title: Complementary and alternative medicine for allergic rhinitis in Japan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is extensively used in patients with allergic diseases worldwide. The purpose of this study was to investigate the actual situation of CAM practice in the treatment of allergic rhinitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We distributed questionnaires to otolaryngologists at 114 facilities in Japan. The subjects who participated in this study included children <16 years of age and adults ≥16 years of age diagnosed with allergic rhinitis by otolaryngologists. The survey was performed in the period from September 2007 to August 2009. Furthermore, we performed the same investigation out of the hospital setting, such as during general health examinations. All questionnaires were returned to Chiba University and analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportions of patients who had ever experimented with CAM in the hospital survey were 7.1% (225/3170) and 19.2% (1416/7363) of children and adults, respectively. Approximately 36.2% of the adult patients thought that the treatments were effective. The main reasons for CAM use were safety, convenience and low price. However, the group who spent more than $1000 on CAM felt more dissatisfaction and anxiety related to treatment at the hospital. The situation of CAM practice was not consistent and was instead influenced by the backgrounds of the subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many patients who receive CAM report feeling that the effects of treatment provided by hospitals are insufficient and have concerns about the side effects of such treatments. Information regarding standard treatments, as described in the guidelines, should become widely known and diffused, and strong communication with patients should be considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Syuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yonekura
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan. Electronic address: yokamoto@faculty.chiba-u.jp.
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Daiju
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshioki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iinuma
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Heizaburou
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Toyoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hanazawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Iida Hospital, Nagano, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigetoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Horiguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kurono
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Akita Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan.
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Majima
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan.
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Masuyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University of Tokushima School of Medicine, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.affiliation: Division of Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, Department of Sensory and Locomotor Medicine, Faculty of Medical Science, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeharu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujieda
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsuhiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okano
authors.affiliation: School of Allied Health Sciences, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ogino
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kimihiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okubo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000379:methods; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Allergic rhinitis; Complementary and alternative medicine; Conventional treatments; Questionnaire; Unconventional treatments