TABLE 2.
Commonly used products/practices and their perceived helpfulness
| Product | Ever used (n=118) | Current use (n=79) | Perceived helpfulness | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||||
| n | Yes | No | Maybe | |||
| Vitamins and minerals | 101 (85.6) | 60 (75.9) | ||||
| Calcium | 16 (13.6) | 8 (10.1) | 14 | 10 (71.4) | 0 (0) | 4 (28.6) |
| Folic acid | 4 (3.4) | 2 (2.5) | 2 | 2 (100.0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Vitamin B | 6 (5.1) | 3 (3.8) | 6 | 5 (83.3) | 0 (0) | 1 (16.7) |
| Vitamin C | 32 (27.1) | 16 (20.3) | 30 | 17 (56.7) | 1 (3.3) | 12 (40.0) |
| Multivitamin/mineral | 90 (76.3)* | 51 (64.6) | 78 | 42 (53.8) | 3 (3.8) | 33 (42.3) |
| Herbals | 33 (28.0) | 11 (13.9) | ||||
| Echinacea | 21 (17.8)‡ | 5 (6.3) | 18 | 11 (61.1) | 0 (0) | 7 (38.9) |
| Garlic | 12 (10.2) | 6 (7.5) | 11 | 9 (81.8) | 0 (0) | 2 (18.2) |
| Ginseng | 4 (3.4) | 1 (1.3) | 3 | 2 (66.7) | 0 (0) | 1 (33.3) |
| Peppermint | 10 (8.5) | 3 (3.8) | 9 | 8 (88.9) | 0 (0) | 1 (11.1) |
| Homeopathics | 45 (38.1) | 6 (7.6) | ||||
| Cold remedy | 19 (16.1) | 3 (3.8) | 16 | 11 (68.8) | 2 (12.5) | 3 (18.8) |
| Colic remedy | 15 (12.7) | 1 (1.3) | 11 | 7 (63.6) | 1 (9.1) | 3 (27.3) |
| Ear drops | 11 (9.3) | 1 (1.3) | 9 | 7 (77.8) | 1 (11.1) | 1 (11.1) |
| Teething remedy | 20 (16.9) | 1 (1.3) | 15 | 14 (93.3) | 0 (0) | 1 (6.7) |
| Miscellaneous | 51 (42.3) | 27 (34.2) | ||||
| Fish oil/omega 3s | 23 (19.5)† | 11 (13.9) | 20 | 13 (65.0) | 2 (10.0) | 5 (25.0) |
| Flax oil | 13 (11.0)‡ | 9 (11.4)† | 10 | 6 (60.0) | 0 (0) | 4 (40.0) |
| Green food powder | 6 (5.1)† | 0 (0) | 5 | 1 (20.0) | 2 (20.0) | 3 (60.0) |
| Probiotics | 30 (25.4)† | 8 (10.1) | 26 | 18 (69.2) | 1 (3.8) | 7 (26.9) |
| Practice | n=70 | n=35 | ||||
|
| ||||||
| Acupuncture | 7 (10.0) | 0 (0) | 6 | 5 (83.3) | 0 (0) | 1 (16.7) |
| Aromatherapy | 20 (28.6) | 13 (37.1) | 18 | 11 (61.1) | 0 (0) | 7 (38.9) |
| Chiropractic | 32 (45.7) | 8 (22.9) | 27 | 18 (66.7) | 2 (7.4) | 7 (25.9) |
| Energy healing | 6 (8.6) | 4 (11.4) | 5 | 2 (40.0) | 0 (0) | 3 (60.0) |
| Faith healing | 13 (18.6) | 6 (17.1) | 12 | 11 (91.7) | 0 (0) | 1 (8.3) |
| Homeopathy | 9 (12.9) | 2 (5.7) | 7 | 6 (85.7) | 1 (14.3) | 0 (0) |
| Massage | 24 (34.3) | 14 (40.0) | 22 | 18 (81.8) | 0 (0) | 4 (18.2) |
| Relaxation | 10 (14.3) | 5 (14.3) | 9 | 8 (88.9) | 0 (0) | 1 (11.1) |
Data presented as n (%) unless otherwise indicated.
*
Edmonton (Alberta) use greater than Ottawa (Ontario) use (P<0.05);
†
Ottawa use greater than Edmonton use (P<0.05);
‡
Ottawa use greater than Edmonton use (P<0.01)