The role of the traditional and alternative medicine practices in the treatment of headache among riyadh, saudi arabia population; a cross-sectional study

Background: Headache is one of the top ten commonest reasons for doctors' consultations. The aim of this study is to identify whether the traditional and alternative medicine practices play a role in the treatment of the headache and relieves head pain. Methodology: It is a cross-sectional study among the population in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. data were collected by using validated self-administered questionnaire. The participant had to answer multiple questions, including demographics factors and questions related to the study objectives. Confidentiality was ensured. Results: In this study, we had collected 486 responses with a mean age of participants was 35.47 with standard deviations of 12.5 years. The percentage of participants who reported knowing about traditional or alternative medicine in the treatment of headache finding that only 30.8 % of participants indicated that they knew these medicines and 36.5 % had tried some of them. Moreover, we did not find any relation between any demographic factors and using of alternative medications however, we noticed some consideration. Conclusion: In conclusion, we found a low prevalence of using alternative medications among the population in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This reflects the good knowledge of the population in Saudi Arabia about alternative medications however, there is a need for developing policies and education programs for both population and physicians to improve the relationship between them.