Rules to follow before advising patients on dietary supplements/alternative medicine: Part I

Sales and the overall prevalence of dietary supplements/alternative medicine (CAM) use have dramatically increased in the United States and in numerous countries around the world. Thus, health care professionals should be provided with general rules to follow or guidelines on dietary supplements in order to improve communication with patients. In Part I of this series, ten rules that can be generally applied or used in a clinical setting will be described. Rules to follow when patients inquire about CAM will be outlined in Part II.