TOXICOLOGY OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES (CAM) IN DIABETES PATIENTS � A REVIEW
Abstract
Akanksha Rathi and Saurabh Sharma
Diabetes is a modern epidemic affecting both developed and developing economies. Diabetes is a high inertia and low emergency disease and patients often struggle to maintain good glycemic control. They often resort to complementary and alternative therapies in hope of improved disease outcome and no side effects. The trend for the use of CAM has been upward in most of the world prevalence ranging between 30%-57%. In India, the use of CAM is as high as 67%. The commonly used herbs like cinnamon, bitter gourd and fenugreek. However, few studies have shown that various CAM agents are not completely free from side effects. They can lead to drug interactions, hypoglycemic episodes, toxicity, and other side effects. Thus, there is a need to improve awareness about CAM amongst both patients and healthcare providers. This review article has been written to throw light on the toxicity profile of various CAM agents.
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