Introduction

From August 2001 through December 2001, we collected 916 responses from our Survey of Non-traditional Treatments of ITP.  This survey was created by James Bussel, MD of the Weill Medical Center of Cornell University and the staff of the Platelet Disorder Support Association (PDSA) and placed on the PDSA website to gather replies.

Note: In the survey, the term 'non-traditional' is synonymous with 'complementary.'  The survey also collected data on 'traditional' (conventional) therapies for comparison.

(Since these results are from a web-based survey, there is no medical validation of the results. For advice on your unique medical condition, please consult your health care provider. No portion of these results may be reproduced without express written consent of PDSA.)

Demographics

• Age at diagnosis
• Gender
• Symptoms
• Platelet counts

Treatments

• Explanation of treatment result categories
• Result 1 - WinRho, Imuran, Colchicine, Prednisone
• Result 2 - Cytoxan, Cyclosporan, IVIG, Danazol
• Result 3 - Prosorba, Rituxan, Splenectomy, Vinca Alkaloids
• Result 4 - Acupressure, Acupuncture, Vit C, Vit K
• Result 5 - Moducare, Colostrum, Chlorophyll, Reiki
• Result 6 - Magnets, Healing Touch, Blood Well/Restore Immune, Macrobiotic
• Result 7 - Eat Right, Zone Diet, Atkin's Diet, Weight Watchers
• Result 8 - Prayer, Meditation, Visualization, Psychotherapy, Positive Thinking

Treatment Approaches

• Individual treatment philosophy
• Hematologist communication
• Hematologist support

(PDSA and Cornell University are grateful to Albert Fries, John Shin, and Liz Strom for their assistance)