I’m working on a nursing discussion question and need an explanation to help me learn.
- Judith Smith
Complementary and alternative medicine
There are many people out there who still believe in using alternative and complementary medication instead of using medications that the doctor provides for them. Some people are using it with the medication that was prescribed for them as well. Not everyone will tell the health care provider that they are using alternative and complementary medicine and that can be scary. I have encountered people who stated that they are not even taking the medications that the doctor provides they are handling their health with natural remedies. I educated them on the risk of taking the alternative and complementary medication without letting the health care provider know about it.
Complementary medicine is described as medicine that is utilized in addition to traditional medicine. Alternative medicine is a type of medicine that is used instead of conventional treatment. Alternative and complementary medicine is considered to be most popular among people aged 45 to 64 who have a greater level of education and money (Arcangelo et al., 2017, p. 135). Alternative medicine had been around for many years now and some people find that this works better for them without putting drugs in their system that might have other side effects.
There are some people that use alternative and complementary medication for special illnesses. These alternative and complementary medications are not part of a patient care plan that the doctor would prescribe. For instance, patients that have cancer use alternative and complementary medications which are effective to cope with the side effects of their cancer medication such as pain, nausea and vomiting, and fatigue. They may also use it for comfort, and to feel like they are doing something more to help treat their own bodies. Some people might also use alternative and complementary medication because they feel that it might be the cure for cancer (National Institution of Health, 2021). When it comes to taking alternative and complementary medicine for cancer, there are safety issues such as St John’s wort may reduce the effects of certain anticancer treatment (Nissen et al., 2019).
Another illness that patients take alternative and complementary medicine for is diabetes. Nutritional guidance or lifestyle diets, herbal medicines, massage therapy, spiritual healing, and meditation training are some of the complementary and alternative therapies used by diabetics to supplement traditional care. Herbs and dietary supplements are the most commonly used and researched complementary and alternative therapies for diabetes management. The safety issues when it comes to using alternative and complementary medicine with diabetes is that complementary and alternative practices carry a variety of hazards, including the patient being overloaded with a series of ineffective therapeutic measures as a result of incorrect diagnoses, as well as the development of life-threatening situations and bad effects (Kesavadev et al., 2017).
In recent years, a growing number of research have shown that various complementary and alternative medicine treatments can help decrease blood pressure. They’re most effective when combined with conventional medicine. Some alternative and complementary medicine that is used with patient with diabetes are, fibers, fatty fish, whole grains, minerals and magnesium and garlic (Felson, 2021). With all alternative and complementary medicine, the patient must check with their doctor first because there can be serious interactions.
I would not have any conflicts supporting a patient who chooses holistic/allopathic medicine. I would have some concerns that the patient may fail to report that they are taking complementary and alternative medications. Also, I have some concerns that they might stop taking their medicine how it should be taken just to use complementary and alternative medicine.
References
Arcangelo, V. P., Peterson, A. M., Wilbur, V. F., & Reinhold, J. A. (2017). Pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice: a practical approach. Wolters Kluwer. (p. 135).
Felson, S. (2021, May). High Blood Pressure Alternative Remedies: Yoga, Acupuncture, Hypnosis Efficacy. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/hypertension-complementary-alternative-treatments.
Kesavadev, J., Saboo, B., Sadikot, S., Das, A. K., Joshi, S., Chawla, R., Thacker, H., Shankar, A., Ramachandran, L., & Kalra, S. (2017, January). Unproven Therapies for Diabetes and Their Implications. Advances in therapy. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5216071/.
National Institute of Health (2021, May 5). Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). National Cancer Institute. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam.
Nissen, L., Jones, E., & McCarthy, A. (2019, May 9). Exploring the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Cancer Patients – Ellen Jones, Lisa Nissen, Alexandra McCarthy, Kathryn Steadman, Carol Windsor, 2019. SAGE Journals. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1534735419846986.
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