Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2003; 8: 557–8
To determine the prevalence and type of CAM use in individuals with congestive heart failure (CHF).
A survey was administered to 116 individuals with CHF as part of a clinical trial.
Of the 116 individuals surveyed, about 50% were using some form of CAM therapy. The most common type of CAM therapy used was dietary supplements (n = 35, 30%) followed by manual therapies (n = 18, 16%), and mind/body techniques (n = 18, 15%). The most commonly used dietary supplements were green tea (n = 11, 9%), a combination heart health supplement (n = 7, 6%), and garlic (n = 6, 5%). Massage therapy was the most commonly used manual therapy (n = 9, 8%) followed by chiropractic (n = 7, 6%). The most common forms of mind/body therapies were music therapy (n = 14, 12%) and meditation (n = 6/5%). The most common reasons for using CAM therapies were for heart problems (n = 55/47%) and anxiety/stress (n = 40/34%). Seventy-four per cent of respondents were males with a mean age of 56 years (± 11.2 years). Roughly 78% of respondents were white with 75% of the respondents having an annual household income under $50 000. Over 66% of the respondents were married and 23% had graduated from college. Fifty-one per cent of respondents had a NYHA class of III and a mean LVEF of 36% (± 14.9%).
A significant number of individuals with CHF are using some type of complementary and alternative therapy. The most commonly used therapy was dietary supplements for heart related illnesses. None of the demographic or baseline disease characteristics were significantly associated with CAM use.
