July 3, 2000 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- In the first study by outpatient cancer centers to look at complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use, researchers say the results weren't what they expected. The study found 83 percent of cancer patients at one institution had used at least one complementary and alternative medicine therapy.

They found the most commonly used CAM therapy was spiritual practice, followed by vitamins and herbs and movement and physical therapies. When spiritual practices and psychotherapy were excluded from the study, the number of patients using CAM dropped to 69 percent. The majority of patients using this approach are well-educated women who received chemotherapy.

Most patients in the study say they expected the CAM to improve their quality of life. Others hoped to boost their immune system, prolong their lives and relieve symptoms. Still others had high expectations that the therapy would cure their disease. Despite their high expectations, 65 percent did not tell their oncologist about using the therapy.

At the University of Michigan there are currently three studies underway looking at the effectiveness of complimentary medicine. The studies look at the use of Japanese Reiki, the use of Chinese Qigong and the use of an herbal supplement extracted from the hawthorn tree. They also recently performed a study looking at patients' belief patterns. Patients who were over the age of 50 and had a coronary artery bypass surgery were used in this study. Preliminary data shows patients who have some type of belief system recover better. Dr. Bolling says it did not matter if they were Catholic, Jewish or any other major religion or if they had some other type of personal belief system. He says those who prayed during the post-operative period did the best.

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(From HEalthWorld Online)