OP/ED: Making choices between treatments or practitioners without solid comparative information. Using products of unknown quality, safety and efficacy from Internet websites or local drug sellers. These are some of the many challenges we face as consumers of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM). I recently participated in a WHO workshop in Macao SAR, China, on consumer education and TCAM. Read more
Tags: CAM, China, consumer, David Finer, drugs, education, efficacy, empowerment, health literacy, herbals, information, integrative care, integrative medicine, involvement, Johanna Hök, Macao, medicines, patient, patient safety, pharmaceuticals, quality, research, safety, self-care, TCAM, TM, Torkel Falkenberg, WHO, World Health OrganizationWomen do not integrate conventional and alternative medicine because they think it is a romantic or rebellious thing to do. They do it because they must. Health providers, after all, do not build any bridges. A diary study from Australian reveals the pragmatic approach of older women towards medical pluralism. Researchers view them as role models for all of us as consumers of the future. Read more
Tags: allopathic medicine, alternative medicine, attitude, Australia, autenticity, biomedicine, BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, bridging gaps, CAM, complementary and alternative medicine, David Finer, diaries, disease, empowerment, gender, health, home remedies, independence, integrative care, integrative medicine, Internet, knowledge, lay activism, lay knowledge, mass media, meaning, medical pluralism, narrative analysis, natural, nature, network, networking, old wives tales, patient-doctor communication, personalised medicine, pragmatism, qualitative study, resistance, responsibility, self-care, TM, traditonal medicine, wellbeing, women, women´s health