ABSTRACT
Background The rapid advancements in natural language processing have brought about the widespread use of large language models (LLMs) across various medical domains. However, their effectiveness in specialized fields, such as naturopathy, remains relatively unexplored. Objective The study aimed to assess the capability of freely available LLM chatbots in providing naturopathy consultations for various types of diseases and disorders. Methods Five free LLMs (viz., Gemini, Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity) were used to converse with 20 clinical cases (simulation of real-world scenarios). Each case had the case details and questions pertinent to naturopathy. The responses were presented to three naturopathy doctors with > 5 years of practice. The answers were rated by them on a five-point Likert-like scale for language fluency, coherence, accuracy, and relevancy. The average of these four attributes is termed perfection in his study. Results The overall score of the LLMs were Gemini 3.81±0.23, Copilot 4.34±0.28, ChatGPT 4.43±0.2, Claude 3.8±0.26, and Perplexity 3.91±0.28 (ANOVA F [3.034, 57.64] = 33.47, P <0.0001. Together, they showed overall ~80% perfection in consultation. The average measure intraclass correlation coefficient among the LLMs for the overall score was 0.463 (95% CI = -0.028 to 0.76), P = 0.03. Conclusion Although the LLM chatbots could help in providing naturopathy and yoga treatment consultation with approximately an overall fair level of perfection, their solution to the user varies across different chatbots and there was very low reliability among them.
ABSTRACT
Arthritis affects millions of lives with its pervasive effects on physical health and quality of life. Addressing the complexities of managing symptoms such as swelling, inflammation, and pain requires prolonged treatment. Naturopathy is a treatment method that enhances the body's innate ability to restore optimal health through a holistic approach including natural products and lifestyle modifications. This systematic review addresses the intersection of naturopathy and arthritis treatment to provide current evidence about its potential benefits. Four databases (PubMed, AYUSH Research Portal, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) were searched with the keywords "Naturopathy" AND "Arthritis". Randomized, non-randomized, and cross-over studies in English were included. Studies reporting perceived pain using a visual analogue scale (VAS) were selected for meta-analysis. A total of 15 studies were included in the systematic review. The studies were from Denmark, Egypt, France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Spain, and Turkey, and the study periods ranged from 1992 to 2017. They suggested that naturopathic treatment modalities like exercise, mud compress, sand bath, or hydrotherapy may be used in addition to conventional modes of treatment for added benefit. There was a diversity of naturopathic treatment modalities and outcome evaluation methods. Most studies used mud compress or mud baths with reported improvement of symptoms. The meta-analysis of 10 studies (11 sets of data) showed a significant improvement in pain measured by VAS. The studies included in the review have a high level of heterogenicity. There is a need for more studies and uniform assessment methods with standardization of interventions for robust evidence. More clinical trials from countries where naturopathy is approved treatment modalities are needed.
