Use of complementary alternative methods for pain management in African American sickle cell disease patients in rural Mississippi

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a chronic illness that can cause both acute and chronic pain. Complementary Alternative Methods (CAM) play an important function in pain management and are becoming increasingly popular in the United States. The aim of this study was to determine the extent and effectiveness of CAM use for pain control among adult African American patients in rural Mississippi with SCD. A total of 227 participants with SCD between the ages of 18 to 65 years participated in a questionnaire survey that collected demographic information, severity of disease, and the use and effectiveness of CAM for the management of pain. Two hundred eight (92%) patients admitted to using at least one type of CAM. The three most common types of CAM used were prayer (87%), relaxation techniques (63%), and massage (56%). While all the types of CAM were found to have some effectiveness in pain management, prayer was found to be the most effective. Use of CAM was not significantly associated with number of painful episodes treated at home (p=0.056). Multiple logistic regression showed that marital status was significantly associated with relaxation techniques (p=0.044), and age and level of education were significantly associated with use of prayer (p=0.008 and p=0.004, respectively). In addition, gender, level of education and household income were significantly different between CAM users and non-CAM users. Our study shows that CAM use is common among adult patients with SCD. Further, well designed prospective studies are needed to develop best practices that emphasize an optimized balance of conventional and evidence-based CAM therapies.