Could Seeking Alternative Medicine Result from Inadequate Access to Reliable Second Opinions?

This study involved patients with gynecological cancers, cancers specific to women, who sought second opinions and tended to use complementary and alternative medicine.

There are 5 main cancers affecting female reproductive organs: cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal and vulvar. Collectively, these are called gynecological cancers as a group.

Researchers followed 191 patients for 1 year. After diagnosis, 80 (41.9%) obtained second opinions from healthcare professionals, while 89 (46.6%) used complementary or alternative medicine. These tendencies were mainly found in advanced disease, radiotherapy recipients and more highly educated patients. Those seeking professional second opinions also used more complementary and alternative products. Overall, %80 had not told their doctors about such use.

The research suggests second-opinion seeking is common and these patients simultaneously explore complementary and alternative practices.

Although the study seems to connect second opinions with alternative medicine, we interpret it differently. Patients and relatives seeking the best treatment may turn substantially toward alternative medicine if a second opinion leaves them unsatisfied, as seen here.

The more limited reliable second-opinion sources are, the more likely patients and families are to encounter commercially motivated alternative practitioners. This reduces treatment chances and exposes them to the possibility of death.