Alternative and Complementary Medicine Commons^™

The Effects Of Sustainability As A Positive Attribute On Equine Therapy Design: An Interdisciplinary Study, Andria Sinclair

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Interdisciplinary studies have brought benefits to introducing new solutions to the traditional environment and traditional therapies. Sustainability in relation to design has been suggested in 2006, by the Center for Building Performance and Diagnostic (CBPD) at Carnegie Mellon University to incorporate daylight, solar, heat and ventilation of the natural environment combined with the innovations of current technologies (Whitmore, 2011). This paper will look at how sustainability plays a key role of benefits including those that are health associated with equine therapy design and its relationship to the patient, or end user. Interdisciplinary research in the therapeutic value of equine-human bonding …

A Systematic Review: Non-Pharmacological Interventions For Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea And Vomiting, Miranda L. Ayers, Olateju F. Olowe

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Around 70-80% of patients receiving chemotherapy are at risk of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), which can interfere with appetite and the ability to perform normal activities for daily living. When CINV is severe, psychological distress, depression, and physiological impairment occur. Patients may also stop chemotherapy treatments, which can lead to untimely deaths. The aim of this systematic review was to identify, describe, and evaluate the evidence about the use and effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions, compared to no use of non-pharmacological interventions, on self-reported episodes of CINV among the cancer patients. Twenty articles were reviewed on the use of acupressure, …

Assessing Spirituality Among Hospice Patients: A Phenomenological Study Of Hospice Nurses, Isabel Esther Kaufman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The shift in health care and nursing philosophy and practice from a holistic approach to a highly technological, cure-oriented approach has been attributed to effective pharmaceuticals made to prolong life. Recently medical professionals have shifted their focus to a combination of spiritual healing and medicine. Hospice care in particular have taken a key interest in integrating spirituality within their health care. The problem is that due to the complications in defining spirituality and appropriate training and education of spirituality within nursing curriculum, assessing patients' spiritual distress may be difficult for many hospice nurses which may be at a loss when …

2013 Jin Shin Jyutsu® Patient Response, Nathan Garrett

DNP Projects

Background: Pain and stress are symptoms experienced by many patients with cancer. Integrative therapies including energy therapies can help manage these symptoms. Jin Shin Jyutsu (JSJ) is one such energy therapy, but there is limited research regarding its utility on pain and stress for patients with cancer.

Objectives: The following study had two main objectives: 1) evaluate the self-reported perception of pain and stress before and after a first-time JSJ session, and 2) examine gender differences in perceptions of pain and stress following JSJ.

Methods: A retrospective study employing a pretest-posttest design was used to examine the perceptions of pain …

Common Psychosocial And Spiritual Factors Among Individuals Who Have Healed From Chronic Lyme Disease, Frederick Green

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation examined the subjective experience of individuals who have healed from Chronic Lyme Disease (CLD). Despite significant attention paid to the controversy over CLD diagnosis and treatment, scholarly research has neglected the psychosocial and/or spiritual factors that facilitate healing from the perspective of CLD sufferers. This study addressed this research gap by using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore the barriers and facilitators of healing among those who have healed from CLD. Six participants who had suffered from CLD and considered themselves healed from the disease were recruited and interviewed. The qualitative data was reduced to meaning units, which …

Medical Cannabis In The United States: Policy, Politics And Science, Jelica Grbic

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Historically, cannabis has been used as a pharmaceutical drug for a variety of conditions including rheumatism, depression, convulsions, and malaria. Since the 1970s, randomised, controlled clinical trials have shown cannabis to be effective in the treatment of debilitating medical conditions including nausea and vomiting resulting from cancer chemotherapy, wasting syndrome associated with HIV/AIDS, and chronic pain. Despite scientific evidence, as of 2011, when the material for this thesis was collected, only 17 states of the United States (U.S.) and the District of Columbia had enacted medical cannabis laws allowing patients with specific medical conditions to use cannabis without being criminally …

Surveys Of Cancer Patients And Cancer Health Care Providers Regarding Complementary Therapy Use, Communication, And Information Needs, Ngaire King, Lynda G. Balneaves, Gregory T. Levin, Thao Nguyen, Jill G. Nation, Cynthia Card, Tracy Truant, Linda E. Carlson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background. Complementary therapies (CTs) are increasingly utilized by cancer patients. Nonetheless, patients report insufficient support from health care practitioners (HCPs) and there is a general lack of patient-practitioner communication about CT use. Best care practices suggest that HCPs should address the needs of patients, including CT use. This study examined current practices of patients and HCPs as well as their interactions relating to CTs. Methods. A total of 481 cancer outpatients and 100 HCPs completed questionnaires. Patient questions addressed CT use and information needs; HCP questions addressed knowledge, opinions and beliefs about complementary and alternative medicine. Patient-practitioner communication around CT …

Combination Of Music And Aromatherapy To Improve The Efficiency Of Motor Functions And Speech In Patients Paralyzed From Stroke., Mounica Bevara

Undergraduate Research Posters

With the rapid development of medical technology, millions of dollars are being spent on discovering innovative methods of treating fatal diseases such as stroke that may also result in temporary paralysis. Physiotherapy treatments aimed at restoring brain function in patients paralyzed following a stroke is subjective to the patient and does not guarantee complete rehabilitation. While many practitioners have attempted to employ complementary and alternative methods of treatment such as massage therapy, acupuncture therapy, siddha, and marma therapy, none of them proved to be equally as effective as physiotherapy. However, prior studies support the notion that aromatherapy used in combination …

Feasibility Of Integrating Tripterygium Wilfordii Into Modern Cancer Therapy For Increased Efficacy And Minimal Toxicity, Ngoc T. Vo

Undergraduate Research Posters

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. and millions of novel cancer cases are being diagnosed each year. While chemotherapy and ionizing radiation are effective treatments against these malignant tumors, the adverse effects that accompany such treatments are devastating. In order to find alternative treatment methods with less side effects, we turn to Eastern herbal medicine. Recent scientific research has found that Tripterygium wilfordii, an herbal medicine traditionally used to treat inflammation in China, contains compounds (triptolide and celastrol) that prevent the growth of solid tumors, induce apoptosis, and prevent metastasis of developed tumors. Investigations …