Advances in mind-body medicine
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Culturally defined healers operate in most of the world, and to various degrees, blend traditional healing practices with those of the dominant religion in the region. They practice more or less openly and more or less in conjunction with science-based health professionals. Nonindigenous peoples are seeking out these healers more often, especially for conditions that carry dire prognoses, such as cancer, and usually after science-based medicine has failed. Little is known about the medical outcomes of people who seek Native North American healing, which is thought by its practitioners to work largely through spiritual means. ⋯ The degree and intensity of spiritual transformation appeared related to the degree of physical and psychological change among people interacting with traditional North American Indigenous healers. Further research is warranted.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Massage for perioperative pain and anxiety in placement of vascular access devices.
Despite major advances in cancer treatment, many patients undergo painful procedures during treatment and suffer debilitating side effects as well as report a decrease in quality of life (QOL). This problem is exacerbated for low-income, racial, and ethnic minorities with cancer. Minority cancer patients often enter care with larger tumors and with a more aggressive disease, increasing the risk of debilitating symptoms, such as pain and anxiety. Researchers have never assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of offering massage therapy for low-income, underserved cancer patients who are undergoing port insertion. ⋯ Recruitment of low-income, minority patients into an RCT of massage therapy for perioperative pain and anxiety is feasible. Both massage therapy and structured attention proved beneficial for alleviating preoperative anxiety in cancer patients undergoing port placement.
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Chronic pain affects millions of Americans. Treating chronic pain can be difficult because it is a complex condition influenced by genetic makeup and physiological and psychological factors. The experience of major life events has also been found to affect the psychosocial functioning, health, and health behaviors of patients. Whereas the impact of major life events on the use of traditional medical practices has been explored, only one study to date has examined the relationship between major life events and use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). ⋯ The study found that individuals with chronic pain frequently use CAM therapies, especially those who had recently experienced a major life event. Major life events may motivate patients with chronic pain to seek out different forms of CAM as a way to manage their pain.