CAM Cases    

Sunita Sen - Arthritis

The patient, Sunita Sen lives in Kuwait. She is 61 years old and was born, raised, and is still a citizen of India. She and her husband have lived in Kuwait for three years. He is an engineer with the Kuwait Oil Company and they live in Ahmadi, which is a city south of the capital of Kuwait City. Sunita gets her health care from the outpatient clinic at KOC Hospital in Ahmadi. A year ago a Rheumatologist confirmed that Sunita was developing rheumatoid arthritis in her hands, and recommended a standard treatment plan. Ms. Sen felt uncomfortable about the medications prescribed, and decided to find out about herbal treatments instead. For the last eight months she has been following an Ayurvedic regimen suggested by a Vaidya (an Ayurvedic practitioner) who practices over the Internet. Her physician is concerned that as the arthritis progresses the Ayurvedic treatments may not be adequate. The physician also has some suggestions regarding the use of Islamic herbs instead of the herbs from India. In the assignment, the student is requested to write a consult to the patient's physician offering suggestions to the physician about discussing the situation with the patient. The student must learn about the belief systems of both the patient and the physician, and become familiar with the community in order to make appropriate recommendations. The case includes a video email from the physician, an interview with the patient, a video profile of Kuwait, and a complete electronic medical record for the patient.