By CLAIRE TREVETT
Nearly half of New Zealand women use alternative medicines, and more than 30 per cent say they do not have complete confidence in their doctors.
A Herald-DigiPoll survey, conducted for a special feature to be published in tomorrow's Weekend Herald, found 36 per cent of people used alternative
medicines, but although 48 per cent of women used such remedies, only 24 per cent of men had used them.
Men are more likely to have confidence in their doctor, with 70 per cent having complete confidence, and 28 per cent "just a little".
In contrast, 64 per cent of women have complete confidence and 30 per cent "just a little".
Recent scandals may have rocked confidence in the health supplements world, with the poll showing many were dubious about the effectiveness of alternative remedies.
The Pan Pharmaceuticals recall of more than 1500 products rocked the industry.
Just over 14 per cent of those surveyed said they thought alternative remedies were more effective than those prescribed by doctors.
Fifty per cent thought conventional prescriptions were more effective and 35 per cent did not know.
When illness struck, more than half of those surveyed would be open to alternative treatment.
Older people polled were less open to alternatives. About 30 per cent of those aged 60 and over said they used alternative remedies.
Women's Health Action Trust director Jo Fitzpatrick said women used health services more than men, which could account for the higher number using alternatives.
Charter of Health Practitioners research director Dr Kenneth McIver said media coverage of the industry's slip-ups was tougher than coverage of conventional medicine problems, which could scare people off.
The chairman of the Medical Association's GPs council, Dr Peter Foley, said the high percentage of female users could be a combination of advertisements in women's magazines and women's tendencies to think about their family's health.
The Herald-DigiPoll survey polled 802 people and has a margin of error of 3.5 per cent.
