scholarly journals Surely you take complementary and alternative medicines?

2004 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 36-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Traolach Brugha ◽  
Hagen Rampes ◽  
Rachel Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Drug Interactions ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Substantial Growth ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Clinical Presentations ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

A substantial proportion of our patients use or consider using complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) and other coping strategies. It is important that we acknowledge this, know something about the subject and are aware of current or potential developments in the field. These remedies might be harmless, beneficial or harmful and their side-effects might alter and confuse clinical presentations. We need to be vigilant of the potential for significant drug interactions between complementary and orthodox treatments. There is a substantial growth in complementary and alternative medical research in the USA, now beginning to follow in the UK. This will hopefully bring useful future progress.

scholarly journals Herbal Medicine for Pain Management: Efficacy and Drug Interactions

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 251
Author(s):  
Behdad Jahromi ◽  
Iulia Pirvulescu ◽  
Kenneth D. Candido ◽  
Nebojsa Nick Knezevic
Keyword(s):  
Pain Management ◽  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Drug Interactions ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Complementary and alternative medicines such as herbal medicines are not currently part of the conventional medical system. As the popularity of and global market for herbal medicine grows among all age groups, with supporting scientific data and clinical trials, specific alternative treatments such as herbal medicine can be reclassified as a practice of conventional medicine. One of the most common conditions for which adults use herbal medicine is pain. However, herbal medicines carry safety concerns and may impact the efficacy of conventional therapies. Unfortunately, mechanisms of action are poorly understood, and their use is unregulated and often underreported to medical professionals. This review aims to compile common and available herbal medicines which can be used as an alternative to or in combination with conventional pain management approaches. Efficacy and safety are assessed through clinical studies on pain relief. Ensuing herb–drug interactions such as cytochrome modulation, additive and synergistic effects, and contraindications are discussed. While self-management has been recognized as part of the overall treatment strategy for patients suffering from chronic pain, it is important for practitioners to be able to also optimize and integrate herbal medicine and, if warranted, other complementary and alternative medicines into their care.

Use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) among Malaysian cancer patients for the management of chemotherapy related side effects (CRSE)

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharifah Nadia Syed Mohammad Salleh ◽  
Maryam Farooqui ◽  
Shubashini Gnanasan ◽  
Mahmathi Karuppannan
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Cam Use ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Abstract Objectives Chemotherapy-related side effects (CRSE) are among the most distressing events cancer patients face. Some patients seek complementary and alternative medicines (CAM), increasing the risk of undesirable drug- CAM interactions. This study aims to identify the prevalence and type of CAM used for CRSE among cancer patients and patient’s disclosure of CAM use to their prescribers. Methods This was a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study. Data was collected from cancer patients attending to three departments: surgical, medical and gynaecology at a local hospital in Malaysia. Ethical approval was obtained from the Medical Research Ethics Committee, Ministry of Health, Malaysia. Results A total of 273 patients were recruited. Prevalence of CAM used for CRSE management was 166 (60.8%). Of the CAM users, 144 (86.7%) were female, 102 (61.4%) were employed and 123 (74.1%) were married. Breast cancer patients were found to be the highest users of CAM (n=76; 45.8%). The top three CAM used by patients in managing CRSE were dietary supplements (n=166; 100%); herbal products (n=154; 92.8%) and traditional Malay therapy (n=147; 88.6%). About 83% (n=137) patients disclosed CAM use to their prescribers. Among these, 58 (42.3%) reported that their doctors encouraged the use, whereas 89 (65.0%) patients claimed their doctors disagreed the use of CAM. Conclusions Prescribers still have doubt in combining chemotherapy with CAM, hence patients use CAM discreetly. Increasing the awareness and understanding of CAM use are mandatory to distinguish its possible synergistic or adverse reactions with cancer patients.

scholarly journals Complementary and Alternative Medicines for the Treatment of Hepatitis C: Perspectives of Users and CAM Practitioners

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Salamat Ali ◽  
Shahan Ullah ◽  
Vibhu Paudyal ◽  
Mashhood Ali ◽  
Muhammad Khalid Tipu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Disease Status ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Lycopodium Clavatum ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Background. Despite substantial progress in the treatment of hepatitis C through the use of direct-acting antivirals which have been shown to cure the disease, complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) are popular among patients as a substitute or complement of allopathic medicines. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of patients and CAM practitioners on the use of CAM for the treatment of hepatitis C in Pakistan. Methods. A cross-sectional design was adopted. Participants (CAM practitioners and patients) were recruited from the capital and two provinces: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab of Pakistan. A survey using paper-based questionnaires, each specific for patients and CAM practitioners, was conducted to gather information pertaining to demography, disease status, treatment history, and participants’ perspectives (about the disease, reasons to switch to CAM, and referring source). Results. A total of 417 respondents (n = 284 patients, n = 133 practitioners) were recruited. Of the total patients, 170 (59.9%) had started CAM during the previous three months. There were 168 (59.2%) of the total patients who had used allopathic treatments for hepatitis C prior to their use of CAM. The confidence in CAM (24.6%), high cost (19%), and unbearable side effects (52.1%) of allopathic medicines were the main reasons to switch to CAM treatment. Majority (49.3%) of the patients were referred to CAM on the recommendations of relatives or care givers (17.3%) whereas only 9.5% were referred by health care professionals. Out of 133 practitioners, 48 (36.1%) were practicing herbal medicines. From practitioners’ perspectives, club-moss (Lycopodium clavatum) was the best treatment option for hepatitis C. The majority, 73 (54.9%), of the patients had chosen to use CAM because of the side effects of allopathic medicines. Patients who had previous “good experience” with CAM were the most common referral source (56.4%) for CAM use in hepatitis C. Conclusions. Patients’ beliefs in CAM, side effects of allopathic therapy, high cost of allopathic medicines, and referrals from previous CAM users are key factors in the switching of hepatitis C patients to CAM.

scholarly journals Challenges Associated with Anti-epilepsy Medication and Use of Complementary or Alternative Medicines among People with Epilepsy in Rural Communities of Zimbabwe

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-84
Author(s):  
Ngonidzashe Mutanana
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Blurred Vision ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Epilepsy Treatment ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

The main objective of this study was to analyze challenges associated with anti-epilepsy medication and use of complementary or alternative medicines among people with epilepsy in rural communities of Zimbabwe. The study opted for qualitative research because it is culturally specific and data collected is contextually rich. The target population was people with epilepsy and caregivers of children with epilepsy and using a snowball sampling technique, a sample of 15 people with epilepsy and 5 caregivers of children with epilepsy was selected. The study purposively selected 2 traditional healers, 2 faith healers and 2 psychiatric nurses to have their insight on complementary and alternative medicines in the community and data was collected using face-to-face in-depth interviews. Findings revealed that anti-epilepsy medication is associated with a number of challenges in rural communities, chief among them that people with epilepsy are not informed about the side-effects of anti-epilepsy medication such as stomach upset, dizziness, blurred vision and sexual dysfunction. As a plateau to these anti-epilepsy medication side-effects, they make use of traditional and spiritual medicines either as complementary or alternative to anti-epilepsy medication.  They are also facing challenges of Anti-Epilepsy Drugs shortages and long distances to health facilities and consequently, they opt for complementary or alternative medicines to sustain their livelihoods. The study recommends modern healthcare providers to supply people with epilepsy with adequate information on the side-effects of drugs. Healthcare providers must have enough information on complementary and alternative medicines. Traditional and faith healers must be accommodated in epilepsy treatment because of sociocultural aspects, and they too must be educated on the relevance of the modern healthcare system in epilepsy treatment. The study finally recommends a study on the multi-cultural approach of epilepsy management in Zimbabwe.  

scholarly journals Medical Pluralism, Mainstream Marginality or Subaltern Therapeutics? Globalisation and the Integration of ‘Asian’ Medicines and Biomedicine in the UK

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Cant
Keyword(s):  
Medical Pluralism ◽  
Orthodox Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Medical Traditions ◽  
New Consumer ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Medical Pluralism refers to the coexistence of differing medical traditions and practices grounded in divergent epistemological positions and based on distinctive worldviews. From the 1970s, a globalised health market, underpinned by new consumer and practitioner interest, spawned the importation of ‘non-Western’ therapeutics to the UK. Since then, these various modalities have coexisted alongside, and sometimes within, biomedical clinics. Sociologists have charted the emergence of this ‘new’ medical pluralism in the UK, to establish how complementary and alternative medicines have fared in both the private and public health sectors and to consider explanations for the attraction of these modalities. The current positioning of complementary and alternative medicines can be described as one of ‘mainstream marginality’ ( Cant 2009 , The New Sociology of the Health Service, London: Routledge): popular with users, but garnering little statutory support. Much sociological analysis has explained this marginal positioning of non-orthodox medicine by recourse to theories of professionalisation and has shown how biomedicine has been able, with the support of the state, to subordinate, co-opt and limit its competitors. Whilst insightful, this work has largely neglected to situate medical pluralism in its historical, global and colonial contexts. By drawing on post-colonial thinking, the paper suggests how we might differently theorise and research the appropriation, alteration and reimagining of ‘Asian’ therapeutic knowledges in the UK.

Integration and awareness of complementary and alternative medicines with psychotherapy

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendal Cassidy ◽  
Anastasia Bacca ◽  
Phillip Birk ◽  
Kristie A. Morales ◽  
Travis Heath
Keyword(s):  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Complementary And Alternative
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