16^th European Diabetes and Endocrinology Congress

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Therapies

Submit Abstract Register Now

Complementary and alternative medicine is defined as a "group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine." Complementary medicine is used with conventional therapy, whereas alternative medicine is used instead of conventional medicine. Although some of these therapies may be effective, others can be ineffective or even harmful. Some CAM therapies have been shown to affect glycemic control, the clinical efficacy and mechanism of many CAM therapies for diabetes is controversial, and safety issues are a concern. Adverse effects of many CAM therapies are not well documented. Because patients with diabetes often take multiple prescription medications, there exists the potential for herb-drug and herb-dietary supplement interactions, leading to adverse events.