Knowledge and attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine among medical students in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine knowledge and attitudes towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine among medical students in Turkey, and find out whether they want to be trained in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out between October and December 2010 among medical students. Data were collected from a total of seven medical schools. FINDINGS: The study included 943 medical students. The most well known methods among the students were herbal treatment (81.2 %), acupuncture (80.8 %), hypnosis (78.8 %), body-based practices including massage (77 %) and meditation (65.2 %), respectively. Acupuncture, aromatherapy, herbal treatment and meditation were better known among female participants compared to males (p < 0.05). Females and first year students, generally had more positive attitudes. A larger proportion of female students compared to male students reported that a doctor should be knowledgeable about CAM (p = 0.001), and this knowledge would be helpful in their future professional lives (p = 0.015). Positive attitudes towards and willingness to receive training declined as the number of years spent in the faculty of medicine increased. CONCLUSIONS: Majority of the medical students were familiar with the CAM methods widely used in Turkey, while most of them had positive attitudes towards CAM as well as willingness to receive training on the subject, and they were likely to recommend CAM methods to their patients in their future professional lives. With its gradual scientific development and increasing popularity, there appears a need for a coordinated policy in integrating CAM into the medical curriculum, by taking expectations of and feedback from medical students into consideration in setting educational standards.

Effects of Ramadan fasting on biochemical and hematological parameters and cytokines in healthy and obese individuals.

BACKGROUND: The typical nutritional plan in Ramadan may have beneficial influences on the inflammatory state, as well as on metabolic and anthropometric parameters. We aimed to investigate the effects of Ramadan fasting on biochemical and hematological parameters and cytokines in healthy and obese individuals. METHODS: This study was performed during the Ramadan holy month (September and October 2007). The study group consisted of 10 obese males and the control group consisted of 10 males with a normal body mass index (BMI), who were admitted to the Family Medicine Outpatient Clinic of Dicle University Medical Faculty in Diyarbakir, Turkey, and who indicated that they were going to fast throughout the entire month of Ramadan. Individuals with any acute or chronic disease or medication during the study were excluded. Height, weight, BMI, and waist and hip circumferences were measured. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride (TG), urea, creatinine, insulin, total protein, albumin, C-reactive protein (CRP), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and cytokine levels were evaluated. RESULTS: The average age of the participants was 27.4 ± 5.2 years. Of the study group, 7 fulfilled the criteria of metabolic syndrome. Significant weight reduction, significant decrease in BMI, and significant decrease of homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) were observed in study group; weight and BMI reduction were insignificant and no significant change was observed in FBG levels, but a significant increase was observed in HOMA-IR in the control group. Post-Ramadan systolic and diastolic blood pressure values, serum white blood cells (WBC) count, interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α, TG, and ALT levels were significantly lower in both groups compared to pre-Ramadan values. CONCLUSION: Ramadan fasting has beneficial influences on the inflammatory state, as well as metabolic and anthropometric parameters.