Complementary medicine use in stroke survivors: a US nationally representative survey

BACKGROUND: Stroke is the second most common cause of death worldwide. Even after surviving, long-term rehabilitation often becomes necessary and does not always lead to complete recovery. Guidelines focus on prevention of risk factors and present concepts for rehabilitation after a stroke. Additional to these recommendations, complementary medicine (CM) utilization is common among patients with neurological conditions. CM also offers a wide range of therapies for both prevention and rehabilitation in stroke. There is limited information available on CM utilization among stroke survivors and differences to patients without former stroke diagnosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: This analysis was based on data of the 2017 National Health Interview survey (NHIS, n = 26,742; response rate 80,7%). We analyzed the prevalence of consultations among stroke patients with CM practitioners within the last 12 months and reasons for utilization. 3.1% of participants reported a stroke, individuals without a prior stroke diagnosis were more likely to have used CM in the past 12 months (31.3% without versus 28.9% with stroke). Consultations with a chiropractor and of using mind-body-medicine was higher in individuals without stroke diagnosis, while more stroke survivors had consulted a naturopath. Equal proportions had consulted a homeopath. Most common therapy approaches among stroke survivors were spiritual meditation (13.7%), progressive relaxation (5.4%), yoga (5.2%), mindfulness meditation (4.3%), mantra meditation (3.1%), guided imagery (2.6%) and tai chi (1.7%). CM use in stroke survivors was associated with female sex (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.56–2.88) and higher education (AOR = 1.94, CI = 1.42–2.65). CONCLUSION: Stroke patients were less likely to take advantage of complementary medicine than the general population. Since there are many safe and beneficial options, stroke survivors might profit from better information about the existing possibilities regarding prevention and rehabilitation.