ArticleBMC complementary medicine and therapies2020
Prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in Brazil.
Article in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 75 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of acupuncture plus pelvic floor muscle training in postpartum urinary incontinence: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Immunomodulatory Effects of Huaier Extract on Th1/Th2 Polarization Through IL-33/ST2 Axis Regulation in Allergic Rhinitis Pathogenesis.Applied biochemistry and biotechnology · 2026Article
- Flavonoids as Potential Therapeutic Agents Against Gastrointestinal Pathogen Growth and Their Mechanisms of Action: A Comprehensive Review.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Perspectives on the formalisation of complementary and alternative medicine among current users with prostate cancer: a study at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2026Article
- Antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties ofMicrobiology (Reading, England) · 2026Article
- Exploring the Adverse Effects of Fenugreek in Humans: A Scoping Review.Iranian journal of medical sciences · 2026Article
- Bridging Borders in Integrative Oncology: A Global Initiative by the Society for Integrative Oncology.Journal of integrative and complementary medicine · 2025Article
- Evaluation of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Iranian Medical Students Toward Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Cross-Sectional Survey.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Auriculotherapy in primary care: profile of graduates from a large-scale course.Revista de saude publica · 2025Article
- Article
- Ethnomedicinal Plants and Herbal Preparations Used by Rural Communities in Tehsil Hajira (Poonch District of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan).Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Wildlife as Food and Medicine in Brazil: A Neglected Zoonotic Risk?Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Assessing the safety and use of medicinal herbs during pregnancy: a cross-sectional study in São Paulo, Brazil.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Article
- Prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine use in Brazil: results of the National Health Survey, 2019.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2022Observational
- Integrative oncology: Addressing the global challenges of cancer prevention and treatment.CA: a cancer journal for clinicians · 2022Review
- Review
- The prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine use in the general population of Babol, North of Iran, 2018.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2021Article
- Natural Compounds With Antimicrobial and Antiviral Effect and Nanocarriers Used for Their Transportation.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2021Review
- Self-Healing: A Concept for Musculoskeletal Body Pain Management - Scientific Evidence and Mode of Action.Journal of pain research · 2021Review
- Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe use of medicinal plants or other alternative practices can be the only therapeutic resources for many communities and ethnic groups, especially in developing countries. In Brazil, the Ministry of Health incorporated Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) as a public health policy since 2006. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of CAM use in Brazil.
methodsThis was a cross-sectional study performed as an epidemiological survey, with data from the National Health Survey, 2013 that evaluated a sample of adult Brazilians (18+ years old). The outcome was the use of CAM therapies, such as acupuncture, homeopathy, medicinal plants and herbal medicines in the last 12 months. We employed a logistic regression model (CI 95%) to evaluate the chances of CAM use.
resultsThe prevalence of CAM use in Brazil was 4.5%. The subjects with higher chances to use CAM were: women (AOR = 1.42), aged > 40 years (AOR = 1.64), with higher educational levels (AOR = 2.35), and residents at North (AOR = 2.02) and South (AOR = 1.67) regions of Brazil, all with p-value < 0.001. According to the socioeconomic status, subjects from upper classes had higher chances to use acupuncture and homeopathy when compared to the other classes, and individuals from lower classes had higher chances to use medicinal plants and herbal medicines. Almost half of all individuals reporting CAM use did so outside the health care system. The Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) was the least used funding for CAM when compared to other types of funding.
conclusionsWe recommend that the Ministry of Health invests in capacity building for health professionals who work with CAM, providing structure for those practices in health services, increasing the access of CAM therapies for SUS users, and improving the registering of information about those therapies, encouraging the use of CAM by the Brazilian population.
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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.