Table 4 Frequency of Utilization of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Modalities According to Illness Classification
CAM categories and specific modalities | CFS-like (n = 48) | Chronic Fatigue (n = 327) | Prolonged Fatigue (n = 53) | Non-fatigued (n = 435) | Overall p-Value | p-Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | ||
Body-based | ||||||
Chiropractic | 12 (25.5) | 57 (17.0) | 10 (18.9) | 39 (9.0) | .0004 | .0001 |
Massage | 17 (36.2) | 71 (21.2) | 1 (22.6) | 65 (14.9) | .002 | .001 |
Alternative Medicine System | ||||||
Homeopathy | 7 (15.2) | 30 (9.1) | 1 (1.9) | 26 (6.0) | .03 | .02 |
Mind-body | ||||||
Biofeedback | 3 (6.4) | 8 (2.4) | 1 (1.9) | 6 (1.4) | .12 | .06 |
Hypnosis | 0 (0) | 4 (1.2) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | .11 | -- |
Image/visual | 7 (14.9) | 39 (11.8) | 9 (17.0) | 34 (7.9) | .07 | .04 |
Mindful exercise | 4 (8.5) | 27 (8.0) | 5 (9.4) | 23 (5.3) | .28 | .11 |
Personal prayer | 35 (74.5) | 226 (67.5) | 36 (67.9) | 252 (58.1) | .01 | .002 |
Prayer by others | 23 (48.9) | 114 (34.0) | 12 (22.6) | 92 (21.1) | <.0001 | <.0001 |
Relaxation | 11 (23.4) | 90 (26.9) | 10 (19.2) | 60 (13.8) | .0001 | <.0001 |
Self-Help | 4 (8.5) | 25 (7.5) | 0 (0) | 14 (3.2) | .01 | .004 |
Biologically-based | ||||||
Diet supplements | 8 (17.0) | 47 (14.0) | 2 (3.8) | 50 (11.5) | .12 | .17 |
Herbal supplements | 13 (27.7) | 75 (22.4) | 10 (18.9) | 80 (18.4) | .30 | .07 |
Vitamins | 5 (10.6) | 28 (8.5) | 5 (9.4) | 28 (6.4) | .56 | .27 |
Energy | ||||||
Acupuncture | 1 (2.1) | 8 (2.4) | 2 (3.8) | 5 (1.1) | .25 | .21 |
Energy healing | 4 (8.5) | 24 (7.2) | 2 (3.8) | 16 (3.7) | .10 | .02 |