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Table 4 Type of CAM use and perceived helpfulness by CAM users during chemotherapy
| Type of CAM | N | Perceived helpfulness | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not helpful | Neither | Helpful | ||
| n (%) | ||||
| Prayer-for-health | 310 | 1 (0.3) | 12 (3.9) | 297 (95.9) |
| Mind-Body Practices N = 183 | ||||
| Relaxation exercise | 67 | - | 10 (14.9) | 57 (85.1) |
| Massage | 60 | - | 7 (11.7) | 53 (88.3) |
| Meditation | 52 | 2 (3.8) | 6 (11.5) | 44 (84.6) |
| Tai Chi | 33 | - | - | 33 (100) |
| Yoga | 29 | - | 3 (10.3) | 26 (89.6) |
| Therapeutic/healing touch | 24 | 2 (8.3) | 8 (33.3) | 14 (58.3) |
| Aromatherapy | 17 | - | 1 (5.9) | 16 (94.1) |
| Reiki | 15 | - | 5 (33.3) | 10 (66.7) |
| Cupping/bekam | 4 | - | - | 4 (100) |
| Acupuncture | 4 | - | 2 (50.0) | 2 (50) |
| Natural Products N = 299 | ||||
| Vitamin & mineral supplement | 168 | 4 (2.4) | 32 (19.0) | 132 (78.6) |
| Cleansing detoxifying diet | 68 | 6 (8.8) | 13 (19.1) | 49 (72.0) |
| Antioxidant capsule/tablet | 61 | 4 (6.6) | 20 (32.8) | 37 (60.6) |
| Cactus juice† | 47 | - | 15 (31.9) | 32 (68.1) |
| Spirulina | 43 | 3 (7.0) | 10 (23.3) | 30 (69.7) |
| Protein powder† | 28 | - | 6 (21.4) | 22 (78.6) |
| Herb | 25 | 2 (8.0) | 4 (16.0) | 19 (76.0) |
| Royal jelly | 20 | 4 (20.0) | 5 (25.0) | 11 (55.0) |
| Chlorella | 17 | - | 9 (52.9) | 8 (47.0) |
| Immune Booster† | 17 | - | 6 (35.3) | 11 (64.7) |
| Lingzhi | 16 | - | 2 (12.5) | 14 (88.0) |
| Bird nest | 16 | 6 (37.5) | 9 (56.2) | 1 (6.2) |
| Ginseng | 14 | - | - | 14 (88.0) |
| Grape seed extract† | 14 | - | 2 (14.3) | 12 (85.7) |
| Mangosteen juice† | 13 | - | 6 (46.2) | 7 (53.8) |
| Porcupine date† | 11 | - | 8 (72.7) | 3 (27.3) |
| Noni juice† | 10 | - | 4 (40.0) | 6 (60.6) |
| Aloe vera† | 10 | - | 4 (40.0) | 6 (60.0) |
| Shark cartilage | 7 | - | - | 7 (100.0) |
| Enzyme† | 6 | - | 2 (33.3) | 4 (66.7) |
| Jamu | 1 | - | - | 1 (100.0) |
| Traditional Medicine N = 129 | ||||
| Traditional Malay/indigenous medicine | 96 | 8 (8.3) | 12 (12.5) | 76 (79.2) |
| Traditional Chinese medicine | 24 | - | 5 (20.8) | 19 (79.1) |
| Homeopathy | 11 | - | 4 | 7 (63.6) |
