Skip to main content

Table 2 Use prevalence of commonly-used individual CAM modalities and CAM groupings, Long Island, New York (n = 764)a

From: Latent class analysis suggests four distinct classes of complementary medicine users among women with breast cancer

 

No use

Low dose

High dose

Median (IQR) cumulative doseb

Vitamin/mineral supplementsc

11 %

45 %

45 %

7.7 (2.0–19.0)

Echinacea

86 %

8 %

6 %

0.4 (0.1–0.6)

Green tea

77 %

15 %

8 %

0.6 (0.1–1.3)

Other herbsd

79 %

11 %

10 %

1.0 (0.4–4.5)

Natural productse

78 %

11 %

11 %

1.0 (0.4–4.6)

Mind-body techniquesf

59 %

20 %

20 %

19.3 (4.5–135.0)

Diet changeg

67 %

18 %

15 %

7.0 (4.5–12.0)

Massage

83 %

13 %

4 %

4.5 (2.0–4.5)

Chiropractic

82 %

9 %

9 %

3.3 (1.0–9.0)

Other practitioner-based CAMh

88 %

7 %

5 %

2.0 (1.0–3.5)

  1. Abbreviations: CAM complementary and alternative medicine, IQR interquartile range
  2. aIndicator variables were determined through factor analysis; CAM groupings represent clusters of individual modalities that tended to be practiced together; cumulative dose for groupings was computed by summing cumulative doses of contributing modalities
  3. bCumulative dose since diagnosis for vitamin/mineral supplements, echinacea, green tea, other herbs, and natural products, expressed as number of times taken per day multiplied by years taken; for mind-body techniques, massage, chiropractic, and practitioner-based CAM, as number of times used per month times number of years taken; and for diet, as the number of combined years since diagnosis
  4. cVitamin/mineral supplements includes all nutritional supplements that include multiple and single vitamins/minerals
  5. dOther herbs includes all herbs and botanicals in pill, tea, extract, infusion, oil, powder, or cream form, with exception of echinacea and green tea
  6. eNatural product includes all non-herbal, non-vitamin over-the-counter CAM products, predominantly glucosamine, fish oil, coenzyme Q10, flax seed oil, and acidophilus
  7. fMind-body techniques includes support groups; psychotherapy with social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist; meditation; vizualization/imagery; hypnosis; Reiki, healing touch or other energy therapy; tai chi; qi gong; yoga; dance therapy; art therapy; music therapy; and poetry therapy or journaling
  8. gDiet changes considered were vegan/vegetarian; no red meat but do eat chcken and/or fish; organic fruits and vegetables; macrobiotic diet; low-fat diet; high fiber diet; change consumption of soy products; diet or program designed to lose weight
  9. hOther practitioner-based CAM includes acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, herbalist, homeopathy, Native American medicine, naturopathic physician, nutritionist/dietician, tibetan medicine, or other practitioner based CAM treatments
Back to article page

BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies

ISSN: 2662-7671

Contact us