1. Chapter 11 Complementary and Alternative Healing
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2. Use of Complementary and Alternative Healing Methods
Use of alternative healing methods
Healing philosophies, practices, and products that fall outside what Western society considers mainstream medicine
Approximately 38% of U.S. adults and 12% of children use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)
CAM health care practitioner
Growing popularity of CAM has been consumer-driven
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3. Use of Complementary and Alternative Healing Methods (cont'd)
Factors that contribute to CAM use
Dissatisfaction with the conventional health care system
Increased empowerment of consumers in the health care system
Unwillingness to “grin and bear” the effects of diseases
Shrinking world: the rapid pace and ease of information sharing have enabled individuals to learn about practices of people throughout the world
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4. Use of Complementary and Alternative Healing Methods (cont'd)
Growing evidence of effectiveness: the body of research supporting the effectiveness of alternative therapies increases almost daily. People are hearing testimonials from friends and family about the ways they have been helped by acupuncture, herbs, and other forms of CAM.
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5. Principles Underlying Alternative Healing
The body has the ability to heal itself. Most conventional medicine works from the premise that elimination of sickness requires an intervention “done to” the body (e.g., giving medications, surgery). CAM assumes the body has the potential to heal itself. Alternative healing therapies enhance the body’s ability to self-heal.
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6. Principles Underlying Alternative Healing (cont'd)
Health and healing are related to a harmony of mind, body, and spirit, which are inseparable; what affects one affects all. Healing and the improvement of health demand that all of the facets of a person be addressed, not merely a single symptom or system.
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7. Principles Underlying Alternative Healing (cont'd)
Basic, positive health practices build the foundation for healing. Good nutrition, exercise, rest, stress management, and avoidance of harmful habits (e.g., smoking) are essential ingredients in health maintenance and the improvement of health conditions.
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8. Principles Underlying Alternative Healing (cont'd)
Approaches to healing are individualized. The unique composition and dynamics of each person are recognized in CAM. Practitioners of healing therapies explore the underlying cause of a problem and customize approaches accordingly.
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9. Principles Underlying Alternative Healing (cont'd)
Individuals are responsible for their own healing. It is their responsibility to seek health advice, make informed choices, gain necessary knowledge and skills for self-care, engage in practices that promote health and healing, and seek help when needed
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10. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
A freestanding center within NIH; has categorized CAM into several major fields of practice
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11. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) (cont'd)
CAM fields of practice
Natural Products
Mind-body interventions
Manipulative and body-based methods
Whole medical systems
Energy therapies
Movement therapies
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12. Natural Products Herbal therapies
Individual and orthomolecular biologic therapies
Special diets
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13. Mind-Body Interventions
Acupuncture
Aromatherapy
Art therapy
Biofeedback
Dance therapy
Deep breathing
Hypnotherapy
Imagery
Meditation
Music therapy
Prayer
Progressive relaxation
Qi gong
Self-help support groups
Tai chi
Yoga
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14. Manipulative and Body-Based Methods
Chiropractic
Massage
Osteopathy
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15. Whole Medical Systems Ayurvedic medicine Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional healer (e.g., Native American, shaman)
Environmental medicine
Homeopathy
Naturopathy
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16. Energy Therapies Qi gong Reiki Healing touch Therapeutic touch
Magnet therapy
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17. Movement Therapies Alexander technique Feldenkrais method
Rolfing Trager psychophysical integration
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18. Overview of Popular Alternative Healing Therapies
Alternative medical systems
Acupuncture
Ayurveda
Biofeedback
Chiropractic medicine
Dietary supplements
Herbs
Homeopathy
Hypnotherapy
Imagery
Magnet therapy
Massage, Bodywork, and Energy Therapies
Meditation and Progressive Relaxation
Naturopathy
Prayer and Faith
Tai Chi
Yoga
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19. Acupuncture
Practiced in China more than 2000 years, acupuncture is a major therapy within traditional Chinese medicine. It is based on the belief that energy flows through invisible channels throughout the body called meridians.
This energy is qi (pronounced chee), and is considered the vital life force. It is believed that illness and symptoms develop when the flow of energy becomes blocked or imbalanced. Health is restored when the energy becomes unblocked. This is achieved by stimulating acupuncture points on the meridian(s) affected.
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20. Ayurveda
Has gained popularity through the writings and lectures of Deepak Chopra (1993), but has existed in India for more than 5000 years. Ayurveda means “the science of life”; it is a system of care that promotes spiritual, mental, and physical balance.
Noninvasive approaches, including yoga, massage, diet, purification regimens, breathing exercises, meditation, and herbs, are used to achieve balance.
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21. 1. A practitioner of Ayurveda assesses a person and identifies him or her as a perfectionist who follows a strict schedule. The nurse observes the person to be short-tempered and to have acne. The patient’s chief complaint is, “I have a lot of stomach pain.” Based on Ayurveda, this individual has the metabolic body type called: A. vata B. pitta C. kapha D. qi
ANS: B
Rationale: B is correct because individuals with the metabolic body type of pitta are orderly and short-tempered, follow schedules, and are prone to heavy perspiration and acne. A is incorrect because individuals with the metabolic body type of vata are often unpredictable and moody, acting impulsively, and have large features and joints. C is incorrect because those with the metabolic body type of kapha are very relaxed and tend to procrastinate, while being prone to high cholesterol, obesity, allergies, and sinusitis. D is incorrect because qi is not a metabolic body type but is the energy that flows through invisible meridians or channels in the body.
Level of Difficulty: Application
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22. Biofeedback
A technique in which the client is taught to alter specific bodily functions (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension) through various relaxation and imagery exercises to effect desired responses. Electroencephalograms, electromyelograms, and thermistors are used to measure and offer feedback about the function that one is trying to alter.
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23. Chiropractic Medicine
Chiropractic medicine is based on the belief that misalignments of the spine, called subluxations, put pressure on the nerves, leading to pain and disruptions in normal body function. The misalignment is treated by manipulation and adjustment of the spine.
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24. Dietary Supplements
Past advice that vitamin and mineral supplements are unnecessary if one is eating well has been replaced by the recommendation that everyone should take a daily vitamin and mineral supplement. This shift in thinking has resulted from the realization that many people do not consume the proper nutrients in their diets.
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25. Herbs
In the 1960s, when the movement toward natural health began to swell, interest in herbal products increased. The use and sale of herbal remedies have grown significantly since then.
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26. Homeopathy
The origin of the word homeopathy helps to explain this therapy. In Greek, the word homios means similar, and pathos means suffering. The foundation of homeopathy, the Law of Similars, builds on the belief that remedies are prescribed that produce symptoms similar to those of the illness that is being treated.
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27. 2. A person who practices the Law of Cure in homeopathy would consider treatment to be effective when the pain:
A. In the right lung has moved to the gallbladder
B. Has traveled from the skin on the left arm to the intestines
C. Has remained steady and has not increased or relocated to another area of the body
D. That began in the left arm and radiated to the sternum then the left jaw has subsided in the same order as it appeared
ANS: A
Rationale: A is correct because for the practitioner who uses the Law of Cure, treatment is effective when symptoms travel from vital to less vital organs, move from within the body outward, and disappear in reverse order of appearance. B is incorrect because the symptom moved from outward inward, which is not considered effective in the Law of Cure. C is incorrect because the symptom did not travel outward or disappear in the same order it appeared. D is incorrect because the symptoms did not disappear in the same order they appeared.
Level of Difficulty: Application
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28. Hypnotherapy
This mind-body therapy is widely and successfully used for a range of conditions, including chronic pain, migraine, asthma, smoking cessation, and irritable bowel syndrome
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29. Imagery
The process of creating an image in the mind that can cause a specific bodily response
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30. Magnet Therapy The technique is investigated to achieve the following:
Relieve pain by creating a slight electrical current that stimulates the nervous system, thus blocking nerve sensations
Speed wound healing by dilating vessels and increasing circulation to an area
Explore additional claims about health benefits from distributors of magnet products
Improve attention deficit disorder
Boost the immune system
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31. Massage, Bodywork, and Energy Therapies
Massage: manipulation of soft tissue through rubbing, kneading, rolling, pressing, slapping, and tapping movements
Bodywork: combination of massage with deep tissue manipulation, movement awareness, and energy balancing
Therapeutic Touch: energy is drawn from the universal field of energy and transferred to the client’s energy field to unblock their obstructed energy
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32. Meditation and Progressive Relaxation
Meditation: act of focusing on the present moment
Progressive relaxation: the person learns to guide himself or herself through a series of exercises that relax the body, such as tightening and relaxing of various muscle groups
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33. Naturopathy
Built on the principle that the body has inherent healing abilities that can be stimulated to treat disease
Naturopathic doctors assess and treat the cause of the disease rather than merely alleviating the symptoms
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34. Prayer and Faith
Many consider their faith an integral part of their total being—not a “therapy.” Scientific evidence supports the therapeutic benefits of faith and prayer in health and healing.
Hundreds of well-conducted studies have revealed that people who profess a faith, pray, and attend religious services are healthier, live longer, have lower rates of disability, recover faster, have lower rates of emotional disorders, and otherwise enjoy better health states than those who do not (Barnum, 2006; O’Brien, 2007; University of Maryland Medical Center, 2011).
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35. Tai Chi Used to stimulate the flow of qi, the life energy
Combination of exercise and energy work that looks like a slow, graceful dance with continuous, controlled movements of the arms and legs
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36. Yoga
A system of exercises that involve various postures, meditation, and deep breathing. The word yoga means union; union of body, mind, and spirit is achieved through yoga. This exercise has been found helpful to reduce stress, improve mood and well-being, decrease heart rate and blood pressure, increase lung capacity, improve flexibility, and promote relaxation (NCCAM, 2011).
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37. Nursing and CAM Therapies
A holistic approach: nurses have long realized that healing effectively occurs in ways not encompassed within the conventional biomedical system. Nursing also has promoted many of the same principles that are evident in CAM, particularly care of the body, mind, and spirit.
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38. Nursing and CAM Therapies (cont'd)
Facilitating use of CAM, nurses should assess:
CAM practices and products that are being used and their sources
Appropriateness of the use of CAM practices and products
Adverse effects and risks associated with the use of CAM
Conditions for which CAM currently is not used that could be improved by its use
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39. Nursing and CAM Therapies (cont'd)
Integrating CAM into conventional settings:
Meet with the interdisciplinary team to describe the need to better meet the emotional and spiritual needs of patients, families, and staff
Coordinate with the staff development instructor to have classes offered on progressive relaxation, imagery, meditation, therapeutic touch, and stress reduction
Include healing therapies in care plans
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40. Nursing and CAM Therapies (cont'd)
Arrange for nutritionist to offer classes to staff on healthy eating; add healthy snacks to break room
Coordinate with housekeeping and maintenance departments to introduce aromatherapy diffusers, plants, and piped-in music on the unit
Develop a system for reminding staff members to use stress reduction measures throughout their shift
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41. Nursing and CAM Therapies (cont'd)
Collaborate with nutritionist, social worker, spiritual care counselor, and nursing clinical resources department to provide group sessions for clients and their families on topics such as coping with illness, managing stress, and promoting healthy lifestyle habits
Ask quality improvement coordinator to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of CAM interventions
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42. Nursing and CAM Therapies (cont'd)
Using CAM competently:
Maintain a resource library
Become familiar with helpful websites
Become knowledgeable and sensitive to personal and cultural preferences
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43. Nursing and CAM Therapies (cont'd)
Legal Considerations:
Some of the healing therapies once considered part of nursing care may require separate licensure
Consider the question of whom the nurse is responsible to when practicing CAM therapies: acupuncturist, hypnotherapist, homeopath?
Can these therapists delegate responsibilities to the nurse?
How does the nurse ensure that in such a practice setting, diagnoses are not made and treatments are not prescribed that are beyond the scope of CAM?
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