Complementary and alternative medicine use is becoming more and more prevalent in cancer patients. And many of those who initiate use, do so on their own accord. Internet- and clinic-based piloted questionnaires suggest that about half of all cancer patients initiate at least one complementary and alternative medicine modality after diagnosis of cancer.
Complementary and alternative medicine users are more likely than non-users to have received chemotherapy. Use is usually greater in women and patients with higher education levels, but not in whites compared to non-caucasians. The most commonly quoted reason for complementary and alternative medicine use after diagnosis is to maintain "general overall health."
Less than one-third of patients say that their physician was a primary source of complementary and alternative medicine information. The overwhelming majority of users express satisfaction with complementary and alternative medicine as a cost-effective approach.
Healthcare providers should be aware of a growing patient interest in complementary and alternative medicine use, both for symptom management and quality-of-life. It is crucial that physicians and other health care providers become very familiar with patients' complementary and alternative medicine information sources, since the quality of these sources is highly variable. This is critical because of potential interactions with standard treatments, some of which can be lethal.
About the Author:
Dr Vasilev is a board certified gynecologic oncologist.
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Patient initiated alternative and complementary care on the rise
