They looked at patients from 4 IBD centres (Cork, Los Angeles, Stockholm and Winnipeg) who all completed a self-administered questionnaire regarding alternative medicine. Patients demographics, usage of 18 different types of alternative medicine and attitudes towards alternative and conventional medicine were all compared.

It was found that 51% of 289 patients had used some type of alternative medicine, The 6 most common used therapies, in descending order were: exercise (28%); prayer (18%); counselling (13%); massage (11%); chiropractic (11%) and relaxation (10%). 7% used acupuncture or homoeopathy and 5% used herbal medicine. The highest odds ratios for using any form of alternative medicine were associated with being single 3.1 and there was an increase in the usage of alternative medicine of 2.7% for every MD visit. However, the patients' age, gender, disease diagnosis or duration of disease were not predictive of any type of alternative medicine use.

Respondents from Cork were the most favourable towards alternative medicine use and at least favourable toward conventional medicine. Subjects were more likely to use alternative medicine if they were not satisfied with conventional therapy, if they viewed hospitals as dangerous places, if they thought that alternative medicine practitioners should have a role in hospitals or if they felt their medical situation was hopeless.

In summary, 51% of respondents used some form of alternative medicine. Use was greater among North American patients than European ones and respondents were more likely to use alternative medicine if they were single, in a higher income bracket and lived in a town.