5 research outputs found

    The use of CAM and conventional treatments among primary care consulters with chronic musculoskeletal pain

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    Chronic musculoskeletal pain is the single most cited reason for use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Primary care is the most frequent conventional medical service used by patients with pain in the UK. We are unaware, however, of a direct evidence of the extent of CAM use by primary care patients, and how successful they perceive it to be. Methods Aims and objectives To determine CAM use among patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain who have consulted about their pain in primary care. Study design Face-to-face interview-based survey. Setting Three general practices in North Staffordshire. Participants Respondents to a population pain survey who had reported having musculoskeletal pain in the survey and who had consulted about their pain in primary care in the previous 12 months as well as consenting to further research and agreeing to an interview. Information was gathered about their pain and the use of all treatments for pain, including CAM, in the previous year. Results 138 interviews were completed. 116 participants (84%) had used at least one CAM treatment for pain in the previous year. 65% were current users of CAM. The ratio of over-the-counter CAM use to care from a CAM provider was 3:2. 111 participants (80%) had used conventional treatment. 95 (69%) were using a combination of CAM and conventional treatment. Glucosamine and fish oil were the most commonly used CAM treatments (38%, 35% respectively). Most CAM treatments were scored on average as being helpful, and users indicated that they intended to use again 87% of the CAM treatments they had already used. Conclusion We provide direct evidence that most primary care consulters with chronic musculoskeletal pain have used CAM in the previous year, usually in combination with conventional treatments. The high prevalence and wide range of users experiences of benefit and harm from CAM strengthen the argument for more research into this type of medicine to quantify benefit and assess safety. The observation that most users of conventional medicine also used CAM suggests a continuing need for more investigation of effective pain management in primary care

    GLAMS: A graphical method for capturing land and water management practices in agroecosystems

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    Modification of native ecosystems through land use can affect the biophysical functioning of agroecosystems, with spatial arrangement (configuration) through time often determining the degree to which landscapes experience dysfunctional states. An improved understanding is needed of how spatial and temporal patterns in land use affect ecohydrological dysfunctions, such as how landscapes leak or fail to retain water and soil, at scales relevant to farm management. We develop and apply a Graphical LAndscape Map Survey method, or "GLAMS", for measuring changes in landscape function based upon a 3D graphic of a hypothetical sub-catchment. GLAMS was applied within four Landcare Groups comprised of farmers from the Western Catchments of Southeast Queensland, Australia. The aim was to capture the behaviors of farmers who manage land use under natural variations in precipitation, especially extended dry periods, and with the associated risks from ecohydrologically dysfunctional or 'leaky' landscapes. GLAMS provided variable spatial and temporal resolution which allowed quantification of the land use responses for three different property sizes: (1) small, less than 100 ha; (2) medium, 100-500 ha; and (3) large, larger than 500 ha. Responses were quantified using Bayesian Belief Networks to provide probability estimates of the likelihood of a given action, taking place within a particular part of the landscape, considering both climatic and ecohydrological risks. The findings indicated that GLAMS was more intuitive to farmers than traditional question-based surveys, resulting in a low cost technique that is rapid to implement while providing spatially explicit information relevant to farm and catchment management
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