To the Editor: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)1 has become increasingly popular, with Australians spending an estimated $1.8 billion on CAM per year.2
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- 1. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (US). What is CAM? http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/overview.htm (accessed Sep 2009).
- 2. MacLennan AH, Myers SP, Taylor AW. The continuing use of complementary and alternative medicine in South Australia: costs and beliefs in 2004. Med J Aust 2006; 184: 27-31. <eMJA full text> <MJA full text>
- 3. Chong CA, Diaz-Granados N, Hawker GA, et al. Complementary and alternative medicine use by osteoporosis clinic patients. Osteoporos Int 2007; 18: 1547-1556.
- 4. Mak J, Mak L, Shen Q, Faux S. Perceptions and attitudes of rehabilitation medicine physicians on complementary and alternative medicine in Australia. Intern Med J 2009; 39: 164-169.
- 5. Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne. The burden of brittle bones: epidemiology, costs and burden of osteoporosis in Australia — 2007. International Osteoporosis Foundation and Osteoporosis Australia, 2007. http://www.arthritisvic.org.au/downloads/Burden%20of%20Brittle%20Bones%202007.pdf (accessed Oct 2009).
- 6. Sherrington C, Whitney JC, Lord SR, et al. Effective exercise for the prevention of falls: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Geriatr Soc 2008; 56: 2234-2243.
- 7. Wayne PM, Kiel DP, Krebs DE, et al. The effects of tai chi on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: a systematic review. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2007; 88: 673-680.
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We thank the patients who participated in our survey from the Outpatient Clinic, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Concord Repatriation General Hospital; and Professor Markus Seibel for his support of the study.