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PubMed1999

Auditing complementary therapies in palliative care: the experience of the day-care massage service at Mount Edgcumbe Hospice.

The bulk of this paper comprises an audit of the massage service offered to day-care clients at Mount Edgcumbe Hospice. Having had no experience of audit it has been a learning process within which shortcomings of my techniques have become evident. However, during the course of the project, I became enthusiastic about the potential for change, progress and increased validation enabled by the audit process. I realised the significance and importance of audit as an evaluatory tool in relation to complementary and alternative medicine. Still in the earlier stages of acceptance by more orthodox medicine, these therapies require audit, as much as they require quality scientific research. 'Complementary and alternative medical practitioners, teachers and researchers need to understand the advantages of more systematic audit and rigorous research' (Foundation for Integrated Medicine) The objectives of this audit are: To review the performance of the massage in day-care after 2 years of activity. To obtain first hand feedback from clients, staff and carers with a view to introducing improvements. To devise a system of measuring the performance of the day-care service both for comparison internally and with other external hospices. To benefit from the discipline which the audit process itself engenders in complementary medical practice. To lend credibility to the massage service and other complementary therapies in the context of more orthodox palliative care. To arrive at a method of measuring massage as a complementary therapy. To improve communication between the different areas of the hospice. I would encourage other complementary therapists to follow suit and start auditing to help validate the importance of these therapies in today's more holistic approach to health.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1998

Complementary therapy and infertility: an Icelandic perspective.

Complementary therapists take a more holistic view of inferitility treatment than do allopathic health professionals. Lifestyle and nutritional factors may be considered and possibly changed, and psychological and emotional problems such as stress will be treated. Hormonal imbalance in both sexes may be treated with Chinese herbal mixtures such as Hachimijiogan, herbs such as Vitex agnus-castus, or a blend of essential oils designed to treat amenorrhoea or scanty/irregular periods. Herbalists, practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, aromatherpists, homeopaths and Ayurvedic practitioners all have a range of treatments for infertile people.

Cultural Characteristics↗
PubMed2003

Nostalgic and nostophobic referencing and the authentication of nurses' use of complementary therapies.

In recent years what can loosely be described as a sociology of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has begun to emerge. Although work has been conducted with lay therapists, orthodox practitioners, and consumers, overall, research in this area remains patchy and underdeveloped. Despite its role at the forefront of integration, the sociological study of the apparent affinity between nursing and CAM is virtually non-existent. This paper provides an exploratory analysis of how writers within the CAM nursing sub-world adopt a recourse to history (nostalgic and nostophobic referencing) as a strategy to authenticate the relationship between nursing and CAM and so facilitate continuing integration. A text analysis, of articles written on CAM in four nursing journals, was conducted. Eighty papers satisfied the inclusion criteria. Evidence is presented of the way in which writers attempt to authenticate integration of CAM through reference to its apparent interconnectedness with the historically grounded core of nursing values, and more specifically, with the key historical figure of the nurse Florence Nightingale (1820-1910). It is argued that these rhetorical strategies can be understood in the context of the need to engage in (primarily) intra-professional persuasion: to protect and develop the values of their nursing sub-world over alternatives. The findings are preliminary. Themes identified are illustrative of the potential offered by an analysis of nostalgic and nostophobic referencing in this context, and not a definitive account of it. Further research should examine individually produced texts from other sources, and documents produced by relevant professional bodies.

Complementary Therapies↗
PubMed2003

Complementary therapy for addiction: "drumming out drugs".

OBJECTIVES: This article examines drumming activities as complementary addiction treatments and discusses their reported effects. METHODS: I observed drumming circles for substance abuse (as a participant), interviewed counselors and Internet mailing list participants, initiated a pilot program, and reviewed literature on the effects of drumming. RESULTS: Research reviews indicate that drumming enhances recovery through inducing relaxation and enhancing theta-wave production and brain-wave synchronization. Drumming produces pleasurable experiences, enhanced awareness of preconscious dynamics, release of emotional trauma, and reintegration of self. Drumming alleviates self-centeredness, isolation, and alienation, creating a sense of connectedness with self and others. Drumming provides a secular approach to accessing a higher power and applying spiritual perspectives. CONCLUSIONS: Drumming circles have applications as complementary addiction therapy, particularly for repeated relapse and when other counseling modalities have failed.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2005

Health care choices: complementary therapy, chronic illness, and older rural dwellers.

PURPOSE: To better understand elderly rural dwellers use of complementary and alternative therapies (CAM), perception of efficacy, and their sources of information. METHOD: Ten participants between ages 60 and 80 years were interviewed by telephone. Qualitative analysis for content and themes was done. FINDINGS: Self-directed practices such as vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements, taken to compensate for perceived dietary deficiencies, were cited most frequently. Therapies used included biofeedback, massage, chiropractic, and podiatry. Information was obtained from the physician or nurse practitioner and supplemented with material from other sources. CONCLUSIONS: Respondents were discriminating users of the products they selected and were satisfied with the results, although they did not always have accurate understanding of the effects of the supplement or therapy. IMPLICATIONS: Health professionals need to have knowledge about CAM and to include questions about use during patient encounters. Providers must take time to answer questions and provide user friendly information.

Aged↗