Comparison and Effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine as against Conventional Medicine in the Treatment and Management of Type 2 Diabetes
Cecil Boston, Natasha Wong, Teshawattie Ganga, Khaimwattie Chandradatt, Judith Rosales, Jaipaul Singh, Rajini Kurup
Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medical Research · pp. 1–8 · Published 19 Apr 2019
10.9734/jocamr/2019/v7i230097Abstract
Aim: The main objective of the study was to compare, using laboratory data, the efficacy of herbal medicines against conventional drugs in treating and managing diabetes mellitus (DM) among type 2 diabetic (T2DM) patients. Methodology: The study recruited 80 patients from a private Herbal Clinic and the Georgetown Public Hospital Diabetic and Medical Outpatient Clinic after giving their consent and satisfying the inclusion criteria. Laboratory tests and analysis were done using conventional scientific methods and data analyzed using SPSS version 20 with a p-value of 0.05 being used to determine statistical significance. Results: The results showed that age, religion, ethnicity, education, marital status and monthly income have significant associations with the use of herbs. Persons using herbal medicine alone had normal lipid profile, renal function and liver function test, in addition to hemoglobin (Hb), white blood cell count (WBC), glycosylated hemoglobin (HBA1c) and fasting blood glucose (FBS). The most common herbs used were Momordica charantia (local name- karela) and Azadirachta indica (local name- neem), which were used in combination or alone. Results showed a positive effect on coronary heart disease risk. Conclusion: The information generated from the study indicated that a significant number of diabetic patients using herbs alone for their treatment had normal results. However, a more controlled study is required to validate these results.
References (31)
- 1 Why Patients Use Alternative Medicine [DOI]
- 2 Cinnamon Improves Glucose and Lipids of People With Type 2 Diabetes [DOI]
- 3 Adherence to Therapies in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes [DOI]
- 4 Meta-analysis of the effect and safety of berberine in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipemia and hypertension [DOI]
- 5 Renal function in diabetic nephropathy [DOI]
- 6 Effect of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecumL.) intake on glycemia: a meta-analysis of clinical trials [DOI]
- 7 Hypoglycemic effect of bitter melon compared with metformin in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients [DOI]
- 8 Why patients use alternative medicine: Results of a national study [DOI]
- 9 Drug Non-Adherence In Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus; Predictors And Associations.
- 10 Population-Based Survey of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Usage, Patient Satisfaction, and Physician Involvement [DOI]
- 11 Knowledge, attitude and practice of complementary and alternative medicines for diabetes [DOI]
- 12 Effects of cinnamon consumption on glycemic status, lipid profile and body composition in type 2 diabetic patients.
- 13 Association Between Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use, Preventive Care Practices, and Use of Conventional Medical Services Among Adults With Diabetes [DOI]
- 14 Effects of vitamin D on serum lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials [DOI]
- 15 The use of complementary and alternative medicine among people living with diabetes in Sydney [DOI]
- 16 Oral magnesium supplementation in type II diabetic patients.
- 17 Lower hypoglycemic but higher antiatherogenic effects of bitter melon than glibenclamide in type 2 diabetic patients [DOI]
- 18 The effect of vitamin D supplementation on serum lipids in postmenopausal women with diabetes: A randomized controlled trial [DOI]
- 19 Diabetes mellitus and its herbal treatment
- 20 The effects ofMomordica charantiaon obesity and lipid profiles of mice fed a high-fat diet [DOI]
- 21 Chinese Herbal Medicine Treatment Improves the Overall Survival Rate of Individuals with Hypertension among Type 2 Diabetes Patients and Modulates In Vitro Smooth Muscle Cell Contractility [DOI]
- 22 Usage of and cost of complementary/alternative medicine in diabetic patients.
- 23 Decision‐making related to complementary and alternative medicine use by people with Type 2 diabetes: a qualitative study [DOI]
- 24 Diabetes and Herbal (Botanical) Medicine [DOI]
- 25 Association Between Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use, Preventive Care Practices, and Use of Conventional Medical Services Among Adults With Diabetes [DOI]
- 26 Use of complementary and alternative medicine among Thai patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus [DOI]
- 27 Treatment of mild and moderate type-2 diabetes: open prospective trial with Hintonia latiflora extract [DOI]
- 28 Clinical Observation on Trigonella Foenum-graecum L. total saponins in combination with sulfonylureas in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus [DOI]
- 29 Uptake of alternative medicine [DOI]
- 30 Population-Based Survey of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Usage, Patient Satisfaction, and Physician Involvement [DOI]
- 31 Use and expenditure on complementary medicine in England: a population based survey [DOI]
Cited by 15
Monicah W. Karara, Faith Apolot Okalebo, Peter K. Ndirangu, Sylvia A. Opanga · Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medical Research · 2022
Luis Antonio Mancillas-Berrelleza, P. E. Miranda-Félix, M. Guevara-Valtier · Población y Salud en Mesoamérica · 2025
C. Palanisamy, Phaniendra Alugoju, Selvaraj Jayaraman · F1000Research · 2023
M. Ramar, Linda Jeeva Kumari Henry, S. Ramachandran · Journal of Ethnopharmacology · 2022
Sagar Kumar, Priyanka Kumari, Vikash Kumar · Cureus · 2020
Ravi Raja, Vikash Kumar, M. Khan · Cureus · 2019
L. Niba, Ayenjika Y. Dzekem, L. Navti · The Journal of Bioscience and Medicine · 2023
Nadia Amirudin, A. J. Panting, R. Kassim · 2021
Giribabu Nelli, Naguib Salleh, Gowri Gopa Kumar · Advances in Medical Diagnosis, Treatment, and Care · 2023
Chella Perumal Palanisamy, Phaniendra Alugoju, Selvaraj Jayaraman · F1000Research · 2023
Showing 10 of 15 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.
Related research
- Complementary Medicine Intervention in Breast Cancer Patients with Pain — shares topic coverage
- Toward a Legislative Framework for Traditional and Complementary Medicine in Africa: A Legal Commentary on Ghana and the Gambia — shares topic coverage
- Evaluation of Patient Outcome, Satisfaction, and Attitudes towards Integrative Medicine Model in Saudi Arabia: A Pilot Study — shares topic coverage
- Knowledge and Utilization of Traditional Medicine for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus among Residents of Pakuri (St. Cuthbert’s Mission) in Guyana — shares topic coverage
- Commentary on the Need for Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine Legislation in the Gambia — shares topic coverage
Article metrics
Real usage data collected on this platform.
1
Page views
0
PDF downloads
0
Outbound clicks
15
Citations
Views over time
Views by country
Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".
Traffic sources
Referring site, by host.
Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.