Abstract
Objective
To determine the frequency and type of herbal remedies and the reasons for herbal remedy use by adolescents with eating disorders.
Methods
Fortyโsix female adolescent females (age range, 10โ17 years; mean age, 15 ยฑ 1.3 years) in a tertiaryโcare pediatric eating disorder treatment center from May 1998 to July 2000 volunteered for this crossโsectional study. They met the criteria for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or eating disorder not otherwise specified. Participants completed a 92โitem selfโadministered questionnaire. We summarized information on demographics, use of herbal remedies, knowledge of safety issues of herbal remedies, and trust in the health care system.
Results
Of these 46 subjects, 17 (37%) used herbal remedies. Of these 17 subjects, 35% (6 of 17) used herbal remedies to decrease their appetites and to induce vomiting, 41% (7 of 17) knew nothing about herbal remedies, despite their use of these products, and 24% (4 of 17) reported that their physicians asked whether they used herbal remedies. The participants did not use herbal remedies because of their dissatisfaction with allopathic medicine.
Discussion
Adolescents with eating disorders frequently used herbal remedies for both weight control and nonโweight control purposes. They did not regularly inform their physicians about their use of herbal remedies and physicians did not regularly inform their patients about this use. The generally high prevalence of herbal remedy use in this population suggests that health care providers need to be knowledgeable and should enquire about patients' use of these products. The perceived benefits, adverse effects, and herbโdrug interactions of selfโprescribed herbal remedies consumed by adolescents with eating disorders are unknown and further research is needed. ยฉ 2004 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 35: 223โ228, 2004.