BACKGROUND More than one third of patients in the United States use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM); most also visit conventional physicians. There is little information about how physicians and patients discuss CAM. We hypothesized that physicians frequently fielded questions about CAM treatments but felt uncomfortable discussing them owing to a lack of education. OBJECTIVES To ...

BACKGROUND To ensure the safety and effectiveness of cancer management, it is important for physicians treating cancer patients to know whether their patients are using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and if so, why. OBJECTIVE Here, we discuss the ethical and legal obligations of physicians to discuss cam use in an oncology setting, and we provide practical advice on how patient-...

oVerView Research into body work based complementary and alternative therapies, such as osteopathy and chiropractic has highlighted barriers and benefits of professionalization for these professions. There has been no examination of the road massage therapy has taken towards legitimation and professionalization. This review article examines the drive by massage therapists for legitimation as he...

Ongoing debate continues about the so called ‘placebo effect’ [1-6]. the range of effects of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and the way that particular CAM modalities might work [7-10]. Interest lies not just in identifying whether a modality has its intended, or any, effects, but also in uncovering the possible factors that may arise within the therapeutic encounter between pract...

This article reports on findings from a study of the accounts of people participating in music therapy as part of a programme of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in supportive cancer care. The article outlines the perceived effects of music therapy, which shares many characteristics with CAM therapies as well as offering a distinct contribution as a creative therapy. Hence in this a...

It appears that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is used increasingly often in horses for the assessment and treatment of suspected orthopaedic problems, especially back problems. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of CAM use for the management of orthopaedic problems in a defined population of Swiss Warmblood horses. A total of 239 owners and caretakers of horses ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Self-reported use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among patients varies widely between studies, possibly because the definition of a CAM user is not comparable. This makes it difficult to compare studies. The aim of this study is to present a six-level model for classifying patients' reported exposure to CAM. Prayer, physical exercise, special diets, ov...

PURPOSE To describe medical symptom and condition reporting in relation to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among members of the US military. METHODS CAM was defined as health treatments not widely taught at US medical schools or typically available at US hospitals. By using data from the Millennium Cohort Study, we included participants who completed a survey from 2004 to 200...

BACKGROUND Currently, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are experiencing growing popularity, especially in former industrialized countries. However, most of the underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms as well as participating biological structures are still speculative. Specific and non-specific effects may play a role in CAM. Moreover, trust, belief, and expectation may be...

Today, more than ever before, millions of people are seeking an approach to medicine and health care that is more comprehensive, more holistic and integrative, and more compassionate and sensitive to their needs as a whole person. This is particularly true for those dealing with cancer. Changing patient demographics, heightened consumer demand for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) pr...