Integrating complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) into standard hospice and palliative care.
In the United States, there are 629 million visits to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) providers each year. Many adults appear to value both conventional and CAM approaches. Because of this public interest and promising evidence that CAM relieves suffering and improves quality of life, we established a program of CAM, known as Integrative Palliative Care (IPC), in a US hospice. This paper outlines our strategy of collaborative relationships with community schools of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), massage, and harp therapy. It also describes the use of volunteers and small grants and donations to develop and maintain a program of CAM in the hospice setting. The difficulties of research design, problems with tracking outcomes, and the shortcomings of providing therapies with this model are discussed.
Lewis
Charles R
CR
Center for Palliative Studies, San Diego Hospice, San Diego, California, USA.
de Vedia
Ana
A
Reuer
Barbara
B
Schwan
Rodney
R
Tourin
Christina
C
D019341:Aromatherapy; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000379:methods*; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D009147:Music Therapy; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D019124:Therapeutic Touch; D014481:United States