Table 2

AM medication, non-AM adjunctive therapies, health service use, and sick leave days

Item
Pre-study year
0–12 months
12–24 months


Mean (SD)
Mean (SD)
Median difference (95%-CI) from pre-study year
P value
Mean (SD)
Median difference (95%-CI) from pre-study year
P value

AM medicines per day
0.29 (0.68)
0.78 80.92)
0.47 (0.36 to 0.59)
p < 0.001
0.47 (0.85)
0.17 (0.09 to 0.26)
p < 0.001
Non-AM medicines per day
0.69 (1.10)
0.82 (1.01)
0.12 (0.04 to 0.22)
p = 0.005
0.68 (0.90)
0.04 (-0.05 to 0.15)
p = 0.447
Physician and dentist visits
15.23 (15.27)
16.64 (13.53)
1.69 (0.19 to 2.99)
p = 0.006
14.84 (14.35)
-0.78 (-2.43 to 1.00)
p = 0.698
Paraclinical investigations
5.16 (5.91)
5.85 (7.52)
0.00 (-0.50 to 1.00)
p = 0.665
4.34 (5.32)
-0.98 (-1.50 to -0.08)
p = 0.011
Hospital days
4.68 (16.25)
1.77 (5.82)
-2.50 (-8.00 to 1.00)
p = 0.123
3.04 (19.92)
-2.50 (-5.50 to 0.00)
p = 0.046
Rehabilitation days
0.89 (5.05)
1.74 (6.75)
7.00 (0.00 to 14.48)
p = 0.041
0.67 (3.43)
-0.62 (-0.90 to -0.56)
p = 0.008
Surgeries
0.21 (0.51)
0.17 (0.49)
0.00 (-0.50 to 0.00)
p = 0.342
0.14 (0.40)
-0.34 (-0.46 to 0.07)
p = 0.494
Physiotherapy and ergotherapy sessions
9.25 (25.98)
11.28 (34.02)
1.50 (-2.50 to 6.00)
p = 0.541
9.88 (25.95)
0.22 (-3.59 to 5.10)
p = 0.885
Psychotherapy sessions
2.50 (8.04)
3.12 (9.06)
3.50 (0.50 to 7.42)
p = 0.023
3.58 (9.88)
2.78 (1.72 to 6.52)
p = 0.007
Sick leave days*
22.42 (44.79)
27.61 (71.91)
1.24 (-7.50 to 9.00)
p = 0.748
26.39 (62.96)
0.50 (-7.00 to 8.18)
p = 0.823
Patients with Heilpraktiker visit (n + %)**
21/143 (14.7%)
18/143 (12.6%)

p = 0.571
22/143 (15.4%)

p = 1.000

Patients enrolled after 1 Jan 1999 with at least 3 of 5 follow-ups (n = 182). *Patients engaged in economic activity (n = 80). **Patients with complete data for all time periods.

Hamre et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2007 7:10   doi:10.1186/1472-6882-7-10