Thesis
The use of herbal medicine by U.S. immigrants from the former Soviet Union
Washington State University
Master of Nursing (MN), Washington State University
2005
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/381
Abstract
While safety issues associated with herbal medicine use are increasingly the subject of scientific study, comparatively little is presently known about the specific patterns of herbal medicine use by the large numbers of recent Russian-speaking immigrants from the former Soviet Union. The purpose of this study was to determine how herbal medicine is used by adult Russian-speaking and Russian-literate immigrants from the former Soviet Union residing in the city of Vancouver, WA. Based on a descriptive/exploratory study design, the investigator developed and used a self-administered questionnaire for gathering data relating to the study's objectives. A convenience sample consisting of 108 participants was recruited from different community settings frequented by these immigrants. Frequencies and correlations were generated in the course of data analysis. Nearly all (91.4%) of the respondents used an herbal medicine at least once in their lifetime, while 85.6% reported herbal medicine use in the year prior to the survey. Chamomile, Valerian, and St. John's wort were the three most commonly used herbs, which mainly were used for gastrointestinal, heart, and anxiety/stress related problems, respectively. Respondents had highly positive views of both the efficacy and safety of herbs. About half reported taking herbal remedies concurrently with medications. The majority of immigrants using herbal medicine did not inform their U.S. health care providers of their use of herbal remedies. Moreover, almost half of the subjects did not appreciate that the concurrent use of medications and herbal remedies may be problematic. No statistically significant association was found between the use of herbal medicine and specific factors related to the participants' sociodemographic and/or health-related backgrounds. The U.S. health care providers should question all Russian-speaking immigrants from the former Soviet Union about their use of herbal remedies, in order to be aware of self-help remedies and possible interactions.
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Details
- Title
- The use of herbal medicine by U.S. immigrants from the former Soviet Union
- Creators
- Taisiya Y. Tagintseva
- Contributors
- Louise Kaplan (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Nursing, College of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Nursing (MN), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525287401842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis