PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Complementary Therapies”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 523 records · Page 29Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Why are cancer patients using non-proven complementary therapies? A cross-sectional multicentre study in Norway.

This study addressed the use of alternative medicine, here called non-proven therapies (NPTs), among hospitalized Norwegian cancer patients. A total of 126 (20%) of the assessable 630 patients were users of NPTs. Approximately 43% of all patients and more than 60% of the users of NPTs stated that they would like NPTs to be an option in hospitals belonging to the National Health Service. Most users of NPTs (82%) consulted traditional medicine first, while 15% started treatment with NPTs simultaneously. Users of NPTs reported to have received less hope of a cure (30%) from their physicians than non-users (50%). Users mostly learned about NPTs from friends and relatives. Most users believed that NPTs might give them strength and relieve their symptoms. Very few patients believed in a cure (10%). Nearly 40% were uncertain of any effect of the NPTs or felt there had been no effect. 4 patients reported adverse effects. 15 patients had been treated abroad, most of them in Denmark. Expenses incurred through use of NPTs were mostly moderate, but some patients used large sums of money. Patients' opinions on whether or not the treatment had been expensive were closely linked to their anticipation of the effect of the treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Exercise use as complementary therapy among breast and prostate cancer survivors receiving active treatment: examination of exercise intention.

BACKGROUND: Exercise is associated with an improved quality of life among cancer survivors. Previous research has highlighted the utility of the theory of planned behavior in understanding cancer survivors' intention to exercise. The purpose of this study was to extend the research on the theory of planned behavior in relation to exercise intention in breast cancer survivors and to provide preliminary evidence supporting its application with prostate cancer survivors during treatment. METHODS: Participants consisted of 126 breast and 82 prostate cancer survivors receiving active treatment. Participants completed self-administered, mail-in questionnaires that assessed demographic and medical variables, past exercise, and the theory of planned behavior. RESULTS: For breast cancer survivors, the results revealed that attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control explained 66% of the variance in exercise intention with the instrumental component of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control making significant unique contributions to intention. For prostate cancer survivors, attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control explained 57% of the variance in exercise intention, with subjective norm and perceived behavioral control making significant unique contributions to intention. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide further support that the theory of planned behavior is a useful framework for understanding determinants of exercise intention in breast cancer survivors undergoing active treatment and preliminary support for prostate cancer survivors undergoing active treatment. When designing exercise interventions, differences in breast and prostate cancer survivors' exercise intention merit consideration.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Managing safety and risk: the experiences of people with Parkinson's disease who use alternative and complementary therapies.

In this article I focus on how individuals living with Parkinson's disease manage safety and risk in their participation in alternative and complementary health care. I take a qualitative approach in this research, using semi-structured interviews and grounded theory techniques as means of generating and analysing data. My analysis centres on how these informants construct certain therapies as risk free and therefore safe, and others as risky and thus, inherently unsafe. I discuss the knowledge bases these informants draw on in their evaluations and describe the social contexts in which these assessments take place. While there is a substantial literature on risk in general, as well as the risk society, there has been less interest in micro-level analysis of risk. This article therefore contributes to knowledge through its focus on management of safety and risk in individuals' health-seeking behaviour.

Adult↗
PubMed2007

Addition of choice of complementary therapies to usual care for acute low back pain: a randomized controlled trial.

STUDY DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness and cost of usual care plus patient choice of acupuncture, chiropractic, or massage therapy (choice) compared with usual care alone in patients with acute low back pain (LBP). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Few studies have evaluated care models with facilitated access to and financial coverage for adjunctive complementary and alternative medicine therapies. METHODS: A total of 444 patients with acute LBP (<21 days) were recruited from 4 clinical sites and randomized into 2 groups: usual care or choice. Outcomes included symptoms (bothersomeness), functional status (Roland), and satisfaction between baseline and 5 weeks, and cost of medical care in the 12 weeks after randomization. RESULTS: After 5 weeks, providing patients with a choice did not yield clinically important reductions in symptoms (median -4, [interquartile range -7, -2] for usual care, and -5 [-7, -3] for choice; P = 0.002) or improvements in functional status (-8 [-13, -2] for usual care, and -9 [-15, -4] for choice; P = 0.15). Although there was a significantly greater satisfaction with care in the choice group, this came at a net increase in costs of 244 dollars per patient. This consisted of a 99 dollars reduction in the average cost to the insurer for medical care but an additional cost of 343 dollars, for an average of 6.0 complementary and alternative medicine treatments per patient. CONCLUSIONS: A model of care that offered access to a choice of complementary and alternative medicine therapies for acute LBP did not result in clinically significant improvements in symptom relief or functional restoration. This model was associated with greater patient satisfaction but increased total costs. Future evaluations of this choice model should focus on patients with chronic conditions (including chronic back pain) for which conventional medical care is often costly and of limited benefit.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed2002

Changes in public awareness of, attitudes to, and use of complementary therapy in North East Scotland: surveys in 1993 and 1999.

OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in awareness of, use of, attitudes to, and opinions about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) amongst residents of North East Scotland and to obtain details about CAM use from respondents. STUDY DESIGN: Population survey carried out in 1999, 6 years after the initial study. Postal survey to 800 people to examine eight CAMs; acupuncture, aromatherapy, chiropractic, herbalism, homeopathy, hypnotherapy, osteopathy, and reflexology. RESULTS: A total of 432/800 (54%) responded, of whom 175 (41%) had used at least one type of CAM compared to 29% in 1993. Increases in use were statistically significant for aromatherapy (18% versus 9%), acupuncture (10% versus 6%) and reflexology (9% versus 3%). A greater proportion of 1999 respondents thought CAM should be available on the NHS but a smaller proportion of respondents had concerns about using CAM (25% in 1993 and 20% in 1999). Overall concerns about effectiveness of therapies had increased from 36 to 45%, but fewer individuals were concerned about the cost of therapy in the 1999 survey (52% in 1993 to 22% in 1999). A total of 175 individuals provided details about one CAM they had used. The self-reported primary reasons for using CAM were relief of pain due to headaches or musculoskeletal problems, and for relaxation and relief of stress. The majority of CAM was therapist administered (103/166) as opposed to a bought product. Effectiveness ratings were self-reported but overall 80/166 found CAM very effective and 62/166 partially effective. A total of 65% had consulted their GP about their health problem before using CAM, 59/157 indicated their GP knew they were using CAM and of these, 14 indicated their GP was administering the therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The study has provided further baseline data on which to assess trends in CAM use and highlighted issues for patients and the NHS about the use of CAM to relieve health problems. Results indicate a greater proportion of the population of North East Scotland are both aware of and using CAM to relieve health problems. More research into the implications for the NHS of concurrent use of CAM with conventional medicine is required.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Complementary therapies: the appeal to general practitioners.

Pragmatism--among consumers seeking a cure and among general practitioners seeking clinical results and more patients--is not a complete explanation for the burgeoning of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Western societies. Instead, this growth is substantially a result of pervasive and rapid social change, alternatively termed 'globalisation' and 'postmodernisation'. Globalisation and postmodernisation are creating a new social reality, of which a prominent characteristic is the proliferation of consumer choice. GPs are enmeshed in this social change and subject to the trend to greater choice--both their patients' and their own. On the one hand, GPs are reacting to social change as "economic pragmatists", responding to consumers' increasing demand for CAM. On the other hand, GPs themselves are acting as agents of social change by acknowledging the limitations of orthodox biomedical treatments and promoting CAM as part of their service delivery. Lack of scientific validation of CAM has not prevented GPs' use of such therapies. The phrase "clinical legitimacy" can be seen as a trump card that overrides "scientific legitimacy". It is the shibboleth of a postmodern movement among GPs towards healing and the "art" of medicine, as opposed to the "science" of medicine per se.

Australia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Surviving breast cancer: the role of complementary therapies.

Early detection and efficacious treatment have prolonged the lives of women diagnosed with breast cancer. Although many of these women have survived more than 5 years, there is minimal knowledge of their use of complementary and alternative medical (CAM) treatments. A qualitative focus group study was conducted with 66 breast cancer survivors, ranging in age from 32 to 85 years, with time since diagnosis 2 to 28 years. This article will discuss specific reasons breast cancer survivors reported for using CAM, the ways in which breast cancer survivors blended these therapies with conventional Western medicine, and health care providers' roles in supporting breast cancer survivors' use of CAM approaches.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Complementary therapy for psoriasis.

The authors provide some specifications regarding the correct terminology to be applied in the field of complementary medicine, and review and comment on several complementary treatments for psoriasis. Putative psychotherapeutic equivalents are kept distinct from treatments based on the surreptitious administration of physical or pharmacologic agents. Limits on the application of psychotherapeutic techniques are discussed. Risks inherent to complementary treatments (psychological derangements, moral subjugation, physical damage, economic exploitation) are underscored. The authors plead for the application of adequate scientific criticism in complementary medicine, but warn that any approach to the practice of medicine which is not disinterested and patient oriented--as the academic one should be--will be inappropriate, misleading, or even immoral. In the authors' opinion, this could also apply to the evidence-based medicine movement (often perceived as the archenemy of alternative medicine), should this movement be influenced by economical, political, or other nonmedical factors.

Decision Trees↗
PubMed2001

Reiki. A complementary therapy for nursing practice.

1. Reiki is an ancient healing art involving the gentle laying on of hands. It can be practiced anytime and anywhere. 2. Reiki can be used as a complementary treatment to medical protocols. 3. Hand positions customarily correspond to the body's endocrine and lymphatic systems and major organs, focusing on seven main chakras. 4. More research investigating the effects of Reiki on persons with psychiatric and medical disorders is necessary.

Directories as Topic↗
PubMed1979

[Current trends of complementary therapy in radical surgery of colo-rectal cancer].

Large surgical series are agreed on the fact that the prognosis for radically operated colorectal cancer has improved little in the last twenty years. Reasons for these failures are, of course, local or remote recurrences. To improve the number of stable cures, experiments have been carried out with complementary or coadjuvant techniques whose purpose is to limit intra-operative dissemination of the tumour and to monitor the number of cancer cells that might remain after radical surgery. Such techniques have been applied at preoperative, intra-operative and post-operative phases. Results obtained so far have been uncertain but seem to point to the usefulness of intraoperative procedures in reducing the number of local recurrences and of postoperative chemotherapy with 5 FU which has improved five-year survival indices by 5-7%.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2000

The empowering nature of Reiki as a complementary therapy.

Reiki is an ancient healing method with roots in both Chinese Medicine and Christian healing. It is a treatment used by individuals as an alternative and complement to Western medical treatment. Reiki has increased in popularity over the past decade, but remains understudied. Methodological and philosophical reasons for why it is difficult to conduct research on the efficacy of Reiki are discussed. The reasons for the increased success of Reiki as an alternative and complementary healing method in the Western world are addressed, as well as the practice of Reiki as a healing method for self and others.

Holistic Nursing↗
PubMed1982

[Autogenic training as a complementary therapy in unstable arterial hypertension in chronic uremics under periodic dialysis].

Consideration of the precarious mental balance of chronic uraemic patients receiving periodic haemodialysis, which often affects arterial pressure, led to a group of such patients being subjected to additional treatment in the form of Autogenous Training (A.T.). Comparison of some parameters such as arterial pressure and ECG's evaluated before and after A.T. shows, in several cases, a noticeable clinical improvement. It also has a definite tranquillising effect on the general anxiety state, which makes for better and longer-lasting adaptation to periodic dialysis. In the light of these results, Autogenous Training is proposed as a complementary treatment system for obviating certain non-physiological aspects of dialysis.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2006

Treatment of ruptured intracranial aneurysms since the International Subarachnoid Aneurysm Trial: practice utilizing clip ligation and coil embolization as individual or complementary therapies.

OBJECT: The aim of this study was to analyze the therapeutic decision-making process and outcome in 100 consecutive patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) treated since the completion of the International Subarachnoid Aneurysm Trial (ISAT). All patients were evaluated and treated by a neurosurgeon with subspecialty training in both cerebrovascular and neuroendovascular surgery. METHODS: One hundred consecutive patients with aneurysmal SAH who had been admitted within 1 week posthemorrhage and who had been treated using either surgical clip application or endovascular coil embolization were included in this analysis. All patients underwent a uniform perioperative protocol. All surviving patients were given a questionnaire to assess their modified Rankin Scale score (mRS) and to grade themselves at 6 months and 1 year postintervention. The cohort consisted of 73 women and 27 men with a mean age of 57.27 years (range 27-87 years). Twenty-nine percent of the patients had a World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) Grade IV or V SAH. Forty-seven patients underwent direct surgical clip application, 41 endovascular embolization, and 12 a combination of the two procedures. Good functional outcome--indicated by mRS scores of 0 to 2 after at least 6 months--was achieved in 71% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Data from the ISAT demonstrated a better functional outcome following endovascular embolization in a selected group of patients with aneurysmal SAH. In routine clinical practice, however, a significant number of patients still benefit from direct surgical clip ligation. Excellent functional results can be realized in a complementary clip ligation and coil occlusion practice in which each patient and aneurysm is evaluated and the two treatment modalities are used individually or, when needed, in combination.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

CT-guided radiofrequency ablation: a potential complementary therapy for patients with unresectable primary lung cancer--a preliminary report of 33 patients.

OBJECTIVE: We report our preliminary evaluation of the effectiveness, safety, technical feasibility, and complications of palliative CT-guided radiofrequency ablation of unresectable primary pulmonary malignancies. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirty-three patients (26 men and seven women; age range, 44-75 years; mean age, 66 years) with unresectable malignant lung neoplasms underwent 35 CT-guided tumor ablation sessions. Follow-up CT was performed 6 months (29 cases) and 1 year (10 cases) after treatment. In 19 patients, these findings were correlated with cytohistopathologic assessment obtained with CT-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy or core biopsy at 6-month follow-up. Size and CT appearance of the treated lesions were correlated with cytohistologic features and clinical scores. RESULTS: Thirty-five technically successful radiofrequency ablation treatments were performed. The only complications in the periprocedural period were three cases of minor pneumothorax, five cases of sputum cruentum, and three asymptomatic pleural effusions. Contrast-enhanced CT performed at 6-month follow-up showed four cases of complete and 13 cases of partial lesion ablation, 11 cases of stabilized lesion size, and one case of increased lesion size. Contrast-enhanced CT performed at 1-year follow-up showed unchanged lesion size in six cases and reduction in four cases. Six-month cytohistologic examinations showed total coagulation necrosis in seven lesions and partial necrosis in 12. Clinical improvement in pretreatment symptoms was observed in 12 of 29 patients seen at 6-month follow-up. Eight patients died within 1 year of treatment of non-procedure-related causes. CONCLUSION: Our experience suggests that radiofrequency ablation can be used successfully in unresectable lung cancer as an alternative or complementary treatment to radio- or chemotherapy. Larger studies are necessary to fully evaluate its potential combination with other treatment techniques.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Randomized trial of yoga as a complementary therapy for pulmonary tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVE: The present prospective, randomized trial compared the efficacy of anti-tuberculosis treatment (ATT) with two separate programs (yoga and breath awareness), on lung capacities and bacteriological status in pulmonary tuberculosis patients. METHODOLOGY: A total of 1009 pulmonary tuberculosis patients were screened and 73 were alternately allocated, to yoga (n = 36) or breath awareness (n = 37) groups, with 48 patients completing the 2-month trial. Patients aged between 20 and 55 years, who were sputum-positive on three consecutive examinations, had no prior ATT, and no comorbidities or extrapulmonary tuberculosis were included. In addition to ATT, one group practised yoga (n = 25) and the other practised breath awareness (n = 23) for 6 h per week, each session being 60 min. The main outcome measures were: symptom scores, bodyweight, FVC, FEV(1), FEV(1)/FVC%, sputum microscopy, sputum culture, and postero-anterior view of the CXR. RESULTS: At the end of 2 months, the yoga group showed a significant reduction in symptom scores (88.1%), and an increase in weight (10.9%), FVC (64.7%) and FEV(1) (83.6%) (P = 0.001, in all comparisons, paired t-test). The breath awareness group also showed a significant (paired t-test) reduction in symptom scores (16.3%, P= 0.02), and an increase in weight (2.1%, P= 0.003) and FEV(1) (63.8%, P= 0.04). Significantly more patients in the yoga group showed sputum conversion based on microscopy on days 30 and 45 compared to the breath awareness group (P = 0.045 and P= 0.002, respectively, chi(2) test). Ten of 13 in the yoga group had negative sputum culture after 60 days compared with four of 19 in the breath awareness group (P = 0.005, chi(2) test). Improvement in the radiographic picture occurred in 16/25 in the yoga group compared to 3/22 in the breath awareness group on day 60 (P = 0.001, chi(2) test). CONCLUSIONS: The improved level of infection, radiographic picture, FVC, weight gain and reduced symptoms in the yoga group suggest a complementary role for yoga in the management of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Complementary therapies for acute pediatric pain management.

A wide variety of tools to adequately treat pediatric pain is beneficial. The methods discussed herein typically involve the use of many areas of expertise to manage pain. Massage therapists, biofeedback technicians, physician-acupuncturists, child-life specialists, psychologists, and physical or occupational therapists can all be used as allies to battle acute pain in children. The incorporation of alternative forms of pain management, including education, relaxation techniques, hypnosis, guided imagery, biofeedback, and even acupuncture, to the standard methods may improve the management of children with acute pain. The management of children with pain does not have to be with an "either/or" approach using traditional pharmacologic methods or the cognitive and alternative therapies discussed here. Many areas need research to provide evidence that these therapies work well. What is known now suggests that the use of these adjunctive methods of pain management may complement pharmacologic pain management, thereby bringing physicians closer to optimal care of children with acute pain.

Acupuncture Therapy↗