Alternative medicine; the tendency of using complimentary alternative medicine in patients of different hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan

From ancient times, humankind has used self-created traditional methods for handling the illnesses and continues to use them along with modern medicine. Even today, more than 70% of the world's population still depends on the complementary and alternative systems of medicine [CAM]. The objective of this study is to create awareness of health hazards with the use of CAM therapies and to find out its utility among Pakistani population. Comprehensive questionnaire was developed for the study on the use of CAM and was distributed to 470 patients/attendants in different hospitals of Lahore as well as major hospitals and clinical setups in the peripheral regions of Lahore, Pakistan. Over all, the response rate of the study was 81.7% while 78.1 % population found as CAM user. The most common type of alternative medicine used by patients is from Hakeem [Natural Therapist] which is about 17% and the most frequent disease for which patients often go for CAM therapy is liver diseases [19%]. Respondents found inclined towards CAM only due to its marketed false benefits and not because of their dissatisfaction with conventional therapy. A noteworthy population of Pakistan is using CAM therapies from different practitioners, irrespective of any education and awareness about their disease and long-term drawbacks because of improper treatment of the disease. Though adverse events due to the use of CAM therapy are not unusual still a delay in the proper treatment usually ends up in serious consequences and even loss of lives

Maternal morbidity associated with repeated cesarean sections

Caesarean section is an essential widely practiced procedure. The rate of Caesarean section averages more than 20% in developed world and make up a similar percentage of hospital deliveries in developing countries. This rate has been increasing and likely to increase in future. Morbidity associated with this operative procedure is therefore of increasing concern. Caesarean morbidity includes antenatal risk of spontaneous abortion, ectopic pregnancy, intra operative adhesions, scar dehiscence, injury to surrounding organs, placenta previa and accrete, caesarean hysterectomy and post operative complications of blood transfusions, infections, pneumonia and DVT. In - spite of good pre and post operative care and relative safety of caesarean section in modern obstetrics maternal morbidity progressively increases with increased number of Caesarean sections. The objective of this study was to determine the maternal morbidity in women undergoing repeated caesarean sections. It is a cross sectional study. This study was conducted for a period of 12 months at the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Fatima Memorial Hospital, Lahore. Majority of patients i.e. 64.67% [n = 97] were recorded between age group of 26 - 30 years while 28% [n = 42] were found between age 31 - 35 years and 7.33% [n = 11] were found between age 21 - 25 years. Mean and Standard Deviation were 29.03 +/- 7.96. 13.67% [n = 46] were recorded with previous 3 caesarean section. Among them 28.67% [n = 43] were with previous one caesarean section, 27.33% [n = 41] were recorded with previous 2 caesarean sections and 13.33% [n = 20] were recorded with previous 4 caesarean sections. Dense adhesions were found in 65% [n = 13], 60.39% [n = 28], 27.91% [n = 12] and 26.83% [n = 11] in the previous IV, III, I and II respectively. Scar Dehiscence 19.51% [n = 8], 15% [n = 3], 13.95% [n = 6] and 8.69% [n = 4] were found in the previous II, IV, I and III respectively. Maternal morbidity increases with increased in the number of caesarean sections