cross-sectional

Complementary and alternative medicine use in patients with head and neck cancers in Europe.: Eur J Cancer Care (Engl). 2006 Mar;15(1):19-24 Authors: Molassiotis A, Ozden G, Platin N, Scott JA, Pud D, Fernandez-Ortega P, Milovics L, Panteli V, Gudmundsdottir G, Browall M, Madsen E, Patiraki E, Kearney N

The aim of the present study was to examine the patterns of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in a sample of head and neck cancer patients, forming part of a larger study. A cross-sectional survey design was used collecting data through a descriptive 27-item questionnaire in nine countries in Europe. The participants were 75 patients with head and neck cancers. The prevalence rate of CAM use was 22.7%. The most common therapies used were herbal medicine (47%), medicinal teas (23.5%), use of vitamins/minerals (11.8%) and visualization (11.8%). Use of CAM dramatically increased after the diagnosis with cancer (i.e. eightfold increase in the use of herbs). A profile of CAM users was not evident in this sample. Patients used CAM for a variety of reasons together, with counteracting the ill effects from cancer and its treatment being the most common one. Information about CAM was obtained mostly from friends and family. As one in five head and neck cancer patients use CAM it is important that clinicians explore practices with their patients, improve communication about CAM with them and assist those who want to use CAM in using appropriate and safe therapies.

Complementary and alternative medicine use in lung cancer patients in eight European countries.: Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2006 Feb;12(1):34-9 Authors: Molassiotis A, Panteli V, Patiraki E, Ozden G, Platin N, Madsen E, Browall M, Fernandez-Ortega P, Pud D, Margulies A

This paper presents findings from a cross-sectional survey about the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in patients with lung cancer, forming part of a larger study. Data from 111 lung cancer patients in 8 countries in Europe were collected through a descriptive 27-item questionnaire. The data suggest that 23.6% of the lung cancer patients used CAM after the diagnosis with cancer. The most popular CAM modalities were herbal medicine (48.1%), medicinal teas (11.5%), homeopathy (11.5%), use of animal extracts (11.5%) and spiritual therapies (11.5%). Herbal use increased by three times after the diagnosis of cancer. Patients seemed quite satisfied with the CAM used. They were also spending on average about 142 Euros monthly on CAM therapies or remedies. The most common motivation to use CAM was to increase the body's ability to fight the cancer. Main sources of information about CAM were friends and family. As CAM is increasingly used by patients with lung cancer, it is important to be able to assist patients make an appropriate decision by discussing the issue of CAM openly, providing reassurance and communicating safe and appropriate information to patients.

Parental use of the term "Hot Qi" to describe symptoms in their children in Hong Kong: a cross sectional survey.: J Ethnobiol Ethnomedicine. 2006 Jan 5;2(1):2 Authors: Kong FY, Ng DK, Chan CH, Yu WL, Chan D, Kwok KL, Chow PY

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The Chinese term "Hot Qi" is often used by parents to describe symptoms in their children. The current study was carried out to estimate the prevalence of using the Chinese term "Hot Qi" to describe symptoms in children by their parents and the symptomatology of "Hot Qi". METHOD: A cross sectional survey by face-to-face interview with a semi-structured questionnaire was carried out in a public hospital and a private clinic in Hong Kong. The parental use of the term "Hot Qi", the symptoms of "Hot Qi" and the remedies used for "Hot Qi" were asked. RESULTS: 1060 pairs of children and parents were interviewed. 903 (85.1%) of parents claimed that they had employed the term "Hot Qi" to describe their children's symptoms. Age of children and place of birth of parents were the predictors of parents using the term "Hot Qi". Eye discharge (37.2%), sore throat (33.9%), halitosis(32.8%), constipation(31.0%), and irritable (21.2%) were the top five symptoms of "Hot Qi" in children. The top five remedies for "Hot Qi" were the increased consumption of water (86.8%), fruit (72.5%), soup (70.5%), and the use of herbal beverages "five-flower- tea" (a combination of several flowers such as Chrysanthemum morifolii, Lonicera japonica, Bombax malabaricum, Sophora japonica, and Plumeria rubra) (57.6%) or selfheal fruit spike (Prunella vulgaris) (42.4%). CONCLUSION: "Hot Qi" is often used by Chinese parents to describe symptoms in their children in Hong Kong. Place of birth of parents and age of the children are main factors for parents to apply the term "Hot Qi" to describe symptoms of their children. The common symptoms of "Hot Qi" suggest infections or allergy.

A gap between acceptance and knowledge of herbal remedies by physicians: The need for educational intervention.: BMC Complement Altern Med. 2005 Nov 18;5(1):20 Authors: Clement YN, Williams AF, Khan K, Bernard T, Bhola S, Fortuné M, Medupe O, Nagee K, Seaforth CE

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BACKGROUND: The unprecedented global increase in the use of herbal remedies is set to continue apace well into the foreseeable future. This raises important public health concerns, especially as it relates to safety issues including adverse effects and herb-drug interactions. Most Western-trained physicians are ignorant of the risks and benefits of this healthcare modality and assessment of acceptance and knowledge would identify appropriate intervention strategies to improve physician-patient communication in this area. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was done using an interviewer-administered pilot tested de novo questionnaire at six public hospitals in Trinidad between May-July 2004. The questionnaire utilized weighed questions to quantify acceptance (maximum score = 14 points) and knowledge (maximum score = 52 points). Acceptance and knowledge scores were analyzed using the ANOVA and Tukey's tests. RESULTS: Of 192 physicians interviewed, most (60.4%) believed that herbal remedies were beneficial to health. Respondents had relatively high acceptance levels (mean = 5.69 +/- 0.29 points or 40% of total possible score) and poor knowledge (mean = 7.77 +/- 0.56 points or 15% of total possible score). Seventy-eight physicians (40.6%) admitted having used herbs in the past, and 60 of these (76.9%) were satisfied with the outcome. Although 52 physicians (27.1%) recommended the use of herbs to their patients only 29 (15.1%) were able to identify at least one known herb-drug interaction. CONCLUSION: The use of herbal remedies is relatively high in Trinidad, as throughout the world, and most patients self-medicate with or without the knowledge of their attending physician. Surprisingly, we demonstrated relatively high acceptance levels and use of herbs among physicians in Trinidad. This interesting scenario of high acceptance levels and poor knowledge creates a situation that demands urgent intervention. We recommend educational intervention to narrow the gap between acceptance and knowledge so that physicians would be adequately equipped to communicate with their patients on this modality. The integration of herbal medicine into the curriculum of medical schools, continuing education programs and the availability of reputable pharmacopoeias for referencing at public health institutions are useful instruments that can be used to close this gap and promote improved physician-patient communication.