Alternative and Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Prostate Cancer

Alternative and Complementary & Alternative Medicine in Prostate Cancer

In order to address the higher rates of prostate cancer which have long afflicted the African-American community, a scientific study was conducted in 2007 to gauge the role that cultural traditions, including the belief in prayer and approaches to alternative medicine, play in the prevention and treatment of this disease. A group of prominent researchers in the nursing field, headed by Randy A. Jones, PhD, RN and Ann Gill Taylor, EdD, RN, FAAN, explored links between the beliefs of African-American prostate cancer patients and techniques used by nurses, and their findings were published in a report entitled "Complementary and Alternative Medicine Modality Use and Beliefs Among African-American Prostate Cancer Survivors." This report relied on primarily phenomenological research methods, including live interviews and visits to participant's homes, to study the belief systems of 14 African-American prostate cancer survivors and found that these cultural attitudes directly and indirectly influence the way members of this racial group think about their personal health. Jones, Taylor and their fellow researchers also found that the higher rate of prostate cancer within African-American populations was linked to a widespread cultural distrust of health care providers and the use of complementary and alternative modalities (CAMs) of health care that this mistrust entails. The authors find that when nurses and doctors "acknowledge that spiritual and religious beliefs are prevalent among African-American men," this acknowledgment "may help healthcare professionals provide a more supportive environment" (Jones et al., 2007), and their report concludes that an appreciation of cultural beliefs on the part of healthcare providers may encourage African-American men to pursue traditional treatment options in addition to less effective alternatives.

In a nation which has known deep racial division throughout its history, the fact that "for decades, African-American men have had the highest prostate cancer incidence rate of any raciallethnic group in the world" (McIntosh, 1997) is quite alarming and suggests that the consequences of institutionalized prejudice are felt long after outright bigotry is abolished. The medical community has long been aware that "At 261.9 new cases per 100,000 in 1993, their rate is two-thirds higher than whites and more than twice as high as rates for Asian-Americans" (McIntosh, 1997), and studies like the one conducted by Jones and his team of researchers are designed to test both the reasons for this disparity and the medical practices which can best address it. By observing that "many African-Americans continue to distrust healthcare providers because of prior and continuing unequal healthcare experiences" in the preface to their report, the researchers provide a pointed reminder that the "complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities, including cultural and religious beliefs" (Jones et al., 2007) which increase the rate of prostate cancer in African-American men are relied upon out of necessity and not negligence. This reminder is especially relevant considering the main audience of the medical journal Oncology Nursing Forum consists of the healthcare professionals charged with a most difficult task: caring for existing prostate cancer patients and changing the belief systems of subsequent generations to prevent the disease from ravaging one race at a disparate rate.

Controlled studies conducted within the nursing profession have consistently demonstrated that, while traditional and allopathic medicinal practices such as "digital rectal examination, prostate-specific antigen, and transrectal ultrasound have been identified as effective means of early detection of prostate cancer, African-American men tend to underuse these services as compared to white men" (Agho and Lewis, 2001), and these findings have serious implications for the medical community. In order to fully accomplish the goal of preventing and treating disease, nurses and doctors must strive to bridge the gap which exists between the medical profession and the African-American community (Boehm et al., 1995). When one considers that prostate cancer kills African-American men at a higher rate than any other racial group, there is no excuse for the fact that those most susceptible to the disease "demonstrated a poor knowledge of prostate cancer and less than 40% reported having had prostate cancer screening as part of their annual physical examination" (Agho and Lewis, 2001). If studies continually show that African-American's prevalent use of CAM's like prayer and traditional herbs, in lieu of allopathic medicine, leads to an increased vulnerability to prostate cancer, the nursing profession must take action because "nurses have a vital role in addressing the positive, skeptical and negative views about CAM" (Jones et al., 2007). To properly address the plague of prostate cancer currently ravaging African-American communities, "nurses need knowledge about common CAM modalities that are used in the population & #8230; because nurses are usually the healthcare providers who have the most contact with patients" (Jones et al., 2007). Within the realm of their own clinical practice, registered nurses can integrate the findings of Jones and his team by "explaining the issues related to the use of CAM, including the importance of telling healthcare providers if CAM is being used to avoid any potential side effects" (Jones et al., 2007) to their African-American patients in regards to prostate health and cancer prevention. By recognizing the reasons that African-American patients rely on CAM and advising them that they may "use CAM alone or in conjunction with conventional allopathic medicines" (Jones et al., 2007), you will greatly enhance their ability to make informed decisions when it comes to personal prostate health.