Integrative Medicine (IM), a newly emerging field, has evolved from Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). CAM refers to diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered part of conventional medicine and generally have limited scientific evidence. In the US, CAM is a multi-billion dollar, unregulated industry with potential benefits and r...

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use by cancer patients, especially women, is increasing. However, CAM use among patients with lung cancer, who have been reported to have the highest symptom burden, is poorly documented. This study describes types and frequencies of specific CAM therapies used by women with lung cancer to manage symptoms, and examines differences in demographic and ...

BACKGROUND Research has long suggested that a large and possibly growing number of people use complementary or alternative medicine (CAM). However, in many countries, such as Sweden, national and regional research on CAM use is still very limited. Existing prevalence studies are few and characterized by low comparability. This study aims to contribute towards addressing this knowledge gap. ME...

It is a common practice in contemporary medicine to follow stringently the scientific method in the process of validating efficacy and effectiveness of new or improved modes of treatment intervention. It follows that these complementary or alternative interventions must be validated by stringent research before they can be reliably integrated into Western medicine. The next decades will witness...

In October 2007, a National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)-sponsored workshop, entitled "Applying Principles from Complex Systems to Studying the Efficacy of CAM Therapies," was held at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Over a 2-day period, the workshop engaged a small group of experts from the fields of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) research and...

use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasing rapidly. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies 65–80% of the world's health care services as 'tradi-tional medicine' (1). Therefore, from the viewpoint of the population ratio, more people use CAM than modern western medicine. Although much attention has been focused on CAM not only from physicians but also basic medical...

COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERnative medicine (CAM) encompasses a wide range of popular treatment modalities that are outside conventional practice and generally lack sufficient scientific evidence of their safety and efficacy. These treatments include herbal agents, homeopathic preparations, chiropractic manipulations, massage, acupuncture, meditation, and prayer. Use of CAM in the United States is w...

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in a representative cancer population prior to and within 6 months of diagnosis. A total of 304 newly diagnosed cancer patients from two UK cancer centres completed a postal survey. Of them, 100 patients (32.9%) used CAM before their cancer diagnosis, 59 of these CAM users continued post diagnosis. Twe...

BACKGROUND In 1999, 5 complementary procedures were included into the Swiss basic health insurance on a provisional basis. In consequence, many people expected a substantial increase of costs of up to CHF 110 million or even higher. METHODS Data on consultation costs at the expense of basic health insurance for the period of 1997-2003 were analyzed for 206 certified complementary and alternat...