Alternative and Complementary Medicine Commons^™

Death Doulas And The Changing Face Of Passing On In America, Uvie M. Bikomo

Capstones

This project examines the damages of the current death culture in the country and the ways in which it is evolving to a more communal thing. It focuses on death doulas and how they are changing death in America.

Link to capstone project:https://ubikomo.github.io/doula/

The Art Of Surviving: Alchemy Of Healing Trauma In Relation To Identity: A Self Study., Rebecca Morgan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis explores trauma’s physical and psychological aspects concerning identity as an artistic practice. Through exploring materials, subject matter, and media, my approach to trauma is based on personal and socially engaged experiences and my attempt to re-conceptualize that experience through the language of contemporary art. Extensively this work is governed by childhood memories and the critical aspect of being raised as a female in a patriarchal society. Being raised female comes with a certain number of expectations and requirements. This work creates a physical and spiritual connection between trauma and the identity of what is female. Discussing these …

Autopsy V. Virtopsy: A New Approach For Postmortem Forensic Examination, Nicole Elaine Lawson

Honors Projects

Virtopsy as a potential new standard in forensic science investigation in the place of a conventional autopsy. In recent years there have been new advancements across the forensic field and in the scientific world as a whole. These advancements have changed many approaches bringing new capabilities and new challenges and pushback. This report takes a specific interest in the evolution of forensic autopsy. With improvements such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography scan (CT), X-Rays, and other approaches a new term and technique have been coined Virtopsy. As this new potential approach has come to light the resistance against …

Effects And Outcomes Of Different Laboring Positions And The Influence From Societal Norms, Amberlyn Heskett

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background

Within labor and delivery, every birth is different. Alarmingly, the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate, including death during labor, among developed countries (World Health Organization, 2022). Many maternal deaths may be preventable.

In the U.S., the use of forceps, vacuum-assisted birth, episiotomies, and emergency C-sections are common for women during childbirth. Even though some laboring positions may assist birthing more than others, there often is resistance to allowing various positions due to outside influences, including societal norms, hospital management, and healthcare professional training. Women in labor are vulnerable and look to their nurses for support during the …

The Effects Of A Low Fodmap Diet On People With Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Literature Review, Emily Stalder

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a very common gastrointestinal disorder around the world. There is no known etiology or cure for the disorder, which leaves researchers to develop coping mechanisms for this prevalent issue. A high percentage (10%-15%) of the general population, mostly in Western, industrialized areas, suffer from IBS. A low FODMAP diet (LFD) is something that has been gaining a following over the past 20 years, which has led to research on its ability to minimize symptoms of IBS. The purpose of this literature review is to see what current research has to offer on the LFD’s ability …

Using Social Media To Examine Disabled Veterans’ Adaptive Sports Lived Experience At The National Veterans’ Wheelchair Games, Heather Harding

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Considered the world’s largest annual rehabilitative wheelchair games event for Veterans in the United States, the National Veterans Wheelchair Games (NVWG or the Games), co-hosted annually by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Paralyzed Veterans of America, is a long-standing event that offers a view into how adaptive sports and recreational activities can impact Veterans with disabilities. This hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative study sought to discover if the Veteran athletes, who participated in the NVWG between 2017 and 2021, described their lived experiences through the lens of their public social media posts on Instagram, and if so, what can be gleaned …

A Manualized Occupational Therapy Mindfulness Module For Clients With Ptsd, Michael Ramirez

Student Capstone Papers

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) adversely impacts an individual’s functioning across areas of daily occupation. There is a paucity of literature addressing occupational therapy (OT) for people with PTSD. The literature has advocated for the development of a manualized OT intervention with the inclusion of mindfulness as one of its components. To date, a mindfulness-based OT treatment guide or manualized program specifically for clients with PTSD has not yet been developed. The aim of this paper is to bridge a gap in the literature and to develop a resource for occupational therapists to employ mindfulness as a clinical intervention with clients …

No One Should Have To Give Birth Alone: An Analysis Of The Efficacy Of Community-Based Doula Programs Serving Ethnic Minorities In San Francisco, Maria Margaret Nelson

Master's Projects and Capstones

Adverse birth outcomes for both the parent and the child disproportionately affect people of color. Evidence demonstrates that one of the ways to mitigate these negative consequences is through the utilization of a doula, a trained birth companion that is not a medical provider but whose role it is to physically and emotionally support the patient through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Community-based doula programs, where the doula is of the same cultural background as the client, are particularly effective in improving birth outcomes in communities of color by providing culturally competent care and helping to navigate a healthcare system that …

Three Essays About Preventing Mental And Behavioral Disorders, Snehal Lopes

All Dissertations

Prevention efforts in the public health field operate at various levels, including primary prevention among those without a disease of interest, secondary prevention among persons at high risk or showing early signs of the disease, and tertiary prevention among persons with the disease. The three essays presented in this dissertation are centered around the theme of prevention, and taken together, have implications for prevention at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Specifically, the essays focus on the prevention of depressive disorders and the prevention of behavioral and mental health correlates for depression in the context of various populations (general adult, …

Evaluating Mindfulness On Loneliness In An Older Adult Population, Jessica Tieskoetter

Dissertations

Problem: Loneliness is a widespread public health concern and has negatively impacted mortality and health outcomes among older adults. This quality improvement project’s purpose was to evaluate mindfulness on loneliness and quality of life among adults aged 65 years and older, participating in a weekly befriending socialization program.

Methods: A descriptive cohort design was utilized to assess loneliness pre-and post-implementation of a mindfulness telephone line over three months. A convenience sample of 22 older adults enrolled in a befriending socialization program was used. The Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice framework was applied to guide the implementation of a practice change …

Medicinal Plant Use For Type-2 Diabetes Treatment In The Traditional Vietnamese Medicine System Of Southern Vietnam, Lan Truong

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This ethnobotanical study examines the traditional health care system of the Mekong River Delta in Vietnam. The basic inquiry focuses on how the healers in the traditional Vietnamese medicine (TVM) system are treating a disease relatively new in Vietnam, type-2 diabetes (T2D). The study includes a description of the system in which the healers work. The research design compares two locations, one on the mainland (Rạch Giá City) and the other on a nearby island (Phú Quốc Island).

There are six chapters. The first chapter establishes foundational information about the region, population, and the traditional medical system. The results of …

An Exploration Of Health Coaching Models And Their Efficacy In Chronic Disease Management: A Literature Review, Sofia Gallamore

University Honors Theses

Amidst the rise of chronic condition prevalence in recent decades, the field of health coaching has presented itself as a feasible complementary treatment method in chronic condition prevention and management. This literature review analyzes various clinical health coaching practices and their effectiveness in improving health behaviors and clinical outcomes in patients with chronic conditions. Eight studies were compared, with particular attention directed towards the evaluation of coaching techniques and modes of delivery. It was discovered that successful health coaching practices use a combination of Motivational Interviewing (MI), self-efficacy, and goal setting. Furthermore, programs that incorporated in-person intake sessions, followed by …

A Qualitative Study On Nurse Facilitators Of Mind-Body Skills Groups, Paula D. Blake-Beckford

Mindfulness Studies Theses

The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM), founded by Dr. James Gordon, provides communities with evidence-based Mind-Body Skills Groups (MBSGs) that foster self-care, self-awareness, and self-expression. MBSGs range from 8 to 12-week series on various mind-body practices wherein group members meet, practice, and reflect on the impact of mind-body skills in their lives. Research has demonstrated that participants in MBSGs have positive outcomes. Healthcare professionals (HCPs), especially nurses, gain resiliency from MBSGs. As facilitators of MBSGs, nurses develop essential skills transferable to clinical and educational settings. MBSGs are therapeutic for adult participants with chronic stress. Prior to this thesis, only one …

Using Animal As Metaphor In Drama Therapy With Psychiatric Patients In An Intensive Outpatient Program Group Therapy Session: An Intervention, Juliana Fort

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

Drama therapy may be uniquely suited to help people with mental illness who have negative beliefs about what it means to be mentally ill. It focuses on helping the individual expand their sense of what a person with mental illness can be, as well as their awareness of the other roles they may play in their lives. In the current study, the author developed a drama therapy intervention for psychiatric patients in an intensive outpatient program (IOP). The intervention uses pre-made cards that depict images of various animals. During the intervention, the participants were asked to discuss how they …

Healing Our Connection With Nature: An Expressive Arts Community Engagement Project, Meghan Mccrillis

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

A community engagement project was created and implemented, comprised of two events for which the author facilitated nature-based expressive arts experiences to explore the integration of nature and expressive arts therapy. The events were offered to two different groups of community members, one for nature-curious adults held outdoors on the trails of a local conservation trust, and another for young children at a local library. The healing impact of nature connection and nature connection experiences are explored through a literature review, event methods, and the author’s personal experiences of the project via artmaking. The results include an emphasis on nature …

Using Animal As Metaphor In Drama Therapy With Psychiatric Patients In An Intensive Outpatient Program Group Therapy Session: An Intervention, Juliana Fort

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Drama therapy may be uniquely suited to help people with mental illness who have negative beliefs about what it means to be mentally ill. It focuses on helping the individual expand their sense of what a person with mental illness can be, as well as their awareness of the other roles they may play in their lives. In the current study, the author developed a drama therapy intervention for psychiatric patients in an intensive outpatient program (IOP). The intervention uses pre-made cards that depict images of various animals. During the intervention, the participants were asked to discuss how they handle …

Dance/Movement Therapy As A Transdisciplinary Approach To Treating Trauma, Destany Schadder

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis considers dance/movement therapy as a transdisciplinary approach to treating trauma in the body. It explains what the functions of the brain are, how trauma negatively affects it, and how posttraumatic stress disorder is expressed in both the body and the brain. It discusses multidisplinary approaches, it shows how these approaches leverage the body in treating trauma. Moreover, it demonstrates the benefits and advantages of a dance/movement therapist in supporting individuals who have experienced traumatic events. To achieve these goals, this thesis discusses research by neuroscientists, such as Damassio (1999), who maintain that the body and mind directly affect …

The Synthesis And Characterization Of Ionic Liquids Using Nitrogen-Based Cations For Transdermal Delivery, Jo Galloway

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research was to explore the synthesis mechanisms of water-soluble ionic liquids with nitrogen-containing cationic bases for future use in transdermal drug delivery and forensic science applications. Ionic liquids are salts with an organic cation and either an organic or inorganic anion. They have asymmetric structures, which means that the molecules don’t pack together as neatly as other salts do, therefore, they don’t crystallize as easily, and their melting points are lower. Ionic liquids have melting points below 100°C, and many are liquid at room temperature. Mechanistic studies reveal that the potency of ILs in enhancing transdermal …

A Mixed Methods Study Of Cultural Competence Among Nursing Students In Kenya, Sylvia Waweru

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Significance and Background: Kenya has been experiencing an increase in cultural and ethnic diversity. As a result of cultural differences, health disparities among ethnic groups in Kenya are increasing. A component of patient centered care involves the incorporation of cultural aspects of health and illness in the delivery of nursing care. Understanding cultural competence of nursing students will provide guidance on educational needs related to cultural competence.

Purpose:. The purpose of this study was to assess nursing students’ cultural competence (CC) in the areas of cultural awareness, knowledge, sensitivity, skills, encounters and desire. Nursing students’ views on caring for …

A Phenomenological Inquiry Of How Nature Connectedness Relates To Spirituality And Well-Being, Julie W. Jacobsen, Samantha J. Jurichko, Janice P. Steinhauser

Master of Arts in Holistic Health Studies Research Papers

Spending time in nature results in health benefits. Researchers also find a positive relationship between spirituality and health. Some research suggests a positive association between nature connectedness and spirituality. The literature on the relationships between nature connectedness, spirituality, and well-being and the meaning these relationships have for individuals is limited. This phenomenological study describes 15 participants' lived experiences of how nature connectedness relates to spirituality and well-being. Five themes emerged using semi-structured interviews and thematic data analysis: Nature as a path to spirituality; nature preferences relate to spirituality; connectedness; spiritual guidance from nature; and spirituality in nature is healing. Nature …

Hallucinogenic Neoshamanism As Antimodernism: Development And Ethical Considerations, Ethan Thompson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Humans have been using hallucinogenic plants and fungi for thousands of years. Historically, people around the world have made use of these substances to aid in their spiritual development. Studies of the usage of hallucinogens in indigenous societies often use the term “shamanism” to characterize the associated system of belief and ritual practices. In popular understanding, shamanism is a religious system that features highly ritualized performances in which a practitioner (shaman) utilizes an altered state of consciousness to gain access to realms inhabited by spirits with the intent of recruiting their help to resolve a problem, cure a patient, correct …

Native American Youth Perspectives On Resilience, Heather Babula, Shelly Belgarde, Suzanne Cecere, Kirsten Albrecht Riehle

Master of Arts in Holistic Health Studies Research Papers

Few existing studies examine resilience in youth by exploring the perspectives of the youth themselves. Research suggests that resilience is culturally contextual and that it is essential to include youth viewpoints when constructing an understanding of resilience. Native American youth are underrepresented in youth resilience studies. For this study, we use an arts informed method to explore resilience among Native American youth. An arts informed method provides for gathering of subjective, intuitive participant perceptions, which aligns with our phenomenological and Indigenous research cultures of inquiry. Participants took photos of that which they perceived to give them strength (“resilience” code-switched for …

Exploring The Efficacy Of Herbal & Medicinal Plants Native To China And Thailand As A Complementary & Alternative Treatment In Mitigating Mild-To-Moderate Covid-19 Symptoms, Jiramanee Apiwansri

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background

In December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) was informed of an outbreak of an unknown cause of pneumonia-like symptoms in residents concentrated in Wuhan, China; this marked the start of China’s epidemic, which transformed into a pandemic affecting all continents of the world. The cause of the pneumonia-like symptoms was found to be due to the growth and development of the virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which spreads through an infected person’s respiratory droplets through activities such as talking, coughing, and sneezing. With COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers available worldwide, even the economically and technologically forward countries …

Pediatric Seizure Management With Ketogenic Diet, Lydia Beller

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Seizure disorders can be life altering and debilitating, especially for developing children. Children who have seizure disorders often require social, emotional, educational, and behavioral adjustments for children. Most medication regimes do not achieve complete management of seizure frequency and intensity. For children, seizure disorders can lead to unsuccessful education experiences, low self-esteem, severe injury, and difficulties with social skills and engagement. Discovering that a dietary means can reduce their frequency and intensity is groundbreaking. The ketogenic diet is a high protein, high fat, and almost no carbohydrate diet. The ketogenic diet is an effective non-pharmacological method for treating epilepsy (Karimzadeh, …

Multimodal Approach To Chronic Pain Management And Prevention Of Opioid Use Disorder, Hannah Elston

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background. Chronic pain (CP) is a major public health problem that affects one-third of the population and can interfere with the activities of daily life and cause decreased quality of life. Patients with CP have been increasingly prescribed opioids, contributing to the rise in the opioid epidemic. Due to the long-term nature of CP, the use of opioids as the sole treatment for CP can cause tolerance and increased dosages overtime which can lead to addiction and potentially overdose. Therefore, CP treatment should include multimodal approaches to treatment to prevent opioid misuse, opioid use disorder (OUD), and overdose. Multimodal treatments …

Stressed Out And Stressed In: Regulating The Stress Response At An Endocrine Level Through Dance/Movement Therapy, Alicia Randazzo

Dance/Movement Therapy Theses

This thesis proposes dance/movement therapy as an approach to regulating the stress response from the perspective of the endocrine system. By examining the endocrine system’s role specifically in the human stress response, one can gain clearer understanding of the hormonal components involved in the process of perceiving a stressor, reacting to it, and returning to homeostasis, as well as what happens when that process is interrupted, overworked, or dysfunctional. The impacts of these internal processes can manifest physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and cognitively – making dance/movement therapy well-suited to thoroughly address them. This assertion was made following the investigation of …

Cytotoxic Activity Of Non-Specific Lipid Transfer Protein (Nsltp1) And Proteomic Evaluation Of Heparin-Binding Proteins From Ajwain (Trachyspermum Ammi) Seeds, Saud Alshammari

Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

Trachyspermum ammi, commonly known as ajwain, is a member of the Apiaceae family. It is a therapeutic herbal spice with diverse pharmacological properties, used in traditional medicine for various ailments. However, all previous studies were conducted using small molecule extracts, leaving the protein’s bioactivity undiscovered. The present study demonstrated the antiproliferative activity of ajwain nsLTP1 in MCF-7, AsPC-1, and MCF10A cell lines and its structural stability in human serum and high-temperature conditions. The antiproliferative activity of ajwain nsLTP1 was evaluated in MCF-7 and AsPC-1 cell lines using an MTT assay. Annexin V-FITC and PI staining were used to detect the …

Music As A Treatment For Perceived Postoperative Pain In Adults: A Critically Appraised Topic, Savannah G. Mcdaniel

Honors College Theses

Clinical Question: In postoperative patients, how does listening to music affect perceived pain levels? Clinical Bottom Line: There is consistent evidence to suggest music decreases perceived pain in postoperative patients undergoing nasal septal surgery, open heart surgery, total knee replacement surgery, and general orthopedic surgeries requiring hospitalization. Athletic trainers can confidently implement music during patients’ post-operative care sessions to help reduce pain.

Adolescent Anxiety: Implementing Mindfulness Techniques To Lessen Mental Health Crises, Britt Schultz

Theses and Graduate Projects

Adolescence is one of the most challenging times in life as many transitions occur while a child grows into a young adult. In a school-based program, this doctoral of nursing practice project implemented mindfulness techniques to lessen mental health crises in anxious adolescents. This scholarly project educated adolescents in a small town in rural southeast Minnesota on the effective coping exercises of mindfulness and deep breathing to lessen anxiety and decrease mental health crises. Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring is the framework for the project and three of her Carative Factors guided this project. A literature review identified opportunities …

The Role Of American Domestic Medicine In The Nineteenth Century: Implications For Modern Populations With Low Access To Health Care, Savannah Allen

Senior Theses

Domestic medicine can be defined as medical treatment provided within the home or community that is administered by a member of that home or community who is not a physician, surgeon, or nurse. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, domestic medicine flourished as housewives began to take on the role of medical practitioner. This was an attempt to alleviate the stress of low healthcare access that plagued lower-income and rural communities. Among lower- and middle-class communities in present day, we continue to see disparities in access to quality health care. I will argue that telemedicine has transformed during …