scholarly journals Awareness, perception, attitude, and knowledge regarding complementary and alternative medicines (cams) among the pharmacy and medical students of a public university in Saudi Arabia

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rizwan Ahmad ◽  
AttaA Naqvi ◽  
Niyaz Ahmad ◽  
Mohamed Baraka ◽  
Mohammad Mastour ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Public University ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

scholarly journals Awareness, Self-Use, Perceptions, Beliefs, and Attitudes toward Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAM) among Health Professional Students in King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Aslam Khan ◽  
Mohamed Eldigre Ahmed ◽  
Ahmed Aldarmahi ◽  
Syed Faisal Zaidi ◽  
Ahmad M. Subahi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Health Professional ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Professional Students ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Health Professional Students ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Background. Around 75% of the world’s population relies on the use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) for their healthcare. Thus, we aimed at assessing the attitude and perception of health professional students about CAM and correlate the results with their demographical data. Methods. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, by enrolling 350 students. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. Results. Results of our data suggested that majority of students were aware of the CAM modalities and considered prayers/spirituality (83.6%), massage (72.5%), nutritional supplements (74.1%), cupping (68.5%), herbal medicine (66.2), and yoga (61.6%) as most effective and least harmful CAM modalities. The students acquired more information about CAM from media (55%), books (56%), friends/relatives (59.7%), and other health professionals (58.4%), however, very little information from formal CAM courses or training (36.7%), which shows the lack of courses and trained health professional in the field of CAM. Despite utilizing nonreliable sources of CAM information, the majority of students had positive attitudes and perceptions about CAM usage. Majority of the students (75.8%) believe in the use of CAM for the mental and spiritual aspect of health and think that CAM providers give good information on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The data also showed a significant P<0.05 association between awareness about CAM and gender. A significantly higher percentage of female students were using yoga and aromatherapy, while cupping was mostly used by male students. Similarly, a significant association was found among the different colleges and level of students in most of the CAM modalities. However, no association was found between the awareness and use of CAM with the educational level of parents or relatives in health sector except for acupuncture and cupping, where student’s awareness about acupuncture and cupping was found to have a significant positive association with mother educational level. On the other hand, a significant inverse association was found between acupuncture, yoga, cupping, and aromatherapy with family income. Conclusion. In conclusion, despite the lack of proper courses and professionally trained healthcare providers in the field of CAM, students demonstrated positive attitudes and beliefs toward the safety and effectiveness of CAM.

scholarly journals Factors influencing referral delay of cancer patients to an oncology unit in the Southern Region of Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 025-030
Author(s):  
Al Zahrani Ali M ◽  
Ali Hatim M ◽  
Ahmed Shaza A ◽  
Abdelakher Ahmed M ◽  
Al Zahrani Asma A ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Health Facility ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Southern Region ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Cancer Symptoms ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Level 1 ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Introduction: Cancer treatment and prognosis depend heavily on early detection. Survival in the early stages is excellent for almost all types of cancer. Unfortunately, in Saudi Arabia, a large number of cancer patients present with advanced disease, resulting in a poor prognosis. There are three levels of delay in the management of cancer patients. The first level is the time between the first cancer-related symptoms and the presentation to the health facility, the second level is from the presentation to the diagnosis, and the third level is between the diagnosis and the treatment. This study aims to determine if there is a delay, at what level and to study the factors causing such delays. Materials and methods: Two hundred cancer patients who presented to the Armed Forces Hospital Southern Region, Oncology Department, were interviewed from January 1st to June 30th, 2018. The interviews were conducted by trained physicians familiar with the questionnaire’s contents. The questionnaire consisted of four sections: a demographic section and three more sections to identify factors causing the delay at the three levels from the patients’ perspectives. All data were analyzed using the SPSS version 20.0. Results: The mean patient age was 63 years. A total of 112 patients were female and 88 were male. The most common cancer type was breast cancer (27.5%). Among the patients, 61% were illiterate and 25.5% had elementary school degrees, 86% expressed little or no general medical knowledge about cancer. More women than men paid attention to cancer symptoms (70% vs. 54%). 75% of the patients presented to the first health facility after 2 months from the first appearance of symptoms (level 1 delay). Only 2% of the patients presented within one week. 50% of the patients received a diagnosis after visiting two health facilities. All patients were diagnosed at hospitals. 40% of patients used alternative medicines, 70% of whom thought this was the cause of their delayed presentations. 67% had their diagnosis confirmed within one month (level 2 delay), and 66% started their definitive treatment within one month (level 3 delay). 75% of the patients blame themselves for the delay. Educational level (p = 0.03), knowledge about cancer (p < 0.01), and the use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) (p = 0.01) were significantly associated with delayed presentation of patients to the health facility. Conclusion: There is a delay in the presentation of cancer patients (level 1) in the southern part of Saudi Arabia. Educational level, knowledge of cancer symptoms, and use of complementary and alternative medicines are the main causes. There were no delays in diagnosis and start of treatment (level 2,3).

Integration and awareness of complementary and alternative medicines with psychotherapy

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendal Cassidy ◽  
Anastasia Bacca ◽  
Phillip Birk ◽  
Kristie A. Morales ◽  
Travis Heath
Keyword(s):  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

scholarly journals Herbal Medicine for Pain Management: Efficacy and Drug Interactions

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 251
Author(s):  
Behdad Jahromi ◽  
Iulia Pirvulescu ◽  
Kenneth D. Candido ◽  
Nebojsa Nick Knezevic
Keyword(s):  
Pain Management ◽  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Drug Interactions ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Complementary and alternative medicines such as herbal medicines are not currently part of the conventional medical system. As the popularity of and global market for herbal medicine grows among all age groups, with supporting scientific data and clinical trials, specific alternative treatments such as herbal medicine can be reclassified as a practice of conventional medicine. One of the most common conditions for which adults use herbal medicine is pain. However, herbal medicines carry safety concerns and may impact the efficacy of conventional therapies. Unfortunately, mechanisms of action are poorly understood, and their use is unregulated and often underreported to medical professionals. This review aims to compile common and available herbal medicines which can be used as an alternative to or in combination with conventional pain management approaches. Efficacy and safety are assessed through clinical studies on pain relief. Ensuing herb–drug interactions such as cytochrome modulation, additive and synergistic effects, and contraindications are discussed. While self-management has been recognized as part of the overall treatment strategy for patients suffering from chronic pain, it is important for practitioners to be able to also optimize and integrate herbal medicine and, if warranted, other complementary and alternative medicines into their care.

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