Biological & Life Science
Manuscript Writing
Biological & Life Science
New Insights into Complex Role of Mitochondria in Parkinson’s disease
Antibody Detection in Diagnosis of Schistosomiasis
Effects of Biomass Particle Size in Cellulosic Biofuel Production
Dissertation on Modelling Sugarcane Nitrogen Uptake Patterns
An Integrative Review on Complementary and Alternative Medicine
A Neuronal Trigger- Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress on Alzheimer’s Disease
An Integrative Review on Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Back pain is the most prevalent of musculoskeletal conditions, and back pain sufferers have been identified as high users of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Despite lacking evidence, CAM treatments (e.g., acupuncture, chiropractic, and massage) and CAM products (eg, vitamins, supplements, and aromatherapy oils) for back pain care have become widely available internationally, and CAM use by back pain sufferers has become a significant health service issue. However, to date, there has been no integrative review on CAM use for back pain.
Fig.1. Overview on Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Acupuncture, chiropractic, osteopathy, and massage therapy are the commonly used CAM treatments besides a range of self-prescribed CAM, and back pain sufferers use CAM alongside conventional medical treatments. Female gender, chronicity of back pain, and previous exposure to CAM are key predictors of CAM use for back pain as highlighted from the reviewed literature. Family, friends, and recommendation by doctors appear to influence decision making on CAM use for back pain. The review reveals that users of CAM for back pain tend to report CAM as beneficial, but there is little knowledge on communication between CAM users with back pain and health-care providers about such use. Existing literature is largely based on the research investigating CAM use for back pain among a range of other health conditions. Further rigorous research is needed to investigate the use of a wider range of CAM treatments, particularly self-prescribed CAM for back pain.
Conventional medical and CAM practitioners should be aware of back pain sufferers’ decision making regarding a range of CAM treatments and be prepared to communicate with patients on safe and effective CAM treatments for back pain.
