Therapeutic landscapes are places, settings, situations, locales, and milieus that encompass both the physical and psychological environments associated with treatment or healing, and the maintenance of health and well-being. Practices from holistic medicine--also known as nonconventional, alternative, complementary or traditional medicine--are used to illustrate specific humanistic concepts in further examining ...

Patients who experience seizures constitute a significant segment of the healthcare population. A thorough understanding of the causes and categories of seizures helps to ensure optimal pharmacologic management. This article addresses the categories of seizures as well as first-line and alternative pharmacologic agents. It also addresses the newer and experimental ...

Healthcare providers and patients are becoming increasingly aware of the options available with alternative medicine or unconventional therapies. This article analyzes alternative medicine, examines rationale for its existence, and outlines some concerns. The author concludes that nurses must take the lead and become educated about this option in healthcare treatments ...

Treatments summarized under the term "natural medicine," i.e., those offered as an alternative or in addition to conventional medicine, have enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent years. The "natural" descriptor employed in connection with these healing methods is frequently misunderstood, leading to underestimation of the risks arising from incorrect ...

This article analyses the viewpoints of doctors, patients and the state of the phenomenon of unconventional methods of treatment/alternative medicine in Slovenia. The doctors' view-points are taken from the official documents of the Medical Chamber of Slovenia and the Slovene Medical Association. The patients' viewpoints are established on the basis ...

Traditional medical systems, like those preserved in Asia, pose a challenge because they involve theories and practices that strike many conventionally trained physicians and researchers as incomprehensible, even nonsensical. Should modern medicine continue to dismiss these systems as unscientific, therefore worthy of debunking rather than serious study; view them as ...

In order to determine common key competences required for occupational medicine specialists across Europe, a questionnaire has been developed and disseminated in several European countries. The questionnaire contained 115 subjects relating to eight fields of activity of an occupational medicine physician (occupational hazards to health, assessment of disability and fitness ...

Occupational medicine is affected to a much greater extent by national legal and social conditions than by clinical issues. The different preconditions specific to each country serve to restrict the scientific dialogue on issues of occupational medicine. Therefore, in this paper are described the organisation and the under- and postgraduate ...

Although we still do not know enough about the influence of anaemia and transfusion on outcomes for the surgical patient, it is possible to develop a general consensus about many aspects of management. A quality programme to improve consistency of practice in these consensus areas is feasible. (Table 6) This ...

A major philosophical shift continues to occur in how health care is delivered in the United States. Traditional western medicine continues to develop new technologies that require new delivery systems, however, other factors are affecting this shift as well. Alternative medicine is one of these factors and is rapidly gaining ...

Folk medicine comprises "unofficial health beliefs and practices" which rely heavily (but not exclusively) on oral transmission. It is one form of alternative medicine, and a major source for many other forms such as phytotherapy and mind/body medicine. While many folk medicine ideas and practices are associated with particular ethnic ...

The area of menopausal medicine is undergoing rapid evolution as millions of baby boomers enter this life stage. This group came of age at a time when all cultural values and institutions, including the basic assumptions underlying the healthcare of women, underwent intense scrutiny. As a result, alternative approaches to ...

Complementary and alternative medicine can be defined as those medical systems, practices, interventions, and applications that currently are not part of the dominant or conventional medical system. There are more than 300 different topics under the term complementary and alternative medicine that can be divided into seven major categories on ...

Studies in which complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) interventions were used in the care of obstetric patients were identified by searching The National Library of Medicine's electronic database. This paper is a selected review of both randomized and nonrandomized clinical trials. There are a number of CAM therapeutic practices that ...

This review describes randomized and nonrandomized clinical studies in which complementary and alternative interventions were used to treat gynecologic illness and disease. The articles were identified through the use of The National Library of Medicine's electronic database. Statistically significant clinical benefit could not be identified for most practices. However, additional ...

'Aromatherapy' is one of the most actively growing forms of alternative medicine combining massage together with counselling and a nice odour. Most clients suffer from some kind of stress-related disorder and aromatherapy encourages the healing process largely through relaxation and the relief of stress. Stress is also a major problem ...

To obtain baseline information with respect to occupational medicine practice in Canada, a questionnaire survey of members of the Occupational and Environmental Medical Association of Canada was carried out by mail in 1993. One hundred eighty-six responses were received (56% of the membership). The average age of the respondents was ...

BACKGROUND: Information about use and attitudes of GPs towards complementary medicine is required in order to inform the debate about its place within mainstream medicine. There is evidence that public use of complementary medicine is particularly high in the South-West of England. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the use ...

European providers of complementary medicine may be surprised by the formal strictures which their US counterparts face. A major hurdle to holistic practice in the USA is the statutory prohibition against the unlicensed practice of medicine. State statutes define 'medicine' broadly, creating a legal risk for unlicensed providers of holistic ...

Complementary medicine can be described as additional approaches to care outside of mainstream medical practice but frequently based on traditional practices of nonwestern cultures. These include acupuncture, meditation, massage, diet manipulation, and many others. Recent reviews demonstrate wide and frequent use of these measures, often without concurrent discussion with the ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the use of over-the-counter and alternative medicines in women with chronic vaginal symptoms. METHODS: One hundred five patients, referred by their gynecologists for evaluation of chronic vaginal symptoms, were interviewed about their use of over-the-counter and alternative medicines during the preceding year, the amount of money spent ...

The popularity of complementary medicine is at an all-time high. Rheumatological patients are amongst its most frequent users. This survey was aimed at generating insight into this phenomenon. A self-selected convenience sample of 3384 individuals with 'arthritis' was sent a purpose-designed questionnaire. 1020 completed questionnaires were received (response rate = ...

PURPOSE: To determine whether users and non-users of alternative medicine in the province of Quebec differ in terms of demographic characteristics, health profile or utilization of medical services. METHODS: The Quebec Health Insurance Board (QHIB) medical service records of the Quebec Health Survey (1987) respondents for the 12 months before ...

It can be argued that it is only possible to promote research in complementary and alternative medicine once the importance of critical thinking is understood. Critical thinking can be defined as (1) the adoption of a cautious approach to beliefs and claims, and (2) the process of analyzing beliefs to ...

Patikaraparpam, a Siddha formulation in prepared by trituration of potash alum with egg albumin followed by calcinatin. The three authentic laboratories made parpams as well as six commercial samples have been examined for their chemical composition. The analytical data that emerged from the analysis of the above samples showed that ...

The definition of complementary and alternative medicine has been much debated in recent years as this type of therapy has increasingly become a focus of public and academic attention. Individual authors typically stipulate a definition for purposes of their particular articles, and definitions have varied with the perspectives and affiliations ...

Alternative medicine depends on which side of the fence one is sitting. In an African setting 'modern medicine' is often treated as competitive or complementary to traditional medicine. Differences in views as to what is health, and what causes disease can result in altered treatment objectives. Health needs to be ...

This Directory of Databases with significant holdings of primarily bibliographic references to complementary and alternative medicine research resources has been compiled to facilitate access to the widely scattered data and literature. The Directory is directly accessible from the Web site of the Richard & Hinda Rosenthal Center for Complementary and ...

Unless acquired physicians are managed carefully, many will flee the acquiring networks in anger and frustration. Because older networks relied on a self-selected population of physicians, the newer networks will have to develop alternative strategies to motivate those physicians who did not self-select for employment. This article makes recommendations about ...

The seven categories of alternative medicine, as established by the National Institutes of Health Office of Alternative Medicine, are mind-body interventions, bioelectromagnetic therapies, alternative systems of medical practice, manual healing methods, pharmacologic and biologic treatments, herbal medicine, and diet and nutrition. Mind-body approaches have been shown to be effective in ...

The miraculous cure of the blind god Plutos ("Wealth') in Aristophanes' play illuminates some of the reasons why people have sought help in alternative medicine over the ages. Apart from limitations of conventional medicine these factors can be social, political, religious, psychological, and scientific. Alternative medicine may function in a ...

Complementary medicine (CM) is popular with patients but physicians do not feel at ease with this situation and some fear that the patient might be the loser. Their fear is based on the perception that some CM practitioners have dubious qualifications and competence and that too little is known about ...

The failures of Modernity and qualities of its heresy have opened space for heresy in medicine. One form of medical heresy is alternative medicine. The basic features of alternative medicine cannot fit into Cartesian norms of orthodox medicine. They can be explained by the principles of a holographic paradigm. Alternative ...

Most female patients use some form of complementary medicine some time in their lives. Complementary medicine provides patients with alternative avenues for finding relief from chronic ailments. Patients also enjoy the more personal and holistic approach of complementary practitioners. Increasingly, schools of medicine are incorporating complementary approaches into their training ...

Battle fatigue is a soldier's response to the overwhelming environmental and psychological stressors associated with combat. Management efforts that emphasize replenishment of physiologic needs, structured occupation, and support of the affected soldier's occupational roles have yielded high return-to-duty rates. Although such effective battle-fatigue management principles, or "principles of battlefield psychiatry," ...

This paper discusses the strategies used to construct scientific medicine in mid-Victorian Britain. An opening section considers why it was thought desirable to create a properly scientific medicine, and outlines the empirical and rational bases of the medical establishment's projects for this. The bulk of the paper concerns an alternative ...

This article traces the development of mechanical ventilatory support methods from the use of body ventilators to tracheal cannulation to the use of noninvasive ventilatory support and airway secretion management alternatives. Although it has been known that tracheostomy tubes could be used for ventilatory support and airway secretion management since ...

Complementary medicine is increasing in popularity. In most countries its practice is in the hands of non-medically trained practitioners, professions which are often not properly regulated. When discussing solutions to this problem the German "Heilpraktiker" is often mentioned. The history and present situation of this profession are briefly outlined. The ...

BACKGROUND: To determine the prevalence and cost of alternative medicines and alternative practitioner use in an Australian population. METHODS: We conducted a representative population survey of persons aged 15 or older living in South Australia, which required 3004 personal interviews. We assessed the rates of use and types of alternative ...

Over 250 patients from three complementary medicine practices-acupuncture, osteopathy and homoeopathy-completed a questionnaire rating 20 potential reasons for seeking complementary treatment. The reasons that were most strongly endorsed were "because I value the emphasis on treating the whole person'; "because I believe complementary therapy will be more effective for my ...

This study projects that the per capita supply of alternative medicine clinicians (chiropractors, naturopaths, and practitioners of oriental medicine) will grow by 88 percent between 1994 and 2010, while physician supply will grow by 16 percent. This increase is associated with growth in the number and size of alternative medicine ...

Complementary medicine is frequently utilized for a variety of chronic health problems. We evaluated its use among patients attending a Canadian dementia clinic. Using a telephone survey, we inquired about the use of alternative therapy, including nutritional supplements, herbal remedies, and chelation therapy, for problems with cognition. Only 9.6% of ...

Workplace settings are ripe for the application of alternative medical interventions for a variety of reasons. Included among them are a shared interest in prevention by both the occupational and alternative medicine communities, economic incentives by corporations as major purchasers of healthcare to reduce healthcare costs and improve employee productivity, ...

A total of 216 patients attending either the British School of Osteopathy, a large acupuncture centre (City Health Centre), the Royal Homeopathic Hospital or a large general practice in South London completed a questionnaire on the perceived efficacy of orthodox and complementary medicine. The questionnaire covered 1) demographic information and ...

During the past 15 years, occupational therapists in Canada, through the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, have worked to develop and implement guidelines for practice of a client-centred approach to occupational therapy. One of the difficulties with the current Guidelines for the Client-Centred Practice of Occupational Therapy is the lack ...

Alternative medicine has begun to receive the attention of the legitimate medical community. Recent evidence reveals that 34% of American adults interviewed reported using at least one unconventional therapy during 1994. A 3-month survey of patient inquiries, conducted at The Voice Center, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA, U.S.A. revealed that ...

BACKGROUND: A survey exploring attitudes toward complementary or alternative medicine was distributed to 295 family physicians in the Chesapeake region. Physicians were asked about their knowledge, usage of, and training in complementary therapies and what evidence they expected of complementary medicine to aid in accepting these therapies. METHODS: Questionnaires were ...

Canadian physicians' opinions about alternative medicine have, as yet, not been assessed. The objectives of this pilot study were to assess general practitioners': (1) desired involvement in alternative medicine; (2) perceived demand for alternative medicine; and (3) beliefs about the efficacy of different alternative approaches. The study design was a ...

OBJECTIVE: To describe general practitioners' opinions and behaviour regarding alternative medicine. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey of a random sample of Ontario and Alberta general practitioners. SETTING: General practices in Ontario and Alberta. PARTICIPANTS: A questionnaire was mailed to 400 general practitioners. Of the 384 eligible physicians, 200 completed the questionnaire. MAIN ...

Complementary medicine (CM), defined as health care which lies for the most part outside the mainstream of conventional medicine, is gaining popularity in Britain and elsewhere. In the UK the most prevalent therapies are manipulation (used by 36% of the population), herbalism (24%) homoeopathy (16%) and acupuncture (16%). Due to ...