Evaluation of the knowledge, attitude and behaviors of individuals who suffer from pain towards complementary and alternative medicines

This study was carried out as a descriptive study in order to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and behaviors of individuals who suffer from pain towards complementary and alternative medicines (CAM). The research was applied to 535 adult individuals suffering from pain who visited a family health center in Erzurum between September 5 and November 30, 2010. The data were collected using a questionnaire form and evaluated by computer analysis. 42.4% of the individuals mentioned that they use CAM in order to eliminate pain, 83.7% stated that the method they app- lied eliminated their pain, and 39.6% used CAM based on a recommendation. It was observed that 95.5% of the participants believed that positive thinking helps them recover from their minor diseases, 91.6% believed that it is necessary to perform more scientific tests on CAM, 65.6% believed that CAM may be dangerous, 68.4% believed that CAM may be used as a last resort, 93.6% believed that they are likely to be ill due to a range of stressful events, 61.9% believed that it is worthless to try CAM before seeing a doc- tor, 68.2% believed that CAM should not be used for serious diseases, and 76.3% believed that CAM helps the permanent treatment by strengthening the body's own defense. It was determined that people who suffer from the pain apply for modern medical treatment and have a positive attitude towards CAM.