title: Patients' views of CAM as spiritual practice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This paper explores Danish cancer patients' narratives on spiritual beliefs, practices and the relationship these practices may have to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
  
  
  METHODS
  Narrative inquiry was used to understand how spiritual beliefs and practices might be related to CAM. Thirty-two cancer patients, family, friends and alternative practitioners were followed up over a two year period by face to face interview, telephone and focus groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although religious and spiritual issues were not manifestly expressed by many of the subjects, these issues were significantly elaborated upon in narratives by four female participants to warrant more detailed consideration and analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is suggested that for some cancer patients CAM may function, not just as a treatment for cancer related symptoms and side effects, but also as a form of spiritual practice. For some individuals a belief in the 'spiritual' role of CAM per se may be analogous to religious belief.
authors: Institute of Health Promotion, University of Southern Denmark, Esbjerg. aulrich@mail.dk
authors: Anita
authors: A
authors: Ulrich
authors: Lotte
authors: L
authors: Evron
authors: Ann
authors: A
authors: Ostenfeld-Rosenthal
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires