Integrative Medicine Commons^™

Hx Of, Bonni Boles

Akesis

My purpose in creating this comic strip was to tell a story that depicts some of the struggles I have had with the health care system and how a patient's history can go overlooked. I suffered from chronic insomnia for over 10 years before a licensed professional counselor, someone tasked with actually listening to me, helped me to get on medication to help with sleep. My mental health, and general health, problems became much less severe and more manageable after finally sleeping regularly.

Sleep hygiene has been found to not have much success with chronic insomnia. I didn't need someone …

Skull And Cervical Spine Study, Paul J. Mangiafico

Akesis

Anatomical drawings are a really fun way to understand and appreciate the structure and the complexity of the human body. The material used to create this drawing was a #2 mechanical pencil.

Twin, Amy L. Courtney

Akesis

Reflective essay about being an identical twin who no longer looks identical.

Remedy, Michael Cyr

Akesis

In keeping with this issues’ theme this piece is meant to highlight the subtle places terminal illness hides biologically, socially and spiritually and how and where it is expressed, sometimes despite the best efforts of the patient or caregivers. This piece also makes effort to convey the importance of humanity in medicine and highlight loving connection as an important part of the arsenal we use against sickness.

Hexis Habitus, Jessica Rehrig

Akesis

This photograph is one that was taken years ago after gymnastics practice. It was mindlessly taken: poor quality, out of frame, buried amongst memories saved in a rarely viewed album. At the time, it captured nothing more than a habitus, a commonplace that seemed unnecessary to freeze in time.

Years have passed since training, and our hands no longer serve as an outward reflection of diligence and dedication. Today those calluses exist in the internal habitus of our character, and in one mindlessly taken, poor quality, out of frame photograph.

Clay And Stone, Jess W. Rempel

Akesis

Clay handprints on a canyon wall in southern Utah, found after the people who made them had gone. The Navajo sandstone of the canyon wall dates to the Jurassic period, with a record of eons revealed by the water that carved the canyon away. People love to leave their mark on places that make marks on them: some of the earliest recorded graffiti in Pompeii simply read "Gaius was here." I enjoyed stumbling upon the hand prints which allowed me into the hikers' experience, and their joy could add to the lasting impression that place made upon me. Our experiences …

Corporeal Quintessence, Jordan Lamb, Michael Cyr

Akesis

In keeping with the theme of “Historia Habitus” this collection is meant to illustrate how the physical form is a living history, with every movement written into the striations of the human musculature. The old adage “you are what you eat” is easily extended to “you are what you do”. Contemplate the hours and repetitions that have gone into sculpting the highlighted regions of our model/athletes. We hope this collection stimulates reflection on what the body can tell you about your past and what your, or perhaps your patient’s, lifestyle can predict about the future.

The Journey Of Life, Rolene Yousefyan

Akesis

The materials used to create this piece were oil pastels. The inspiration behind this piece was the importance of mental health awareness along with our ability to grow and become who we are today based on our past experiences and history.

Our Histories, Our Horizons: A Letter To Our Readers

Akesis

Volume 5, Issue 1 marks a new chapter in the history of our narrative medicine journal as we realize an important goal of Akesis—establishing a foothold on the Portland campus of UNE. Our hope is that Akesis becomes a familiar name among students, faculty, and staff, and that our call for submissions and issue publications are events everyone anticipates and enjoys. This issue also welcomes six new editors to Akesis, students representing a diverse sampling of UNE’s graduate and professional programs from both campuses. The success of this issue’s call for submissions is due to the efforts of …

Insights Into The Pathogenesis Of Nicotine Addiction. Could A Salivary Biosensor Be Useful In Nicotine Replacement Therapy (Nrt)?, Anida-Maria Băbțan, Nausica B. Petrescu, Anca Ionel, Bianca A. Boșca, Willi A. Uriciuc, Claudia N. Feurdean, Codruța I. Mirică, Roxana Bordea, Viorel Miclăuș, Flavia Ruxanda, Adina D. Todea, Teodora G. Alexescu, Radu S. Câmpian, Aranka Ilea

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Nicotine has gained the attention of the medical community due to its insidious addictive mechanisms which lead to chronic consumption. The multitude of compounds derived from tobacco smoke have local and systemic negative impacts, resulting in a large number of smoking-related pathologies. The present review offers insights into nicotine addiction physiopathology, as well as social and medical implications, with emphasis on its correlation with Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs). Therapeutic strategies and new approaches to nicotine assessment and cessation treatment are discussed, noting that such strategies could take into account the possibility of slow and gradual nicotine release from a …

Introduction Of Auricular Acupuncture, Monica Lyons

Doctoral Projects

The overall purpose of this quality improvement project was to assess if there was an interest to add auricular acupuncture to a substance abuse program. The two guiding questions of the Doctor of Nursing Project were (a) how can auricular acupuncture be helpful when treating patients with substance abuse in a selected organization? (b) what information is needed for both staff and patients to make an informed decision regarding auricular acupuncture? The Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARiHS) framework was used as the theory framework for implementation of evidence-based research into an organization. The facilitator in the …

Chronic Renal Failure, But Why? A Case Report., Palak Patel, Michael Rothberg

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Renal failure, both acute and chronic, can present from many different etiologies and if diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, it is commonly assumed to be due to diabetic nephropathy. Monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance (MGRS) is a disorder that combines monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance with end stage renal disease. Monoclonal immunoglobulins are secreted by B or plasma cells leading to deposition in the kidney causing end organ damage. Several different subtypes fall under this category of renal diseases including, but not limited to, amyloidosis, C3 glomeruopathy, and light chain proximal tubulopathy, or better known as Fanconi syndrome1. Fanconi syndrome, which …

An Integrative Approach To Mindfulness-Based Symptom Management For Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lisa Barer

Mindfulness Studies Theses

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic health condition; its etiology is poorly understood, and treatment options are limited to management of symptoms. Current recommended treatment options are controversial, and evidence of effectiveness is limited. This paper proposes a novel model for symptom management of ME/CFS using mindfulness-based interventions, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and relaxation techniques. A comprehensive review of available evidence is used to support this approach. The idea is that, working synergistically, these three approaches, grounded by mindfulness-based principles, can address many of the symptoms of the illness and help patients better cope and manage their day-to-day …

Utilization Of Acupuncture Services In The Emergency Department Setting: A Quality Improvement Study, John R. Burns, Jessica J. F. Kram, Vashir Xiong, Jeanne M. Stark Casadont, Tiffany A. Mullen, Nancy Conway, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Patients often present to the emergency department (ED) for pain. As opioid fatalities rise, alternative treatments are warranted for pain management. Acupuncture, a nonpharmacological treatment involving the insertion of needles into skin or tissue at specific points within the body, may help to decrease acute pain. Our study aimed to assess the utilization and impact of acupuncture in the ED for acute pain management.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of purposefully collected quality improvement data. Patients who were ≥18 years old and who presented to the ED at an urban medical center in Wisconsin during 2017 were offered …

Oncogenesis- Kaleidoscopic And Multi-Level Reality, Firmilian Calota, Cristian Mesina, Stelian Stefanita Mogoanta, Dragos Calota

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Oncogenesis is an extremely complex phenomenon. The mechanisms by which cancer is induced is only partially known. Consequently, therapeutic targets may be uncertain and results are often unsatisfactory. The purpose of this paper is to develop a trans-level and multiple transdisciplinary perspective describing the kaleidoscopic reality of oncogenesis. This manner of understanding oncogenesis as a complex process characterized by a non-linear dynamic, far from equilibrium and with unpredictable evolution, transcends the classical perspective and requires a paradigm shift. This approach is also facilitated by recent studies that focus on group phenomena, with emerging behaviors in a continuous phase transition. Biological …

Overcoming The Overwhelming, Abigail Mae Riitano

Akesis

This piece was inspired by a CPC prompt that required reflection on where we feel we are currently as medical students and how it compares to our expectations before starting medical school. I believe this relates to the theme "always forward" as I reflected on my expectations and realized that I need to give my positive perspectives room to grow.

Not Now, Psoas., Kelly Mcguirl

Akesis

My psoas is always tight.

Sometimes I’m too intense.

My psoas reminds me with a collegial cramp.

Usually on my dominant side.

I notice, but push through, telling my psoas to shut the hell up, I’m busy.

When it’s quiet,

I notice and allow the guidance.

I soften and submit to a gentleness of mind and muscle.

The ease that comes is an honest breeze that carries me through.

A Home Death On Peaks Island, Chuck Radis

Akesis

I believe that those who die, particularly those like my patient Martha, can teach the living a great deal about “Always Forward.” All too often I find that the immediate family of the deceased becomes stuck in grief, unable to move beyond their loss. My patient Martha, by allowing her children to participate directly in bathing her after she passed was very wise in anticipating how powerful grief can be. She wanted the healing to take place even on the day she passed. And I have to think that her insistence that I come by the house the night she …

Sirva Todos Como Un Hermano: Las Filosofías De Los Médicos Tradicionales Mapuches Hacia Los Pacientes Winka, Andrew Turner

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In recent years, the popularity of traditional Mapuche medicine has increased drastically among non-Mapuche, Winka, Chileans. This increase in the soliciting of services as well as an expansion of intercultural health programming exists within the context of the ongoing Mapuche conflict in which Mapuche activists in the Araucunía region are fighting for the territorial and societal rights of their indigenous communities. To ascertain the effects of Winka medical solicitation on Mapuche medical practioners, semi-structured interviews were utilized. 8 Mapuche medical practioners and associated community members such as intercultural hospital directors and Lonkos were interviewed. Participants were questioned about the personal …

Pasantía En Programa De Integración Escolar (Pie): Apoyando Estudiantes Con Discapacidades En La Escuela Secundaria, Emily Sen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The intent behind this internship experience was to gain insight into the relationship between an individual’s physical and mental state in the general panorama of one’s health and wellness, specifically among the adolescent population. Throughout this investigation, I actively focused on helping the individuals with whom I was working by cultivating relationships and assisting in therapies. I completed this work in the Student Integration Program (Programa de Integración Escolar), known as PIE, within Liceo A-1 Octavo Palma Pérez, a public high school in Arica, Chile. PIE is a government sponsored program that provides additional resources to students in the public-school …

Los Microcosmos De La Interculturalidad? Una Mirada Al Cómo Los Trabajadores De La Salud Biomédica De Orígen Indígena Relacionan Con Los Modelos De Salud Tradicional Y Occidental, Taylor Lord

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question: How does a biomedical health professional with indigenous roots in Chile relate the biomedical model of healthcare with the alternative indigenous model in their practice?

Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to understand how and if a biomedical health professional with indigenous roots relates and integrates two models of healthcare in their daily practice. A Secondary objective was analyzing if integration affects philosophy of care in relation to patients in critical conditions. In sum, it looked to study biomedical health professionals with indigenous roots as potential microcosms of interculturality that can demonstrate the benefits of a …

Management Of Pregestational Diabetes Insipidus In Pregnancy, Sandhya Venkataraman Do, Sharmila C. Koshy Md, Marc A. Vengrove Do, Facp

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Narrative Medicine Combined With Medication Assisted Treatment On Decreasing The Desire To Use Intravenous Substances In Hospitalized Patients With Infective Endocarditis, Paula Works

DNP Projects

Substance abuse is a significant problem that spans the nation. Of particular concern is the growing population of patients at UK HealthCare who have endocarditis as a complication from IV substance abuse.

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were

1. To assess the effect of narrative medicine combined with MAT, compared to MAT alone, on desire to use in hospitalized patients with a history of IV substance use
2. To examine the changes in quality of life before and after the introduction of narrative medicine in hospitalized patients with a history of IV substance abuse using The Quality of Life Scale (QOLS). …

Oh Bother!, Jack Williams Phd, Med

Akesis

I often ponder those wonderful days of innocence, and I long to return there as I remember those magical places and things. What imaginations and lightness we had in those times! And our worries, when and if they existed, were like wisps of the wind. We would fall down, cry perhaps a little, then return again and again to the wondrous realities of play. As I have become "a senior citizen" in our often stodgy culture, I have come to realize that we never really lose those wondrous gifts....We just have to remember and work to remind ourselves of those …

Refill, Humza Ahmed

Akesis

The experiences we carry with us play a role in how we see the world. At times, those experiences are accompanied by the negativity, self judgement, and regret that can weigh us down and prevent us from becoming the strongest versions of our selves.

Sometimes, the solution involves finding an environment in which we can pour out our poisons, forgive ourselves for being human, and refill ourselves with positivity and hope.

The defining moment comes when you stare at the puddle of poison before you, and reflect on what you see staring back at you, behind the ripples of self …

Re-Purpose, Jordan Morrison-Nozik

Akesis

I would often take breaks from studying by walking along the beach, collecting any good seashells I would find. I started using them as plant holders, and enjoyed the hermit crab-like appearance.

Refrigerate, Alay P. Nanavati

Akesis

I just wanted to share my experience of burnout since beginning medical school. Given how widespread and common burnout is in the medical field, I felt like there would be many people who could relate to my experience. If my experience could help or even comfort anyone by the fact that they are not alone in the feelings that arise from burnout, it would make this piece worth the effort of writing for me. If anything else, I hope any readers can enjoy reading about the experience of a brand new medical student.

Retrospective Evaluation Of Clinical Experience With Intravenous Ascorbic Acid In Patients With Cancer., Anthony J. Bazzan, George Zabrecky, Nancy Wintering, Andrew B. Newberg, Daniel A. Monti

Marcus Institute of Integrative Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Intravenous ascorbic acid (IV AA) has been used extensively in cancer patients throughout the United States. Currently, there are limited data on the safety and clinical effects of IV AA. The purpose of this study was to expand the current literature using a retrospective analysis of adverse events and symptomatic changes of IV AA in a large sample of cancer patients.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of all patients receiving IV AA for cancer at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital over a 7-year period. We assessed all reports of adverse events, laboratory findings, and hospital or emergency …

Mother Nature, Breanna M. Glynn

Akesis

Mother Nature is our greatest teacher in the lesson of patience and new growth. She makes us wait for the sweet moments, but when they come how lucky we are to bear witness to her beauty. She renews life, and breaths fresh air into the dead leaves that winter has plastered onto the ground. She reminds us that with death, comes more vibrant and boisterous life. We just need to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

Boompa, Breanna M. Glynn

Akesis

My Boompa was my mother's father, and my beloved grandfather. He passed away this April just after his 85th birthday. He, and the rest of the family, thought he would make it to at least 100. Boompa was one of the greatest people I will ever meet. Yea, sure, a lot of people say that, but I really mean it. He was the most kind, genuine, empathetic, hardworking man, always taking care of others first. This photo is a picture of the eucalyptus and pussy willows that were in the floral arrangement that laid over his coffin during his services. …