Alternative therapies in health and medicine
-
Altern Ther Health Med · Sep 2008
Multicenter StudyAssociation of complementary and alternative medicine use with highly active antiretroviral therapy initiation.
To assess whether complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is associated with the timing of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) initiation among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected participants of the Women's Interagency HIV Study. ⋯ Female CAM users initiated HAART regimens earlier than non-CAM users. Initiation of HAART is an important clinical marker, but more research is needed to elucidate the role specific CAM modalities play in HIV disease progression.
-
Altern Ther Health Med · Jul 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialThe efficacy of healing touch in coronary artery bypass surgery recovery: a randomized clinical trial.
The use of complementary therapies in conjunction with conventional care has great potential to address patient pain, complication rates, and recovery time. Few studies of such therapies have been conducted in hospital settings where some of the most stressful procedures are performed on a regular basis. ⋯ Analysis was conducted for all patients and separately by inpatient/outpatient status. Though no significant decrease in the use of pain medication, anti-emetic medication, or incidence of atrial fibrillation was observed, significant differences were noted in anxiety scores and length ofstay. All HT patients showed a greater decrease in anxiety scores when compared to the visitor and control groups. In addition, there was a significant difference in outpatient HT length of stay when compared to the visitor and control groups.
-
Altern Ther Health Med · May 2008
Clinical decision support tools: focus on dietary supplement databases.
To assess the content of dietary supplement databases used for clinical decision support. ⋯ Many clinicians may be unprepared to deal with patient-related dietary supplement questions; therefore, clinical decision support tools that address this knowledge gap are needed. There was significant heterogeneity in the content of dietary supplement-focused online databases, with clustering in the top tier.
-
Altern Ther Health Med · Jan 2008
ReviewIntegrative mental health care: from theory to practice, Part 2.
Integrative approaches will lead to more accurate and different understandings of mental illness. Beneficial responses to complementary and alternative therapies provide important clues about the phenomenal nature of the human body in space-time and disparate biological, informational, and energetic factors associated with normal and abnormal psychological functioning. The conceptual framework of contemporary Western psychiatry includes multiple theoretical viewpoints, and there is no single best explanatory model of mental illness. ⋯ In part 2, a practical methodology, for planning integrative assessment and treatment strategies in mental health care is proposed. Using this methodology the integrative management of moderate and severe psychiatric symptoms is reviewed in detail. As the conceptual framework of Western medicine evolves toward an increasingly integrative perspective, novel understanding of complex relationships between biological, informational, and energetic processes associated with normal psychological functioning and mental illness will lead to more effective integrative assessment and treatment strategies addressing the causes or meanings of symptoms at multiple hierarchic levels of body-brain-mind.
-
Altern Ther Health Med · Nov 2007
Randomized Controlled Trial Controlled Clinical TrialMindful awareness in body-oriented therapy for female veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder taking prescription analgesics for chronic pain: a feasibility study.
Preliminary studies of body therapy for women in trauma recovery suggest positive results but are not specific to women with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain. ⋯ Over 10 weeks of recruitment, 31 women expressed interest in study participation. The primary reason for exclusion was the lack of prescription analgesic use for chronic pain. Study participants adhered to study procedures, and 100% attended at least 7 of 8 sessions; all completed in-person post-treatment assessment. Written questionnaires about intervention experience suggest increased tools for pain relief/relaxation, increased body/mind connection, and increased trust/safety. Ten of 14 responded to mailed 3-month follow-up. The response-to-process measures indicated the feasibility of implementing the manualized protocol and point to the need for longer sessions and a longer intervention period with this population.