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Many Women with Depression Use CAM Therapies, Study Says
A recent study found that more than half of women with depression use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The study, published in the March 2007 issue of Psychiatric Services, focused specifically on manual therapies, such as chiropractic treatments, massage, and acupressure; herbs; and vitamins. The researchers assessed a multiethnic sample of 220 women with depression as part of a nationally representative telephone survey of 3,068 women.
The researchers found the 54% of these women with depression reported past-year use of CAM. African-American women were less likely to use CAM therapies in general, compared with non-Hispanic white women. Other factors significantly associated with CAM use in general included being employed, being single, and having self-perceived poor health.
The relationships between the sociodemographic factors and use of each of the three individually examined types of therapies differed from their relationships with use of CAM in general, the researchers say. The reasons the women most commonly cited for using these therapies included wanting treatments to be based on a "natural approach," wanting treatments to be congruent with their own values and beliefs, and past experiences in which conventional medical therapies had caused unpleasant side effects or had seemed ineffective.
Mental health and other health professionals need to increase their own awareness of the types of CAM therapies that their patients may be using and to improve communication with their patients about the benefits and potential risks of these therapies, the researchers conclude.
Study Investigates Use of CAM Therapies by Women Living with Lung Cancer
The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies by women with lung cancer varies according to the women's symptoms and symptom burden, says a study published in the January/February 2007 issue of Cancer Nursing.
The study looked at types and frequencies of specific CAM therapies used by women with lung cancer to manage symptoms, and examined differences in demographic and clinical characteristics between CAM users and non-CAM users. Participants included 189 women with non-small cell lung cancer and one or more of eight symptoms.
The researchers found that 44% (84 women) used CAM therapies, including prayer (34.9%), meditation (11.6%), tea (11.6%), herbs (9.0%), massage (6.9%), and acupuncture (2.6%). CAM use was greatest for difficulty breathing and pain (54.8% each), with prayer the most commonly used CAM for all symptoms.
Significant differences were found for age, symptom frequency, and geographic location. Women who were younger, experienced more symptoms, and lived on the West Coast or South (vs. Northeast) were more likely to use CAM.
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