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J Immigrant Minority Health (2011) 13:585599 DOI 10.1007/s10903-010-9318-8
ORIGINAL PAPER
The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Refugees: A Systematic Review
Sabrina MacDuff Michael A. Grodin Paula Gardiner
Published online: 12 March 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010
Abstract Little is known about the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) among refugees, despite the common practice of CAM in many non-Western countries. We performed a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature using nine electronic databases. We included articles pertaining to refugees and CAM (whole medical systems, mind body medicine, herbal remedies, manipulative therapies, energy medicine). Qualitative and quantitative data were compiled and analyzed through descriptive statistics and chi square distribution tables. We reviewed 237 abstracts, and 47 publications met our inclusion criteria. Twenty-six papers documented whole medical systems; 11 mindbody medicine; 5 biologically based practices; 4 manipulative and body-based therapies; and 1 study documented the use of energy medicine. There were 3 clinical trials, 20 surveys, 12 case reports, 2 participant-observer qualitative papers, and 10 review papers. Most studies focused on Asian refugee populations (66%; n = 31). Mental problems related to trauma accounted for 36% of CAM use (17). Among included articles, methodological quality was extremely low. Our results show evidence that type of CAM used by refugees may vary based
on ethnicity, yet this is most likely due to a bias in the medical literature. Efforts are needed to further explore these results and expand research within this eld.
Keywords Refugee Torture survivor
Complementary and alternative medicine
Traditional medicine
Introduction
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) currently estimates 11.4 million Refugees are displaced globally [1]. Refugees endure various traumatic events including war, torture, and assimilation into unfamiliar cultures. In consequence, many refugees experience long-term health problems as evidenced by numerous publications documenting refugee mental and physical complaints [27]. Despite the abundance of medical literature on refugee health, little is known about the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among refugees as a treatment for mental health, physical healing, and coping with trauma.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) divides CAM into four domains mindbody medicine, biologically based practices, manipulative and body-based practices, and energy medicinein addition to studying whole medical systems, which include facets from all...