Use of complementary therapies and alternative medicine in renal disease

Introduction The use of herbal remedies, dietary supplements, and ‘alternative’ or ‘complementary’ forms of medicine is becoming increasingly popular among the general population. Many people believe that they play an important role in the maintenance of health and general well being. The reasons given include the belief that herbal remedies are a ‘more natural’ form of treatment and that Eastern cultures approach the provision of health care in a holistic way that is uncommon among Western health care providers (Vanherweghem 2000, 330).