Previous research suggests that people may develop stronger causal illusions when the existence of a causal relationship is consistent with their prior beliefs. In the present study, we hypothesized that prior pseudoscientific beliefs will influence judgments about the effectiveness of both alternative medicine and scientific medicine. Participants (N = 98) were exposed to an adaptation of the standard causal illusion task in which they had to judge whether two fictitious treatments, one described as conventional medicine and the other as alternative medicine, could heal the crises caused by two different syndromes. Since both treatments were completely ineffective, those believing that any of the two medicines worked were exhibiting a causal illusion. Participants also responded to the Pseudoscience Endorsement Scale (PES) and some questions about trust in alternative therapies that were taken from the Survey on the Social Perception of Science and Technology conducted by FECYT. The results replicated the causal illusion effect and extended them by revealing an interaction between the prior pseudoscientific beliefs and the scientific/pseudoscientific status of the fictitious treatment. Individuals reporting stronger pseudoscientific beliefs were more vulnerable to the illusion in both scenarios, whereas participants with low adherence to pseudoscientific beliefs seemed to be more resistant to the illusion in the alternative medicine scenario.

According to the Sasang theory, humans can be categorized into one of the four Sasang constitution (SC) types. The four SC types are Tae-Yang (TY), Tae-Eum (TE), So-Yang (SY), and So-Eum (SE), which are determined mainly on the basis of anthropometric characteristics, personality, and the balance of the physiological functions of the major organ systems. There is a growing recognition in the complementary and alternative medicine area that SC types have the potential to be a useful scientific tool for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases (Cooper, Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Vol. 6 (Suppl. 1), 2009, pp. 1–3). The main purposes of the present study are to estimate genetic and environmental influences on SC types, and to explore genetic and environmental correlations that affect phenotypic associations among the SC types. In total, 1,742 (365 monozygotic male, 173 dizygotic male, 675 monozygotic female, 271 dizygotic female, and 258 opposite-sex dizygotic) twins (mean age = 19.1 ± 3.1 year) completed a Sasang questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate model-fitting analyses were performed. Total (additive and non-additive) genetic influences were 71% for males and 81% for females in TE, 70% for males and 71% for females in SE, and 47% for both sexes in SY. Non-additive genetic effects were substantial, and shared environmental influences were negligible in most SC types. Multivariate model-fitting analysis revealed that non-additive genetic and individual-specific environmental correlations between TE and SE were -0.92 (95% CI [-0.89, -0.93]) and -0.62 (95% CI [-0.57, -0.68]), respectively. The corresponding estimates were -0.55 (95% CI [-0.48, -0.61]) and -0.44 (95% CI [-0.37, -0.51]) between TE and SY and 0.19 (95% CI [0.09, 0.29]) and -0.40 (95% CI [-0.32, -0.47]) between SE and SY. These results suggest that the phenotypic associations among SC types may be mediated by pleiotropic mechanism of genes.

The study assessed: (1) the prevalence of exclusive use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), exclusive use of modern medicine and combined use; (2) the factors associated with exclusive CAM use; and (3) the expenditure for CAM use among type-2 diabetes patients in rural Kerala. We surveyed 400 diabetes patients selected by multi-stage cluster sampling. Exclusive CAM use was reported by 9%, exclusive modern medicine by 61% and combined use by 30%. Patients without any co-morbidity were four times, those having regular income were three times and those who reported regular exercise were three times more likely to use exclusive CAM compared with their counterparts. Expense for medicines was not significantly different for CAM compared with modern medicine both in government and private sector. Patients with any co-morbidity were less likely to use CAM indicating that CAM use was limited to milder cases of diabetes.

The increasing prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is a significant health care issue in contemporary societies and researchers have identified CAM as holding potential for treating and coping with chronic illness and other conditions experienced in later life. This paper focuses upon contemporary research literature to provide a critical review of the prevalence, correlates, conditions, perceptions and communication of CAM use in later life. Evidence from recent research illustrates the substantial prevalence and complexity of CAM use amongst older people and such ‘community’ use requires all providers, regardless of their experience or perception of the worth of CAM, to at least acknowledge and enquire with their older patients about the potential use of these other medicines.

During recent years, private sector complementary medicine has grown as a significant provider of health care in the UK, and according to many current definitions, this provision may be classified as primary health care. In the context of a relative paucity of dedicated research investigations, and through a combined questionnaire (n = 426) and interview survey (n = 49), this paper provides some base-line evidence on the national sector, considers the previous employment of private therapists, their reasons for practicing, the range of modalities practiced and the positives they gain from this form of caring and business ownership. Although some younger therapists had moved straight from their education into private practice, the most common scenario was for middle-aged persons to enter the sector directly from skilled professional jobs and hence had radically changed their careers. Many were formerly employed in caring-related professions such as nursing, social work and teaching. Often therapists had been disillusioned with particular aspects of their former jobs. However, more frequently, they were simply attracted by the therapies themselves, the conceptual paradigms which underpin them and to the different experiences of business ownership and caring practices. Little is known about private complementary medicine, and it is argued that dedicated studies could build the initial evidence presented here, particularly within the rubric of primary health care research.

Increasing numbers of people are using complementary therapies, and many are in older age groups. Although recent empirical research has considered the demands for complementary medicine, and in particular its recent consumer boom, little acknowledgement is given in research to the different social categories of users, and to the intricacies of their different motivations and consumer behaviours. In the context of a relative paucity of dedicated research investigations, the paper highlights the relevance of social gerontological perspectives. Based on a questionnaire survey of 144 older users, and in-depth interviews with 20 older users in southern England, it considers trends in local use and user actions, attitudes and opinions. From a disciplinary perspective, the paper also contributes to a growing body of research which focuses on older peoples’ self-implemented health and health care strategies. There is a substantial degree of user satisfaction with the therapies used, and many respondents claimed to have benefited in terms of their physical and mental health. Older users are also empowered by their treatment decisions and negotiations, many of which are made either independently, or jointly between themselves and their therapists. Treatment solutions are typically constructed with combinations of complementary therapies, or combinations of complementary therapies and orthodox health services.

Objectives: Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is growing in all Western countries. The goal of this study was to evaluate quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of CAM interventions for specific diagnoses to inform clinical decision making.

Methods: MEDLINE and related databases were searched for CAM RCTs. Visual review was done of bibliographies, meta-analyses, and CAM journals. Inclusion criteria for review and scoring were blinded RCT, specified diagnosis and intervention, complete study published between January 1, 1966 and July 31, 1998 in an English-language, peer-reviewed journal. Two reviewers independently scored each study.

Results: More than 5,000 trials were found, but only 258 met all study inclusion criteria. The main cause for rejection (> 90%) was that the study was not an RCT or had no blinding. Mean score across 95 diagnosis/intervention categories was 44.7 (S.D. ± 14.3) on a 100-point scale. Ordinary least-squares regression found date of publication, biostatistician as author or consultant, published in one of five widely read English-language medical journals and diagnosis/intervention category of hypertension/relaxation as significant predictors of higher scores.

Conclusions: The overall quality of evidence for CAM RCTs is poor but improving slowly over time, about the same as that of biomedicine. Thus, most services are provided without good evidence of benefit.

Over two-thirds of patients have tried a complementary therapy before seeking conventional medical help. In view of this it is important that doctors keep abreast of developments in this area and of the range of therapies which are now being offered. The interaction between drugs and herbal remedies is one example where this is of particular importance. This review assesses the current evidence base for complementary therapies in nasal disease. Contemporary medicine can learn much from the patient-centred approach that is central to many complementary therapies. There is, as yet, little evidence to support the effect of complementary therapy over those of the placebo effect, cognitive dissonance and the natural resolution of many disease processes.