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Impact of Immigration on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Hispanic Patients

From the Department of Family Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

Correspondence: Corresponding author: Brett White, MD, USC Keck School of Medicine, 1510 San Pablo St, Suite 104, Los Angeles, CA 90033 (E-mail: brettwhitemd{at}gmail.com)

Background: Although previous research has demonstrated frequent complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use by Hispanic patients, it remains unclear whether the status of immigration plays a role in the frequency and reasons for use.

Methods: A survey of 164 patients from a federally qualified health center in South Central Los Angeles was used; the health center serves a predominantly Latino immigrant patient population. The study included the following variables: patient age; sex; place of birth; number of years living in the United States; CAM use within the last year; and, if positive CAM use, what type(s) and for what condition(s).

Results: Sixty-six percent of patients had used a CAM substance within the past year. Ninety-seven percent of the patients were immigrants (primarily from Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala). Differences in CAM use between recently arrived (9 years) and long-term immigrants (10 years) were not significant. Ninety-four percent of patients using CAM reported using herbal/tea/plant-based substances, with the most frequent reason for CAM use being digestive problems. Although most CAM substances were obtained from a market (64%), a not insignificant number of CAM substances were grown at home (23%).

Conclusions: Time since immigration does not seem to impact the frequency of CAM use by Hispanic immigrant patients. Herbal/tea/plant-based substances are frequently used in the Hispanic patient population, often for digestive complaints.

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