Complementary/alternative medicine in chronic illness as informed self-care decision making.

The reasons that persons with chronic illness explore complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) have not been well understood. Using data from a study of self-care decision making in chronic illness, we conducted a qualitative secondary analysis to interpret the rationale underlying decisions to experiment with and use various CAM practices and products. The findings confirm that CAM use can be understood as a critical component of self-care management in general, and not as a rejection of conventional medicine or an unrealistic search for cure. In contrast, it represents personal responsibility for health, reframing the measures by which therapeutics are evaluated, and adopting a pragmatic approach to living as well as possible in the context of a chronic condition. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd.