Table 3 Reasons for CAM use amongst 168 CAM users
From: Complementary and alternative medicine use amongst Malaysian orthopaedic oncology patients
Reasons for using CAM | All patients (N = 168) (%) | Malignant (N = 123) (%) | Benign (N = 45) (%) | P1 | Adults (N = 143) (%) | Paediatric (N = 25) (%) | P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Enhance overall health/physical well-being | 101 (60.1) | 80 (65.0) | 21 (46.7) | 0.03 | 87 (60.8) | 14 (56.0) | 0.648 |
Trying everything that can help | 100 (59.5) | 79 (64.2) | 21 (46.7) | 0.04 | 85 (59.4) | 15 (60.0) | 0.958 |
Enhance wound healing | 66 (39.3) | 42 (34.1) | 24 (53.3) | 0.02 | 58 (40.6) | 8 (32.0) | 0.419 |
Control disease progression | 54 (32.1) | 39 (31.7) | 15 (33.3) | 0.84 | 44 (30.8) | 10 (40.0) | 0.362 |
Boost immune system to fight disease | 46 (27.4) | 36 (29.3) | 10 (22.2) | 0.36 | 37 (25.9) | 9 (36.0) | 0.295 |
Alleviate disease symptoms/toxic effect of conventional therapy | 44 (26.2) | 29 (23.6) | 15 (33.3) | 0.2 | 36 (25.2) | 8 (32.0) | 0.474 |
Improve psychological well-being and finding hope | 30 (17.9) | 21 (17.1) | 9 (20.0) | 0.66 | 27 (18.9) | 3 (12.0) | 0.574 |
More compatible with own value/belief towards life and health | 26 (15.5) | 22 (17.9) | 4 (8.9) | 0.15 | 24 (16.8) | 2 (8.0) | 0.374 |
Allow to relax and helps in sleep | 24 (14.3) | 20 (16.3) | 4 (8.9) | 0.23 | 20 (14.0) | 4 (16.0) | 0.76 |
Seeking a cure | 23 (13.7) | 17 (13.8) | 6 (13.3) | 0.94 | 19 (13.3) | 4 (16.0) | 0.753 |
Complementary effect to conventional medicine | 21 (12.5) | 15 (12.2) | 6 (13.3) | 0.84 | 16 (11.2) | 5 (20.0) | 0.207 |
More control over own treatment | 15 (8.9) | 11 (8.9) | 4 (8.9) | 1 | 12 (8.4) | 3 (12.0) | 0.471 |
Conventional treatment is too toxic | 7 (4.2) | 6 (4.9) | 1 (2.2) | 0.68 | 6 (4.2) | 1 (4.0) | 1 |
Dissatisfied with conventional medicine | 4 (2.4) | 3 (2.4) | 1 (2.2) | 1 | 4 (2.8) | 0 | 1 |