Alternative and Complementary Medicine Commons^™

Empowering Low-Income Women With Breast Cancer: Promoting Acupuncture At Community Health Fairs, Katrina Ramos

Nursing | Senior Theses

While research has explored the positive effects of acupuncture on cancer and cancer treatment symptoms, a notable gap exists in understanding its impact on lower-income populations. These individuals encounter barriers to accessing acupuncture, such as limited availability, cost, and provider knowledge. This longitudinal study aims to assess the impact of community health fairs, featuring acupuncture information for breast cancer and chemotherapy-induced symptoms, on the acceptance and utilization rates of acupuncture among low-income women with breast cancer. Collaborating with the Women’s Cancer Resource Center and a local non-profit integrative cancer care clinic in Oakland, we will conduct a three-day health fair …

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 …

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 …

Factors Influencing Nurses’ Willingness To Recommend Reiki For Their Oncology Patients’ Pain, Amy Nezzer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hospitalized, adult, oncology patients experience intractable pain that does not always respond to pharmacological therapies. Reiki is a complementary and alternative method used to reduce pain and increase the effectiveness of pharmacological treatments, but nurses may not possess knowledge about Reiki or have the self-efficacy to educate patients about Reiki. The purpose of this study, guided by Bandura’s social cognitive theory, was to identify the relationship between nurses’ knowledge, level of self-efficacy in educating their patients, beliefs about Reiki’s effectiveness, years practicing as a nurse, and willingness to recommend Reiki for their oncology patients’ pain. The Knowledge of Nurses’ Questionnaire …

The Emergence Of The Legitimacy Of Religious Healing Knowledge In Taiwan, Wei-Cheng Chiu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates how religious healing knowledge has been defined and used by scholars, physicians, and New Agers and how religious healing knowledge emerged as a legitimate area of knowledge in Taiwan. The key position of religious healing knowledge within the entanglement between religion and spirituality is also examined. After the martial law was lifted in 1987, Taiwan’s society had rapidly diversified, and its religions were at the transition point between the old and the new. Meanwhile, the new spirituality culture was introduced into Taiwan in the 1980s and got popular in the 1990s, and it inherited the trend of …

The Relationship Between Frequency Of Yoga And Meditation On Ptsd Symptoms In Individuals Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence, Kimberly Polignani

Dissertations

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has become a growing phenomenon in the United States,

affecting nearly 13% of the population. The adverse mental health outcomes from people who experience IPV are prevalent and more than half have a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Therefore, therapeutic techniques for PTSD appear to be feasible for IPV survivors and their mental health issues. Complementary and alternative medicine has become a widely accepted approach for PTSD. Being two complementary and alternative medicine techniques, yoga and meditation are effective forms of therapy in many diagnoses, including PTSD. This study utilized a not-for-profit organization called the …

The Effects Of A Yoga Intervention On Reactive Balance In Older Adults, Haley M. Hayes

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Research into successful aging has shown that the ability to control balance is a key part of maintaining an independent lifestyle. Given the increased proportion of older adults in society, the development of effective strategies to promote successful aging are critical. One promising form of activity that could effectively sustain and/or improve balance in addition to other health markers is yoga. Although studies have been done showing yoga's benefits on mobility, mood and cognition the vast majority of these studies lack scientific rigor. The main purpose of this thesis project was to examine the efficacy of a 6-week yoga intervention …

Exploring Unmet Healthcare Needs, Healthcare Access, And The Use Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine By Chronic Pain Sufferers- An Analysis Of The National Population Health Survey, Jessica Lachance

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: Chronic pain is a condition nurses encounter in their practice often; estimated to affect 1 in 5 Canadian adults, resulting in significant disability, a deleterious impact on health and quality of life, and a large financial and operational burden on the health care system. It is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon that despite research efforts remains poorly understood. Consequently, the focus of chronic pain treatment targets the managementof pain to improve quality of life and reduce suffering as much as possible, rather than a curative approach. Chronic pain has been recognized as one of the most pervasive and …

Social Learning Biases In The Use Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine, Marie Denell Letourneau

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, the use of complementary and alternative medicine (usually referred to as CAM) has increased dramatically over the last three decades. However, theoretically informed explanations about why people decide to use CAM therapies are lacking. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is enough statistical evidence to justify additional research on the relationship between social learning and the decision to use CAM. Working on the assumption that people make decisions based on information they have or can obtain, I applied the concept of learning bias in order to examine the ways in which people …

Health As An Individualized Project: Gender Bio-Authenticity And Responsibilization Governance In Functional Medicine, Emma E. Radich

Senior Projects Spring 2018

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Prevalence And Predictors Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine Use Among Lebanese College Students, Lama Jizi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Lebanon, estimates of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) use among college students are not available. CAM practices are not well regulated and some products contain unsafe substances. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and predictors of CAM use among Lebanese college students using the health belief model. A quantitative cross sectional research design was used. An online survey was administered to 126 Lebanese college students with the aim of determining the most important predictors of CAM use. A majority (89%) of surveyed students reported the use of CAM in the last 12 months. Based on …

Exploring The Use Of Cam And Its Influence On The Spiritual Lives Of Christian Religious Professionals, Jennifer L. Collins, Cynthia J. Sampers

Master of Arts in Holistic Health Studies Research Papers

Religion and the Church; medicine and healing. Interconnected before the time of Descartes, these integral domains have experienced significant change in recent decades as people have become disillusioned with conventional biomedicine and institutional Christianity. More people are seeking holistic forms of healing—perhaps once again reuniting body, mind, and spirit, as a bone resetting from a centuries-old fracture or dislocation. The purpose of this research is to explore the use of Eastern and energy-based forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by Christian religious professionals. Based on a qualitative culture of inquiry, we conducted 10 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with individual clergy …

Toward Enhancing Treatment For Pregnant Smokers: Laying The Groundwork For The Use Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine Approaches, Amy Michele Loree

Wayne State University Dissertations

Tobacco is the most widely used drug of abuse during pregnancy. Despite efforts to reduce perinatal tobacco use, its prevalence has remained steady over at least the past decade, suggesting that efforts to reduce smoking prevalence before and during pregnancy have not been effective. Although a range of effective treatments exist, most pregnant smokers neither seek nor receive any kind of treatment. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments may be ideal as alternative, low-cost approaches capable of reaching and assisting a greater proportion of pregnant women with smoking cessation. This study examined characteristics and treatment utilization practices of pregnant smokers …

The Effects Of Yoga Participation On Symptoms Associated With Menopause: A Mixed Methods Study, Brandi Crowe

All Dissertations

During midlife, it is expected that women will progress towards the biological state of menopause; the permanent condition of infertility due to alterations or diminution of reproductive hormones. Typically lasting 5-10 years, the menopausal transition is associated with symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, interrupted sleep, anxiety, forgetfulness, and inconsistent mood. As these symptoms often hinder a women's successful functioning in everyday life, hormone therapy is commonly prescribed as a means for diminishing symptoms. However, many women are seeking alternative/complementary treatments that can assist in managing menopausal symptoms due to the detrimental health-risks associated with the use of conventional therapies. …