EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 PM ET, December 13, 2010
Many Brain Tumor Patients Use Homeopathy, Alternative Treatments
ST. PAUL, Minn. -
Many people with incurable use alternative therapies, such as taking vitamins and homeopathy, in addition to their conventional treatments, according to a study published in the December 14, 2010, print issue of Neurology庐, the medical journal of the . About 40 percent of brain tumor patients in the study used alternative therapies including homeopathic remedies, vitamin supplements and psychological therapy. 鈥淭he use of these alternative treatments may be largely overlooked and underestimated,鈥 said study author Oliver Heese, MD, and neurosurgeon with the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany. 鈥淒octors need to be aware of patients鈥 desire to seek alternative treatments and encourage an open discussion of options. Their guidance may be much appreciated, especially when some treatments are dubious, expensive or potentially harmful.鈥 The study involved 621 people with incurable grade II to grade IV gliomas who completed questionnaires about their use of alternative therapies. Alternative therapy was defined as methods or compounds not used in routine clinical practice and not scientifically evaluated. Younger people, women, and those with more education were more likely to use alternative treatments than older people, men and those with less education. 鈥淭he majority of people are turning to alternative treatments not because they are dissatisfied with their conventional care, but because they wish to add something beneficial to their care,鈥 Heese said. From a list of reasons for using alternative treatments, the most commonly chosen responses were 鈥渢o support conventional therapy,鈥 鈥渢o build up body resistance鈥 and 鈥渢o do something for the treatment by myself.鈥 The least commonly chosen responses were 鈥渂ecause I am afraid of the conventional methods鈥 and 鈥渂ecause the physicians don鈥檛 have enough time.鈥 Of those who used alternative treatments, 39 percent used homeopathy, 31 percent used vitamin supplements and 29 percent used various psychological methods. The study was conducted by the German Glioma Network, supported by the German Cancer Aid.