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Results for “Complementary Therapies”

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PubMed1998

Complementary therapies as a means of developing the scope of professional nursing practice.

The development of the extended role in nursing has been seen by some as primarily a means for nurses taking on tasks that have traditionally been the work of junior doctors. Others object to this view and ascribe to the 'new nursing' perspective of Salvage. She sees the extended role as moving towards increasing autonomy and operating in a professional rather than a bureaucratic occupational model. This view militates against the development of nurses as mini-doctors. This paper discusses the controversy surrounding the development of the extended role, focusing particularly on the use of complementary therapies as a legitimate component of the 'new nurses' role.

Complementary Therapies↗

PubMed1999

Complementary therapies: overview and state of the art.

Studies to determine the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among cancer patients show international interest in a wide collection of therapies and a broad span of use, ranging from 7% to 64% of patients sampled. The absence of consistent results across studies is due primarily to differing definitions of unconventional cancer therapies from study to study. Treatments promoted as alternatives to mainstream cancer cures (e.g., the recently disproved "cancer cure" of Italy's Dr. Di Bella) should be distinguished from complementary therapies, which are applied as adjuncts to mainstream care in an integrated fashion. The latter include mind-body techniques and herbal remedies, among many other remedies, all aimed at symptom control and enhanced quality of life. This differentiation provides a clearer understanding of CAM activity and enables selective evaluation of CAM's clinical effects. It permits us to avoid accepting or rejecting all of CAM out of hand. Health care professionals as well as patients and their families have become increasingly knowledgeable about complementary therapies that can be helpful to patients with cancer. Many such therapies have been well studied (meditation, tai chi), and others remain highly questionable (homeopathy, electromagnetics). Their benefits and potential problems are reviewed.

Complementary Therapies↗

PubMed2003

Methodological issues and complementary therapies: researching intangibles?

The increasing drive to adopt evidence-based practice within the mainstream health service creates a sense of urgency for high quality, rigorous research to support CAM. The RCT is seen as the gold standard for allopathic research. However, the tenets of the RCT cannot simply be just picked up and applied to CAM research. Critics of the RCT propose that it fractures and fragments the essence of many complementary therapies. Challenges including standardisation, blinding, randomisation, practitioner influence, placebos, and controls are explored and some possible solutions are presented. CAM researchers need to be creative so that they capture some of the intangibles that currently slip through the reductionist net of the RCT.

Complementary Therapies↗

PubMed2000

The usage of complementary therapies by dermatological patients: a systematic review.

Complementary medicine (CM) is more popular than ever before. Dermatology has not remained unaffected by this trend. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize all surveys of dermatological patients regarding the usage of CM. Three independent literature searches were carried out. Data were extracted in a predefined, standardized way and evaluated descriptively. Seven surveys met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Collectively they show a high but variable prevalence of CM. Lifetime prevalence ranged from 35 to 69%. The most frequently used treatment modalities comprise homoeopathy, herbalism and food supplements. With this high level of prevalence, research into the potential risks and benefits of CM is urgently needed. Dermatologists should consider discussing CM openly with their patients.

Complementary Therapies↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The use of complementary therapy in nursing practice.

The use of complementary or alternative medicines (CAM) to supplement orthodox medicine is becoming more widely accepted. This article discusses why this is an expanding area of practice and outlines the risks and benefits of using CAM.

Complementary Therapies↗

PubMed2000

Complementary therapies: the American experience.

This article explains the difference between complementary and alternative medicine and describes the current levels of use of such therapies in the United States of America, particularly among cancer patients. The complementary therapies that can help cancer patients during treatment for their disease and during rehabilitation are treated in greater depth.

Complementary Therapies↗

PubMed2006

Diet, exercise, and complementary therapies after primary treatment for cancer.

Every year, more than 10 million people are diagnosed with cancer worldwide. In view of the substantial improvements in early detection and treatment, even more patients can expect to be alive 5 years after diagnosis. With improvements in longevity, the late-occurring adverse effects of cancer and its treatment are becoming increasingly apparent. Healthy lifestyle behaviours that encompass regular exercise, weight control, healthy nutrition, and some complementary practices--eg, support groups, imagery--have the potential to greatly reduce cancer-treatment-associated morbidity and mortality in cancer survivors and can enhance quality of life. Here, we aim to review the strength of evidence for recommendations for exercise, weight management, nutritional practices, and related complementary therapies; assess the perceived needs of cancer survivors for health information and how they can access this information; and discuss the resources available to oncology care providers and patients about healthy lifestyle behaviours. Overall, this review provides important information to oncology care providers who counsel their patients on preventive lifestyle practices to maximise health and longevity after a diagnosis of cancer.

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PubMed2004

Acupuncture as a complementary therapy to the pharmacological treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To analyse the efficacy of acupuncture as a complementary therapy to the pharmacological treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee, with respect to pain relief, reduction of stiffness, and increased physical function during treatment; modifications in the consumption of diclofenac during treatment; and changes in the patient's quality of life. DESIGN: Randomised, controlled, single blind trial, with blinded evaluation and statistical analysis of results. SETTING: Pain management unit in a public primary care centre in southern Spain, over a period of two years. PARTICIPANTS: 97 outpatients presenting with osteoarthritis of the knee. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly separated into two groups, one receiving acupuncture plus diclofenac (n = 48) and the other placebo acupuncture plus diclofenac (n = 49). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The clinical variables examined included intensity of pain as measured by a visual analogue scale; pain, stiffness, and physical function subscales of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) osteoarthritis index; dosage of diclofenac taken during treatment; and the profile of quality of life in the chronically ill (PQLC) instrument, evaluated before and after the treatment programme. RESULTS: 88 patients completed the trial. In the intention to treat analysis, the WOMAC index presented a greater reduction in the intervention group than in the control group (mean difference 23.9, 95% confidence interval 15.0 to 32.8) The reduction was greater in the subscale of functional activity. The same result was observed in the pain visual analogue scale, with a reduction of 26.6 (18.5 to 34.8). The PQLC results indicate that acupuncture treatment produces significant changes in physical capability (P = 0.021) and psychological functioning (P = 0.046). Three patients reported bruising after the acupuncture sessions. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture plus diclofenac is more effective than placebo acupuncture plus diclofenac for the symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.

Acupuncture Therapy↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Complementary therapy use by women's health clinic clients.

CONTEXT: While it is known that more women than men use complementary and alternative therapies, it is important to look at women who are pregnant or possibly receiving hormonal therapy, as side effects and consequences of these therapies may have a significant effect on their health status. OBJECTIVE: To assess women's knowledge, perceived effectiveness and use of 20 complementary and alternative therapies. DESIGN: Descriptive four-page questionnaire to obtain data on the use, reason for use, knowledge, perceived effectiveness, and sources of information of twenty complementary and alternative therapies. SETTING: Women's Health Center at a large Midwestern hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 250 women waiting to be seen by either a nurse midwife or obstetrician/gynecologist at an outpatient clinic. RESULTS: Sixty-nine percent of the participants used one or more complementary therapy. The most frequently used therapies included prayer, vitamins, massage, diet, and aromatherapy. The best predictor of use of each therapy was the participant's knowledge of the therapy. Participants generally rated the efficacy of the therapies higher than their knowledge level. Frequently cited sources of information were popular media and family. The least common information sources were nurse-midwives, drug stores, Internet, and other professional healthcare providers. CONCLUSIONS: Women in this setting use complementary therapies at a rate greater than the general population. The participants obtained a great deal of their information about the therapies from popular press, media, friends, and family members rather than from licensed healthcare providers.

Adult↗

PubMed2001