Alternative therapies. Health professionals' attitudes.

Most patients are reluctant to talk with their health professionals about alternative products and therapies. Unfortunately, alternative products may interact with prescription products, and alternative therapies may affect the course of care recommended by the health professional. Compounding these concerns is the fact that the three health providers with greatest access to information on patients' medication use--nurses, physicians and pharmacists--often do not communicate with each other about additional therapies or products that patients use on their own.