A Study of the Application of Folk Medicine in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

당뇨병 환자의 민간요법 시행에 대한 실태조사

Korean society is a mix of western and traditional cultures. Even though the patients try to recover through both aspects, hospital only utilizes a western approachs. When they have suffered from a chronic disease, especially diabeties meliitus(DM), application of folk medicine is more varied but the nurses are unaware of the practices. This study was done to describe the current use of the folk medicine with which the patients with DM have had an experience and to identify the relationships between the westernized medical care and folk medicine application. The 244 patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes millitus who participated were interviewed at a DM education clinic in a 1500-bed hospital. The results of the study are as follows: 1. 54.1%(N=133) of the participated patients in this study have had a folk medicine. 2. 44 kinds of folk medicine were used for the treatment of DM. Among them 14 items were used by more than two people and the rest were used by one person. Among the used items, 70.4% consisted of various types of plants, 11.4% was animal material and 18. 2% was the mixed group. As a single item, Commelina Communis(Dalgaebi) was the most frequently used(62.8%), followed by the root of Rosa rugosa(Haedangwha) 14.3%, and Youngi mushroom 13.6%. 3. In the analysis of the relationships between the general characters of the patients with regular fol1ow-up(F-U), self blood sugar test(BST) and folk medicine usage: 1) The higher the educational back ground patient had, the lower the folk medicine usage was ($X^2$=14.265, P=.003). 2) The more complex their treatment was($X^2$=24. 016. P=.000). and the longer they had suffered from DM($X^2$=75.739, P=.000), the fewer they visited regular F-U. On the other hand, they did self-BST well($X^2$=7.722, P=.021 : $X^2$=14. 775, P=.002) and had more folk medicine($X^2$=33.382, P=.000 ; $X^2$=43.410, P=.000). 3) If they had suffered many symptoms, they had fewer regular F-U ($X^2$=13.192. P=.001). On the other hand, they had more folk medicine($X^2$=6.070, P=.048). 4) The group of family history($X^2$=6.801. P=.009) and the group of DM education experience($X^2$=15.678, P=.000) carried out self BST well. DM education group used more folk medicine($X^2$=8.680, P=.003). In conclusion, DM education should be grouped according to the treatment type and suffering period. Then the management of DM would be effective and the vague application of folk medicine would be decreased.