This naturalistic exploratory study focused on Australians living with chronic illnesses who chose to use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The purpose of this sociological study was to discover and illuminate the lived experience of using CAM by individuals living with chronic illnesses in an attempt to understand their reasons for choosing CAM for their health care needs within the social contexts of their lives. The research question guiding this qualitative study was: Based upon a reflection of lived experiences, why do individuals living with chronic illnesses choose to use CAM? The major finding of this study was that research participants turned to CAM to find practical solutions for coping with pain and the ongoing demands of living daily lives while suffering and living with chronic illnesses. Unlike existing research findings, participants in this study did not turn to CAM for ideological reasons, nor were they seeking a holistic approach to health and health care. As such, the findings of this study strongly suggest that individuals living with chronic illnesses initially choose to use CAM for pragmatic reasons rather than ideological dispositions. However, the findings also suggest that after their initial use of CAM, individuals appear to adopt, via enculturation processes, more holistic ideologies resulting in modifications to perceptions of self, illness and health. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/241952 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Kumar, Ashwin, University of Western Sydney, College of Health and Science, School of Nursing |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
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