Use of Alternative Medicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An International Survey

Abstract

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic emerged in 2019 as an aggressive respiratory disease. The highly contagious virus spread worldwide and affected millions of people. Due to the novelty of the virus, there was no consensus on effective treatment; consequently, many supportive therapies were commonly used. The primary goal of this study was to determine the use of alternative medicine products (AMP) commonly used during the COVID-19 pandemic and the user’s perception of benefit.

Methods:

For this cross-sectional study, a 20-question survey was created using Google Forms. It was distributed via social media from March to May 2022 to subjects at least 18 years of age from different countries. The instrument explored participants’ demographics, general health condition, which alternative medicine products (AMP) were used and why, and COVID-19 infection and immunization history. Excel (Microsoft) was used to tabulate data and report descriptive statistics. IRB approval was obtained.

Results:

A total of 162 responses were obtained. The great majority of participants were from North America (n = 114; 70.4%), followed by Asia (n = 18; 11.11%) and South America (n = 15; 9.25%). The mean age was 35.55 years old (± 13.6) and 68.5% were female. Most participants hold a BS (41.4%) or MS (21%) degree. More than half (56.7%) had received 3 doses of the vaccine while only 9% had received none. Most participants use AMPs (n = 148; 91.4%) either always or regularly (51.2%) and to either prevent or lessen COVID-19 symptoms 116 (71.6%). The most common AMP used were Vitamin C (56.8%), Vitamin D (54.3%), Zinc (42.6%), and antioxidants (27.7%). Over 70% of subjects (n = 107) reported that the use of AMP let them achieve their desired results.

Conclusions:

Despite the lack of scientific data supporting the use of alternative medicine products during the COVID-19 pandemic, the results from the survey indicate that they are often used even by fully vaccinated individuals. This use is due in part due to the belief that it would help prevent and/or lessen symptoms associated with the virus.