Alternative therapies in health and medicine
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Altern Ther Health Med · Jan 2004
Historical ArticleSnow on the equator: Reflections on the CAM wars.
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Altern Ther Health Med · Nov 2003
The effect of using music therapy with relaxation imagery in the management of patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation: a pilot feasibility study.
Bone marrow/stem cell transplantation is becoming an increasingly common treatment for a variety of hematologic disorders. The treatment process is not benign. Both physiologic and psychological regimen-related side effects are common, painful, and even life threatening. Music therapy is the prescribed use of music to aid in the prevention or amelioration of physical, psychological, or cognitive problems. Relaxation imagery, as used in this study, consisted of simple visualization and direct imagery-based suggestions. The mechanism of action of the intervention is hypothesized to be reduction of the stress response through neuroendocrine pathways. ⋯ Pre/post music/relaxation imagery intervention measures of pain and nausea using a visual analog scale; determination of time-to-engraftment.
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Altern Ther Health Med · May 2003
Religious and spiritual resources, CAM, and conventional treatment in the lives of cancer patients.
In addition to seeking conventional treatment from physicians, cancer patients will often use religious and spiritual resources (RSR) and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Patients' beliefs about the relationships among RSR, CAM, and conventional treatments may reflect belief systems not readily apparent to physicians. ⋯ RSR, CAM, and conventional treatment served both spiritual and physical purposes. When participants perceived a relationship between RSR, CAM, and conventional treatment, it reflected shared spiritual and physical purposes. Such associations were especially strong when RSR, CAM, and conventional treatment shared the common goals of providing treatment or cure and/or supporting treatment or cure. Perceptions of shared purpose were individual to each participant, with religious congruence and life history playing a role in beliefs about the relationship between RSR and CAM. Such beliefs can affect issues of control, spiritual well-being, coping, depression, decision-making, and possibly health outcomes in cancer patients. Therefore, they should be addressed by clinicians in discussions with their patients.