Shanghai. Vitamins and TCM are the most used additional therapies and the widespread and largely unexamined use of IT for ALS requires more attention.

Critical Review of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Prevalence and Users’ Profile, Decision-Making, Information Seeking, and Disclosure in the Face of a Lack of Efficacy

“…Only two out of the seven papers included in this review reported a prevalence rate of CAM use among ALS patients [18,19]. A cross-sectional study in Germany published in 2001 reported a CAM use rate of 54% among 171 ALS patients who were members of the German Association for Neuromuscular Disease [18].…”

“…A cross-sectional study in Germany published in 2001 reported a CAM use rate of 54% among 171 ALS patients who were members of the German Association for Neuromuscular Disease [18]. Another cross-sectional study conducted in 2012-2013 in ALS patients from 12 hospitals in one Chinese city found that 99% of the respondents (n = 229) had used at least one CAM [19].…”

“…Acupuncture [18][19][20][21] and vitamins [18,19,21,22] were the most commonly used CAM in ALS, followed by Chinese medicine [18,19,22], massage therapy [19][20][21], and dietary/herbal supplements [18,21,23]. The prevalence of acupuncture, vitamins, Chinese medicine, massage therapy, and dietary/ herbal supplements was reported to range from 2 to 51% (mean 26%), from 15 to 91% (mean 54%), from 11 to 95% (mean 52%), from 4 to 57% (mean 23%), and from 16 to 42% (mean 26%), respectively.…”

“…The prevalence of acupuncture, vitamins, Chinese medicine, massage therapy, and dietary/ herbal supplements was reported to range from 2 to 51% (mean 26%), from 15 to 91% (mean 54%), from 11 to 95% (mean 52%), from 4 to 57% (mean 23%), and from 16 to 42% (mean 26%), respectively. Among the vitamin and dietary/herbal supplement use in ALS, the prevalence of vitamin E and coenzyme Q10 were particularly highlighted in four papers [18,19,21,23].…”

Traditional Chinese Herbs Improve Salivation and Frequent Nighttime Urination in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

“…Both frequent nighttime urination (FNU) and sialorrhea are explained by the theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in terms of dysfunction of body fluid control. TCM theory considers these symptoms to be a Qi deficiency in the spleen and kidney [4]. We used the TCM herbs of Jian-Pi Lian-Se Tang (JPLST) which can improve the Qi function of the body and showed that JPLST improved astringency function after 6 weeks of treatment in patients who suffered from salivation and FNU compared to patients not treated with TCM.…”