Encourage, Inspire, Empower! A Brief Introduction to Complementary and Alternative Therapies Shannon Felmey, RN (Women’s Health Concentration; Labor and Delivery, Postpartum, Pregnancy and Lactation Focus)
Instructor Name and Credentials: Shannon Felmey, RN (Women’s Health Concentration; Labor and Delivery, Postpartum, Pregnancy and Lactation Focus) Intended Audience: General Public Interested in Women’s Health and Wellness Class Dates and Times: March 14, 21, 28, am-11:30am Location:TBA Course Prerequisites: NONE
* Intro-Instructor, CAM overview * Is CAM right for me? * Common CAM practices * Ethics of CAM * CAM during pregnancy/lactation/postpartum
* Complementary = In addition to conventional medicine * Alternative = In place of conventional medicine * Holistic perspective = incorporating mind, body, spirit (Mayo Clinic Staff 2014) Photo courtesy of acupuncturecamtherapyinstitute.com
Common CAM Practices: *Mind-Body Therapies *Manipulative and Body-Based Practices *Natural Products (Mayo Clinic Staff 2014) Photo courtesy of mychildwithoutlimits.org
* Personal decision * Evidence-based practices * Use of conventional medicine * Ethics of CAM * Always check with physician!
* Are these therapies safe? * Do these therapies work for the intended purpose? * Are medical providers aware of patient’s use? * Does the potential benefit exceed the potential harm? (Cady 2009)
* Correcting malpresentation * Inducing labor * Managing pregnancy and labor pain * Pregnancy-induced nausea (Cady 2009) * Increasing supply of breastmilk (Marasco 2007) Photo courtesy of National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Ginger Photo courtesy of living-organic.org
* Brief Recall of Last Week’s Session/Q&A * Overview of Stress * Common Stress-Related Problems * Stress Management Techniques * Practicing Yoga in Only a Few Minutes Every Day * How to Engage in Deep Breathing for Relaxation * Benefits of Stress Management
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* What is stress? * Do you feel stressed? * What causes stress? * How do you manage stress? * Do you know what works for you in terms of managing stress? * Why is managing stress important in terms of overall health and wellness? Photo courtesy of
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* Meditation * Mindfulness, Mantra, Qi Gong, Tai chi, Transcendental (Mayo Clinic Staff 2014) * Physical Exercise * Yoga * Deep Breathing Exercises * Massage Photo courtesy of colonlibrary.org
* Breathe Deeply * Focus Attention * Repeat a Mantra if Desired * Meditate While Walking * Engage in Prayer * Read and Reflect * Focus Love and Gratitude (Mayo Clinic 2014) Photo courtesy of Microsoft ClipArt
* Sit comfortably with your back straight. * Breathe deeply from the abdomen, and fill the lungs with as much fresh air as possible. * Breathe in through your nose. * Exhale through your mouth, pushing out as much air as you can while contracting your abdominal muscles. * Continue to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to inhale enough so that your lower abdomen rises and falls. Count slowly as you exhale. (Help Guide n.d.)
* Lower heart rate * Lower blood pressure * Lower breathing rate * Reducing stress hormones * Increasing blood flow to major muscles * Reducing muscle tension and chronic pain * Improving concentration and mood * Lowering fatigue * Reducing anger and frustration * Boosting confidence to handle problems (Mayo Clinic Staff 2014)
* Integrating diet/exercise/using supplements * Common Dietary Supplements Among Women * Importance of mind/body/spirit * CAM practitioners in this immediate area/additional CAM resources for more information * Q&A
Photo courtesy of choosemyplate.gov
* Healthy Diet and Regular Exercise * If Using Dietary Supplements, Be Informed * Always Check With Physician Before Beginning Any Diet, Exercise, or Supplement * 50%-75% of American adults * Use tends to be more prevalent among women than among men * Usually used to enhance health and wellness (Dickinson & MacKay 2014)
* Ginger * St John’s Wort * Green Tea * Fenugreek * Common Dietary Supplements among women include Calcium and Vitamin D (Dickinson & MacKay 2014) Photo courtesy of Green Tea
Photo courtesy of depositphotos.com
* Integral Yoga Center * Multiple Chiropractors * Massage Therapists/Spas * Acupuncture
* National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health * Mayo Clinic * Women’s Health * National Institutes of Health Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet
* Cady, R. (2009). Legal Issues Related to Complementary and Alternative Medicine. JONA’S Healthcare Law, Ethics, and Regulation, 11(2). Retrieved March 9, 2015, from &Journal_ID=&Issue_ID &Journal_ID=&Issue_ID * Dickinson, A., & MacKay, D. (2014). Health habits and other characteristics of dietary supplement users: A review. Nutrition Journal, 13(14). Retrieved March 3, 2015, from * Help Guide. (n.d.). Relaxation techniques for stress management. Retrieved March 9, 2015 from techniques-for-stress-relief.htm techniques-for-stress-relief.htm
* Marasco, L. (2007). Increasing your milk supply with galactogogues. Journal of Human Lactation (24)2008: * Mayo Clinic Staff. (2014, January 24). Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Retrieved March 9, 2015 from procedures/complementary-alternative- medicine/basics/definition/prc procedures/complementary-alternative- medicine/basics/definition/prc * Mayo Clinic Staff. (2014, July 19). Meditation. Retrieved March 9, 2015 from procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art ?pg=1http:// procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art ?pg=1 * National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (2014, July). Complementary, Integrative, or Alternative Health: What’s in a name? Retrieved March 9, 2015 from
* National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (2006 May). Ginger. Retrieved March 3, 2015 from * National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (n.d.). Stress. Retrieved March 9, 2015 from * Straub, J. (n.d.). Herbal alternative medicine: The benefits of being informed. Retrieved February 28, 2015 from erbal%20Alternative%20Medicine.html erbal%20Alternative%20Medicine.html