title: "They're made in factories and not by witches on the allotment": a qualitative study of midlife women in the united kingdom, exploring their approaches to complementary and alternative medicines.
abstract: This article explores midlife women's experiences and approaches related to complementary and alternative therapies (CAMS). Ninety-six midlife women were asked about their use of CAMs as part of their overall approach to midlife health. Qualitative thematic analysis was combined with a case-based approach. Women set their experience of CAMs in the context of conventional medicine taking and discussed their safety and different uses. For treatments requiring direct contact with a practitioner, accessibility and quality of the relationship were crucial. Four overall approaches could be discerned (political-critical, pragmatic, careful and wellbeing-oriented) that dynamically interacted with women's experiences.
authors.affiliation: Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK. Antje.Lindenmeyer@warwick.ac.uk
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lindenmeyer
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jamie
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.forename: France
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Légaré
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom; D016387:Women's Health; D014932:Women's Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration