Alternative therapies in health and medicine
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Altern Ther Health Med · Jul 2002
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialAcustimulation wristbands for the relief of chemotherapy-induced nausea.
Substantial evidence suggests that acupuncture-point stimulation may be effective in controlling side effects of chemotherapy. ⋯ Findings on the efficacy of an acustimulation band for the control of chemotherapy-induced nausea are positive but not conclusive. These findings provide ample justification for further study of acustimulation in clinical oncology.
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Altern Ther Health Med · Jul 2002
Complementary and alternative medical treatment of breast cancer: a survey of licensed North American naturopathic physicians.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is on the rise in the United States, especially for breast cancer patients. Many CAM therapies are delivered by licensed naturopathic physicians using individualized treatment plans. ⋯ Of those respondents screened, 497 (77%) had provided naturopathic care to women with breast cancer, and 402 (63%) had treated women with breast cancer in the previous 12 months. Naturopaths who were women were more likely than men to treat breast cancer (P < or = .004). Of the survey respondents, 104 (65%) practiced in the United States, and 57 (35%) practiced in Canada; 107 (66.5%) were women, and 54 (33.5%) were men. To develop naturopathic treatment plans, naturopathic physicians most often considered the stage of cancer, the patient's emotional constitution, and the conventional therapies used. To monitor patients clinically, 64% of the naturopathic physicians used diagnostic imaging, 57% considered the patient's quality of life, and 51% used physical examinations. The most common general CAM therapies used were dietary counseling (94%), botanical medicines (88%), antioxidants (84%), and supplemental nutrition (84%). The most common specific treatments were vitamin C (39%), coenzyme Q-10 (34%), and Hoxsey formula (29%).