Use of complementary and alternative medicine by patients with osteoporosis in Australia

Mak, Jenson C S; Faux, Steven

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2010.tb03410.x

Topics

To the Editor: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)1 has become increasingly popular, with Australians spending an estimated $1.8 billion on CAM per year.2

Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Service, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, NSW.

Correspondence: jmak1@stvincents.com.au

Acknowledgements:

We thank the patients who participated in our survey from the Outpatient Clinic, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Concord Repatriation General Hospital; and Professor Markus Seibel for his support of the study.

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3. Chong CA, Diaz-Granados N, Hawker GA, et al. Complementary and alternative medicine use by osteoporosis clinic patients. Osteoporos Int 2007; 18: 1547-1556.
4. Mak J, Mak L, Shen Q, Faux S. Perceptions and attitudes of rehabilitation medicine physicians on complementary and alternative medicine in Australia. Intern Med J 2009; 39: 164-169.
5. Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne. The burden of brittle bones: epidemiology, costs and burden of osteoporosis in Australia — 2007. International Osteoporosis Foundation and Osteoporosis Australia, 2007. http://www.arthritisvic.org.au/downloads/Burden%20of%20Brittle%20Bones%202007.pdf (accessed Oct 2009).
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7. Wayne PM, Kiel DP, Krebs DE, et al. The effects of tai chi on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: a systematic review. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2007; 88: 673-680.

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