Introduction

摘要

EARLY national surveys have confirmed a sustained interest in and use of complementary and alternative medicine (GAM) therapies in the United States (US). These first surveys provided an important first look but lacked specifics including diagnoses, disease site, and special populations. By the end of the 1990s we knew more about the use of GAM by specific populations with cancer, including cancer site, geographic and ethnic differences, and the elderly. There have been growing pains typical of a new field in health care including clarification of terminology, enhanced understanding of cultural impact, identification of practice issues including certification and scope of practice, sorting an ever expanding body of knowledge, and establishing evidence based practice.