Article Text
Abstract
Background Many oncology patients want naturopathic treatment. Physicians are doubtful about this kind of treatment because of the lack of evidence. Patients getting chemotherapy containing an anthracycline or taxol might suffer from hand-foot syndrome, which causes pain, redness and swelling.
Bathing the hands or feet with linseed boiled with water to a viscid pulp can relieve the symptoms and leads to a subjectively improved feeling of well-being. The patients are able to walk and use their hands in everyday life.
Purpose To achieve acceptance of linseed bath treatment by a multidisciplinary group in a university hospital.
Material and methods An interdisciplinary work group developed a guideline for applying this treatment under scientific criteria. A data entry form was developed to document the effects systematically. All ambulant patients of the Medical Highschool Hannover, treated with this kind of chemotherapy, get this guideline and are asked to fill in the form one hour before and one hour after taking the linseed bath. The results were catalogued in a database and evaluated.
Results The different perspectives of the experts involved, including the clinical pharmacist, and the scientific approach, led to high acceptance and support of physicians and nurses. Practicability, the quality of the products, indications and contraindications were carved out optimally.
The method is simple, cheap, easy to handle and the response rate was positive (N-25). Up till now we have demonstrated the benefit of this treatment in more than 200 cases.
Conclusion Acceptance of naturopathic treatment in an university hospital could only be achieved if developed under scientific criteria. Because of the systematic documentation we could show the positive effects of the linseed-bath. Physicians and nurses could be assured of the benefit and the oncology patients learned a method to help themselves.
References and/or acknowledgements Because of the good results every ambulant patient, who is treated with anthracycline or taxol based chemotherapy, is recommended to try linseed baths.
No conflict of interest.