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J."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>This cross-sectional study examines the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Riyadh. A survey was conducted among 151 multiple sclerosis patients enrolled at the neurology clinics of two hospitals in Riyadh (KSUMC and KFMC). The study indicated that a significant majority of respondents (60.93%) used complementary and alternative medicine, demonstrating a pronounced preference for religious\u2013spiritual modalities, including Islamic ruqyah and cupping therapy, in addition to other practices such as massage, oils, dietary supplements, honey, and herbal remedies. The findings underscore the importance of symptom alleviation, optimism about a cure or a delay in disease progression, and social sources of support (from family, healthcare professionals, and the media) in driving decisions to use CAM. The results showed an association between educational level, marital status, and CAM use. Additionally, many patients did not disclose their CAM use to their physicians or pharmacists, either because they perceived it as insignificant or because they did not receive sufficient prompting to disclose it. This highlights the need for more proactive, non\u2011judgmental communication from healthcare practitioners about CAM, as well as targeted training to improve patients' understanding of potential interactions between CAM and conventional treatments.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1007\/s44446-026-00091-1","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,13]],"date-time":"2026-06-13T08:48:19Z","timestamp":1781340499000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Exploring the Landscape of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) among Multiple Sclerosis Patients in Riyadh: Types, Patterns, Health Implications, and Social Drivers \u2013 A Cross\u2011Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"34","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-6032-9510","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tahani M.","family":"Aljohani","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5313-7153","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gadah A.","family":"Al-Hamoud","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"91_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.msard.2024.106133","volume":"92","author":"S Aljarallah","year":"2024","unstructured":"Aljarallah S, Alquwayz S, Alsadhan G, Almubarak R, Aldeligan S (2024) Prevalence and impact of complementary and alternative medicine use among multiple sclerosis patients in Saudi Arabia. Mult Scler Relat Disord 92:106133. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.msard.2024.106133","journal-title":"Mult Scler Relat Disord"},{"issue":"1","key":"91_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"49","DOI":"10.1186\/s12883-020-1629-3","volume":"20","author":"M AlJumah","year":"2020","unstructured":"AlJumah M, Bunyan R, Al Otaibi H, Al Towaijri G, Karim A, Al Malik Y et al (2020) Rising prevalence of multiple sclerosis in Saudi Arabia, a descriptive study. BMC Neurol 20(1):49. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s12883-020-1629-3","journal-title":"BMC Neurol"},{"issue":"10","key":"91_CR3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7759\/cureus.10825","volume":"12","author":"MA Alnahdi","year":"2020","unstructured":"Alnahdi MA, Alsulayhim AK, Bin Salem AH, Masuadi E, Al Malik Y (2020) Patterns and outcomes of complementary and alternative medicine use among adult patients with multiple sclerosis. 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Data collection commenced only after formal ethical clearance had been obtained, and the study adhered to the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki for research involving human participants. The study protocol, questionnaire, and informed consent procedures were reviewed and approved by KSUMC Institutional Review Board (IRB) under approval number E-25\u20149854, issued on 24 June 2025and KFMC Institutional Review Board (IRB) under approval number 25\u2014337E issued on 22 June 2025. Data collection commenced only after obtaining formal ethical clearance from the IRB. The study strictly adhered to the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki for research involving human participants. All participants were informed about the aims and procedures of the study and provided informed consent before participation. No personally identifying information was collected, and all questionnaire responses were handled anonymously to ensure participants\u2019 privacy.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics declaration"}},{"value":"Before accessing the questionnaire items, participants were presented with an information page describing the study aims, procedures, potential risks and benefits, and data confidentiality. They were then asked to indicate whether they agreed or disagreed to participate; only those who selected \u201cI agree\u201d could proceed to complete the survey, and this electronic confirmation was considered to constitute informed consent. No personally identifying information was collected, and all questionnaire responses were handled anonymously to ensure participants\u2019 privacy.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Informed consent"}},{"value":"None declared.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Conflict of interest"}}],"article-number":"37"}}