News Release

New study shows high use of complementary therapies by cancer inpatients

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

<i>The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine</i>

image: The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine is a monthly peer-reviewed journal publishing observational, clinical, and scientific reports and commentary intended to help healthcare professionals and scientists evaluate and integrate therapies into patient care protocols and research strategies. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine website. view more 

Credit: ©Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers

New Rochelle, NY, December 2, 2015--Patients hospitalized for cancer treatment commonly use complementary and integrative health (CIH) approaches such as nutritional supplements, special diets, and massage according to a new study. More than 95% of patients expressed interest in at least one of these types of therapies if offered during their hospital stay, as reported in the article published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available to download for free on The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine website until January 2, 2016.

In the article "Improving Patient-Centered Care: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Prior Use and Interest in Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches Among Hospitalized Oncology Patients", Rhianon Liu and Maria Chao, DrPH, University of California, San Francisco, Osher Center for Integrative Medicine evaluated the use of 12 different CIH approaches by patients in a surgical oncology ward. The most commonly used were vitamins/nutritional supplements (67%), a special diet (42%), and manual therapies such as massage or acupressure (39%).

The study also assessed patient interest in seven different CIH approaches if they were offered, and more than 40% of patients expressed interest in each treatment, including nutritional counseling (77%) and massage (76%). About half of participants were interested in acupuncture, biofeedback, and mindfulness meditation.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health under Award Numbers T32AT003997, K01AT006545, and K24AT007827, and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, under Award Number KL2TR00143.The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

About the Journal

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine is a monthly peer-reviewed journal publishing observational, clinical, and scientific reports and commentary intended to help healthcare professionals and scientists evaluate and integrate therapies into patient care protocols and research strategies. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Alternative and Complementary Therapies, Medical Acupuncture, and Journal of Medicinal Food. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.

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