Do Hispanics with cancer rely on complementary health practices?

A study of complementary and integrative health (CIH) use among Hispanic adults with colorectal cancer found that about 40% reported experience with CIH. Women were more likely than men to have used one or more types of CIH, according to the study published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

David Black, PhD, MPH, Jane Figueiredo, PhD, and coauthors from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (Los Angeles), report that more than three quarters of the individuals who used CIH for a specific health condition did not discuss CIH use with their healthcare providers.

In the article "Complementary and Integrative Health Practices Among Hispanics Diagnosed with Colorectal Cancer: Utilization and Communication with Physicians," the researchers describe the types of CIH most commonly used by the patients participating in this study.