Vision statement
Our team intends to use the knowledge acquired from the coursework to incorporate healing therapies in nursing practice. Team members will collaborate to produce scholarly work on this course work by integrating alternative therapies into conventional medicine that is increasingly being implemented by many registered medical practitioners. These therapies have gained popularity because they are consistent with the prevailing nursing philosophy while offering an alternative for medical care. It is our collective desire to see that complementary therapies are used in combating infections in nursing practice.
Examples of alternative medicine
Acupuncture
This undertaking involves the insertion of needles on various body positions to either relieve pain or enhance therapeutic purposes. The use of acupuncture continues to bring misunderstanding among many clinicians and scientific researchers. Since it has an invasive nature, it has not been easy to come up with proper scientific controls. Reviews that have been conducted implicate acupuncture with the reduction of risk in post-operative nausea. This helps in the reduction of low back pain. The use of acupuncture in the treatment of neurological conditions and pains has been criticized because it is biased and relies on the use of poor methodological approaches. However, there is unanimity as to whether acupuncture should be administered by properly trained personnel. It is further recommended that sterile needles should be used.
Plan for incorporating acupuncture in vascular headache treatment
Vascular headaches are normally treated with analgesics. Alternatively, acupuncture can also be used in treating such complications. It helps in stimulating sensitive points located between the thumbs and palms of the patient’s hand characteristically known as he-gu points. The he-gu points target the face and the head. These are fundamental points in treatment that affect the face and head (headache). After the patient has reclined, the points on each hand are sterilized with alcohol to make the surface aseptic. Thin sterile needles are inserted approximately 3mm dip into the tissues of the hand until the patient feels a twinge sensation. This feeling comes with some slight twitching between the area of the hands and thumbs. Patients are expected to report one or more of certain kinds of sensations that accompany this kind of treatment. These sensations include cessation of headache, sensitivity to pains on the thumb’s web, and feeling of nausea.
Homeopathy
This is a complementary therapy that makes use of diluted preparations. Dilution is accomplished by carrying out serial dilutions. Shaking is normally done by a forcefully striking process known as succussion. Striking is believed to increase the effect of the diluted preparation. An increase of effects by striking is known as potentization. Homeopathy has often been called pseudoscience because it lacks evidence that supports its efficacy. In addition, there is a lack of ingredients.
Homeopathy and miasmas
In the case of homeopathy, the patients’ history is first of all examined inclusive of their mental capability, physical and emotional endowments. The information is decoded into an intricate formula of physical and mental symptoms that integrates somebody’s likes and dislikes. The symptoms help the homeopath to come up with the treatment for a patient. Reports of homeopathic provings, propped by clinical data are normally referred to as materia medica. The practitioner has an obligation of exploring the remedies for a given symptom instead of capitalizing on symptoms accompanying a given intervention.
In creating an optimal healing environment, more users are seeking vitality. In addition, there is free space in the form of toxins that should be looked at. Relationships and interactions should be healing and regenerative. Clients should embrace lifestyle changes that encourage healing. Patient-healer relationships should be such that they can develop strong therapeutic alliances.
Reference List
Emoto, M. (2005). The True Power of Water. Oregon: Beyond Words Publishing.
Ernst, E. (2006). Acupuncture – a critical analysis. Journal of Internal Medicine, 259 (2): 125–137.
Madison, W.I. (2006). Creating Optimal Healing Environments. UW School of Medicine & Public Health.
McCarney, R.W., Linde, K., Lasserson, T.J. (2004). Homeopathy for chronic Asthma, Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 1.