The journal of alternative and complementary medicine : research on paradigm, practice, and policy
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J Altern Complement Med · Feb 2012
Utilizing mobile networks for the detection of clinically relevant interactions between chemotherapy regimens and complementary and alternative medicines.
Patients with cancer who use complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) in conjunction with chemotherapy treatment are at risk of manifesting anticancer drug-CAM interactions (DCIs), which may lead to negative therapeutic outcomes. This article describes a novel iPhone application developed for the Mobile Internet, called OncoRx-MI, which identifies DCIs of single-agent and multiple-agent chemotherapy regimen (CReg) prescriptions. ⋯ OncoRx-MI is the first mobile application of its kind that allows searching of DCIs for CRegs through 3G networks, and is intended to improve pharmaceutical care of patients with cancer by assisting health care practitioners in managing CReg interactions in their clinical practices.
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J Altern Complement Med · Feb 2012
Toward a topological description of the therapeutic process: part 2. Practitioner and patient perspectives of the "journey to cure".
The discourse of quantum theory has been used to describe (1) the homeopathic therapeutic process (in terms of three-way macro-entanglement between patient, practitioner, and remedy, called PPR entanglement), and (2) the homeopathic concept of the vital force. ⋯ The semiotic geometries representing practitioner and patient experiences of the therapeutic process ultimately converge. Where they differ is that in elaborating the patient's journey to cure, the practitioner's perspective may be seen as from the outside of a whole process. As it is the patient who ultimately is traveling this journey, the patient's perspective is necessarily from the inside, of stages or cross-sections of the whole process.
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J Altern Complement Med · Dec 2011
The Dutch complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) protocol: to ensure the safe and effective use of complementary and alternative medicine within Dutch mental health care.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is subject to heated debates and prejudices. Studies show that CAM is widely used by psychiatric patients, usually without the guidance of a therapist and without the use of a solid working method, leading to potential health risks. ⋯ The CIP hopes, by using this protocol, to better serve and respect the individual needs and preferences of the diversity of psychiatric patients in our Dutch multicultural society, and better protect them from harm.