The association between quality of life and complementary and alternative medicine use in patients with diabetes mellitus

Aim: In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between life quality and use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in patients with diabetes mellitus. Methods: The Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life (ADDQOL-19) scale was applied to 453 diabetic patients. Socio-demographic characteristics of the patients and their CAM usage were recorded. Results: The rate of CAM use among diabetic patients was 46.1%. The most preferred practices were herbal medicine, including black cumin (26.6%), cinnamon (23.3%) and olive leaf (12.5%). 'Freedom to eat' (p = 0.002), 'drinking freedom' (p = 0.001) and 'physical health' (p = 0.001) were the most negatively affected items that may drive patients to use CAM. Conclusions: In this sampling, the use of CAM among patients with diabetes mellitus is high. The association between CAM usage and eating and drinking freedom and physical health should be studied in detail in further studies. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.