Complementary and alternative medicine as a spiritual practice in cancer treatment

By Anita Ulrich
Studies suggest that about half of Danish cancer patients make use of one or more forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as a supplement to, or replacement for, their treatment at hospital. This paper investigates how cancer patients may use CAM, as not only a supplement or replacement for conventional cancer treatment, but as a form of spiritual practice.
The paper is based on the results of a recent PhD project, which investigates cancer patients’ use of different kinds of cancer treatment, conventional and CAM, and the effects the use of these various forms of treatment had for cancer patients’ experiences of the illness process. The study suggests that CAM may serve as a resource for patients coping with the physical, emotional, as well as existential issues in cancer, aspects that are not present to the same degree in conventional cancer treatment.
For some cancer patients faith and healing practices may interweave in CAM. In this way, CAM may provide a space for patients, not only to cope with illness, but also to practice faith. In some cases, and for some patients, even more so than in established religious institutions such as The Danish National Church. These findings are especially interesting in the current debate on Denmark as a predominantly secular society, cf. e.g. sociologist Phil Zuckerman (2008): Samfund uden Gud (Society without God).