SynthesisClinical medicine (London, England)2013
Prevalence of use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by patients/consumers in the UK: systematic review of surveys.
Synthesis in Clinical medicine (London, England), 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 98 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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Who cites it
98 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Prevalence of herbal and traditional medicine in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 20-year studies.Systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Bioenergy therapies as a complementary treatment: a systematic review to evaluate the efficacy of bioenergy therapies in relieving treatment toxicities in patients with cancer.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2023Pooled it
- Aromatherapy with single essential oils can significantly improve the sleep quality of cancer patients: a meta-analysis.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2022Pooled it
- Herbals and Plants in the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer: A Systematic Review of Experimental and Clinical Studies.Nutrients · 2022Pooled it
- Potential factors that influence usage of complementary and alternative medicine worldwide: a systematic review.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2020Pooled it
- Aromatherapy for treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Pooled it
- An Overview of Systematic Reviews: Complementary Therapies for Cancer Patients.Integrative cancer therapiesPooled it
- Auriculotherapy for anxiety, quality of life and fear of COVID-19 in pregnant women: a randomized clinical trial.Revista brasileira de enfermagem · 2025Trial
- Dietary and non-dietary complementary and alternative medicine use in Saudi Arabia: the differential role of associated factors.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2026Article
- Awareness and attitudes towards ayurveda in chronic disease management and related knowledge gaps among UK healthcare professionals: an analytical cross-sectional survey.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2026Article
- The prevalence of 'Guboow' among children in Somalia and the impact of socioeconomic factors: a cross-sectional study.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2026Article
- Article
- Beyond conventional healthcare: public knowledge, attitudes, and associated demographic factors of complementary and alternative therapy utilization in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Development and psychometric evaluation of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward complementary and alternative medicine in stroke.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2026Article
- Vitexin induces apoptosis and enhances daunorubicin efficacy in acute leukemia via modulation of the HIF-1α/Bcl-2/caspase-3 pathway.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Prevalence and Patterns of Use of Natural Health Products and Medicines in New Zealand: A Pilot Study Using an Online Market Research Panel.Drugs - real world outcomes · 2025Article
- A Comprehensive Look at Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in Saudi Arabia: A Meta-Analysis Study.Health science reports · 2025Review
- Herbal and alternative medicine use: a cross sectional study to evaluate the prevalence and predictors of use in cancer patients.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Article
38 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This systematic review aimed to estimate the prevalence of use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the UK. Five databases were searched for English language, peer-reviewed surveys published between 1 January 2000 and 7 October 2011. In addition, relevant book chapters and files from our own departmental records were searched by hand. Eighty-nine surveys were included, with a total of 97,222 participants. Most studies were of poor methodological quality. Across surveys on CAM in general, the average one-year prevalence of use of CAM was 41.1% and the average lifetime prevalence was 51.8%. In methodologically sound surveys, the equivalent rates were 26.3% and 44%, respectively. In surveys with response rates >70%, average one-year prevalence was nearly threefold lower than in surveys with response rates between 21% and 50%. Herbal medicine was the most popular CAM, followed by homeopathy, aromatherapy, massage and reflexology. Many patients and consumers in the UK use CAM; healthcare professionals should therefore responsibly advise their patients about the use of CAM.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.