Use of complementary and alternative medicine in general population during COVID-19 outbreak: A survey in Iran

Dehghan, Mahlagha; Ghanbari, Ali; Heidari, Fatemeh; Shahrbabaki, Parvin Mangolian; Zakeri, Mohammad Ali

doi:10.1016/j.joim.2021.11.004

Cited by 39 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…A total of 15,154 participants were pulled together from 14 studies [ 6 , 11 , 12 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. Study characteristics are shown in Table 2 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nine studies described factors that were statistically correlated with self-medication. These include age, gender, education, occupation, knowledge, distrust in health personnel or institutions, fear of being sanctioned or fined for leaving the home, and individual experience [ 6 , 18 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ] There was no consensus about age as a correlate of self-medication. A study observed that younger age is positively associated with self-medication for preventing COVID-19 [ 20 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Four studies reported female gender as positively associated with self-medication [ 18 , 21 , 23 , 26 ]. Two studies observed a higher tendency among male genders; however, a higher proportion of the studies were dominated by male respondents, creating a sampling bias [ 20 , 22 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence and Correlates of Self-Medication Practices for Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: A Systematic Review

et al. 2022

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It has been suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in self-medication practices across the world. Yet, there is no up-to-date synthesized evidence on the prevalence of self-medication that is attributable to the pandemic. This study aimed to conduct a systematic literature review on the prevalence and correlates of self-medication for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 globally. The review was registered with the PROSPERO database. Searches were conducted following PRISMA guidelines, and relevant articles published between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2022 were included. Pooled prevalence rate was conducted using the Meta package in R. A total of 14 studies from 14 countries, which represented 15,154 participants, were included. The prevalence of COVID-19-related self-medication ranged from 3.4–96%. The pooled prevalence of self-medication for this purpose was 44.9% (95% CI: 23.8%, 68.1%). Medications reported by studies for self-medication were antibiotics (79%), vitamins (64%), antimalarials (50%), herbal and natural products (50%), analgesics and antipyretics (43%), minerals and supplements (43%), cold and allergy preparations (29%), corticosteroids (14%), and antivirals (7%). The prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics is concerning. More public health education about responsible self-medication amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics is required to mitigate the rising threat of antimicrobial resistance.

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“…A total of 15,154 participants were pulled together from 14 studies [ 6 , 11 , 12 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. Study characteristics are shown in Table 2 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence and Correlates of Self-Medication Practices for Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: A Systematic Review

et al. 2022

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“…CAM refers to knowledge, skills, methods based on theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to various cultures that are used to maintain health, prevent, recover from, or treat physical and mental diseases ( 20 ). During the COVID-19 outbreak, some types of CAM, particularly nutritional supplements, medicinal herbs, and prayer, were commonly used to prevent COVID-19 and reduce pandemic-related anxiety ( 21 ). Cancer patients are motivated to use CAM to cope with pain, insomnia, persistent mental distress and treatment complications ( 22 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosomatic Symptoms in Terminally Ill Cancer Patients and Its Relation With Using Complementary and Alternative Medicines: A Cross-Sectional Study in Southeast Iran

2022

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BackgroundCancer patients face various problems and complications, which they address through various complementary and alternative medicines (CAM). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between CAM and psychosomatic symptoms in terminally ill cancer patients.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was performed on 221 terminally ill cancer patients (based on metastatic stage and according to the physicin diagnosis) in southeastern Iran. Convenience sampling was used to select terminally ill cancer patients. Using questionnaires like the demographic and clinical information questionnaire, Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), CAM questionnaire and satisfaction with the use of CAM, the researcher was able to compile a comprehensive picture of the population.ResultsThe mean age of the participants was 51.66 ± 13.34 years. The majority of the samples were female, married, educated, and unemployed. The mean score for the physical symptoms of the participants according to ESAS was 22.25 ± 17.57 which was less than the midpoint of the scale (the possible score of ESAS was 0–100). Only 2.7% (n = 6) and 0.9% (n = 2) of the participants had mild and moderate anxiety, respectively, and the other participants' anxiety levels were normal. Only 7.7% (n = 17) and 4.1% (n = 9) of the participants had mild and moderate depression, respectively, and the other participants' depression levels were normal. Last year, 87.3% of the participants used at least one type of CAM. Aside from prayer, 42.1% of the participants used at least one type of CAM in the last year. Prayer was used by 83.7% of the participants, medicinal plants by 35.8%, massage by 9.5%, dietary supplements by 3.6%, wet cupping by 3.2%, relaxation and meditation by 2.7%, dry cupping by 2.4%, and acupuncture by 0.5%. The common reason for using CAM was to reduce the stress and anxiety caused by cancer and to treat it. There were no significant differences in physical and psychological symptoms between the CAM-users and non-CAM users.ConclusionPatients with cancer have a relatively low level of psychosomatic symptoms, and the primary reason for using CAM was to relieve stress and anxiety associated with cancer and treat it. However, psychosomatic symptoms were the same for CAM and non-CAM users. Because so many people with cancer use CAM, future studies should look into why and how CAM is used.

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“…A significant proportion of believed that these modalities have fewer side-effects, are effective, and should be used for managing COVID-19 [12] . Another research in Iran indicated that 84% of general population applied at least one type of complementary and alternative medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic [13] . The overview of recent literatures of the efficacy of various forms of complementary and alternative interventions including Traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, Qigong, and relaxation showed that these modalities have a positive effect on ameliorating the different COVID-19 dimensions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficacy of the barley-based remedy, a Persian medicine formula, in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalized patients: An open-labeled randomized controlled trial

Hasheminasab

Azimi

Khodadoost

et al. 2022

Advances in Integrative Medicine

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Use of complementary and alternative medicine in general population during COVID-19 outbreak: A survey in Iran

Cited by 39 publications

References 35 publications

Prevalence and Correlates of Self-Medication Practices for Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: A Systematic Review

Prevalence and Correlates of Self-Medication Practices for Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: A Systematic Review

Psychosomatic Symptoms in Terminally Ill Cancer Patients and Its Relation With Using Complementary and Alternative Medicines: A Cross-Sectional Study in Southeast Iran

Efficacy of the barley-based remedy, a Persian medicine formula, in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalized patients: An open-labeled randomized controlled trial

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