Alternative therapies among adults with a reported diagnosis of asthma or rhinosinusitis - Data from a population-based survey

Background: Asthma and rhinosinusitis are common medical conditions among a dults. Alternative treatments could have important impacts on health status among those individuals with these conditions, but specific prevalence dat a for these treatments are limited. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of specific alternative treatment mod alities, including herbal agents, ingestion of caffeinated beverages, homeo pathy, acupuncture, and massage therapies. Design: Random population telephone sample. Setting: Northern California. Participants: Three hundred adults aged 18 to 50 years with self-report of a physician diagnosis of asthma (n=125) or rhinosinusitis without concomita nt asthma (n=175). Measurements: Structured telephone interviews covering demographics and cli nical variables, including the following alternative treatments used in the previous 12 months: herbal agents; caffeine-containing products; homeopath y; acupuncture; aromatherapy; reflexology; and massage. Results: Any alternative practice was reported by 127 subjects (42%; 95% co nfidence interval [CI], 36 to 48%). Of these, 33 subjects (26%; 95% CI, 21 to 31%) were not current prescription medication users. Herbal use was repo rted by 72 subjects (24%), caffeine treatment by 54 subjects (18%), and oth er alternative treatments by 66 subjects (22%). Taking into account demogra phic variables, subjects with asthma were more likely than those with rhini tis alone to report caffeine self-treatment for their condition (odds ratio , 2.5; 95% CI, 1.4 to 4.8%), but herbal use and other alternative treatment s did not differ significantly by condition group. Conclusion: Alternative treatments are frequent among adults with asthma or rhinosinusitis and should be taken into account by health-care providers a nd public health and policy analysts.