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Objective: Complementary medicine product use in pregnancy and lactation is common but little is known about women's health literacy and information-seeking regarding this. The objectives of this study were to identify and explore pregnant or breastfeeding women's sources of, and rationale for seeking complementary medicine products information, the types of information sought, and how women felt their health care practitioners can help them receive information that meets their needs., Design: A qualitative research design consisting of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions was conducted. Data were thematically analysed. Participants also completed two validated health literacy screening tools., Setting: Communities in regional and metropolitan settings in Sydney and Northern New South Wales, and South-East Queensland, Australia., Participants: Twenty-five women (n = 7 pregnant, n = 17 breastfeeding, n = 1 both pregnant and breastfeeding) who currently used complementary medicine products participated. Eleven women were pregnant with or breastfeeding their first child; 14 had between one and four older children., Findings: Twenty-four participants had high health literacy according to the validated screening tools. Around half of the participants had used complementary medicine products for most of their lives and 17 had used complementary medicine products to resolve or manage complex health conditions in adulthood or childhood. Women sought complementary medicine products information from three main sources. 1) Practical and safety information on complementary medicine products was sought from health care practitioners and published research; 2) health care practitioners were also sources of information on reasons for complementary medicine products recommendations and physiological actions; and 3) sharing experiences of complementary medicine products use with other mothers appeared to help women understand what to expect when taking complementary medicine products, support social-emotional wellbeing and encourage participants to look after their own health. Participants strongly expressed the desire for their mainstream biomedical health care practitioners to be more informed in, and open to, complementary medicine product use in pregnancy and breastfeeding., Key Conclusions: Participants' high health literacy skills may have influenced them to seek comprehensive information on complementary medicine products from a variety of professional and lay sources. Their use of complementary medicine products in pregnancy and breastfeeding was a natural consequence from previous positive experiences with complementary medicine products and/or therapies., Implications for Practice: Maternity care practitioners can positively enhance their interactions with pregnant or breastfeeding women who use complementary medicine products by respectfully discussing use within the context of these women's values and health goals, and by furthering their own education in complementary medicine products' safety, efficacy and indications in pregnancy and breastfeeding., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: complementary and Alternative Medicine use during pregnancy is popular in many countries, including Australia. There is currently little evidence to support this practice, which raises the question of women's motivation for use of these therapies and the experiences they encounter., Objective: this study aims to explore the perceptions, motivations and experiences of pregnant women with regard to their use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine during pregnancy., Methods: a systemic review and meta-synthesis of the available research was conducted. Five databases were explored - CINAHL Plus, Medline, PubMed, AMED and Web of Science using the search terms complementary and alternative medicine; pregnancy; and pregnant. Articles included in this meta-synthesis were screened using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses tool., Findings: ten initial themes were drawn from the six studies. These ten themes were summarised by three cluster themes. The results suggest that women are using Complementary and Alternative Medicine in their pregnancy as a means of supporting their sense of self-determination, to pursue a natural and safe childbirth, and because they experience a close affiliation with the philosophical underpinnings of Complementary and Alternative Medicine as an alternative to the biomedical model., Conclusion: these findings are important to practitioners, policy makers, governing bodies and researchers, providing insight into the motivations for Complementary and Alternative Medicine use by women in pregnancy., (Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is commonplace in Australia with massage being a popular CAM modality., Methods: This is a sub-study from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH). A total of 2120 mid-age (56-61 year old) women who consulted a CAM practitioner were invited to participate in this study. The Short-Form (SF-36) questionnaire was used to measure women's health-related quality of life., Results: A total of 1800 women returned the questionnaire generating a response rate of 85.0%. Overall, 912 (50.7%) women visited a massage therapist in the previous 12 months. Women with lower quality of life scores in terms of bodily pain (p = 0.012) and/or emotional health (p = 0.029) were more likely to consult a massage therapist than those with higher scores., Conclusion: The implications of these associations are important for informing healthcare providers in providing effective and coordinated care for patients with pain and mood symptoms., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Health psychology represents a context within which massage therapy research, education, and practice can be positioned for the mutual benefit of both. Furthermore, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) more often than not plays a mediating role in relating massage therapy to health psychology. On occasion, though, the linkage between health psychology and massage therapy can be quite direct without the mediating influence of CAM. This paper, accordingly, advances a conceptual model via both flowchart and Venn diagram displays for viewing the health psychology context for massage therapy with the possibility of CAM as a mediating factor. Attention is also given to the broad range of issues constituting contemporary health psychology as well as its correspondence to an equally diverse array of client populations and health conditions addressed in massage therapy research. Future directions in the areas of health psychology, CAM, and massage therapy are proposed with a view toward a mutual and reciprocal benefit accruing to these behavioral and health science arenas., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: this paper presents the findings from a qualitative study that aimed to explain the processes midwives engaged in when considering the use of complementary and alternative medicine by pregnant women., Design: grounded theory methodology was employed for the study. Data was generated from in-depth interviews and non-participant observation of midwives interacting with expectant mothers. Twenty-five midwives who worked in four hospitals and associated community clinics in Victoria, Australia, participated., Findings: the theory 'Navigating a safe path together' offers a possible explanation of how midwives are responding. When working with women interested in the use of complementary and alternative medicine, midwives move through an iterative process of individualising pregnancy care, encountering diverse perspectives and minimising the risks associated with childbearing., Key Conclusion: at the heart of the theory is the meaning midwives' construct around safe childbirth and their professional roles. Despite widespread support for the therapies, midwives' actions in clinical practice are mediated by a number of factors including the context of their professional work, their beliefs and knowledge, and the woman's expectation and health., Implications for Practice: the research highlights the need for improved education and greater professional guidance to equip midwives to respond with greater understanding, and confidence to the increasing prevalence of CAM in the maternity setting., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Unlabelled: Little is known about relationships between quality of care (QoC) and use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among patients with lung cancer (LC)., Purpose: This study examines CAM-use among patients with LC in Sweden, associations between QoC and CAM-use among these patients, and reported aspects of LC-care perceived as particularly positive and negative by patients, as well as suggestions for improving QoC., Methods: Survey data from 94 patient members of the Swedish LC patient organization about CAM-use and QoC as measured by the instrument "Quality from the patient's perspective" were analyzed., Results: Fifty (53%) LC-patients used CAM, with 40 of the CAM-users reporting that CAM helped them. The most common CAMs used were dietary supplements and natural remedies, followed by prayer. Significantly more patients reported using prayer and meditation for cure than was the case for other types of CAM used. Less than half the CAM-users reported having spoken with staff from the biomedical health care system about their CAM-use. Patients provided numerous suggestions for improving LC-care in a variety of areas, aiming at a more effective and cohesive care trajectory. No differences in QoC were found between CAM-users and non-CAM-users, but differences in CAM-use i.e. type of CAM, reasons for using CAM, and CAM-provider consulted could be associated with different experiences of care., Conclusions: It is important to recognize that CAM-users are not a homogeneous group but might seek different types of CAMs and CAM-providers in different situations depending on experiences of care., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The aim of the study was to examine patient-reported symptoms and self-care strategies in Thai patients with cancer., Methods: The study was descriptive using a cross-sectional design. It was carried out at the National Cancer Institute, Thailand (Bangkok; Lopburi). 202 patients undergoing combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy (RT-CT), n=52; or CT alone, n=103; or RT alone, n=47 participated. Data was collected with the use of a 25-item Therapy-Related Symptom Checklist, TRSC (Thai); a Self-Care Method scale; the Karnofsky Scale, and a Health Data form., Results: Patients on combined RT-CT reported more symptoms on the TRSC, with greater severity than those receiving RT or CT alone (F=7.2; p<0.01); and lower Karnofsky score (F=4.2, p<0.05); Karnofsky and TRSC scores were inversely correlated. Using complementary care categories, self-care methods reported were six types: (a) Diet/nutrition/life-style changes (e.g. modify food) to manage Eating and Fatigue symptoms; (b) Mind/Body Control to relieve Fatigue and other symptoms; (c) Biologic treatment (e.g. vitamins) for eating difficulties; (d) Herbal treatments for hair loss; (e) Other methods, and (f) taking prescribed medicines to control pain and other symptoms. Some patients reported "doing nothing" as coping., Conclusions: Self-care including complementary care use as an adjunct to cancer treatments could help patients deal with the side effects of therapy. Assessment of symptoms using the TRSC (Thai) version and their alleviation could enable the health care providers to enhance patients' coping during cancer treatments., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships between quality of life and use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among Turkish cancer patients., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Istanbul University Institute of Oncology, Turkey. Two-hundred patients were invited and informed consent was obtained, however 179 cancer patients completed the study. The Patient Characteristics form, The Nightingale Symptom Assessment Scale and The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale were used in the evaluation of the patients' characteristics and quality of life., Results: Some form of CAM had been used by 71.5% of the sample. Frequently used CAM methods appeared to be religious practices (68.2%) and only 37.4% of the patients used herbs. However, female patients, single patients, and individuals with metastatic disease and worse quality of life showed a tendency to use CAM more often. More than one-third of our patients began to use CAM immediately after being diagnosed with cancer and factors associated with CAM use varied according to the type of CAM. Although CAM use did not affect the patients' quality of life, logistic regression analysis revealed that gender, type of cancer diagnosis and education level were important factors to be considered in different CAM therapies., Conclusion: CAM use is common in cancer patients in Turkey. More discussion about CAM use should take place between patients and health professionals to inform the patients' decisions.

Unlabelled: To identify the effects of mindfulness meditation on older adults with chronic low back pain (CLBP), we conducted a qualitative study based on grounded theory and used content analysis of diary entries from older adults who had participated in a clinical trial of an 8-week mindfulness meditation program. Participants were 27 adults > or = 65 years of age with CLBP of at least moderate severity and of at least 3 months duration. We found several themes reflecting the beneficial effects of mindfulness meditation on pain, attention, sleep, and achieving well-being. Various methods of pain reduction were used, including distraction, increased body awareness leading to behavior change, better pain coping, and direct pain reduction through meditation. Participants described improved attention skills. A number of participants reported improved sleep latency as well as quality of sleep. Participants described achieving well-being during and after a meditation session that had immediate effects on mood elevation but also long-term global effects on improved quality of life. Several themes were identified related to pain reduction, improved attention, improved sleep, and achieving well-being resulting from mindfulness meditation that suggest it has promising potential as a nonpharmacologic treatment of chronic pain for older adults., Perspective: Community-dwelling older adults with chronic low back pain experience numerous benefits from mindfulness meditation including less pain, improved attention, better sleep, enhanced well-being, and improved quality of life. Additional research is needed to determine how mindfulness meditation works and how it might help with other chronic illnesses.

There is increasing recognition that people with diabetes use a range of complementary therapies (CT), for a number of conditions, but do not always inform their conventional health practitioners about their use. Controlling blood glucose levels in people with diabetes is important to reduce the consequent metabolic abnormalities and symptoms and the incidence of long-term complications. Conventional medical and nursing practitioners often incorrectly assume that they are used to control blood glucose levels, e.g. using herbal medicines to increase insulin production or reduce insulin resistance. CT can be beneficial for people with diabetes. They can also lead to adverse events. This paper describes the outcome of monitoring complementary therapy use in our diabetic outpatient services in 2001, the results of a focus group (n=10) to explore issues identified in the monitoring process and a survey undertaken with a convenience sample of diabetes educators (n=40). Twenty percent of patients used CT and there were three adverse events in the monitoring phase. Eight of the 10 focus group participants used CT and 16 of the diabetes educators used CT in patient care. Only one had a complementary therapy qualification.

This paper describes aspects of a study that was conducted to determine women's needs for information related to laparoscopy for endometriosis. Sixty-one women attended focus groups, during which they described endometriosis as a disease of multiple losses: of relationships, of career and of a sense of self-worth. The women indicated that the pathway to diagnosis and treatment had been long and unnecessarily difficult. Many women said that they had reached a point where they decided enough was enough: the medical merry-go-round had to finish. They had to become assertive, take control and decide for themselves how they were going to manage their disease and their quality of life. For all but one woman in the study, complementary therapies were vital. For some women, alternative therapies had replaced allopathic medicine completely. Complementary/alternative therapies were a mechanism for regaining control.

Five focus groups (five female non-users; five male non-users; seven males, both users and non-users; seven female users; six male and female users) were conducted to get an idea of lay people's knowledge and attitudes to CAM. In each group, run by the same experienced moderator, various topics were systematically explored: knowledge of CAM treatments; attitudes towards CAM; personal experience of CAM; suggestions for bringing CAM into wider use. Results showed participants had self-confessed ignorance about homeopathy and also that their ideas and beliefs were not internally coherent. Suggestions about using this methodology are considered.

The use of complementary therapies is fast growing in the UK, but their place within health care is still unclear. This study explored the views of families using a specific complementary therapy in the care of their brain-injured children, and of professionals involved in the care of the children. The findings revealed an interesting comparison of views about the use of complementary therapies and attitudes towards their use.

Complementary therapies, within Health Service arenas, have traditionally been associated with 'naturalistic' approaches to health care provision rather than with 'reductionist' practices. Evidence does exist, however, that certain approaches to complementary therapies can exist comfortably within both camps. Subsequent debates within nursing literature, surrounding the place and validity of reductionist approaches to health care provision and their relationship with the 'counter-part' naturalistic (i.e. empowerment) approaches to health care, have existed for some time now. Naturalistic (inductive and interpretive) and reductionistic (deductive and fixed) classifications of health care provision have continued to be viewed, by many health care professionals, as apposite, divided and allopathic. This appears to be even more so recently where elements of reductionist health care have been portrayed in terms that serve to undervalue and undermine its contribution. This is whilst naturalistic approaches, in far more favourable terms, have gone on to be 'championed' by many health professions. This account sets out to investigate how this situation impacts upon the discipline of complementary therapies. It seeks to do so by defining the nature and purpose of these differing approaches - particularly within the boundaries of health promotion activities. It goes on to suggest that our current practices/viewpoints, related to these particular approaches, could be considered in themselves to be flawed, limiting and reductionist with a potential to unwittingly create a counterproductive practice ethic. As an alternative to this situation, it is suggested that by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of both stances it is possible to find common ground which marries together the more favourable aspects of these approaches. This can subsequently provide a clearer and more productive consensus for complementary therapies and other naturalistic-based practices to move forward.