Cancer patients'attitudes towards Chinese medicine: a Hong Kong survey

Background This article reports a survey conducted in Hong Kong on the cancer patients'attitudes towards Chinese medicine treatment. Methods Cancer patients from three Chinese medicine clinics and one oncology clinic were interviewed with a structured questionnaire.

Results Of a total of 786 participants included in the study, 42.9% used Western medicine only; 57.1% used at least one form of Chinese medicine; 5 participants used Chinese medicine only; and 56.5% used Chinese medicine before/during/after Western medicine treatment. Commonly used Western medicine and Chinese medicine treatments included chemotherapy (63.7%), radiotherapy (62.0%), surgery (57.6%), Chinese herbal medicine (53.9%) and Chinese dietary therapy (9.5%).

Participants receiving chemotherapy used Chinese medicine (63.3%) more than those receiving any other Western medicine treatments. Spearman correlation coefficients showed that the selection of Chinese medicine was associated with the cancer type (rs=-1.36; P<0.001), stage (rs=0.178; P<0.001), duration (rs=-0.074; P=0.037), whether receiving chemotherapy (rs=0.165; P<0.001) and palliative therapy (rs=0.087; P=0.015).

Nearly two-thirds of the participants (N=274) did not tell their physicians about using Chinese medicine. Over two-thirds of all participants (68.2%) believed that integrated Chinese and Western medicine was effective.Conclusion Chinese medicine is commonly used among Hong Kong cancer patients.

The interviewed cancer patients in Hong Kong considered integrative Chinese and Western medicine is an effective cancer treatment.

Author: Yuen-chi LamChung-wah ChengHeng PengChun-Key LawXian-zhang HuangZhao-xiang Bian
Credits/Source: Chinese Medicine 2009, 4:25

Published on: 2009-12-30

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Comments Page 1 of 1

Afshin Mokhtari

Posted 210 days ago

Although the article mentions that chemo patients used Chinese medicine (63.3%) more than those receiving any other Western medicine treatments, it doesnt tell you why.
I can tell you why: Chinese medicine is excellent for the side effects of chemotherapy. You get relief from nausea, vomit, etc... pretty much right away - and because of the immediacy of the relief, its easy to believe in it.
Whats harder for people to understand is that Chinese Med could address all the other problems too, but those results arent as quick to see - so its easy to doubt.
- Afshin Mokhtari, L.Ac.
www.-qi-harmony.com

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