Holistic and Integrative Health Care

Therapeutic Efficacy of Serrapeptase: Evaluating Systemic Enzyme Therapy in Modern Clinical Practice

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

Computer laptop with medical sign icon concept of telemedicine a

Written by Dr. Sarah Jenkins,

Routine clinical care of acute and chronic inflammatory diseases continues to be an integral part of everyday care. NSAIDs and corticosteroids are the traditional mainstay of pharmacological therapy and the indefinite use of these often produces an unfavorable gastrointestinal, renal and cardiovascular side effect. Thus, there is a growing demand in the medical community for discovery and validation of alternative or adjunctive anti-inflammatory modalities which may have good efficacy and better safety margins. Of the most promising of these substitutes is systemic enzyme therapy, a treatment which has been increasingly supported by empirical evidence over the past few decades.

Specific biological catalysts, or enzymes that stem from systemic enzyme therapy work on the immune system by controlling its response and promoting tissue repair, are at the center of the treatment. The clinical use of Proteolytic enzymes has proven to be quite promising in reducing edema, controlling inflammation and hastening the recovery process in both postoperative and traumatic clinical situations (Nair et al., 2022). A specific group of biocatalysts is the serrapeptase, also known as serratiopeptidase, a highly studied compound that is clinically useful.

 

The Biochemical Profile and Mechanism of Action

Serrapeptase is a very active protease enzyme which was extracted from an enterobacterium named Serratia marcescens E-15 which is absent from the pathogenic group of Serratia, but present in the intestine of Bombyx mori, commonly known as the silkworm. The enzyme’s strong fibrinolytic and proteolytic activity are utilized in nature by the silkworm in order to break down the tough protective cocoon of the silkworm.

In human physiology, serrapeptase acts by several different, but complementary, biochemical pathways. In fact, it has a strong anti-edemic effect which reduces the swelling of tissues. Serrapeptase helps remove abnormal exudates and denatured proteins, that often build up in localized areas of tissue damage. Serrapeptase can effectively inhibit the inflammatory cascade’s key chemical mediators of inflammation such as bradykinin, histamine and serotonin, which in turn has a beneficial effect on vascular permeability and the localized edema that can occur as a result of the inflammatory process.

Secondly, serrapeptase has a very high fibrinolytic activity. Actively breaks down dead/failing tissues like fibrin but does no damage to thriving/living cells. This selective proteolysis helps to remove obstruction from microcirculation at the injury site and allows better oxygen and nutrient transfer to the site which is crucial for tissue repair, enhancing the removal of metabolic waste. In addition, serrapeptase partly prevents the release of amine substances in inflammatory tissues which makes it an excellent analgesic while not having the cyclooxygenase, or COX, pathway typical of most NSAID’s.

Clinical Applications in Healthcare

Its multi-facet pharmacological properties paved the way for clinical studies and eventual application in a variety of therapeutic areas.Its pleiotropic properties are the reason why it has been the subject of clinical investigation and then applied to a variety of therapeutic fields. Its physiological functions can be adapted and utilized by healthcare practitioners in their practice for optimal patient outcomes.

Otolaryngology and ENT

Chronic inflammation can cause excessive production of thick, viscous mucus leading to excessive chronic sinusitis, rhinitis and bronchitis in the field of otorhinolaryngology. Serrapeptase has been shown to be effective in changing the viscoelasticity of sputum and nasal secretors in clinical evaluations. Mucin is a macromolecule that its viscosity is reduced by the enzyme which allows the expectoration of larger amounts for mucociliary clearance (Mazzone et al., 1990). Thus it is an important adjunctive treatment for respiratory diseases that involve heavy secretion of mucus.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Edema and pain after surgery are a big problem in maxillofacial surgery, especially after surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars. These cases have been subjected to a double-blind and placebo controlled clinical test of the prophylactic use of serrapeptase. The results are usually statistically significant and show a decrease in post-operative trismus, which is the stiffness of the jaw, swelling of the face and pain intensity when compared with placebo suggesting an effective alternative to corticosteroids for the management of surgical trauma (Al-Khateeb & Nusair, 2008).

Orthopedics and Traumatology

The rapid, successful healing of acute inflammation has been essential in musculoskeletal injuries in order to avoid chronic inflammation and functional losses. Serrapeptase is commonly used in sports medicine and orthopedics to treat sports injuries like sprains, torn ligaments and post-operative orthopedic recovery. This increases the speed of reabsorption of hematomas and reduces tissue swelling as a result of this, patients can return to normal functional status (Tiwari, 2017) to a more functional level of mobility earlier on.

The Role of Serrapeptase in Biofilm Disruption

The subject of serrapeptase in relation to infectious diseases and resistance to them is one of the most interesting and current research fields related to serrapeptase. A lot of pathogenic bacteria cope with host immune system and pharmacological treatment by forming these complex polysaccharide matrices called extracellular polymeric substances or EPS that encapsulate the bacterial communities.

Recent microbiological investigations have found serrapeptase to be a strong inhibitor of the effects of biofilms. Enzymatically breaking down the structure of the biofilm matrix, Serrapeptase removes the bacteria’s protection. The action is very important in concentrating the antibiotic effect locally and helping the action of the antibiotics in use at the time (Selan et al., 1993). The addition of targeted proteolytic enzymes is an exciting new avenue in antimicrobial stewardship for the healthcare provider treating chronic infections with organisms that routinely form biofilms. This is particularly relevant for pathogens in the respiratory tract or prosthetic implant-associated infections, such as recurrent joint infections.

Pharmacokinetics and Formulation Imperatives

Pharmacokinetics of serrapeptase need to be carefully controlled in order that the efficacy of the product can be realized. Unlike most enzymes, the enzyme serrapeptase is protein based and is spontaneously decomposed by highly acidic environment of the stomach, specifically gastric acid and pepsin. In the stomach the enzyme is denatured, so its systemic absorption in the small intestine is entirely cancelled out making the therapy without any effect.

Systemic enzyme treatment is then recommended and when so, it is medically obligatory to indicate enzyme preparations with high level enteric coating. Since the enzyme would not be affected by stomach acid, the capsules are enteric coated, releasing the enzyme along the way in the alkaline environment of the small intestine where it is then absorbed into the systemic venous circulation via the intestinal lymphatic system. The provider should recommend the use of formulations which are tested rigorously, for instance, Liver Medic’s serrapeptase supplements optimised to avoid breakdown by gastric enzymes, to maximise systemic bioavailability and/or to provide a constant therapeutic effect throughout treatment for maximum efficacy in clinical outcomes.

Safety Profile and Contraindications

On the whole, systemic enzymes are safe and well tolerated, but require proper clinical judgement on the part of the healthcare provider when deciding on the use of systemically acting enzymes. Some gastrointestinal upset, such as nausea or loss of appetite, is the most common side effect; this is usually mild and does not last long.

As it has fibrinolytic activity, use Serrapeptase with caution in patients with bleeding disorders or those on aggressive antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant medications that could potentially interact with Serrapeptase and increase the risk of bleeding, such as Warfarin, Clopidogrel. Two weeks before being scheduled for any surgeries, systemic enzyme therapy is routinely stopped, and sometimes reasoned.

Conclusion

By combining synthetic systemically acting enzymes, a multi-targeted treatment approach that suits today’s integrative clinical practice in the treatment of inflammation. The versatility of Serrapeptase is particularly impressive for its ability to treat all these conditions: edema, pain, mucous coat issues, and even bacterial biofilm, without experiencing the gastrointestinal or renal side effects as with extended use of NSAID’s. With ongoing research and investigation of these biocatalysts’ vast biochemical potential, serrapeptase will most likely become an added significant treatment tool in the modern day’s ‘medical arsenal’.

References

Al-Khateeb, T. H., & Nusair, Y. (2008). The anti-inflammatory effect of a proteolytic enzyme (serrapeptase) on trismus, pain and swelling following third molar extraction of the mandible. International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 37(3), 264-268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijom.2007.11.011

Nair, S. R., & Sandeep, R. (2022). A systemic enzyme with pleiotropic therapeutic properties that is called Serrapeptase. Pharmacological Reports, 74, 1-14.

Tiwari, M. (2017). Serratiopeptidase – a role in the resolution of inflammation. Wang FY, Yang CP, Huang L et al (2017) Evaluation of the Stability of Roscovitina in Pharmaceutical Suspensions. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical & Clinical Research 10(5): 221-224.

Author Bio:

Sarah Jenkins Ph.D. is an independent Clinical Researcher, Medical Writer with special interests in Integrative Pharmacology and Advanced Anti-inflammatory Therapies. She has written and peer-reviewed papers and courses on the positive evidence and support from very holistic modalities offering helpful optimization strategies on managing chronic disease and Post Surgery improvements and regimens in healthcare professionals.

 

What Clinicians Should Ask Patients About Herbal Supplements

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

Holistic Wellness Advice: What does Berberine do for you?Written by Dr. Galina Kosyak,

Patients rarely file herbal products under “medication”, so they rarely mention them. For anyone doing medication reconciliation or patient education, that silence is a practical problem: herbal products are pharmacologically active, and several carry well-characterised interactions. Here is how to ask, what to ask about, and why the label limits what you can assess.
Ask a patient what medications they take and you will usually get a reasonable list. Ask what else they take and the list often grows – a turmeric capsule every morning, something for sleep a friend recommended, a mushroom powder in the smoothie, an echinacea tincture kept in the cupboard for winter.

That second list rarely makes it into the chart. Not because patients are concealing anything, but because most of them do not file these products under “medication” at all. They are food. They came from a shop, not a pharmacy. Nobody wrote a prescription.

For anyone doing medication reconciliation, patient education or care coordination, that gap is a practical problem rather than a philosophical one. Herbal products are pharmacologically active. As the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health puts it plainly in its clinician guidance, herbal products carry the same dangers as other pharmacologically active compounds, even though the public tends to assume otherwise.

Why the question usually fails

The standard phrasing does most of the damage. “Are you taking any other medications?” invites a patient to mentally exclude anything sold in the vitamin aisle. “Any supplements?” is better, though many people interpret “supplements” narrowly – a multivitamin, perhaps, but not the herbal tincture or the powdered extract.

Three reframings tend to work better in practice:

Ask about the container, not the category. “What’s in your medicine cabinet besides your prescriptions? Anything in a bottle, a capsule or a dropper?” This invites an inventory rather than a judgement about what counts.

Ask about purpose. “Is there anything you take for sleep, for energy, for joints, for digestion?” Patients who would never describe themselves as supplement users will readily describe what they take and why.

Ask them to bring the bottles. A photograph of the labels on a phone is enough. This single request resolves more ambiguity than any amount of questioning, for reasons that become clear below.

It also helps to signal that the question is clinical rather than disapproving. Patients who expect to be lectured tend to answer briefly. Patients who understand you are checking for interactions tend to be thorough.

What actually matters clinically

The literature on herb-drug interactions is uneven – a great deal of it is inferred from animal studies or cell assays rather than observed in patients. NCCIH is explicit about this, and it is worth carrying that caution into practice rather than treating every theoretical interaction as established fact.

That said, several are well enough characterized to warrant routine attention. NCCIH’s own clinician digest on herb-drug interactions highlights a short list worth knowing by name:

  • St John’s wort carries a high risk of interaction through enzyme induction, with documented effects on cyclosporine, oral contraceptives and digoxin. Of everything on the shelf, this is the one to ask about directly.
  • Ginkgo biloba increases bleeding risk in patients on warfarin, and is incompatible with efavirenz.
  • Goldenseal reduced metformin levels by roughly a quarter in an NCCIH-funded study – a relevant signal for any patient managing glucose.
  • Green tea at high doses reduces the effectiveness of nadolol and atorvastatin.
  • Asian ginseng has mixed evidence around calcium channel blockers, statins, antidepressants and warfarin.
  • Chamomile, cranberry and cat’s claw each carry plausible interactions – with oral contraceptives, warfarin and anticoagulants respectively – on thinner evidence.

The perioperative period deserves separate attention. Several widely used botanicals affect platelet function or interact with anaesthesia, which is why most surgical practices ask patients to stop herbal products one to two weeks before an operation. Patients frequently do not connect that instruction to the bottle in their kitchen, because in their mind it is not a drug. Making the instruction concrete – naming the products, not the category – improves compliance considerably.

The label problem, and why it limits what you can assess

Here is where the bottles matter. Suppose a patient reports taking “echinacea”. That word alone is close to useless clinically.

There are several species sold under that name, and they are not equivalent. The same applies across the botanical shelf: different species share a common name, and different parts of the same plant – root, leaf, aerial parts, bark – differ substantially in composition. An extract and a powdered whole herb of the same species are not interchangeable either, and the concentration ratio is frequently absent from the label altogether.

So the useful information on a supplement label is narrow and specific:

  • The botanical name. Hydrastis canadensis is goldenseal. Other species contain the same headline compound and are cheaper. Without the binomial, the identity is not guaranteed.
  • The part of the plant. Root and rhizome behave differently from aerial parts.
  • The form. Extract or whole herb, and at what ratio.
  • A lot number and date. Basic, and the quickest indication that someone is keeping records.

There is one more line worth teaching patients to read, and it is the only mandatory disclosure about the supply chain on the entire package. US labelling rules require the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or distributor – any one of the three satisfies the requirement. If the company named did not make the product, it must say so, using a qualifier such as “Distributed by” or “Manufactured for”. Nothing requires the country of manufacture to appear anywhere.

The practical consequence is that an American address on a bottle tells you where a company is, not where a product was made. A handful of manufacturers publish this detail openly; AMPEXT, a US plant-extraction company, has written a plain-English explanation of what supplement labels do and do not disclose, which is a useful thing to point patients toward when they ask how to compare products.

Documenting it

Whatever the patient reports belongs in the record in the same way a prescription would – product name, botanical name if available, dose, frequency, how long they have been taking it, and why. “Takes herbal supplements” is not documentation; it is a note that the question was asked.

Two habits make this sustainable. Re-ask at every reconciliation rather than once at intake, because supplement use is episodic and often seasonal. And record the reason alongside the product – a patient taking valerian for sleep and a patient taking valerian because a relative suggested it are different conversations when the time comes to discuss stopping.

The underlying point

None of this requires taking a position on whether herbal products are beneficial. The clinical question is narrower and more answerable: what is this patient actually ingesting, and does it interact with anything else they are taking.

That question cannot be answered if it is never asked in language the patient recognises, and it cannot be answered accurately if the answer arrives as a common plant name with no species, no plant part and no form attached.

Ask about the cabinet. Ask them to bring the bottles. Write down what the label says.

About the author

Galina Kosyak, PhD in Medical Sciences, is Medical and Scientific Advisor at AMPEXT (American Plant Extraction). A physician trained in physical medicine and rehabilitation, she earned her medical degree in 1999 and later a PhD in Medical Sciences, and spent many years as a Senior Research Scientist at the Research Institute of Medical and Social Expertise and Rehabilitation, where she conducted clinical research in rehabilitation medicine. At AMPEXT she reviews educational articles and product monographs for accuracy and balance against current evidence. Full biography and editorial policy: ampext.com/information/author-g-kosyak

Disclosure: the author is affiliated with AMPEXT, which is named in this article.

 

Please also review AIHCP’s Holistic Nursing Certification program and Nurse Courses see if it meets your academic and professional goals.  These programs are online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification

What Is KPV? A Clear Look at the Peptide Studied for Inflammation, Gut, and Skin

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

Peptides under magnifying glass. Thorough analysis and inspection of peptides. Taking a closer look at peptides. Examination of the concept of peptides

Written by Biana Borchenko, FNP-BC, Nurse Practitioner,

KPV is one of the shortest peptides getting attention in wellness circles, and its size is part of the appeal. Made of just three amino acids, it is small enough to slip into cells and is studied for a single job that matters to a lot of people: calming inflammation. That focus is why interest in KPV peptide benefits has grown among readers dealing with gut and skin issues. Understanding what the research supports, and what it does not, keeps expectations realistic.

KPV is a fragment of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), a signaling molecule your body already makes. Researchers isolated the tail end of that hormone and found it kept much of the anti-inflammatory signaling while shedding other effects. In other words, KPV is studied as a targeted messenger rather than a broad drug.

Because inflammation sits underneath so many gut and skin complaints, that targeting is what makes KPV interesting to clinicians and researchers. Physician-led practices such as Robertson Wellness & Aesthetics treat peptides like KPV as something to consider case by case, after a medical history, rather than a supplement to self-prescribe. The biology helps explain why.

How KPV is thought to work

The leading explanation is that KPV acts inside the cell to quiet inflammatory signaling, including pathways tied to the messenger NF-kB. By dialing down that signaling, it may reduce the inflammatory response in tissues like the gut lining and the skin, according to preclinical studies indexed by the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Two features get researchers’ attention. First, KPV appears to work at low concentrations. Second, it seems to act without the pigment-related effects of the parent hormone, which is why it is studied as a focused anti-inflammatory signal rather than a tanning agent.

What the research shows, by area

Most of the evidence is preclinical, meaning cell and animal models rather than large human trials. The signals are promising enough to justify continued study, not strong enough to promise results.

Area of interest What research explores Evidence stage
Gut Support for the intestinal lining and inflammatory bowel models Preclinical
Skin Calming inflammatory skin responses and supporting repair Preclinical/early
General inflammation Reducing NF-kB-linked inflammatory signaling Preclinical

Read the table as a map of open questions, not a list of proven treatments. A compound can look encouraging in a dish or an animal model and still need years of human research before anyone can speak confidently about benefit and dose.

Who tends to look into KPV, and who should wait

In clinical conversations, KPV comes up most often with people focused on gut comfort, inflammatory skin concerns, or general inflammatory load who want medical guidance rather than gray-market products. Suitability is decided individually, not from an online checklist.

Some people should hold off unless a physician says otherwise, including anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding, anyone managing a serious medical condition, and anyone already on medications that affect immune or inflammatory pathways. A clinician weighs those factors before anything is recommended.

Why delivery method comes up so often

KPV is discussed in several forms, including oral capsules, topical preparations, and injectable versions, and the format is not a minor detail. How a peptide is delivered affects how much reaches the target tissue and how it is handled by the body, which is one reason clinicians care about the route as much as the compound.

For gut-focused interest, an oral or targeted approach is often the talking point, while skin concerns raise questions about topical use. None of these formats is automatically “best,” and the research behind each varies. This is exactly the kind of trade-off a licensed provider can walk through based on your specific goal rather than a general recommendation online.

Three things people get wrong about KPV

A few misconceptions show up again and again, and clearing them helps set realistic expectations.

  • “It is natural, so it is risk-free.” KPV is derived from a natural hormone fragment, but the products sold are manufactured, unregulated, and not proven safe long-term.
  • “More is better.” KPV is studied at low concentrations; higher amounts are not automatically more helpful.
  • “It is proven for gut or skin conditions.” The human evidence is not there yet. Interest is based largely on preclinical work.

Keeping these straight makes it easier to read marketing claims critically and to have a grounded conversation with a clinician.

Safety and the honest unknowns

KPV is not an FDA-approved medicine, so there is no standardized dose and no quality guarantee for products sold outside a clinical setting. Short reports tend to describe it as well tolerated, but long-term human safety has not been established in large studies. Purity and accurate labeling are real concerns with self-sourced peptides.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. KPV is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, and is not an FDA-approved therapy. Talk with a licensed medical provider before considering any peptide.

For readers who would rather explore KPV with medical oversight than order a vial online, Robertson Wellness & Aesthetics, a physician-supervised medical spa in Beverly Hills, is one clinic that evaluates peptide options under clinical care.

 

 

Please also review AIHCP’s Holistic Nursing Certification program and Nurse Courses see if it meets your academic and professional goals.  These programs are online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification

How To Evaluate Evidence Behind Dietary Supplement Claims

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

Stethoscope next to herbs and flowers.

Written by Marko,

The rise in wellness has, without question, contributed to the rise in popularity of various dietary supplements. Much more than ever before. However, the question of their effectiveness is another matter. A matter that most healthcare professionals have been asked and/or consulted by patients. Questions such as whether a particular ingredient is worth considering, whether a product’s claims are supported by research, or how to compare two supplements that appear to offer similar benefits.

Answering these questions is a little bit more complicated. 

There are a lot of elements to factor in, and research findings may not necessarily apply equally to every product or every person/individual. It’s a difficult matter to quantify and ‘calculate’ accurately and with a high degree of certainty.

The evidence is all over the place. 

A study can be scientifically legitimate while still providing limited support for a particular claim about a particular supplement. The question is how nurses and other healthcare professionals should develop a structured approach toward evaluating this evidence and help consumers understand what all the available research does and (more importantly) doesn’t support.

Start With the Exact Ingredient

One approach is focusing on a single ingredient. It does sound a bit obvious thinking about it, but talking about a single ingredient is not the same as talking about a product that is a combination of various ingredients. 

Even a similar product (one that shares the same ingredients as the other in question) can be different, for example, magnesium. 

We have magnesium citrate, magnesium glycinate, Magnesium oxide, and Magnesium chloride. They’re all sources of magnesium, but they are not interchangeable in every respect. They are different forms/compounds that provide magnesium and have different chemical properties, solubility, absorption, and tolerability. Of course, because of these differences, research involving one form shouldn’t automatically be assumed to apply equally to another.

Then there’s the form an ingredient has, another important factor to take into account. 

Research may involve a particular preparation, concentration, combination, or amount that differs from what is found in a commercially available supplement. A reference to one substance doesn’t establish evidence for another due to their names being similar or even their functions.

But it’s not just the product(s) and the research on those same ones, but it is also HOW the research is being conducted that needs to be factored into this equation. Just because you found one research paper that confirms a specific claim, it matters what the parameters and methods were that were used in the said research to get those results.

Because of this, factors that are worth considering here are:

  • The exact ingredient that has been used
  • Its form or formulation
  • The amount that has been used in the making of the product
  • The intended conditions of use of the product
  • The population that has been studied (and the sample size)
  • The duration of the use of the product

The closer the studied ingredient, formulation, amount, conditions of use, population, etc., are to those of the product that’s being currently evaluated, the more (directly) relevant the research may be. But with that being said, just pure similarity between two (or more) products doesn’t by itself mean/establish that findings from that one precut automatically apply to the other one; nor does this substantiate a specific benefit claim.

In laymen’s terms, a specific product may make a specific claim that’s directly supported by research relevant to that same product. Now, if you take a different product that has similar (or even the same) ingredients, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the research from the first product also backs a specific claim for the second product.

When comparing similar products, such as when consumers browse peptide bioregulator products, their formulation and amount should be compared carefully when you’re trying to assess whether particular research is relevant here. The presence of similar ingredients alone SHOULD NEVER be interpreted as evidence that the products will offer the same (or even similar) effects.

NOTE: Two products can contain an ingredient with the same general name while completely differing in formulation and amount.

What Is the Type of Evidence You’re Looking At

There are different types of evidence, or more precisely, not every study answers all the questions. 

For example, human studies generally provide more directly relevant information about how an ingredient performs in people compared to that of laboratory or animal research. However, that does not mean that their results should be taken for granted. Some controlled human studies may provide information that is useful concerning a specific outcome when under defined conditions. On the other hand, an observational study may identify an association without establishing that one factor caused the other.

Then, if we take Animal research, we can find that it contributes to a specific scientific understanding, but findings from animal research cannot be assumed to have the same effect in humans.

There’s a lot to it, and because of this, healthcare professionals should generally avoid treating all citations as interchangeable. 

After all, it is clear to most people that just because a certain product has a great website with lots of amazing references, it doesn’t mean that those same references/sources adequately substantiate specific claims that are being made.

Steps That Could Lead To A Clearer Picture

Reading a study’s abstract can be a good starting point. 

Unfortunately, that does not always provide enough information for a precise and proper evaluation of evidence. Health professionals who want to better understand how informative a study really is should consider different factors.

  1. Review The Population Used in The Study

Who participated in the study?

Age, sex, health status, lifestyle, and other characteristics that are relevant to the study.

A narrow group has only narrow implications, ones not applicable to a general wider population.

  1. Take Sample Size into Account

Sample size is a key factor in any study. If a study has been done using a small sample size, then although that number of participants could potentially provide useful preliminary information, the study still needs confirmation via additional research.

NOTE: A larger sample size does not automatically make it better or true; there are, after all, a lot of factors to include, such as its design or methodology that was used. Also, the limitations that were present.

  1. Study Design

Another question to ask is how the study was conducted.

While controlled and randomized studies can provide various types of information, understanding the design greatly helps when determining whether the conclusion that was made is one that was reasonably drawn from the given results.

  1. The Duration of the Study

Not every study can fit in an equal timeframe. Some require more time; others less. However, generally speaking, a short study can provide information when it concerns short-term outcomes, but it will most likely never answer questions that pertain to long-term use.

  1. The Outcome

What did researchers actually measure?

This is a question that needs to be asked when evaluating any claim, including a supplement claim. 

One study may look for a specific biological marker, for example, while promotional material can present the findings as evidence for a much broader benefit. In this case, the measured outcome and the marketed claim are not the same thing, or at least not necessarily the same thing. 

This is an important distinction to keep in mind.

Does the Evidence Actually Support the Claim?

One of the most important distinctions for healthcare professionals to understand is whether the evidence actually supports the claims.

To understand this, the evidence needs to be evaluated against the specific claim. Those claims are as follows:

  • What did the researchers actually find?
  • Was the finding statistically meaningful?
  • Was it clinically or practically meaningful?
  • Was the outcome measured directly?
  • Was the study designed to evaluate the claim being made?
  • Were the researchers studying the same ingredient and formulation?
  • Were the participants representative of the intended population?

The conclusion should remain within the boundaries of what the evidence actually supports rather than extending beyond it.

Another thing is that wording matters, and it must be precise. Even a small change in the language can change the consumer’s understanding of the product. It is important for it to be truthful, not misleading, and appropriately substantiated.

Conclusion

A scientific paper or a familiar ingredient aren’t good enough bases for evaluating specific dietary supplement claims. 

Both the relevance and the quality of all the evidence gained from various studies matter. Any healthcare professional should carefully evaluate all the available evidence pertaining to specific products such as the exact ingredient, formulation, amount, population, study design, measured outcomes, and consistency of the available evidence. And possibly even more than that.

It is, without a doubt, a complicated matter that poses more questions than answers, but despite that challenge, a thoughtful and evidence-focused approach will allow healthcare professionals to provide consumers with a useful context, including realistic expectations within the best of their ability; one that they can say with confidence.

2 Interlinking Opportunities:

From https://aihcp.net/2026/07/23/why-healthcare-professionals-should-follow-peptide-research/ with anchor peptide research

From https://aihcp.net/2025/03/14/unlocking-the-impact-of-ethical-research-through-online-doctoral-education/ with anchor aspiring researchers

Author Bio 

Marko is an adamant and eager content writer with a decade of experience in various niches,  with healthcare being one of them. With his way of implementing storytelling, comparisons, and examples into hard-to-grasp topics, Marko’s able to make complex things sound interesting and relatable – key ingredients to make something understandable. As a hobby, Marko enjoys offroading, board games, and spending time with his family and his dog Cezar.

 

 

Please also review AIHCP’s Holistic Nursing Certification program and Nurse Courses see if it meets your academic and professional goals.  These programs are online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification

Why Circadian Health Matters for Weight Management in Shift Workers 

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

Man taking at nap at his desk

Written by Deepika,

Weight management, no matter which side of the scale someone is on, is a complex process. That’s mainly because it is seldom a straightforward one. A plateau, either in one’s weight loss or gain journey, is not just about what goes on their plate. 

Patient outcomes are often influenced by so many more factors, including physical activity, sleep, stress, and medications. This means healthcare professionals have no standard formula to apply for effective weight management, especially when matters are related to a patient’s work schedule. 

The rhythm of life is dramatically different today, with nearly 25% of the working population engaged in night or shift work. For these workers, the demands of their job often override sleep, meals, and light exposure, at odds with the body’s internal clock. Now, circadian misalignment is closely connected to altered appetite regulation and energy balance. 

So, a patient struggling to maintain a healthy weight may not necessarily be facing challenges with their dietary choices or physical activity. Has your team considered a holistic approach to circadian health? This article will examine its role in effective weight management, primarily among the shift worker population. 

 

How Shift Work Throws the Body Clock Off Course 

It’s amazing indeed that the human body is bestowed with its own super-functional 24-hour clock that operates on a healthy wake-sleep cycle. Since this system is both automatic and dependent on certain external factors, any changes in the latter affect more than just sleep. Healthcare professionals cannot treat patients’ work schedule as background information. 

Now, the wider consequences of demanding work schedules are challenging to separate from adequate recovery. A recent Fortune article shed light on Japan’s growing push to dismantle its deeply entrenched culture of overwork. Yet, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she has managed with three hours, sometimes even less, of sleep ever since she came into office.

To her, marathon work hours are a source of pride, not distress. Well, do all shift workers hold the same sentiment? That’s highly unlikely, especially since working through the biological night constantly challenges circadian synchronization. As a result, the following factors easily coincide to affect metabolic health, including:

  • Sleep and recovery, since rotating shifts do not allow a worker to enjoy a consistent, restorative sleep routine 
  • Light exposure, with bright, artificial lights sending confusing signals to the internal clock 
  • Meal timings, as irregular eating breaks further confuse the inbuilt mechanism 
  • Blood sugar and energy balance, because circadian timing has a major say in insulin/blood sugar management 
  • Physical activity, for erratic work hours leave little to no room for a proper workout routine 
  • Length and pattern of shift work, where the duration for which someone is involved in this type of work and their arrangement further complicates the health equation 

It’s irrefutable that circadian timing matters even outside of shift work. Healthline shared a US study examining the health effects of different timekeeping policies. It was estimated that permanent standard time, as opposed to changing the clock twice a year, may result in 2.6 million fewer cases of obesity and 300,000 fewer cases of stroke. 

Jamie Zeitzer, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford, stated, “Standard time increases exposure to light earlier in the daytime, which is helpful to keep the output of the circadian clock robust.” Now, even on that note, shift workers cannot be treated as a uniform population. 

What equally matters is the changes in shift patterns, timings, and other individual characteristics of a person’s life that contribute to the big picture. So, healthcare providers must take a deeper look than whether a patient’s work is leading to weight gain. Get to know what aspects of an individual’s work and circadian environment are influencing their decline in metabolic health. 

 

Why a Holistic Approach Matters 

As we just discussed, weight management for shift workers is practically inseparable from the conditions their work schedule creates. Sleep disruption naturally affects appetite, energy, and meal timings. There is also limited time for recovery from physical activity. 

A recent analysis of 33,983 workers by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that 27% worked shifts, whereas 26% were physically inactive. Moreover, 47% of the overall sample did not meet recommended levels of physical activity. In the case of women, physical inactivity was 17% higher among night-shift workers. 

The factors affecting inactivity and weight may be interconnected. For example, a worker’s disrupted sleep may affect their appetite and energy levels, which in turn makes exercise more difficult. Healthcare professionals can only do justice to the situation when they take a holistic route that considers all these connections. So, the assessment should include the following:

  • When does the patient sleep and for how many hours?
  • Does their sleep schedule change frequently?
  • Are meals delayed, skipped, or concentrated during the night hours?
  • Do the patient’s meals provide the proper nutrition they need?
  • When does the patient get the time and energy to be active, and to what degree?
  • Is work-related stress making it difficult for the patient to maintain mealtimes and physical activity?
  • Are the patient’s shifts rotational or extended hours?
  • How does their schedule impact their social life? 

Such an approach also makes it possible for healthcare providers to distinguish between poor adherence and genuine barriers. All that being said, a holistic approach also leaves room for clinical treatment when lifestyle changes alone do not suffice. 

Based on the patient’s health status and treatment goals, they may receive nutritional counseling, behavioral support, or prescription medications. On that note, treatment access is another practical factor worth discussing. 

Suppose a patient and clinician are considering an FDA-approved medication such as Wegovy. In that case, understanding eligibility, insurance benefits, and Medicare coverage of Wegovy can help place that option within the patient’s treatment and financial circumstances. 

This is important because FDA approvals that also affect Medicare rules are not static. Wegovy is a case in point again since the 2003 law blocked weight loss coverage. That changed further with the 2024 second-use FDA approval for cardiovascular patients. 

The 2026 Medicare GLP-1 Bridge has made some more changes. Life143 highlights the three tiers that may be eligible, with Category A being severe obesity, B being obesity with comorbidity, and Category C being overweight with high risk. What’s important here, from a healthcare perspective, is to first identify the responsible factors, the risks, and then recommend an approach. 

So, only after due consideration is given to sleep, stress levels, and recovery will clinical treatment make any sense. At least, the good news is that healthcare has moved away from the narrow focus of food and exercise for weight management. 

 

A New Way Forward for Weight Management in Shift Workers 

Coming to a point where circadian health is considered an integral part of weight management for shift workers is a milestone in itself. Now, what is needed is to rethink how standard strategies are applied. In other words, established approaches must be adapted to the patient’s work schedule, sleep pattern, meal timings, and ability to recover. 

In a 2025 study, 250 night-shift workers with obesity were assigned to continuous energy restrictions (group 1) and two intermittent fasting approaches (group 2 and 3), each tailored around work schedules. After 24 weeks, all three groups achieved weight loss among those who completed the intervention. However, no significant changes were observed in either of the fasting groups. 

The key takeaway here for healthcare professionals is that rethinking weight management is not about a specific eating window or fasting schedule. It’s important to select interventions based on clinical relevance and the realistic needs of the individual. With that in mind, the following strategies become more practical:

  • Start by understanding the patient’s shift patterns, whether they work permanent nights or have rotational shifts. 
  • Make meal plans workable by considering when the patient can eat, what food is available, and how the proposed eating pattern can be maintained. 
  • Provide flexible activity goals that are independent of a conventional time. 
  • Treat the patient’s main sleep period as important and something that cannot be sacrificed. 
  • Avoid turning weight management into an additional source of strain since the patient’s work schedule may already have little room for extra lifestyle changes. 
  • Keep reassessing from time to time, as what works today may not work tomorrow when shifts change. 

Above all things, assign sleep a high priority. A WIRED report shared emerging research suggesting that even relatively mild sleep deprivation, when ongoing, can contribute to weight gain. In the study it shared, participants gained about 0.45 kg (roughly 1 pound) during a period of reduced sleep. Although the study was not conducted on shift workers, its implications matter to this population. 

 

FAQs 

How does shift work affect weight management beyond sleep disruption?

Shift work can impact meal timings, appetite, physical activity, stress, and light exposure alongside sleep. These factors can interact, making weight management more complex than diet or exercise alone. An assessment of the patient’s overall work pattern can reveal barriers that may otherwise go unnoticed. 

What should healthcare professionals assess for weight management in shift workers?

Assessment should cover shift patterns, sleep duration and consistency, food access, physical activity, stress, and social routines. This should help give the bigger picture, thereby distinguishing between genuine barriers to adherence and poor motivation. Healthcare providers can then provide recommendations that fit the patient’s circumstances. 

Should weight management strategies be different for every shift worker?

The answer is both yes and no in the sense that evidence-based nutrition, activity, behavioral support, and appropriate medical treatment remain relevant for all. However, their timing and implementation may require adjustments based on the patient’s schedule, health status, and recovery capacity. 

 

Important Data Covered in This Article 

Data on night shifts  25% of the working population works night shifts 
Fortune report on tensions in Japan regarding overwork and a four-day workweek  Prime Minister Sanae Takachi proudly boasted of getting zero to three hours of sleep ever since she took office 
Analysis of 33,983 workers by NIOSH  27% of workers worked night shifts, 26% were physically inactive, and 47% did not meet the recommended physical activity levels. The latter number was 17% higher among women night shift workers. 
2025 study on 250 night-shift workers with obesity, each assigned a different approach, one continuous energy restriction and two different intermittent fasting methods  After 24 weeks, all three groups achieved weight loss among those who completed the intervention. But no major difference was seen in either of the fasting groups. 
People report on research presented at the European Congress on Obesity 2026  Reducing annual working hours by just 1% could lower obesity by 0.16% 

Worldwide, the four-day workweek is being pushed, especially for health reasons. Even recently, People shared that research presented at the European Congress on Obesity 2026 estimated how reducing annual working hours by just 1% could lower obesity by 0.16%. Work-related stress is certainly the culprit, especially when it leads to binge eating. 

To add on to that, the amount and structure of work can further alter results, which brings us back to our target population: shift workers. Weight management cannot happen outside a patient’s working life. That context itself is a good start to turn generic recommendations into individualized and sustainable care. 

Author Bio

Deepika has over six years of experience as a writer and editor. Passionate about words and learning, she takes an interest in a variety of niches. Her knack for turning complex ideas into relatable narratives allows her to resonate with the reader. 

When her pen falls silent, you can find her engrossed in a novel or getting her hands messy with fine arts. By these, Deepika is committed to keeping her curiosity and creativity alive. 

 

References 

  1. Staels Bart, and Duez Helene. September 2025. Circadian Disruption and the Risk of Developing Obesity. Springer Nature Link. Volume 14, Article 20. 

https://linka.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13679-025-00610-6

  1. Fore Preston. Fortune. Despite Tokyo’s push for a 4-day week for better work-life balance, Japan’s prime minister boasts of sleeping just zero to three hours a night. July 2026. 

https://fortune.com/2026/07/23/japan-prime-minister-sanae-takaichi-little-sleep-no-work-life-balance-as-tokyo-embraces-four-day-workweeks/

  1. D. Fekedulegn, JK Gu, et al. January 2025. Shiftwork and Leisure-Time Physical Inactivity Among US Workers. CDC Stacks. 

https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208639

  1. Bonham P. Maxine, et al. July 2025. Intermittent fasting for weight loss in night shift workers: a three-arm, superiority randomized clinical trial. PubMed. 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40554393/

  1. Shultz, Lynn Cara. May 2026. Long Work Hours Cause Obesity and Stress, Reducing Work Time by 1% Could Cut the Risk, Study Finds. People. 

https://people.com/long-work-days-are-linked-to-obesity-stress-1197168

 

 

 

Please also review AIHCP’s Holistic Nursing Certification program and Nurse Courses see if it meets your academic and professional goals.  These programs are online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification

What Gets Missed When Healthcare Is Too Fragmented?

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

A small plastic sign that says "Holistic"Written by Marchelle Abrahams

Lacy Mae Loos was a vivacious, bubbly 9-year-old. She loved playing with her friends. She was happy, funny, and smart. Then came the sudden change in her behavior, says her mother, Crystal Loos.

One minute her daughter was a fun, outgoing child; the next, she disappeared into herself. In July 2024, Loos told PEOPLE that Lacy Mae “completely changed overnight.” Lacy Mae was initially diagnosed with anxiety and depression and treated accordingly. But the diagnosis didn’t quite sit right with Loos.

After multiple hospital visits, the prognosis was always the same: anxiety and depression. Desperate for answers, she admitted Lacy Mae to a behavioral health unit. With nowhere to turn, she joined Facebook support groups and explained her predicament. And that’s when a few members suggested PANS/PANDAS, clinical conditions triggered by immune and inflammatory reactions to infections. 

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH), one of the main symptoms is a sudden, dramatic onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Following extensive research, Loos was convinced that this is Lacy Mae’s affliction. The doctors refused to do tests. Sent from pillar to post, only a year later did she get a proper diagnosis from an Indiana-based specialist.

Crystal Loos advocated for her daughter when the system refused to. But a patient shouldn’t have to be coordinating their own healthcare. This is what happens when services are delivered across providers without shared information, clear accountability, or consistent follow-up. 

Why is Care Fragmented?

Maybe we should start with a question: What else does a patient need to stay well? It entails looking at the whole person.

When care is fragmented, it revolves around appointments, specialties, and systems instead of the patient’s overall healthcare journey. As a healthcare provider, you know that this could happen for various reasons.

It often starts at the doctor’s office, where patients may have to repeat their medical history each time they see a new provider. 

Care plans aren’t communicated. Lab results may be missed or incomplete. No one person or group takes ownership or accountability for the treatment support.

Unbundled and Rebundled Healthcare

The World Economic Forum (WEF) explains that most health systems serve institutions rather than patients. This hits hard for professionals in a revenue-based field.

The alternative? The WEF is unflinching in its stance. 

“The future needs the architecture of healthcare systems to be built around outcomes that matter: people living healthier, longer, at lower cost and using technology smartly to get there.” – The World Economic Forum.

Community health is cut off from facilities. Hospitals are siloed by department. The WEF suggests unbundling these stumbling blocks into functional components:

  • Discovery
  • Navigation
  • Diagnosis
  • Planning
  • Treatment
  • Monitoring and prevention

The Whole-Person Care Checklist 

Below is a practical mental checklist for healthcare professionals, case managers, and care teams. 

Oral Health: The Frequently Forgotten Piece 

Oral health can broaden care plans as it affects nutrition, pain, and quality of life.

Identifying a need for dental care is only step one. Patients still need to find and access an appropriate provider. This is where local SEO for dentists becomes relevant from a patient-access perspective. 

A dental practice’s local search visibility can help patients discover nearby providers. Most patients use search terms such as “dentist near me” or “emergency dentist”.

Growth Saloon notes that local SEO differs from general SEO because it focuses on visibility in local search and Google’s map results.

Physical Health: What Is Happening Beyond the Immediate Complaint? 

Don’t stop at presenting symptoms, particularly with older adults. They’re more likely to live with multiple chronic conditions and on several medications.

Primary care providers see this firsthand. Their jobs become harder when systems limit visibility into hospital stays, specialist recommendations, and medication changes.

The CDC advocates for value-based care models. When implemented well, they support prevention, coordination, and continuity.

Emotional Health: The Mental Health-Oral Health Connection 

The mental health angle shouldn’t be ignored, either. 

The latest findings published in Cureus show that mental and oral health are interlinked. Disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety impair oral health, resulting in dental caries, periodontitis, and tooth loss.

The study authors suggest that mental health and dental practitioners working together could produce integrated care models. Currently, this isn’t the case. Very seldom do psychiatrists and dentists share or collaborate on a care plan.

Social Needs: What Is Happening Outside the Clinic? 

Healthcare providers tend to skip the “small talk.” However, knowing what’s happening in a patient’s daily life could be a reason why they’re receiving fragmented care.

MedCity News reports that the U.S. loses about $150 billion annually to missed medical appointments. Oftentimes, that’s out of a patient’s control. In rural communities, access to transport is a rarity.

The publication says that a single missed appointment doesn’t register as a failure anywhere in the chain of providers. That’s because no one is accountable for knowing. Despite Medicaid NEMT being readily available, it isn’t utilized properly by those who need it the most.

Once again, there’s a disconnect between case managers and non-emergency medical transportation.

 

FAQs

What is fragmented healthcare?

Fragmented healthcare occurs when a patient’s care is divided between providers, departments, or systems that don’t share information or coordinate treatment.

Why is whole-person care important?

Whole-person care looks beyond a patient’s immediate diagnosis to consider physical health, mental well-being, oral health, and other factors that influence outcomes.

Why should oral health be part of whole-person care?

Oral health can affect nutrition, pain, quality of life, and mental well-being. Research also highlights connections between mental health conditions and oral health problems.

How can local SEO for dentists improve access to dental care?

Local SEO helps dental practices become more visible when people search for nearby services such as “dentist near me” or “emergency dentist.”

 

Stats: What Gets Missed When Healthcare Is Too Fragmented? 

Statistic What it Tells Us
$150 billion annually  The estimated cost of missed medical appointments in the U.S., according to MedCity News
6 stages  The WEF’s proposed healthcare architecture
2 healthcare disciplines  Mental health and dental professionals are two groups that could collaborate more closely to address the relationship between oral and mental health
Multiple chronic conditions  Older adults are more likely to manage several chronic conditions and medications simultaneously

What Now?

The system won’t change overnight. However, as a healthcare provider, you stand at the intersection between fragmented and holistic care.

It doesn’t take a team to implement the above suggestions. It can start with one person: you. 

Do that, and others will follow. And soon, the whole-person care checklist will become part of your entire team’s toolkit.

 

References

 

Author bio

Writer by day, dream catcher by night. Marchelle Abrahams cut her teeth in the infancy of the internet when the dial-up sound of the modem was more than a soundbite at a rave. Not a Millennial and not a Boomer, Marchelle is an in-betweener, making her a special breed of human.

Please also review AIHCP’s Holistic Nursing Certification program and Nurse Courses see if it meets your academic and professional goals.  These programs are online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification

What is Integrated Health and Why It Matters for Whole-Person Well-Being

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

Nurse working with a senior patient

Written by Agwalogu Bob,

Every healthcare professional has probably experienced this many times. A patient comes in with symptoms of hypertension. But they’re struggling with anxiety, too. They’re not sleeping well. 

While it makes sense to just treat the blood pressure and believe that the other symptoms will autocorrect, that’s just like putting a band-aid on a leaky pipe.

The truth about medicine today is that different providers treating symptoms in isolation may no longer be as effective as they were in the past. It only leads to gaps in care, duplicated tests, and a frustrating experience for everyone involved. 

What works better now is the integrated approach, where an inter-professional team develops a unified treatment plan that touches the patient’s mental, physical, emotional, and social health equally. This is the best way to achieve whole-person health.

A 2024 study from University College London adds weight to this thinking. Researchers found that when organs are in bad shape, the brain also suffers. And because it’s a two-way street, mental health issues can increase the risk for chronic conditions, including diabetes and heart disease. But with integrated health, all these bases are covered.

So, what does this mean for healthcare teams? Let’s break it down.

What Is Integrated Health?

Integrated health is a coordinated approach that combines medical and behavioral health services within one treatment plan. It goes beyond treating a single symptom or diagnosis and instead coordinates care around the whole person. 

If a patient has high blood pressure, for example, the traditional approach is for you to focus primarily on lowering it by prescribing an antihypertensive medication. The integrated health approach goes beyond that.

It brings together medical care, behavioral health, and social support services to address the factors that may be affecting the patient’s overall health.

So, in addition to prescribing medication and lifestyle changes, you or another qualified person will also look into their sleep, stress, diet, and social life.

The goal is to give the patient a unified, well-connected system of care designed to improve their health outcomes and overall experience. In practice, this may mean considering: 

  • Mental health
  • Physical health
  • Emotional well-being
  • Social support
  • Lifestyle habits such as sleep, nutrition, and physical activity

Patients don’t often get the full benefit of modern healthcare when we do isolated treatments. In fact, a recent study by the OECD shows that siloed or fragmented healthcare services may result in poor health outcomes. 

On the other hand, integrated healthcare services improve patient experience, reduce healthcare costs, and most importantly, promote better health outcomes.

Why Is Integrated Health Crucial for Modern Healthcare?

Integrated health is crucial for modern health because of the undeniable connection between physical and mental well-being. 

Virtually every person in medicine knows that the central nervous, endocrine, and immune systems communicate continuously. As a result of this bidirectional relationship, physical disorders frequently cause psychological distress, and vice versa.

If a person is suffering from acute stress, for example, their sympathetic nervous system will more or less be locked in a fight-or-flight state. Over time, this biological tax increases the patient’s risk for chronic illnesses.

What integrated care models do is catch the interconnected factors across both physical and mental health domains before they become a crisis. 

NCCIH director Helene M. Langevin made a similar point in a 2025 director’s message on the topic.

“In the health care system, co-occurring chronic diseases are usually treated separately. Once these diseases occur, the symptoms of disease progression are managed with medications or surgery, often leaving important contributing factors unaddressed.”

She went on to emphasize the shift toward a more unified model of care:

“Whole-person health inverts this traditional thinking. Instead of treating diseases one at a time, once they occur, it combines psychological, nutritional, and physical interventions and self-care to address the whole person proactively.” 

When to Transition Patients to Specialized Care

As practitioners, it’s important to know when a patient’s needs go beyond mere collaborative care. 

Take the following issues, for example:

  • Anxiety or low mood that sticks around for weeks
  • Trouble functioning in everyday activities
  • Major depressive disorder
  • First-episode psychosis
  • Trauma symptoms that keep resurfacing
  • Maladaptive substance use

Some of the patients with these mental health issues will need dedicated specialists as soon as possible.

In fact, you may want to think about looking for programs that accept mental health-only clients. The idea is focused stabilization without the distractions of general medical wards.

If you’re in the healthcare industry, you probably already know that the need for this is growing. 

According to the CDC, depression prevalence among U.S. adults increased by roughly 60% in a decade. The truth is that while integrated care is effective, it may not be able to deal with such numbers.

The good news, according to Catalina Behavioral Health, is that different mental health treatment centers exist that provide various forms of therapy. 

The message is simple: clinicians should balance coordinated care with timely referral to specialists when symptom severity, duration, or risk exceeds what integrated care can handle.

What Are the Biggest Benefits of Integrated Health?

The benefits of integrated care extend to patients, providers, and the healthcare system in general. Here are just a few examples.

For Patients

  • Better chronic disease management
  • Earlier detection of comorbid conditions
  • Reduced duplication of diagnostic tests
  • Improved treatment adherence
  • Better overall quality of life

For Healthcare Providers

  • Improved communication across specialties
  • Shared decision-making structures
  • Reduced clinical blind spots
  • Lower professional burnout due to clearer coordination

For the Healthcare System

  • Reduced hospital readmissions
  • Lower long-term care costs
  • Improved population health outcomes
  • More efficient use of resources

One of the most significant outcomes of integrated care is improved cost efficiency. A 2025 cost analysis published in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health found that adding behavioral health support into primary care for refugees cut inpatient costs by more than $8,000 per patient. This shows what happens financially when care stops being fragmented and starts being coordinated.

FAQs

What is integrated health?

Integrated health is a collaborative approach where medical and behavioral health providers work together to develop a single, comprehensive treatment plan for a patient. The goal is to handle every factor affecting the patient’s health under one team and care plan, rather than treating them separately.

What are the benefits of integrated healthcare?

There are many benefits to integrated healthcare, but the ones that stand out are better management of chronic diseases, improved mental well-being, and faster recovery from illness. This approach can also potentially lower healthcare costs.

Can integrated health help manage chronic diseases?

Absolutely. Integrated care addresses the underlying factors that affect both the illness and the treatment. This makes medical care more effective for patients dealing with chronic conditions.

Traditional Care vs. Integrated Health Side-by-Side

Traditional Care Integrated Health
Treats one condition at a time Treats the whole person
Specialists work separately Providers work as one team
Focuses on symptoms Addresses root causes and contributing factors
Care plans may be disconnected One coordinated treatment plan
Higher risk of duplicated tests Better communication and less duplication
Reactive approach Proactive, preventive approach

Bringing Care Together

Healthcare has largely been symptom-based for years. But this approach creates gaps in communication and continuity, especially for patients with complex, long-term conditions.

Integrated care is the structural fix. The result? Better collaboration among care teams, more personalized treatment, and improved outcomes for patients.

Wherever you are on the frontlines, you may want to start making it a part of your system, because care works better when it’s not delivered separately.

 

Author Bio

Agwalogu Bob believes great content doesn’t just inform, it resonates, and then sticks. For over eight years, he’s been helping agencies across four continents craft just that kind of content: sharp, engaging cut-through-the-noise copy across SaaS, finance, tech, health, and lifestyle.

When he’s not putting pen to paper, you’ll likely find him scouring the internet for funny memes.

Connect with him on LinkedIn or Medium.

 

 

Please also review AIHCP’s Holistic Nursing Certification program and Nurse Courses see if it meets your academic and professional goals.  These programs are online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification

How Holistic Nursing Is Reshaping Patient Care

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

A nurse holding a toy heart.

Written by Agwalogu Bob

Sarah is a 65-year-old oncology patient. On paper, she’s doing great. The way her lab results look, she might be going home any day now.

But she doesn’t seem happy about it. In fact, she talks to people less recently, barely eats, and always looks sad and drained. 

Instead of brushing it off as one of those strange things that happen in hospitals, one nurse decided to dig deeper. So, she sits with Sarah after rounds just to talk. In a few days, the truth came out: Sarah is terrified of going home to an empty house once she’s discharged.

This type of situation captures the essence of holistic nursing: concern about the patient’s overall well-being.

And it works, too. In fact, a 2025 study published in Scientific Reports found that patients who received holistic care had shorter ICU stays than those who got standard care alone. The data backs up what many nurses already know: patients do better when they feel heard, supported, and truly understood.

What Is Holistic Nursing?

So, what exactly is holistic nursing? The simplest way to define it is to lift directly from the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA). AHNA defines holistic nursing as “all nursing practice that has healing the whole person as its goal.”

Holistic nursing isn’t fringe medicine or an add-on to “real” nursing. What separates it from conventional care is its scope.

Conventional nursing, while great with acute physical problems, often focuses only on symptoms. Holistic nurses believe this outlook is narrow. They look at the broader picture and ask questions like: What does this patient’s whole life tell us about how to help them heal?

The idea is to look at every aspect of the patient to get a faster and more efficient approach to helping them recover.

How Holistic Patient Care Is Reshaping Modern Healthcare

Stroll into any medical facility today, and you’ll see nurses doing things differently from 10 years ago. Many nurses do guided breathwork before a painful procedure. Some offer mindfulness tools alongside medication. A lot culturally assess patients before any interaction. All of those things are elements of holistic nursing.

They don’t just do these things out of compassion. It’s also about the results. We already talked about holistic nursing, resulting in shorter ICU stays. That’s one part of it.

But beyond that, whole-person care is also good for the nurses. A 2025 report found that 65% of nurses surveyed said that they’re burnt out, and many want to leave nursing within the year for this reason.

You also see sentiments like these online, especially on Reddit subthreads.

“The reason I’m burnt out is that I care too much, or maybe that others around me don’t care enough.” — Nurse on Reddit, referencing the lack of meaningful connection in healthcare.

The problem is that it’s not just nurses who suffer as a result of burnout. Patients also suffer. In fact, a 2024 study published in JAMA Network found that nurse burnout can lead to lower patient safety and reduced quality of care.

But holistic nursing practice changes all that.

Instead of viewing patients as items on a chart, holistic models encourage nurses to slow down and take the time to understand context. 

  • Why is the patient not getting better? 
  • Why are they skipping medication? 
  • Is cultural difference a problem?

All of these sounds simple, but it changes things dramatically. That’s why in many healthcare facilities today, nurses work closely with counselors, dietitians, social workers, and chaplains. The goal? To provide care that’s more connected instead of fragmented.

How Nurses Can Get into Holistic Practice

If you’re a licensed nurse and like what you’re reading about holistic practice, how do you get into it? Surprisingly, it’s very simple. You can get started by doing a continuing education certification program through the AIHCP.

But if you want to operate at an organizational level, then you should be looking at advanced education. This means a master’s in nursing. 

The good news is that you don’t have to quit your job to earn a master’s or a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) degree. There are online Texas nursing programs that make this happen with little or no impact on your work-life balance.

Of course, there are equally great programs elsewhere. However, Texas, being home to some of the largest medical facilities, including the  Texas Medical Center (TMC), it makes sense to choose there.

These programs, according to Texas Woman’s University, give you the skills for holistic patient care, including in areas like family dynamics, community influences, and life stages.

And the demand for nurses in this niche is pretty impressive. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for nurse practitioners will grow 35% before 2034. This means that there will be more opportunities for nurses to step into roles that require holistic expertise.

The Future of Whole-Person Care

The need for whole-person or holistic care isn’t going to drop anytime soon. In fact, it will continue to grow as populations age and illnesses become more common.

Thankfully, technology has made delivering holistic care easier. In 2024 alone, more than 71% of physicians used telehealth in their weekly practices. Nurses are not left out. They, too, can now monitor patients remotely while at the same time checking on other aspects of their well-being. That’s a very different model from the old “treat and discharge” approach.

It goes without saying that holistic nurses are no longer seen as alternative outliers. They’re becoming essential to the future of healthcare.

FAQs

How is holistic nursing different from conventional nursing?

Holistic nursing is different from conventional because, instead of just diagnosing and managing physical symptoms, it looks at the patient’s entire life. The idea is to handle emotional, social, spiritual, and physical well-being together for faster healing and recovery.

Can an MSN help me specialize in holistic care?

Definitely. A master’s in nursing can absolutely help you build advanced skills needed in holistic and patient-centered care settings. In fact, many MSN programs now include courses like care coordination and mental health, which are invaluable to integrative healthcare.

Is there a growing demand for holistic nurses?

Yes, there is. With nurse practitioner roles expected to grow up to 35% by 2034, according to the U.S. BLS, there’s certainly a demand. What’s more, this demand for nurses who provide whole-person care will rise almost in direct proportion to people’s age and illnesses.

Holistic Nursing in Numbers

Details Figure
Patients who received holistic care had shorter ICU stays than standard care patients Holistic care 10% vs. normal care 23%
Percentage of nurses who experience burnout in 2025 65%
Projected growth of nurse practitioner roles by the U.S. BLS 35% by 2034
Number of physicians using telehealth services 71% in 2024

Final Thoughts

Healthcare isn’t just about looking at what people represent in charts or computer systems. The heart of it is caring, and that’s what holistic nursing is all about. That’s also why it’s becoming increasingly popular.

If you’re a nurse leaning toward this kind of care, you’re on the right track. Don’t hesitate to explore opportunities for growth in this area. Healthcare is rapidly going holistic, and it needs people like you to be at the center of things.

 

References:

Fang Cao. (2025). Cohort study on Medical-Integrated holistic nursing’s impact on intensive care unit patients’ outcomes, complications, and comprehensive health care. Scientific Reports. Retrieved from Springer Nature

American Holistic Nurses’ Association (AHNA). (n.d.). What is Holistic Nursing? Retrieved from the AHNA website.

Melnyk BM, Davidson JE, Tucker S, Tan A, Hsieh AP, Cooper A, Mayfield C, Hoying J. (2025). Burnout, Mental Health, and Workplace Characteristics: Contributors and Protective Factors Associated With Suicidal Ideation in High-Risk Nurses. Worldviews Evid Based Nurs. Retrieved from PubMed Central.

Li LZ, Yang P, Singer SJ, Pfeffer J, Mathur MB, Shanafelt T. (2024). Nurse Burnout and Patient Safety, Satisfaction, and Quality of Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Netw Open. Retrieved from PubMed Central.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025). Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from the U.S. BLS website.

Tanya Albert Henry. (2025). New data details how telehealth use varies by physician specialty. American Medical Association. Retrieved from the AMA website.

 

Author bio

Agwalogu Bob believes great content doesn’t just inform, it resonates, and then sticks. For over eight years, he’s been helping agencies across four continents craft just that kind of content: sharp, engaging cut-through-the-noise copy across SaaS, finance, tech, health, and lifestyle. 

When he’s not putting pen to paper, you’ll likely find him scouring the internet for funny memes. 

Connect with him on LinkedIn or Medium.

 

 

Please also review AIHCP’s Holistic Nursing Certification program and Nurse Courses see if it meets your academic and professional goals.  These programs are online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification

How Holistic Nursing Improves Outcomes in Acute Care Settings

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

Nurse visiting an elderly patient in need of acute care.

Written by Zainab Shakil,

As a nurse, you know how busy acute care gets. Patients come in sick or injured, and you do your best to save their lives. 

You fix broken bones, treat heart attacks, and try to contain infections. But sometimes, in the middle of all that rush, the human side gets lost. You might focus so much on the disease that you forget about the person lying on the bed.

But more and more, we are seeing that treating the symptoms isn’t enough to improve patient outcomes. 

Leaning into holistic nursing, which involves caring for the whole person (body, mind, emotions, spirit, and even their family and social world), can make your job more fulfilling while improving results. How? We will discuss that here. 

Why Acute Care Needs Holistic Approaches

Acute care settings are intense. Patients arrive with sudden illnesses, surgeries, or exacerbations of chronic conditions. 

Traditional models focus heavily on physical symptoms and quick stabilization, which is crucial, of course. But they often overlook stress, fear, isolation, poor sleep, or lack of family support that can slow healing or spark complications.

No wonder readmission rates stay high for many conditions. Medicare data shows that about 20% of patients are readmitted within 30 days. Stress slows healing. Poor sleep in the hospital raises infection risks. People leave without knowing how to manage at home.

Holistic nursing changes that. It treats the patient as a whole. You check their emotions, family support, spiritual needs, and daily habits. 

A holistic approach teams up doctors, nurses, therapists, and families. Recent research published on ResearchGate points out that holistic methods help in busy settings by building better teamwork and catching problems early.

How Nurses Can Get into Holistic Practice

If you’re a licensed nurse and like what you’re reading about holistic practice, how do you get into it? Surprisingly, it’s very simple. You can get started by doing a continuing education program through the American Institute of Health Care Professionals (AIHCP). Holistic nursing certifications offered by AIHCP incorporate the latest findings and techniques required to provide well-rounded treatment to patients from day one.  

How Holistic Nursing Improves Outcomes in Acute Care Settings

Here is a closer look at how holistic nursing improves outcomes in acute care settings.

1. Improved Patient Outcome

Holistic nursing leads to better overall results. Patients feel less pain, have stronger spirits, and heal better.

In a 2025 cohort study from China, ICU patients with holistic integrated nursing had a much better quality of life three months later. They scored higher on all parts, physical function, energy, mental health, you name it,  of the SF-36 survey. 

Why? Nurses addressed anxiety with conversation and relaxation. They got families involved early. Patients ate better, moved more, and slept more easily. This reduces complications like pressure sores or confusion.

Rockhurst University notes that the NUA 5020 of the acute care nurse practitioner program teaches nurses ways to overcome current healthcare challenges to give patients better, safer care. 

Even nurses who opt for an online acute care nurse practitioner program study current healthcare challenges to find ways to make care safer and improve patient outcomes. Flexibility to study while working allows them to pursue career advancement without abandoning the understaffed healthcare workforce.

Holistic approaches also reduce complications like hospital-acquired infections or delirium. Patients report higher satisfaction, which often translates to better adherence to treatments.

2. Faster Recovery and Shorter Hospital Stays

Holistic nursing helps patients bounce back quicker by tackling barriers beyond the physical. 

Nurses get families involved early. Holistic care gets patients moving gently sooner, eating right, and managing stress. Less stress means less inflammation. Better sleep helps repair the body. Simple things like guided imagery or hand massages reduce anxiety, so patients recover more quickly.

Data from PMC shows that holistic models in the ICU cut the length of stay. Patients recovered more quickly with integrated medical-nursing care. Complications dropped, so no extra days for treating new issues. 

This matters big time. Medicare and insurers watch the length of stay closely. Holistic nursing fits with Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols, which involve early mobility, nutrition talks, and emotional support. Nurses lead a lot of this.

Shorter stays also help combat burnout, which currently affects around 35.3% in the U.S. When patients recover well, you see progress instead of constant crises. Plus, hospitals save money. Fewer bed-days mean better resource use, which can translate to better staffing or equipment down the line.

3. Reduced Complications and Readmissions

No nurse wants their patients to return soon. Readmissions are costly and stressful for patients and teams.  

Research published in PMC reveals that readmission rates vary depending on the illness. For general patients, it ranged from 3.7% to nearly 31%. Heart failure saw the highest return rates (up to 31.9%), followed by heart attacks (up to 23%), and strokes (up to 13.7%).

When patients are sent home, they are often confused. They have a huge stack of complex discharge papers. They have brand new pills to take every day. 

If they do not understand the doctor’s instructions, they mess up. They might take the completely wrong dose of medicine. They might eat the wrong foods. Very soon, they end up right back in the emergency room.

Holistic nursing is one of the best tools to stop both complications and readmissions. Nurses prevent readmissions by using transitional care. This simply means they bridge the gap between the hospital and the home. 

In practicality, that means you sit down with the patient and their family members. You explain everything in plain, simple English, making sure the family knows exactly what to do. You might also follow up with the patient a few days after they go home. 

FAQs

1: What is holistic nursing in acute care?

Holistic nursing treats the whole person, not just the disease. It reduces stress and improves healing in fast-paced hospital settings.  

2: How does holistic care reduce hospital readmissions?

It improves discharge education, involves families, addresses emotional needs, and ensures better understanding of medications and home care, lowering confusion and complications after discharge.  

3. Can holistic nursing help alleviate nurse burnout?

Yes. By fostering better patient outcomes, earlier recoveries, and effective teamwork, nurses experience a more fulfilling work environment. 

Key Statistics

30-day hospital readmission rate ~20%
Nurse burnout rate (U.S.) 35.30%
General patient readmission rate 3.7% – 31%
Heart failure readmission rate Up to 31.9%

 

You Are the True Heart of Healing

Hospitals can be cold and scary places, but holistic nurses bring much-needed warmth and humanity back to medicine. They prove every single day that looking at the whole person is the best way to heal the human body.

By treating the mind, body, and spirit together, these nurses deeply improve patient outcomes. They help people recover faster and get back to their own cozy beds much sooner. Most importantly, they make sure patients stay healthy once they go home, avoiding stressful return trips to the hospital.

You already do pieces of this. Add a little more listening, a relaxation tip, or a family huddle, and you can help people truly heal. 

References:

Cao, F. (2025). Cohort study on Medical-Integrated holistic nursing’s impact on intensive care unit patients’ outcomes, complications, and comprehensive health care. Scientific Reports, 15, 21474. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-04794-8. 

Liang, Y., Peng, H., Luo, X., Wang, M., Zhang, Y., Huang, H., Zhu, J., Chen, M., Tian, W., Mo, J., Nong, Y., Wang, Y., Huang, Y., Tan, S., Jiang, L., Pan, W., & Ning, C. (2025). The impact of health emergencies on nurses’ burnout: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health, 25, 12366180. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12366180/. 

Rockhurst University. (n.d.). Online AGACNP program. https://onlinedegrees.rockhurst.edu/programs/online-agacnp-degree

Liang, Y., Peng, H., Luo, X., Wang, M., Zhang, Y., Huang, H., Zhu, J., Chen, M., Tian, W., Mo, J., Nong, Y., Wang, Y., Huang, Y., Tan, S., Jiang, L., Pan, W., & Ning, C. (2025). The impact of health emergencies on nurses’ burnout: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health, 25, 12366180. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12366180/. 

Song, J. H., & Kim, M. (2024). Clinical outcomes and future directions of enhanced recovery after surgery in colorectal surgery: a narrative review. The Ewha Medical Journal, 47(4), e69. https://doi.org/10.12771/emj.2024.e69 

Bustamente Quiroz, U. (2026). Holistic patient care: A systematic review of recent evidence (2022–2025). Architecture Image Studies, 7(1), 827–832. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/399764837_Holistic_Patient_Care_A_Systematic_Review_of_Recent_Evidence_2022-2025

 

Author’s Bio: 

Zainab Shakil is a writer with over six years of experience in fields like tech, health, and finance. She is great at creating content that helps businesses reach more people. Currently, she works as a freelancer, helping SaaS, e-commerce, and lifestyle businesses grow their online presence.

 

Mindfulness Meditation for Anxiety in Holistic Nursing

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Anxiety is a common barrier experienced in every setting and specialty of health care and medicine today. Patients regularly experience acute stress around diagnoses, treatments and hospitalizations. Holistic nursing practice understands that management of physical symptoms associated with an illness is but one aspect of total care. To manage the psychological and emotional distress related to health care, there is a need for non-pharmacological interventions that are supported by evidence. (osa et al., 2024)

Mindful meditation is one of the most useful tools you can use to relieve anxiety and regain emotional stability. Health care professionals can bring patients back to present-focused awareness, which has been shown to reduce both the physiologic and psychogenic markers of stress. Learning this skill not only impacts patient outcomes, it also boosts clinical gains and improves the quality of care provided by the health care team. (Hohl, 2022)

This article presents how mindfulness meditation as an intervention is implemented in a holistic and nursing context. Readers will appreciate the clinical advantages of this practice, finding ways for implementation and how obtaining a specialized certification in holistic nursing health can increase their job prospects.A small plastic sign that says "Holistic"

Integrating Mindfulness into Comprehensive Care

In holistic nursing, it is believed that our mental and emotional states are intertwined with our physical state. Physical symptoms are often removed from a medical perspective, but holistic therapies break that cycle by treating the whole person. Mindfulness meditation is perfectly in tune with this philosophy. It allows patients to take an active role in the healing process by building mental clarity and emotional strength. (Green & Kinchen, 2021)

Health care professionals use it as a safe, easily accessible option without the need for complex medical devices. This intervention is scalable to different populations from acute fear in preoperative patients, those with chronic pain decades later, and individuals dealing with a long-term illness.

Clinical Efficacy of Meditation for Anxiety

Physiological Regulation

Anxiety, on the other hand activates the autonomic nervous system resulting in increased heartbeats and blood pressure along with release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. It establishes the relaxation response, which counters these autonomic responses effectively. In the long term, regular practice trains the nervous system to recover its rest or baseline states much more quickly after a stressor leading overall cardiovascular and systemic health. (Bian et., al 2022)

Cognitive Reconditioning

Patients with anxiety regularly dwell on the uncertainties of what is to come or replaying traumas in their mind. Mindfulness focuses the locus of attention on present sensory perceptions, more specifically, the flow of breath. This change in thinking interferes with cyclical negative thought processes. With repeated exposure, patients learn to witness fearful thoughts without the compulsion to act on them, and have a stronger command over their own frame of mind during torturous medical procedures. (Mirzaei, 2025)

Applications in Practice

Mindfulness exercises can be used by nurses in routine patient interactions. The planned route allows for effective interventions in a professional manner.

First, establish a calm environment. In a busy emergent clinical context, even just turning down the lights or closing the door can reduce external distractions. Next, instruct the patient to lie down comfortably. Walk them through a simple breathing exercise, like inhaling for 4 seconds and exhaling slowly over the course of six to eight seconds.

The patient engages with the feeling of breath coming in and leaving the body. If any of their medical concerns cross the client’s mind, instruct them to notice and go back to breathing again. As little as five minutes of session time can produce quantifiable reductions in acute anxiety, allowing for smoother medical procedures and greater patient compliance.

The Value of Professional Certification

Education in specialized areas such as meditation and holistic health is a smart career move. By formalizing their expertise with continuing education and certification, health care professionals attain national recognition for their skills by providing services at the top of a designated level of professional advanced practice.A pretty flower next to stones that have Mind, Body, Soul painted on them.

With specialized training and expertise, you can be more marketable in a competitive health care industry. Both employers and patients prefer credentialed experts, as it indicates adherence to rigorous norms for professional performance. Additionally, being part of an established professional organization provides access to a community of accredited professionals that promote lifelong learning and collaboration.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is mindfulness meditation practice different from regular relaxation techniques?

Mindfulness meditation teaches techniques for actually engaging this cognitive process; compared to relaxation, which purely gives some tools for releasing physical tension. Its emphasis on establishing an open-minded awareness of the now, directly targets maladaptive cognitive patterns that drive clinical anxiety. (Lawrence et al., 2021)

Is mindfulness something any nurse can teach patients?

Breathing exercises are simple enough to guide for any practitioner, but mindfulness meditation needs education and comprehension of the subject. Finally, obtaining professional certification before undertaking this specialty field helps ensure the nurse grasps the clinical applications and contraindications as well as ethical considerations regarding prescribing.

Holistic Nursing Interventions: What is the Best Setting?

Holistic practices, such as meditation and stress management are very flexible. In hospitals, outpatient clinics, hospice care facilities and independent private practices where they have been usefully employed to attend the patients’ physical health in a way that affects their wellness, can all offer mindfulness meditation to their patients.

Advance Your Holistic Nursing Career

One such evidence-based intervention is mindfulness meditation, which in all situations fills the gap and solves complex emotional problems arising from anxiety among patients. Integrating these techniques into a total nursing model may help to reduce anxiety, increase satisfaction and provide more system-based holistic care.

If you want to take a step further and improve or build your health care practice, formal training in this sub-specialty may be an option for you. Earn a professional health care certification that will hone your clinical skills, enhance your knowledge base and make you an authority in holistic health and meditation.

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals, Inc. offers a complete education and certification program for Registered Nurses in Integrative and Holistic Nursing Practice. This program provides nurses the opportunity to enter a comprehensive curriculum of online continuing education courses, when successfully completed leads to Certification in Holistic Nursing Practice.

You may preview the program at: Holistic Nursing Certification.

References

  • Mirzaei, A. M. (2025). Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Reducing Rumination and Enhancing Emotion Regulation in Anxious Individuals. Advanced Journal of Management, Humanity and Social Science, 2(1), 1-9.https://www.ajmhss.com/article_236093.html
  • Lawrence, A. V., Alkozei, A., Irgens, M. S., Acevedo-Molina, M. C., Brener, S. A., Chandler, A. B., … & O’Connor, M. F. (2021). Think again: Adaptive repetitive thought as a transdiagnostic treatment for individuals predisposed to repetitive thinking styles. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 31(2), 208.https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2020-44599-001.html