title: Faith and use of complementary and alternative medicine among heart attack patients in a secular society.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the associations of religious and spiritual faith (unambiguous, ambiguous and no faith), existential considerations and disease severity with use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among heart patients in a secular society, and to address patients' perceived influence of CAM on their quality of life and heart disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective questionnaire study among 97 consecutively recruited patients (72.2% male; mean age 60.6 years) with acute coronary syndrome from a Danish cardiac university hospital unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total CAM use in the 6 months following hospitalisation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Altogether 24.7% used CAM with dietary/exercise counselling and dietary/nutritional supplements being the most prevalent types. In a final multivariate logistic regression model entering faith in God, faith in a spiritual power and previous CAM use, only unambiguous faith in God predicted CAM use following the event (OR: 11.24, CI: 2.19-57.65, p=0.004). No significant association was found between heart disease severity and CAM use. The majority of CAM treatments were rated as having some degree of positive influence on quality of life (75.9%) and the heart disease (58.6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Faith among heart patients in a secular society was associated with CAM use. It may be speculated that believers in God were more inclined to use lifestyle-oriented CAM types such as dietary/exercise counselling. Patients' perceived benefits of CAM may be strong motivational factors for present or future use. However, considering the potential adverse effect of combining some complementary therapies with conventional medicine, an open dialogue on CAM use is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Aarhus University, Jens Chr. Skous Vej 4, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Sidsel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bekke-Hansen
authors.forename: Christina Gundgaard
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: Kristian
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thygesen
authors.forename: Søren
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: Lynn C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Waelde
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zachariae
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D000368:Aged; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003376:Counseling; D003718:Denmark; D004032:Diet; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000628:therapy*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010684:Philosophy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012067:Religion; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires