Complementary And Alternative Medicine Use Among Breast Cancer Patients In A Tertiary Hospital In Malaysia

The Use of Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a common phenomenon among women with breast cancer in Malaysia. This study examines the prevalence, types, influencing factors and source of information regarding CAM among women with breast cancer, using a cross sectional research design. A purposive sampling was used to recruit 103 women with breast cancer who were attending follow up care at the Radiotherapy and Oncology unit of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre. Data was gathered through the use of self–administered questionnaires. Ninety one women identified themselves as CAM users while twelve were non users. Among the CAM users, 57(62.6%) were Malays, 27(29.7%) Chinese and 7(7.7%) Indians. The common types of CAM used were vitamins, nutritional supplements and traditional medicines (TM). CAM was used more frequently upon diagnosis (63.7%) and after completion of conventional treatment (97.8%). With regard to decision-making, most of the women (62.6%) did not make the decision to use CAM and were mostly influenced by their husband and mother (67%). Mother (71.4%), husband (67%), and relatives (56%) were the main sources of information and all values showed significant association with CAM use (p<0.05). Prevalence of CAM use, especially TM, was high among the Malay and Chinese ethnic groups. The lack of autonomy in decision-making by the women was the major reason for the use of CAM. The effectiveness and safety of using TM upon diagnosis and in combination with conventional cancer treatment are of concern to the breast surgeons, oncologist and the health care team.

Riverine Communities and Waterborne Diseases in South Eastern Nigeria

Waterborne diseases (WBDs) have continued to be a major health threat to people living in many underdeveloped countries due to absence of basic infrastructure, especially water and health care facilities. In this study we report the findings of an investigation into waterborne diseases amongst the riverine communities in Anambra State, South Eastern Nigeria. A survey of 1200 heads of household using a questionnaire and 600 hospital records were reviewed. A major concern of the study was to identify socio-economic and cultural factors that drive the epidemiology of such diseases. Findings revealed significant differences in the prevalence of waterborne diseases within and between the communities, implicating education levels of the head of household, occupation, and source of water used. The study recommends the provision of community health education through trained community health workers and provision of functional and accessible health care services as a primary means of combating water borne diseases.