Many people with chronic rheumatic diseases choose to use complementary and alternative therapies on the basis of information from unreliable sources. Does a report from a UK-based arthritis charity meet the need for rigorous, evidence-based recommendations for the public and for health-care providers?
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Bishop, F. L., Yardley, L. & Lewith, G. T. A systematic review of beliefs involved in the use of complementary and alternative medicine. J. Health Psychol. 12, 851–867 (2007).
Arthritis Research Campaign. Complementary and alternative medicines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia [online] (2009).
De Smet, P. A. G. M. Health risks of herbal remedies: an update. Clin. Pharmacol. Ther. 76, 1–17 (2004).
Bausell, R. B. Snake Oil Science: The Truth About Complementary and Alternative Medicine (Oxford University Press USA, New York, 2007).
Guo, P., Canter, P. H. & Ernst, E. A systematic review of randomized clinical trials of individualized herbal medicines in any indication. Postgrad. Med. J. 83, 633–637 (2007).
Singh, S. & Ernst, E. Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts About Alternative Medicine (W. W. Norton, New York, 2008).
Vlad, S. C., LaValley, M. P., McAlindon, T. E. & Felson, D. T. Glucosamine for pain in osteoarthritis: why do trial results differ? Arthritis Rheum. 56, 2267–2277 (2007).
US Government Accountability Office. Dietary Supplements: FDA Should Take Further Actions to Improve Oversight and Consumer Understanding. GAO-09-250, January 2009. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09250.pdf (2009).
Scholz, B. A., Holmes, H. M. & Marcus, D. M. Use of herbal medications in elderly patients. Ann. Long Term Care 16, 24–28 (2008).
Gagnier, J. J. et al. Reporting randomized, controlled trials of herbal interventions: an elaborated CONSORT statement. Ann. Intern. Med. 144, 364–367 (2006).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The author declares no competing financial interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Marcus, D. Herbals and supplements for rheumatic diseases. Nat Rev Rheumatol 5, 299–300 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrrheum.2009.89
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrrheum.2009.89