Research and Application of Alternative Therapies in Nursing Practice

This report delves into the application of alternative therapies within nursing practice, focusing on their effectiveness and integration with conventional treatments. The report begins by defining alternative therapies and highlighting their role in enhancing patient care, particularly when evidence-based practices may fall short. It explores various therapies such as aromatherapy, Ayurveda, homeopathy, acupressure, and yoga, detailing their mechanisms and benefits. The report references research articles examining aromatherapy's role in improving mental and physical well-being, the use of complementary and alternative medicine in treating diabetes, and the correlation between complementary therapies and health literacy in cancer patients. The findings suggest that alternative therapies can effectively manage chronic conditions, reduce side effects, and improve overall patient outcomes, making them a valuable addition to nursing practice.

Running head: ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES
ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Abstract
Alternative therapies in the health care setting is stated to be one of the effective and essential
of all the healing therapies, and are apart from those of the traditional and the evidence based
therapies. These therapies are found to be used in places where the evidence based practice
may not provide better result in terms of the healing of the pain of the individual suffering
and it also enhances the health condition of the individual suffering from various types of
health conditions. Hence it makes it independent to the medical treatments. The alternative
therapies have its effectiveness and frequency on greater number of populations and also the
results of their usage has been observed. The researcher has conducted studies on it and also
the outcomes of these therapies are also assessed. The researcher conducted various studies
that stated that the use of various alternative therapies for diverse health conditions show
effective outcomes. Also, the research stated that, patients suffering from chronic health
diseases and disorders more frequently opt for the use of the complementary and alternative
medicine.

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Introduction:
Alternative therapies in nursing can be demarcated as the healing therapy apart from
the traditional and evidence based therapy (Lindquist, Tracy & Snyder 2018). These therapies
are used instead of the evidence based practice to heal the pain of the patient and to enhance
the health condition of the patient and hence is independent if the medical treatments (Stacey
et al., 2017). In order to promote the alternative therapies for the treatment of the patient, the
nurse should gather knowledge regarding the preferences, needs of the patient and along with
that, the cost and effectiveness of the therapy for the healing process should also be
considered (Green & Thorogood, 2018). This assignment focusses on the use of alternative
therapies in the nursing practice. To evaluate the effectiveness of the alternative therapy,
literature review is conducted in the assignment. In addition to these, brief knowledge
regarding the several alternative therapies that can be used in the treatment of the patient
which include, acupuncture, Ayurveda, homeopathy and many others (Clarke et al., 2015).
This assignment includes the application of aromatherapy in the nursing that helps to enhance
the mental and physical wellbeing of the patient by the nurses. In addition to these,
application of complementary and the alternative therapies in the cancer treatment and its
relation with the health literacy is also explained along with its application is the treatment of
the diabetic patient (Shorofi & Arbon, 2017).
Research hypothesis:
The research has been conducted in order to study the effectiveness of alternative
therapies on treating patient in nursing practice (Hall et al., 2017). The alternative therapies
effectiveness and frequency of its usage has been studied and the outcomes of the therapies
ate assessed (Markota et al., 2016). The study shows hoe the use of alternative therapies are

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effective when compared to the, modern therapies in cases of conditions such as cancer,
diabetes and other chronic health conditions.
Discussion:
Alternative therapies are one of the category of medical therapies which are found to
include various type of treatment methodologies which is not counted under the conventional
therapies (Lindquist, Tracy & Snyder, 2018). Various types of researches have been
performed which provides the knowledge regarding the well-being and effectiveness of the
alternative therapies (Sharma, 2018). In contrast with the traditional type of "Western"
therapies which includes drugs, studies on the alternative therapies are found to be limited
(Epstein, 2018).
There are various types of alternative therapies which are practised by the nursing
staffs in order to provide better health and well-being to the patient suffering from different
health conditions (Johnson et al., 2017). Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Acupressure and Yoga are
few of the alternative therapies that are found to be the most effective therapies for patients
suffering from different health issues with decreased rate of side effects (Siz & Yilmaz,
2016).
Ayurveda: it focuses on the fact of restoring the body’s natural condition by means of
old natural strategies. It includes the mind, body and soul of an individual and functions by
incorporating exercise, dietary variations, meditation, yoga, herbal tonics, massage, and
various other natural remedies (Shima, Lillicrap & Kruse‐Jarres, 2016).
Homeopathy: it is a classification of therapy which relies on the concept where it is
stated that the illness is treated with the identical drugs but in minute doses with the
capability of generating the similar symptoms with in the healthy individual as the illness
itself (Neuhouser et al., 2016).

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Acupressure: it is a practice of applying physical pressure to specific points of the
body such as elbow, foot and hand to reduce pain or irritation and is found to show effective
results and well-being. A human body consist of about 1,100 point for acupressure and they
work by modifying the imbalance in the energy floe throughout the body (Gauthier et al.,
2017).
Yoga: yoga works by the use of body postures in order to allow proper energy supply
to the body and meditation to calm the brain. It is found to be effective for various mental
health illness and other difficulties such as diabetes and body pain (Cramer, Anheyer, Lauche
& Dobos, 2017).
Article 1:
Gnatta, J. R., Kurebayashi, L. F. S., Turrini, R. N. T., & Silva, M. J. P. D. (2016).
Aromatherapy and nursing: historical and theoretical conception. Revista da
Escola de Enfermagem da USP, 50(1), 127-133.
In the research conducted by the Gnatta et al., (2016), the importance of the
aromatherapy is explained. It is observed that aromatherapy has been used extensively to heal
the pain of the patient and is also effective in enhancing the physical and mental well-being
of the individual. In the article, the wide application of the aromatherapy in Brazil and also by
the federal nursing council is mentioned. The primary aim of the article is to evaluate the
pharmacognosy of the essential oil which has been extracted from the concentrate if the
medicinal plants and their impact on the health of the patient. The article also deals with the
relation of the application of the aromatherapy with the eight nursing theory, Myra Levine,
Florence Nightingale, Martha Rogers, Callista Roy, Jean Watson, Hildegard Peplau, Wanda
Horta, and Katharine Kolcaba.

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In the article, the impact of the essential oil in the treatment of the individual is
mentioned. Different essential oil has several impact on the healing process. For example,
lavender oils help in enhancing the mood and also helps the patient to relax the mood and
also enhances sleep which is very important for the recovery of the patient (Gnatta et al.,
2016). Different types of plants are used to prepare the essential oil that can be used for the
treatment of the patient which include, Citrus sinensis, Citrus paradise, Pelargonium
graveolens, Rosa damascene, Rosmarinus officinalis and Ocimum basilicum. These secretes
specific aroma which stimulates the olfactory memory of the individual which helps the
patient to heal the mental and physical illness. The aroma has been provided with the
preference of the patient which helps in lifting the mood of the individual by evoking good
memories and experiences of the past that stimulates good feeling in the patient and speedup
the recovery process. It is most commonly suggested in the case of patient suffering from
depression where the mood fluctuation is frequent (Gnatta et al., 2016). Some specific
aromatherapy helps in the treatment of hypertension by stimulating the pressure regulator of
the body and helps to relieve the pressure and stress of the patient.
Article 2:
Sheikhrabori, A., Dehghan, M., Ghaedi, F., & Khademi, G. R. (2017). Complementary
and Alternative medicine usage and its determinant factors among Diabetic
patients: An Iranian case. Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative
medicine, 22(3), 449-454.
According to the research conducted by Sheikhrabori et al., (2017), the modern
treatment process has gained greater progress in the field of controlling blood glucose level,
but there are also several evidence which states that, alternative therapies are the one which
are used commonly for treating patients with diabetes. The study showed that around
87.6%of individuals with diabetic condition commonly use one or two alternative therapy per

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year. The most commonly used alternative therapy was the use of medicinal herbs for the
condition. the research study reflected that people witnessing severe condition of diabetic are
more interested in opting for alternative therapies then to the modern therapies as they have
observed side effects using the modern therapy (Sheikhrabori et al., 2017).
The article also focuses on the use of acupressure for the treatment of the condition of
diabetes. But the use of acupressure was initiated after consulting to the health cate
professional, whereas patient use medicinal herbs without consulting to the doctors or before
consultation. The study of using medicinal herbs was conducted in to different groups of
individuals belonging to diverse countries. The selected countries were Turkey, India, Iran
and Australia. The research study showed that the reduced amount of the blood sugar level
was one of the outcomes of the use of medicinal herbs such as cinnamon, chamomile, green
tea and fenugreek.
It was also observed that after the use of medicinal herb cinnamon, the herbs showed
significant effect on the HbA1c by reducing the rate. The research also stated that cooking of
few of these medical herbs increases its efficiency and effectiveness. Also, the research stated
that, patients suffering from chronic health diseases and disorders more frequently opt for the
use of the complementary and alternative medicine in order to increase the better feeling and
also to control their severe symptoms of the health condition as compare to those individuals
who are not suffering from ant of the other chronic health diseases.
Siz, G., & Yilmaz, M. (2016). Complementary and alternative therapies and health
literacy in cancer patients. Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 23, 34-
39.
The above article aims to evaluate the correlation between the use of complementary
practice and the health literacy. In the research conducted by Sig and Yilmaz (2016), the

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effectiveness of the aromatherapy in the treatment of the cancer is evaluated. To evaluate the
efficiency of the alternative therapies, a cohort study is conducted by the researcher. The
patient who has already been diagnosed with oncology has been selected as respondents. The
total number of respondents that has been selected for the experiment is 250. To collect the
data from the patient survey has been conducted. The patient was surveyed regarding the use
of alternative therapies in the treatment of the patient and also by the impact of the therapies
into their treatment. After the survey, it is analysed that out of the total respondents, 24% of
the patient have used alternative therapies once during their treatment. 32.6% of the patient
had undergone herbal therapy which is considered as one of the most popular therapy and out
of the population who have used herbal therapy, 54.6% of the patient have involved in nigella
sativa, a specific herbal therapy. The patient has also reported that the use of alternative
therapy has helped them to enhance their immune system.
The research outcomes stated that, the health care professionals used effective
communication for consultation where they provided knowledge about alternative therapy.
the study provided knowledge about the use of herbal therapies along with the drugs in case
of treating cancer patients to avoid any severe outcomes (Siz & Yilmaz, 2016). The research
study also stated that the use of alternative therapy has been effective in reducing the severity
of health complications and enhanced the condition of the immune system of the individual
suffering from cancer. As the condition has several complications, it is effective and helpful
to use alternative therapies, as they possess not complication and side effects to the health of
the patient. The researcher also focused on the literacy of the use of the various type of
alternative therapies among the health care professionals and the patient, to enhance the
effectiveness of the therapies and its better outcomes. The use of the therapies has been
proven to be effective and frequently used throughout the world and is preferred by most of
the health care professionals and has also showed effective results in different patients.

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Conclusion:
From the above assignment, it can be concluded that apart from the complementary
theory the acne bye used in the treatment of the patient by the nurse, there are other
alternative therapies that can be used to provide better treatment to the patient in order to
enhance the heath condition of the patient. The other alternative therapies that can be
commonly used by the nurse in their nursing practice includes, acupuncture, Ayurveda,
homeopathy and many others. This assignment includes the application of aromatherapy in
the nursing which is one of the most commonly used alternative therapies that helps to
enhance the mental and physical wellbeing of the patient by the nurses. Aromatherapy can be
provided to the patient with the help of aroma of the essential oil which has been extracted
from the different plants which holds an importance in the healing process of the patient. The
assignment also includes application of complementary and the alternative therapies in the
cancer treatment and its relation with the health literacy. Alternative therapies are also
considered to be useful in the treatment of the diabetic patient. The alternative therapies
which is discussed in the assignment and can be used in the treatment of the diabetes is
traditional medicine prepared from the extract of medicinal plants and cupping. Hence from
the above assignment, it can be concluded that alternative therapy offers great benefit to the
patient in the nursing practice.

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Epstein, J. M. (2018). Nonlinear Dynamics, Mathematical Biology, and Social Science: Wise
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Enfermagem da USP, 50(1), 127-133.
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