Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine by Chinese Individuals Living with Cancer in British Columbia

Abstract

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widely used around the world for cancer. Preliminary research indicates that cultural factors influence cancer patients' decisions to use, with significant associations seen between ethnicity and prevalence and type of CAM use. To enhance a culturally-appropriate understanding of CAM use in Chinese cancer patients in BC, this study explored a sample of Chinese cancer patients to gain: (1) the general conceptualization of CAM use; (2) the meaning of CAM use in relation to cancer; (3) the patterns of CAM use prior to and after cancer diagnosis; (4) the reasons for CAM use; and (5) the socio-cultural process in making decision about CAM use. A naturalistic, descriptive study design was used that incorporated semistructural ethnographic interviewing and qualitative data analysis. The results of this study provide insights about the pattern, reasons, meaning, as well as cultural and socioeconomic factors underpinning the use of CAM. The CAM decision-making (DM) process was found to be nonlinear and comprised of four distinct phases: fitting with the cultural belief framework/ lifestyle, seeking information and clarification, evaluating the effectiveness of CAM use, and balancing the cost and benefits of CAM use.

Perceptions about complementary and alternative medicine use among Chinese immigrant parents of children with cancer

“…While these herbs are considered as a type of TCM, not all parents viewed them as medicinal because the use of tonic food is a natural part of Chinese cultural practice. A similar finding is reported in another study conducted with Chinese adult cancer patients where participants did not consider TCM a form of CAM [20]. Even though parents in our study were cautious about the danger of toxicity when TCM is used together with chemotherapy or during active treatment, given that there is some overlap between the ingredients in an Eastern diet and what is considered as tonic food or TCM, many parents self-administer Chinese tonic foods daily to maintain their child's health without feeling the need to inform their healthcare providers because they did not think that they are administering TCM.…”

“…Thus, it is not surprising that Chinese parents described using tonic food to restore balance and nurture child's health after treatment, particularly as treatment was perceived as weakening the body's energy (qi). The use of herbal remedies and supplements is consistent with other studies conducted with the Chinese population [7,20,24]. While these herbs are considered as a type of TCM, not all parents viewed them as medicinal because the use of tonic food is a natural part of Chinese cultural practice.…”

“…Despite this growing diversity, limited research has examined the impact of ethnicity on CAM use among immigrants [18][19][20][21][22]. These studies indicated that ethnic differences and cultural factors influence the frequency and type of CAM used in adults; with herbal medicine, a form of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), being mostly used by Chinese people [18][19][20][21][22]. Chinese individuals were of particular interest to our research team because they were the largest visible minority group in Canada in the 2006 Census [23].…”

The impact of acculturation on the use of traditional Chinese medicine in newly diagnosed Chinese cancer patients

“…Guided by the qualitative findings of Chiu et al [9], the 10 TCM/CAM most commonly cited modalities during the interviews were included as a list on the questionnaire designed for this study. The list was reviewed by the experts in TCM on the research team.…”

“…In an exploratory investigation using an ethnographic interview methodology, Chiu et al [9] conducted a qualitative study to better understand the perspectives and practices of TCM and other CAM among Chinese cancer patients in British Columbia, Canada. All participants used at least one form of TCM; however, some patients did not relate TCM to CAM, as they perceived TCM to be part of their daily lives.…”