title: Unproven Therapies for Diabetes and Their Implications.
abstract: Diabetes is a chronic disease and is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Being an ancient disease, many individuals follow complementary and alternative medicinal (CAM) therapies for either the cure or prevention of the disease. The popularity of these practices among the general public is in no way a testimony to their safety and efficacy. Due to the possibility of undesirable interactions with conventional medicines, it is imperative that patients are asked about CAM use during patient assessment. Patient- and physician-targeted awareness programs on various aspects of CAM use must be initiated to create a better understanding of evidence-based use of these practices. In addition, there should be guidelines in place based on clinical trial outcomes, and stricter regulations need to be enforced on CAM practices to ensure their safety and effectiveness.
authors.affiliation: Jothydev's Diabetes Research Centre, Trivandrum, Kerala, India. jothydev@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jothydev
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kesavadev
authors.affiliation: Dia Care and Hormone Clinic, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
authors.forename: Banshi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Saboo
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology/Diabetology, Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai, India.
authors.forename: Shaukat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sadikot
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India.
authors.forename: Ashok Kumar
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: Department of Diabetology, Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai, India.
authors.forename: Shashank
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.affiliation: North Delhi Diabetes Centre, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Rajeev
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chawla
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Bhatia Hospital, Mumbai, India.
authors.forename: Hemant
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Thacker
authors.affiliation: Jothydev's Diabetes Research Centre, Trivandrum, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Arun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shankar
authors.affiliation: Jothydev's Diabetes Research Centre, Trivandrum, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Lakshmy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ramachandran
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Bharati Hospital, Karnal, Haryana, India.
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalra
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000379:methods*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans
keywords: Ayurveda; CAM; Complementary and alternative medicine; Diabetes; Herbal medicine; Supplements; TM; Traditional medicine