Comparison and Effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine as against Conventional Medicine in the Treatment and Management of Type 2 Diabetes
Cecil Boston *
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus, Guyana.
Natasha Wong
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus, Guyana.
Teshawattie Ganga
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus, Guyana.
Khaimwattie Chandradatt
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus, Guyana.
Judith Rosales
Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus, Guyana.
Jaipaul Singh
School of Forensic and Applied Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE, United Kingdom.
Rajini Kurup
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus, Guyana.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aim: The main objective of the study was to compare, using laboratory data, the efficacy of herbal medicines against conventional drugs in treating and managing diabetes mellitus (DM) among type 2 diabetic (T2DM) patients.
Methodology: The study recruited 80 patients from a private Herbal Clinic and the Georgetown Public Hospital Diabetic and Medical Outpatient Clinic after giving their consent and satisfying the inclusion criteria. Laboratory tests and analysis were done using conventional scientific methods and data analyzed using SPSS version 20 with a p-value of 0.05 being used to determine statistical significance.
Results: The results showed that age, religion, ethnicity, education, marital status and monthly income have significant associations with the use of herbs. Persons using herbal medicine alone had normal lipid profile, renal function and liver function test, in addition to hemoglobin (Hb), white blood cell count (WBC), glycosylated hemoglobin (HBA1c) and fasting blood glucose (FBS). The most common herbs used were Momordica charantia (local name- karela) and Azadirachta indica (local name- neem), which were used in combination or alone. Results showed a positive effect on coronary heart disease risk.
Conclusion: The information generated from the study indicated that a significant number of diabetic patients using herbs alone for their treatment had normal results. However, a more controlled study is required to validate these results.
Keywords: Herbal medicine, complementary medicine, type 2 diabetes, alternative medicine