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To conduct an integrative literature review to reveal any evidence supportive of the integration of traditional therapies for First Nations peoples in Australia within a western healthcare model, and to identify which, if any, of these therapies have been linked to better health outcomes and culturally safe and appropriate care for First Nations peoples. If so, are there indications by First Nations peoples in Australia that these have been effective in providing culturally safe care or the decolonisation of western healthcare practices. Integrative literature review of peer-reviewed literature. Online databases searched included CINAHL, Medline, Scopus, ScienceDirect InformitHealth, and ProQuest. Databases were searched for papers with full text available and published in English with no date parameter set. The PRISMA guidelines were used during the literature review and the literature was critiqued using the Critical Appraisal Skills tool. Seven articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Four articles selected were qualitative, two used a mixed method design, and one used a quantitative method. Six themes arose: (i) bush medicine, (ii) traditional healers, (iii) traditional healing practices, (iv) bush tucker, (v) spiritual healing, and (vi) therapies that connected to cultures such as yarning and storytelling. There is limited literature discussing the use of traditional therapies in Western healthcare settings. A need exists to include traditional therapies within a Western healthcare system. Creating a culturally safer and appropriate healthcare experience for First Nations people in Australia and will contribute to advancement in the decolonisation of current healthcare models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing pressure on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to follow the evidence-based approach promoted in allied health and medicine, in which the randomised control trial represents the evidence gold standard. However, many CAM advocates see these methods as undermining the holism of CAM practice. This paper explores how such tensions are managed in CAM university departments – settings in which particular forms of knowledge and evidence are given 'official' imprimatur by CAM educators and researchers. By comparing two types of CAM, the paper also unpacks differences within this broad category, asking whether CAM academic disciplines comprise different 'epistemic cultures' (Knorr-Cetina, K. (1999). Epistemic cultures: How the sciences make knowledge. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press). Interviews were conducted with 20 lecturers in Chinese medicine and osteopathy, across five Australian universities, and augmented with observation in two degree programs. Findings reveal contrasting ontological and epistemological perspectives between the two academic fields. Chinese medicine lecturers had largely adopted bioscientific models of research, typically conducting laboratory work and trials, although teaching included traditional theories. Osteopathy academics were more critical of dominant approaches and were focused on reframing notions of evidence to account for experiences, with some advocating qualitative research. The study illustrates CAM's 'epistemic disunity' while also highlighting the particular challenges facing academic CAM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood transfusions belong to standard and commonly utilised biomedical procedures. Jehovah's Witnesses' transfusion refusals are often referred to in bioethical and medical textbooks. Members of this globally active religious organisation do not, however, challenge biomedical diagnosis and treatment as such. A result of both their trust in and their interpretation of the Bible, they question only this medical treatment. In spite of the global presence of this religious community and its uniformly practised teachings, including those pertaining to blood, experiences and choices of Jehovah's Witness patients have been understudied. Drawing on a nine-month fieldwork with Jehovah's Witnesses and physicians in Germany (mainly in Berlin) between 2010 and 2012, the paper addresses treatment choices made by Witness patients and their relationship with physicians. In light of the long tradition of 'medical heterodoxy' established in German culture and society, Germany constitutes an ideal point of departure for such a study. By utilising the concept of 'medical landscape' it is argued that Jehovah's Witnesses in my field site find themselves at the intersection of different medical landscapes: in the 'immediate' surroundings of the German healthcare system that is open to different 'treatment modalities', and that of the United States, which favours biomedicine. The paper also argues that Jehovah's Witnesses' position towards blood transfusions can further be used as a lens to shed light on the German (bio)medical landscape itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The popularity of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) appears to be increasing, especially among college students. We surveyed 146 undergraduate and graduate students with the CAM Health Belief Questionnaire and obtained credibility and frequency ratings for a select group of CAM therapies: yoga, meditation, massage, chiropractic medicine, biofeedback, hypnosis, acupuncture, spirituality/religion, therapeutic touch, the use of herbs/vitamins, and aromatherapy/essential oils. Graduate students held more favorable views about integrating CAM into conventional medical practice. Female students reported using a wider variety of therapies than male students. Spirituality/religion and herbs/vitamins were the most popular CAM approaches. Students rated yoga, meditation, and massage as being highly credible practices. They rated hypnosis and therapeutic touch low in credibility. We discuss hypnosis as an example of a therapy that suffers from poor public perception despite having a relatively strong evidentiary base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of strong cultural beliefs on specific reasons for traditional medicine (TRM) use among individuals and populations has long been advanced in health care and spatio-medical literature. Yet, little has been done in Ghana and the Ashanti Region in particular to bring out the precise "pull" and "push" relative influences on TRM utilization. With a qualitative research approach involving rural and urban character, the study explored health beliefs and motivations for TRM use in Kumasi Metropolis and Sekyere South District, Ghana. The study draws on data from 36 in-depth interviews with adults, selected through theoretical sampling. We used the a posteriori inductive reduction model to derive broad themes and subthemes. The "pull factors"--perceived benefits in TRM use vis-à-vis the "push factors"--perceived poor services of the biomedical treatments contributed to the growing trends in TRM use. The result however indicates that the "pull factors," viz.--personal health beliefs, desire to take control of one's health, perceived efficacy, and safety of various modalities of TRM--were stronger in shaping TRM use. Poor access to conventional medicine accounted for the differences in TRM use between rural and urban areas. Understanding the treatment and health-seeking behaviour of a cultural-related group is critical for developing and sustaining traditional therapy in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Families raising a young child with multiple disabilities are charged with significant responsibilities such as learning about their child's condition and navigating mainstream and alternative services.Aim:Describe service choices, costs, out of pocket expenses, and the impact on families.Methods:Survey design using a custom questionnaire was used to collect extensive retrospective and current data. Purposive sampling (N= 29) occurred from one early intervention facility specialized in servicing children with cerebral palsy (CP) and, or multiple disabilities in Australia. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis of data.Results:Twenty-three (79%) families reported caring for a child with CP. Twenty-three families reported using at least one complementary/alternative intervention. Out-of-pocket amounts were reported including: chiropractic services (10 families); naturopathy (9 families); point percussion therapy (7 families), and Chinese medicine (6 families). Expenses resulted in families reporting forgoing clothing items, family entertainment, recreation/hobbies for parents (55%); family holidays (59%); time for parents alone (66%); and health services for parents (38%).Conclusions: Families of young children with multiple disabilities select a wide range of services for their child, with consequential out of pocket expenses. Early intervention professionals can be an important resource for families as they evaluate their choices and select interventions for their child. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In western countries complementary and alternative medicine is used to sustain the mainstream medical practice (biomedicine). Nowadays, it is used to treat diseases, but also in the prevention, health promotion and health maintenance. Complementary and alternative medicine includes treatments that do not involve use of material substances (mind body treatments), but also other therapies including the use of materials in their treatments. Clays are frequently used as biomaterials with clinical applications in complementary and alternative medicine, as actives and excipients. The uses of clay materials in these medicines are revised, including homeopathy, balneotherapy, natural health substances (i.e. food supplements), as well as other traditional therapeutic systems as Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine, with increasing presence in western countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]