Sherry Warden

A qualitative study of quality of life and the experience of complementary and alternative medicine in Korean women with constipation.

Twelve percent of people worldwide report suffering from self-defined constipation. Women experience constipation three times more than men. Many people have used complementary and alternative medicine for constipation, but there is no qualitative research about this issue. The purpose of this article was to describe Korean womens experience of treating chronic constipation with complementary and alternative medicine. A qualitative descriptive approach used in-depth, semistructured interviews with 10 Korean women in the United States who had constipation. Four themes were identified: (1) subjective definition of constipation; (2) efforts to find the reason for constipation; (3) efforts to find solutions for constipation (subtheme: frequent use of enemas, laxatives, and suppositories; expectation and disappointment for complementary and alternative medicine; finding individually effective solutions for constipation); and (4) negative impact on quality of life (subtheme: mental discomfort, changed appetite, and difficult relationships with people). Ten women reported that they had used exercise, massage, yogurt, vegetables, seeds of tangles (seaweed), mineral oil, milk with plums, mixed rice, walnuts, grapefruits, apples, oranges, aloe, oatmeal, soymilk, sweet potatoes, ground flax seed, and alcohol as a strategy for relieving constipation. Participants had also used herbs, acupuncture, acupressure, moxibustion, cupping therapy, hand acupuncture, senna tea, and soy bean past fomentation. In conclusion, living with constipation is an irritable and uncomfortable experience, and it motivated these women to select a variety of methods to reduce constipation.

The Effect of Acupressure on Chemotherapy-induced Nausea

This chapter was to review the effect of acupressure on chemotherapy-induced nausea, the incidence of side effects, and discuss the mechanisms of acupressure. A systematic review approach was used, studies included experimental studies, quasi-review approach was used, studies, preclinical studies, clinical trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. Literatures search was conducted in CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PubMed using the key words acupressure, nausea, and cancer. Studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2012, which used acupressure as the sole intervention for one group, were included when they were written in English. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, twelve studies were eligible for review. Seven randomized controlled trials, two quasi-experimental studies, and three systematic reviews were found. Six of seven clinical trials showed positive results of acupressure on chemotherapy-induced nausea in 1,341 patients with cancer. However, we cannot conclude that acupressure is effective for nausea due to the small number in the samples and the poor quality of the studies. Furthermore, well-designed studies are needed to examine the effect of acupressure on chemotherapy-induced nausea. Three systematic reviews reported that acupressure may decrease chemotherapy-induced nausea in 11 clinical trials. No side effect of acupressure has been reported, whereas the side effects such as redness, swelling, and tenderness of sea bands have been reported. On the other hand, the mechanism of acupressure can be explained by regulation of substance P, serotonin, cholecystokinin, opioids, the autonomic nervous system.

Transitions Throughout the Cancer Experience: Diagnosis, Treatment, Survivorship, and End of Life

Transitions are associated with life events that require individuals to consider the direction and meaning of their lives while moving from one stage or state to another. For most individuals, a diagnosis of cancer is such an event. Success in transitioning from one cancer related event to the next is dependent on a number of factors, including: prognosis, ability to cope, social support, and the care provided. While statistics on morbidity and mortality related to cancer are less than positive, progress has been made and an increasing number of individuals are living longer, more productive lives in remission from their disease. As a result, it is now more important than ever to understand the kinds of transitions that cancer patients face as they cope with the challenges of their condition.