ABSTRACT
This survey studied the different types of Complementary Alternative Medicine [CAM] usage, the reasons of CAM usage and the out-of-pocket expenditure incurred by CAM users with Type 2 diabetes. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional survey that involved 132 Type 2 diabetes patients. A total of 30.2% of the patients used dietary supplements, followed by traditional Chinese medicine [TCM] [25.1%] and traditional Malay medicine [17.9%]. Two main reasons for using CAM include: the need of patients for more control of their diabetes and also dissatisfaction with conventional medicine. More than half of the patients spent around USD 7.2 to USD 13.9 per month on CAM as an out-of-pocket expenditure. Less than 20% of the patients consult their physicians before using CAM. About 57% of patients stated that their diabetes control did not show any improvement or worsen after CAM usage. CAM was widely used among Type 2 diabetics as an adjunct to their conventional therapy. More than half of the patients found that CAM did not give improvement nor worsens their diabetes control. CAM was one of the alternative treatments considered by Type 2 diabetes patients in complement with the conventional treatment for their diabetes control