Integration of complementary medicine in supportive cancer care: A call for Middle-Eastern collaborative research

The widespread use of traditional herbal medicine among oncology patients reflects the centrality of traditional Complementary/Integrative medicine (CIM) throughout the Middle-East, from Morocco in the West to Iran in the East1. Alternative medicine (in Arabic, Al Tibb Al-Badil) in this region occurs when patients seek non-conventional treatments for their disease, using herbal remedies instead of conventional oncology therapies. Rooted in traditional Islamic medicine, the use of herbal remedies plays a central role in the local medical culture, and is considered to be safe and non-invasive, with many of these compounds found in the local Arab cuisine.

http://ift.tt/2mZEqR4