[Irritable colon and ulcerative colitis. Alternative treatment is used frequently]

A questionnaire investigation was undertaken to compare the employment of alternative treatment in patients with irritable colon (CI) and ulcerative colitis (CU) as compared with a control group of appendectomized (A). A total of 430 questionnaires were sent out. The percentage of replies was 83 without significant difference between the patient groups. Alternative therapists were consulted more frequently by the CI group than the two other groups which did not differ from one another in this respect. Both CI and CU had employed "natural medicine" more frequently than the control group. Women and younger patients were the most frequent employers of the alternative system. The effect of alternative treatment was frequently experienced in the form of headache and discomfort in the locomotor system. The average expense of treatment was 1,000 Danish crowns (approximately 83 pounds). 23% of the CU group and 41% of the CI group experienced aggravated or unchanged abdominal symptoms compared with their complaints during the period of hospitalization 1-10 years prior to the current investigation. No correlation could be demonstrated between a favourable course and employment of the alternative system.