Anxiety can be a serious disorder.  Sometimes using medication to lessen it can cause other side effects.  Holistic remedies and alternative methods can help reduce anxiety without side effects.

The article, “A Holistic Approach to Naturally Lowering Anxiety” by Cynthia Thaik states,

“While there are many causes for anxiety, general health and wellness may be one of the best ways to counter negative feelings. The following are simple tools and practices that can be used to encourage physical and emotional health in a natural way.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Holistic Nursing Certification for nurses who wish to utilize alternative methods with Western ideals.  Our Holistic and Integrative Health Care program can help you with the knowledge needed to succeed.

Steps for Discussing Alternative Treatments With Your Patients

Numerous doctors hold to the motto that science comprises the driving force behind a proper understanding of medicine. This attitude in the medical community ultimately leads patients to losing faith and trust in the modern medical community. The situation becomes one where doctors drive their own patients away with the “My way or the highway” approach to healthcare. Fortunately, numerous physicians see the folly of this approach and actively seek to learn more about the alternative medical treatments with which their patients are experimenting. Instead of dismissing a patients efforts as pure rubbish, a better approach will lead a physician to develop steps to effectively discuss the hazards as well as the legitimate results arrived at through the use of alternative treatments.

Step 1: Having an Open Mind

A major disconnect between doctors and patients arises when doctors’ beliefs about medicine clash with their patient’s beliefs about medicine. Doctors pride themselves as being professionals that belong to the scientific community. The idea that healing occurs beyond the realm of known scientific reasons will often be a sore point of contention. When a patient gets a more favorable result than their doctor, through the use of an alternative treatment, the typical professional reaction dismisses such a result as a placebo effect; however, to automatically jump to such an unwarranted conclusion tends to betray the very scientific basis on which doctors rest their credentials. Testable claims, not arbitrary assumption, comprises the true framework of science. A doctor should always remember that tangible results will speak far louder to the patient than the physician’s credentials; hence, an open mind becomes the by default basis for a healthy dialog with an unconventional patient.

Step 2: Acknowledge the Reality of Bad Science in the Medical Field

The term “science” simply fails to bear the weight it used to carry in the past. Patients go online and read scientific journals and medical blogs alike. It is easy for patients to access the latest information on debates like the questionable science behind certain popular medical theories which have since been proven wrong. The science behind such a theory actively reaps opposition from physicians themselves. Examples like that will fuel the fire behind why a patient will seek for alternative treatments. As a physician, you must be prepared to understand that patients using alternative medicine harbor legitimate concerns about Western medical practices raised by physicians themselves.

Step 3: The Secret to Opening a Patient up About Alternative Treatments.

If a physician wants a patient to talk about the alternative treatments they use, simply ask. In fact, let the patient know that their doctor is one of them. It really will not kill a doctor to try some supplements, massage therapy, or other form of complementary alternative medicine. Often, physicians who try some of these alternative approaches actually find they like the results they get, too. It is simply easier to get patients to talk about their experiences with alternative medicine, if they genuinely believe that their doctor has given these alternative approaches a fair shake.

Step 4: Delivering the Bad News

Once a patient has filled their doctor in on some of the alternative treatments they have tried, they will be in a far better position to help a patient see why certain alternatives do more harm than good. Make it a point to not judge the patient. Rather, commend them for taking an active interest in their health before explaining why a given alternative medical practice could be dangerous or noneffective. A medical records administrator with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Information Management says it’s important to record any and all alternative treatments a patient has undergone, as these could be relevant to future treatments.  Try to understand that many patients have seen the laundry list of side effects conventional drugs cause on television commercials and seek to avoid these outcomes with alternative approaches when possible. Their intellect drives them to avoid these outcomes. To ignore that reality means a physician does not have a grasp on why their patients are so reluctant to talk about alternative treatments in the first place.

Conclusion

The medical community built itself on a foundation of research and clinical testing. Despite this advantage, common diseases and epidemics still abound. Patients today exhibit an awareness of this unavoidable reality. Some even see it as a major failure on the part of physicians and the pharmaceutical companies alike. This attitude, by those who prefer complementary alternative medical treatments, will continue to persist until physicians do what is necessary to erase the skepticism and lacking trust that abounds towards the medical industry as a whole.

About the Author: Marlena Stoddard is a freelance writer who received her BA from the University of Georgia.

If you are a registered nurse and would like to learn more about a Holistic Nursing Certification and alternative treatments and medicine, then please review our program.

The Four Major Trends Driving Healthcare Job Growth and Holistic Nursing Certification

Whether the role calls for a physician or medical assistant, the need for qualified healthcare workers shows no signs of slowing down. Experts from a variety of medical fields agree that the decades ahead will show a robust growth in healthcare jobs working with patients, information technology, and medical records. This future job growth will be driven by four major trends.

Obesity

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), predicts that 42% of Americans will suffer from obesity by 2030. Health conditions, sometimes terminal, linked to obesity include heart disease, diabetes, and cancer among others. Those patients will require treatments in cardiology and oncology.

Despite continued warnings from the healthcare community, public, and the media, obesity continues to prevail. In the Unites States alone, obesity has more than doubled over the past four decades. It is a simple fact that Americans live in a society that encourages food consumption—until this changes, the obesity epidemic will create a demand for more healthcare experts.

An Aging Population

Millions of baby boomers have reached retirement age. These individuals are living longer due to advancements in healthcare. Many have chronic illnesses, such as heart disease and high blood pressure that require ongoing medical attention, testing, and preventive care. As a result, the need for qualified healthcare professionals will increase. The retirement of healthcare professional will also open the door to additional career opportunities.

Information Technology Growth

Healthcare technology always seeks to improve through the reduction of errors, streamlined procedures, and the improvement of care that patients receive. These impending changes always require professionals who are adept at working with new technology. Healthcare workers with training from online radiology schools and those with information technology expertise will likely find their skills in demand as the role of technology in healthcare expands. Healthcare providers are increasingly required to play a role in helping educate and treat their patients. Healthcare equipment, ever-advancing, also requires an army of well-trained personnel.

Interest in Holistic Treatments

As interest in holistic healing strategies, alternative medicine and other non-traditional treatments increases, so does the demand for healthcare practitioners skilled in the administration of alternative therapies. Certified Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioners are already finding the number of patients seeking them out increasing. Certain aspects of the Information Age, especially the widespread availability of information and educational materials becoming accessible to those who would not have otherwise known of alternative treatment options.

Healthcare practitioners skilled in the areas of massage therapy, chiropractic healing, aromatherapy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and other holistic therapies will find that patient trends demonstrate increased interest in holistic medicine. Mainstream practitioners, for this reason, will benefit from receiving education in CAM methods and possibly integrating alternative therapies into their patient treatments.

Conclusion

Diversity and culture are additional factors that will help drive the growth of healthcare jobs. Today, healthcare services in the Unites States are administered by multilingual healthcare specialists. The need for these specialists will only increase. Government mandates also affect the regulatory and legal aspects of healthcare initiatives. Staffing ratio laws are being lobbied by healthcare professionals that will increase the number of available healthcare professionals.

Those choosing to work in the healthcare field are aware that it will be around for years to come. It is a field that can offer competitive wages and the ability to work with a diverse group of people. Many industry professionals also take pride in helping others work through and cope with their illnesses.

About the Author: Marlena Stoddard is a freelance writer who received her BA from the University of Georgia.

If you would like to learn more about AIHCP’s Holistic Nursing Certification, then please review the program

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Holistic Nursing Certification Blog

Music Therapy: An Alternative Treatment for Stress and Substance Abuse

Music therapy is emerging as a popular and effective supplemental treatment for mental health issues like stress, and addictive disorders such as substance abuse. Music performance and vocalization is as old as civilization, with each culture developing a unique style. Today, people around the world enjoy a variety of genres, including pop, rock, classical, folk, and country, among others.

Learning to tune in meaningfully to a favorite type of music can help to improve health in a number of important ways. This can be accomplished through the guidance of a specially-trained music therapist who has completed a certification program.

Mood Disorders

Those struggling with depression or stress may find it difficult to relate to people in their lives. They feel isolated and alone. Listening to certain types of music with lyrics that express similar emotions can help them to understand they are not alone, that what they are feeling is fairly universal. Some forms of music can also lift the spirits by encouraging serotonin release. While certain songs relax a person emotionally, others energize them.

Substance Abuse

A recovering addict often experiences extreme mood swings and psychological discomfort. Classical music, which is very regulated and precise, can literally evoke a more balanced mindset by settling brainwaves into even patterns. A music therapist with a Kent State University Master’s degree in Music Education says upbeat music can elevate the mood of someone who is emotionally drained or discouraged. A relaxing song, on the other hand, soothes sensitive nerves to encourage a peaceful, more orderly mindset.

Therapeutic Applications

Music therapists use many different techniques to treat patients by using music. While listening to, writing, or performing music is not a cure for disease or disorder, it can be used as a supplemental treatment to enhance a sense of wellbeing. Patients may be advised to listen to a favorite type of music, for example, country songs. Afterward, they can write about their feelings in response to the song, indicating whether they feel better, worse, or the same afterward. They may also be directed to write about their feelings evoked by the song, and then reflect on those feelings and what to do about them.

Conclusion

According to some experts, music has the power to help us meet important health and life goals. Learning to listen for more than basic pleasure is a useful coping strategy and life-long skill, one which can benefit both those in recovery and individuals suffering from mood imbalances. Music, as a positive and motivating force, has long-term therapeutic applications, unlike many drug-based treatments for stress and substance abuse.

About the Author: Marlena Stoddard is a freelance writer who received her BA from the University of Georgia.

There are many alternative therapies that Holistic Nursing incorporates into its complimentary program with conventional medicine.  Music Therapy is definitely something to review.  Also please review our Holistic Nursing Certification Program

Holistic Nursing Certification: A Definitive Guide for Main Causes of Lower Left Back Pain

Lower back pain is generally categorized as the pain occurring in the lower back area, which could relate with the problems having in the lumbar region of the spine, the ligaments around the spine and discs, the discs between the vertebrae, the spinal cord and nerves, internal organs of the pelvis and abdomen, muscles of the lower back, or the skin covering the lumbar area. Majority of adults experience severe back pain at some point in their lifetime and generally they suffer from left-sided lower back pain rather than right-sided lower back pain.

There are different types of problem that could result in lower back pain. So let us have a brief look on different causes of lower left back pain:

• Pregnancy: Pregnancy is most common reason for those women who are suffering from lower left back pain that could occur for several reasons. Some of the reasons could be-
  • As the baby grows in size, the uterus can compress the pain sensitive structures while including nerves and urethras.
  • Due to the compression of the sciatic nerve the lower left back pain could occur while sitting, walking and doing other necessary stuffs.
  • Several hormonal changes could result in softening the ligaments that create additional strain on the pelvic and low back ligaments.
  • Additional weight of the growing baby could add up to the lower left back pain problem.
• Herniated Disc and Sciatica: Discs are the structures that provide cushioning between bones of the spine. With the passage of time, this wears out, shrink, bulge or even get ruptured. When any of this happens, the disc material is being forced out of its normal position while resulting into the compression of an adjacent nerve. This causes herniated disc which further compressing the sciatica nerve results into the sciatica problem. This pain is generally one-sided and is felt down towards the buttock, hip while including all the way down towards the lower leg or foot.
• Kidney infection: Kidney infections are also one of the causes of lower left back pain. It could even cause low back pain on one or both the sides. The infection generally starts in the bladder that travels up towards the kidneys while creating swelling, inflammation and pain. This pain is worse in the case of movement or palpation of the area. Fever and nausea could also go along with the kidney infection.
• Kidney stones: Kidney stones are also one of the factors that cause rapid onset of excruciating the left or right-sided pain. This pain most often radiates down the flank towards the lower abdomen and down the groin. One, who is suffering from kidney stone, could always feel a sensation of urgency to urinate. In some severe cases, blood may come out with the urine as a consequence of the stone moving in the urinary tract passageways.
• Spinal stenosis: This condition generally results in the case when spinal canal begins to narrow down and encroach on the spinal cord. This process occurs mostly in older individuals while causing arthritis, disc herniation as well as the bone spur formation. Several common symptoms could include- back pain, loss of strength in one or both legs, numbness or weakness.
• Other major causes: There are several other medical conditions that are responsible for lower back pain, especially on the left side. Some of the causes are ovarian cysts and fibroid tumors or gastrointestinal problems that include irritable bowel, inflammation of the pancreas or the peptic ulcer disease.

Thus, these were some of the most common causes that could result in lower left back pain problem.

Author’s Bio:  Jenna is a medical expert and working in the medical field for several years, as well as a professional blogger too. She likes to share her recent researches on different medical conditions with her viewers. Here She is sharing the main causes of lower left back pain.

The purpose of Holistic Nursing is to find help for lower back pain but not from always a conventional source.  One good way is to find a good Chiropractor who can utilize alternative methods to help one with lower back or find a diagnosis.

If you are also interested in a Holistic Nursing Certification and are a Registered Nurse, then please review the program

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Holistic Nursing for Nurses

Ideas of nursing are dominated by western medicine. While these ideas are good for acute problems and ailments, an eastern or more holistic approach is becoming more widely acceptable as well. Within the holistic sphere, a more natural response to illness is employed. Herbs and other oils are utilized by the holistic nurse in care for the patient. While holistic medicine is very useful when used in collaboration with western medicine, the primary benefit of holistic practices is in prevention and dealing with chronic illness. If you are a registered nurse and are interested in becoming more aware of holistic methods, consider becoming certified as a Holistic nurse with the AIHCP. By taking the core courses in holistic nursing, a qualified RN can become eligible for a holistic nursing certification for three years. This certification will give the western nurse the eastern knowledge to become a more well rounded health professional in areas of treatment.