Patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea (OSAHS) are shown to use alternative medicine therapies along with conventional treatment, according to an October 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
A team led by Amit Sood, MD, MSc, of the Mayo Sleep Disorders Center, Rochester, Minn, surveyed 646 consecutive patients undergoing polysomnography to determine at what level they engaged in using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies.
Of this amount, 58% reported using CAM therapy at least once in the course of their treatment. This number broke down into 26% reporting having used “biologic products,” while 52% reported using nonbiologic CAM treatments. Over half of the participants expressed an interest in alternative medicine at some point in the future for improving sleep.
The team concluded that a “high proportion of patients with OSAHS report previous or current use, and interest in future use, of CAM treatments.” The researchers stated that the results pointed to a need for further investigation in this area.
To read the abstract, click here.
