Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Cancer Care: An International Analysis of Grassroots Integration

Over the last decade, complementary and alternative medicine has achieved an ever-higher profile amongst academics, healthcare professionals, policy makers and service users - particularly in cancer care. Despite this, and although we aware that user groups and informal networks play an increasingly important role in advocating and providing such therapies, we know little or nothing about how such groups and networks operate and the way in which they impact on individuals' use of CAM for cancer. This book provides the first systematic assessment of pathways and access to CAM and how it is used in health practice and by individuals with cancer. The book draws on comparative fieldwork in the UK, Pakistan and Australia, which provides invaluable insight into how differing health and societal structures influence the use CAM. Because of its focus on grassroots action the book will be of wide interest to those studying complementary and alternative medicine sociologically, to those involved in the provision ofcancer care on a day-to-day basis, and to those looking to establish a more informed (evidence based) policy.

Philip Tovey is a Reader in Health Sociology at the School of Healthcare, University of Leeds, UK.