Long L, Huntley A, Ernst E
Department of Complementary Medicine, School of Postgraduate Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, UK.
Complement Ther Med. 2001 Sep;9(3):178-85. doi: 10.1054/ctim.2001.0453.
With the increasing demand and usage of complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) by the general public, it is vital that healthcare professionals can make informed decisions when advising or referring their patients who wish to use CAM. Therefore they might benefit from advice by CAM-providers as to which treatment can be recommended for which condition.
The primary aim of this survey was to determine which complementary therapies are believed by their respective representing professional organizations to be suited for which medical conditions.
223 questionnaires were sent out to CAM organizations representing a single CAM therapy. The respondents were asked to list the 15 conditions they felt benefited most from their CAM therapy, the 15 most important contra-indications, the typical costs of initial and any subsequent treatments and the average length of training required to become a fully qualified practitioner. The conditions and contra-indications quoted by responding CAM organizations were recorded and the top five of each were determined. Treatment costs and hours of training were expressed as ranges.
Of the 223 questionnaires sent out, 66 were completed and returned. Taking undelivered questionnaires into account, the response rate was 34%. Two or more responses were received from CAM organizations representing twelve therapies: aromatherapy, Bach flower remedies, Bowen technique, chiropractic, homoeopathy, hypnotherapy, magnet therapy, massage, nutrition, reflexology, Reiki and yoga. The top seven common conditions deemed to benefit by all twelve therapies, in order of frequency, were: stress/anxiety, headaches/migraine, back pain, respiratory problems (including asthma), insomnia, cardiovascular problems and musculoskeletal problems. Aromatherapy, Bach flower remedies, hypnotherapy, massage, nutrition, reflexology, Reiki and yoga were all recommended as suitable treatments for stress/anxiety. Aromatherapy, Bowen technique, chiropractic, hypnotherapy, massage, nutrition, reflexology, Reiki and yoga were all recommended for headache/migraine. Bowen technique, chiropractic, magnet therapy, massage, reflexology and yoga were recommended for back pain. None of the therapies cost more than ł60 for an initial consultation and treatment. No obvious correlation between length of training and treatment cost was apparent.
The recommendations by CAM organizations responding to this survey may provide guidance to health care professionals wishing to advise or refer patients interested in using CAM.
随着公众对补充和替代医学（CAM）的需求及使用不断增加，医疗保健专业人员在为希望使用CAM的患者提供建议或转诊时能够做出明智的决定至关重要。因此，他们可能会受益于CAM提供者关于针对何种病症可推荐何种治疗方法的建议。
本次调查的主要目的是确定各自代表的专业组织认为哪些补充疗法适用于哪些医疗状况。
向代表单一CAM疗法的CAM组织发送了223份问卷。要求受访者列出他们认为其CAM疗法受益最大的15种病症、15种最重要的禁忌症、初始治疗及任何后续治疗的典型费用，以及成为一名完全合格从业者所需的平均培训时长。记录回复的CAM组织引用的病症和禁忌症，并确定每种的前五项。治疗费用和培训时长以范围表示。
在发出的223份问卷中，66份被填写并返回。将未送达的问卷考虑在内，回复率为34%。代表12种疗法的CAM组织收到了两份或更多回复：芳香疗法、巴赫花精疗法、 Bowen技术、整脊疗法、顺势疗法、催眠疗法、磁疗、按摩、营养疗法、反射疗法、灵气疗法和瑜伽。所有12种疗法认为最有益的前七种常见病症，按频率排序为：压力/焦虑、头痛/偏头痛、背痛、呼吸问题（包括哮喘）、失眠、心血管问题和肌肉骨骼问题。芳香疗法、巴赫花精疗法、催眠疗法、按摩、营养疗法、反射疗法、灵气疗法和瑜伽均被推荐为治疗压力/焦虑的合适疗法。芳香疗法、Bowen技术、整脊疗法、催眠疗法、按摩、营养疗法、反射疗法、灵气疗法和瑜伽均被推荐用于治疗头痛/偏头痛。Bowen技术、整脊疗法、磁疗、按摩、反射疗法和瑜伽被推荐用于治疗背痛。初次咨询和治疗的费用均不超过60英镑。培训时长与治疗费用之间没有明显的相关性。
回复本次调查的CAM组织的建议可能会为希望为对使用CAM感兴趣的患者提供建议或转诊的医疗保健专业人员提供指导。
