Breast cancer survivors' perceptions of complementary/alternative medicine(CAM): Making the decision to use or not to use

The study described in this article explored breast cancer survivors' perce ptions and experiences as they decided whether to use a variety of compleme ntary/alternative therapies. Six focus groups were conducted composed of wo men who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Each 2-hour session was audi otaped and transcribed verbatim. In this article, the process by which the participants made the decision to use or not to use complementary/alternati ve therapies, including their discovery and investigation of complementary/ alternative medicine (CAM) and their experiences using or not using CAM, av e described. Barriers to using CAM included cost, access, and time. Family and friends generally supported the decision to use CAM; however the partic ipants described health care practitioners' reactions as mixed.