Craig Garner, chief contributor here at Hospital Stay write on the integration of complementary and alternative medicine in today’s health care system for PBS The Emotional Life.
“The irrationality of a thing is not an argument against its existence, rather, a condition of it.” –Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
Let’s face it. Hospitals instill fear and anxiety in just about everyone. We logically connect hospitals with high-tech equipment, sterile rooms, and scary surgical procedures. Surprisingly, few people associate these same facilities with treatments such as massage, acupuncture and meditation. As we head into 2011 — some ten months since President Barack Obama announced the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) — this lack of understanding about hospital services is about to change.
Offered in almost 40 percent of hospitals (up from 26.5 percent in 2005, and 8 percent in 1998), complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) includes yoga, acupuncture, meditation, as well as other options typically considered outside of traditional Western medicine. In a hospital setting, CAM increasingly appeals to patients for general wellness options, preventative measures, or when conventional choices fall short. Not surprising, preventative care and wellness programs exist at the core of PPACA, even though these particular sections in the 2,700-page law often escape the media’s spotlight.
Western medicine is associated with the most advanced, research-based treatments, surgeries, and drugs used by medical doctors and their colleagues. CAM treatments may date back thousands of years to ancient Greece or China and include in part acupuncture, herbal medicine, chiropractic treatments, hydrotherapy, and art therapy. Historical precedence, however, may not be the biggest concern for hospital patients, especially since the existence of stress, anxiety, and overall fear — an inescapable dynamic inherent in practically all hospital stays — predates both new and old medicine.
With so many therapies falling under the umbrella of complementary and alternative, there are a myriad of different ways that hospitals and medical centers might integrate CAM into their establishments. While hospitals typically focus on the more established CAM therapies like massage, relaxation training, and nutritional therapy, even these treatments typically vary.
In addition to body-based therapies such as acupuncture, some CAM programs offer treatments in stress management, hypnosis, and resilience training. Studies show this approach helps patients develop positive coping strategies. Other facilities include CAM treatments in wellness areas, including environment, relationships, personal growth, and spirituality, as well as nutrition and exercise.
Some of these treatments are truly “holistic” systems, incorporating acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage, dietary, and lifestyle treatments in some instances, and yoga, diet, massage, and meditation in others. At the same time, complementary treatments are not always holistic, and this term may be little more than a lure for patients seeking “whole-person” care.
Some of the most common conditions treated with complementary and alternative medicine at hospitals include chronic pain, cancer, preparation for surgery and/or recovery, women’s health, and anxiety and depression. However, patients seek CAM treatments for any number of conditions, including chronic fatigue, sinusitis, addiction, gastrointestinal conditions, sports injuries, or as a preventative measure.
As with CAM-treated ailments, CAM treatments are far ranging. They vary in cultural origin, philosophy, and history—some may be thousands of years old, others only decades. They may include anything from homeopathy to pet therapy (an increasingly popular inpatient service, sometimes referred to as Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT)). The following are some of the most common treatments found at hospitals and integrative centers in the U.S.
Acupuncture involves the insertion of fine needles at specific body points and is believed to rebalance energy flows (qi) along pathways (meridians) to alleviate pain or treat conditions such as insomnia and high blood pressure. Acupressure is similar but involves the application of pressure as opposed to needles.
Biofeedback uses electronic devices to enhance patients’ control over body functions, such as heart rate and muscle tension, to treat conditions like anxiety, insomnia, and migraines.
Chiropractic body manipulation is based on diagnosis and manipulation of joints used primarily to treat spine, joint, and muscle problems.
Creative therapy uses creative expression—music, art, dance, and color, for example—for therapeutic purposes, such as dealing with difficult emotions or stress.
Herbal medicine, rooted in Western and Eastern traditions such as Ayurvedic, Chinese, Japanese, and Tibetan, uses medicinal fruits and plants to promote healing.
Hypnotherapy uses therapeutic suggestions to the mind in a relaxed state to encourage healing of physical or emotional problems, such as phobias, addictions and anxiety.
Massage is the application of pressure to induce relaxation and is believed to include a range of health benefits such as improved immunity and circulation.
Meditation, a form of mind-body therapy, uses a variety of techniques—such as focusing on a word or image—to clear the mind and induce relaxation. Other techniques include deep breathing, progressive relaxation and guided imagery.
Nutrition uses food and supplements tailored to an individual to treat ailments or as a preventative measure.
Qi gong, Ta’i chi, and yoga: A part of the traditional Chinese medicine system, Qi gong is a system of static and moving exercises that involves breathing and meditation. Also of Chinese origin, Ta’i chi involves slow, flowing movements and breathing techniques. Yoga, a part of Ayurvedic medicine, is a system of exercises, breathing, and meditation techniques.
Reiki, or “universal life energy,” involves transferring healing energy through hand positions to treat and rebalance the body.
Whole medical systems are complete systems of theory and practice, often having evolved over centuries, such as Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine. Naturopathy is another conventional whole medical system with a focus on utilizing natural treatments such as herbal medicine, acupuncture, and nutrition to encourage the body to heal itself and return to a state of balance.
This article was originally posted on PBS This Emotional Life.