According to the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, the use of alternative and complementary treatment for skin diseases has increased. Those with skin disorders do anyway prefer to use alternative treatments and this number is increasing, says the journal’s report.
23,393 completed interviews were used to compile the data of this survey. Of this number more than 2,300 respondents reported skin problems and from among these, nearly 85% reported to having used some or other complementary and/or alternative medicine.
The CAM treatments included herbal medications, vitamins, and mineral supplements. This is a very significant increase over the year 2002 when only about 50% of those who had skin problems reported that they were using CAM.
The use of CAM is very prevalent and is particularly so among those who have skin problems, found the researchers.
Researchers have noted that for this reason, it is important for medical and health practitioners to have clear discussions with their patients, about their ailments and about any CAM therapies that they may be using. This is to serve two purposes – better diagnosis as well as to prevent potential adverse reactions.
