Alternative Therapists Research Articles

The role of multidisciplinary MS care teams in supporting lifestyle behaviour changes to optimise brain health among people living with MS: A qualitative exploration of clinician perspectives.

Healthcare professionals have an important role in advocating for the adoption of a brain-healthy lifestyle for optimal multiple sclerosis (MS) care. Nonetheless, studies to date have mainly focussed on the consumer perspective. Herein, we aimed to explore the current practices of how healthcare professionals support protective, lifestyle-related behaviour changes to optimise brain health among people living with MS (plwMS), and their perspectives of professional roles. Australian healthcare professionals were recruited via study advertisements, purposive and snowball sampling, to participate in an online, semi-structured and audio-recorded interview. Clinicians were eligible if they had a minimum of a tertiary Bachelor's degree and 12-months experience working with plwMS, access to the Internet and sufficient time to participant. An inductive, data-driven form of reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken before thematic categorisation of the quotes from transcripts. Data analysis was guided by the methods of Braun and Clark and the study's underpinnings drew on the constructs of the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). Six physicians, 10 MS nurses, 18 allied health professionals, one exercise therapist and one alternative therapist were interviewed. Three primary themes encompassing the perceived role of healthcare professionals in supporting a brain-healthy lifestyle were identified: (1) the empowering role, (2) collaborative role and (3) communicative role. External factors/forces including time constraints, professional expertise, training and skill set, power dynamics, consumer readiness, health literacy, self-efficacy and motivation are at play, and affect how/when healthcare professionals may support behaviour change to optimise lifelong brain health for plwMS. Healthcare professionals recognise their critical role in encouraging and supporting the adoption of a brain-healthy lifestyle to optimise lifelong brain health for plwMS. However, discord is evident when they underestimate the complexity of translating knowledge of lifestyle-related behaviour change(s) into action. Greater awareness must be made in recognising and addressing the bidirectionality of external factors such as those in the SCT, that may influence how behaviour change occurs. Healthcare professionals volunteered to be interviewed as part of the data collection phase of this study.

Les pratiques de soin énergétique en France : phénoménologie et processus psychiques dans les thérapies alternatives

AimsIn this paper, we look at energy healing, a relatively under-studied therapeutic approach in France, despite its strong influence on a wide variety of complementary and alternative therapies. This article attempts to clarify the reasons for the success of these approaches by analyzing the psychic processes inherent in them. MethodTwenty-five therapists (energy therapists, magnetic healers, alternative therapists) were recruited to take part in several semi-directive interviews focusing on the phenomenology of energy healing. The corpus of data was analyzed using a psychoanalytical approach in order to highlight the specific features of these practices. ResultsEnergy healing is a set of therapeutic practices with heterogeneous methods based on the representation of a vital energy. These practices are frequently used in contexts of “ordinary misfortune” that combine persistent somatic symptoms, psychological suffering, and critical stages in life. The practice and effectiveness of energy healing seem to be based on unconscious psychic processes. These processes encourage the emergence of non-ordinary states of consciousness that potentiate processes of psychic transformation. In some aspects, this setting could be compared to a form of mediation in which the therapist uses body and object manipulations to induce psychic effects. DiscussionThe apparently “magical” nature of these therapies polarizes the scientific and media debate around the way in which they do or do not comply with the requirements of evidence-based medicine. The model proposed in this article allows us to move away from these issues and take into account the anthropological aspects of alternative therapeutic systems. ConclusionThe approach developed in this article extends and opens up clinical research on exceptional experiences, by showing that the study of alternative therapies, when it is not solely centered on the question of specific proof of efficacy, offers a fruitful perspective for making more explicit the processes of the caregiving relationship.

Anomalous Healers: Being a therapist or a patient? About counselling with two alternative therapists

Psychotherapy is a complex activity that requires a comprehensive training. Because of the emotional specificities of this job, supervision ensures the quality of the practice and psychological health for both the patient and the therapist. Alternative therapists can sometimes have difficulties with the transference that can occur in the therapeutic relationship with their clients. The supervision that can be offered by a clinical psychologist may be helpful in such cases, but presents particular stakes inherent to the fact of dealing with exceptional experiences. Two clinical situations from the CIRCEE, a French center dedicated to exceptional experiences, are presented below to illustrate the challenges of such a work. The psychodynamic analysis of these situations leads to a discussion about the interests and limitations of supervision and therapy. These two situations show that the profession of alternative therapist can sometimes find its origins in a process of traumatic progression. Exceptional experiences are attempts to symbolise traumatic events. Accompanying these therapists between supervision and psychotherapy opens the way to treat traumas. The therapist’s personal development, whether through supervision or psychotherapy, seems important to avoid secondary trauma due to the transferential processes.

First Impressions Count! The Role of the Human's Emotional State on Rapport Established with an Empathic versus Neutral Virtual Therapist

Intelligent virtual agents are being endowed with empathic behaviours to perform roles such as virtual therapists. Studies often evaluate the level of rapport established, but do not measure the therapeutic benefit and the relative advantage of empathic versus neutral behaviours. We have created two virtual (empathic/neutral) therapists. Our experiment with 63 participants consisted of one within-subjects (empathic/neutral) and one between-subjects (order) factors. Regardless of the virtual therapist used, improvements in baseline emotion were reported after the first interaction (time one) and further improvement after the second interaction (time two). Our study reveals that if the human initially expresses strong emotional feeling for a problem they are facing, rapport will be higher for the empathic therapist and the level of rapport established at the first meeting will persist regardless of whether the second encounter used empathic or neutral dialogue. Conversely, participants experiencing low emotional feeling reported greater rapport with the neutral therapist, and that level of rapport persisted in the second encounter with the alternative therapist. This study shows that an empathic agent will not necessarily build more rapport or deliver better emotional outcomes than a neutral agent. Further studies are needed to determine when tailoring and complex behaviours are justified.

An account of alternative and complementary medicine and its scope in a clinical scale

Background: Alternative medicine is the practice of using alternative therapies as treatment modalities and complementary medicine is their inculcation with conventional medical practices. The purpose of this article was to judge people’s perception of these practices and assess societal attitude towards alternative and complementary medical practices.Methods: A survey was conducted among non-medical professionals to assess their attitude towards alternative medicine. They were asked questions with multiple choices to choose from in order to grade their attitude towards and comprehension of alternative and complementary medicine. The questions were designed in a way so as to demand responses ranging from their last visit to an alternative medical therapist to their reason for their visit and their experience.Results: It was observed that most people surveyed were aware of the difference between conventional and complementary medicine but usually visited an alternative therapist without consulting their physician. It was documented that most people were misguided about the actual benefits of complementary medical practices and a majority of the surveyed population chose either alternative medicine or conventional medicine but very few were willing to integrate the two.Conclusions: Alternative medicine is extremely beneficial when used in tandem with conventional medicine and provides numerous benefits. Its use and propagation however must be strictly monitored in order to prevent quackery and the spread of misconceptions regarding its effects.

The Personalistic System of Healthcare in Indonesia: A Case Study

The healthcare reality is composed of biomedical, naturalistic, and personalistic systems. Although the three healthcare systems go separately, to some extent they are overlapped. This study aims to explore alternative healing practices in Indonesia based on the personalistic system. The method used is a case study. Data was collected in several big cities (Bandung, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Palembang, Batam and Makassar) in Indonesia through Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with stakeholders of healthcare programs on media, interviews with physicians, alternative therapists and patients, observation of alternative therapies, and media content analysis. The results indicate that the healthcare practices based on the personalistic system is widespread throughout Indonesia, including religious treatment (often called ruqyah) involving religious chants and prayers. With some using herbal medicine, a lot of alternative therapies based on the personalistic system have been promoted through word of mouth (interpersonal communication) by common people as patients as well as through the electronic media (especially television), and print media (especially newspapers) in many areas in the country.

Networking for equine complementary therapists in the rural economy

This paper investigates the role of networking as a marketing strategy for alternative equine therapists in rural areas. The importance of social capital in the rural economy as well as the role of reciprocity is explored. There has been an increasing interest in the role of both alternative therapies and micro businesses over the last twenty to thirty years. Although there has been a considerable amount of research into rural entrepreneurship as well as social capital and networks, there has been very little on the equine therapists and their marketing strategies. Many entrepreneurs providing complementary therapies for horses in the equine sub culture struggle to gain sufficient customers to survive. The aim of the research is to understand the business model of the equine complementary therapists within their markets, and in particular their marketing approach. Equine complementary therapists work within the equine sub-culture, often at a local level. Their client base is also part of this sub-culture and relies on trusted advisors to make high involvement decisions such as the choice of practitioner for their horse. This paper informs policy makers by highlighting the issues faced by rural entrepreneurs in order to develop strategies to support and encourage these businesses. A model is developed that shows the development of reputation and trust amongst all actors through interactions, qualifications and results. There are implications for practice within the study as the results and the reputation and trust model aids the therapists in changing their marketing practice and overcoming barriers to market overall. Some therapists were already entrepreneurial with a good understanding of their markets and their overall value offering to each marketplace. Others were marginal businesses and the therapists had to increase their income through part time work. Although all therapists had intrinsic reasons for becoming therapists, those with marginal businesses are likely to benefit the most from the findings, which would allow them to take a more professional approach to their offering – developing relevant trust networks and collaborative provision with clients and intermediaries. • Rural entrepreneurship in the equine sub-culture. • Marketing for micro-businesses in rural areas. • Social capital, trust and reciprocity. • Networks and word of mouth marketing. • Cycle of reducing confidence leading to prices that are too low.

TERAPEUTAS ALTERNATIVOS EN MÉXICO Y LA ESTRATEGIA DE LA OMS SOBRE MEDICINA TRADICIONAL 2014-2023: COMUNICACIÓN, CREENCIAS Y FACTORES SOCIO-ECONÓMICOS

This research constitutes a qualitative study that analyses the declarations of 12 alternative therapists from urban environments in both Mexico City and the State of Mexico in order to assess whether their practices respond to the recommendations of the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014 - 2023. The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes the introduction of these practices for socio-economic and cultural reasons in Mexico. The declarations confirm that alternative and complementary therapies can contribute to well-being and people-centered health care. Among the results obtained, we observed that the interviewed therapists demonstrated capacity of observation, showed empathy with their patients, considered the emotional states of their patients as being decisive in health-disease processes, and also that their fees were flexible. In some cases, therapists propose the use of complementary therapies in serious diseases such as cancer, which provokes an ethical debate and confirms that it is necessary to promote the rational use of these practices as indicated by the WHO in the aforementioned document. We conclude that the incorporation of products, professionals and practices to the Mexican health system requires continued investigation and regulation of the practice, training and products in order to guarantee their effectiveness and the safety of users.

The Religious Profile of Brazilian Alternative Therapists: the Case of Naturology

This study outlines the religious profile of alternative therapists in Brazil, which is justified by recent academic conclusions that the New Age would no longer be an interesting category of analysis to the study of contemporary alternative therapies. Naturology was taken as a case study given its institutional characteristic and present role in contemporary political discussions on the integration of alternative medicines in the Brazilian public health system. Questionnaires answered by a quarter of the entire population of Brazilian naturologists were analyzed. The data collected revealed that 51.7% of Brazilian naturologists objectively consider themselves as adherents of the New Age movement and they have a very different religious profile than that of the Brazilian population. Thus, it can be concluded that it is still premature to declare that New Age and religion are no longer relevant categories for the study of alternative therapies, at least in Brazil.

Complementary and alternative medicine for the management of orthopaedic problems in Swiss Warmblood horses.

It appears that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is used increasingly often in horses for the assessment and treatment of suspected orthopaedic problems, especially back problems. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of CAM use for the management of orthopaedic problems in a defined population of Swiss Warmblood horses. A total of 239 owners and caretakers of horses from a pre‐defined database were called by a veterinarian to participate in the survey. A standardized questionnaire was designed to determine, for each orthopaedic case, where the localization of the problem was (limb or back) and if conventional medicine or CAM was used for consultation and treatment. When CAM was employed, the CAM discipline and administrator (veterinarian or alternative therapist) was defined. A total of 222 cases in 170 horses with orthopaedic problems were identified. Sixty‐two horses were identified with a back problem, 96 horses with a lameness involving one or more limbs and 12 horses with a combined back problem and lameness. CAM was used commonly in this population (73.9%, 164 of 222) for both diagnostic workup and treatment of suspected orthopaedic problems, but was rarely administered by a veterinarian (12%, 27 of 222). In general, if a back problem was suspected by the owner, CAM was more frequently applied for diagnosis and treatment than in cases where a lameness was suspected; (91.9%, 68 of 74) vs. (64.9%, 96 of 148) (P < 0.001), respectively. Osteopathy was the most frequently applied CAM discipline. CAM was frequently used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in Swiss Warmblood horses with suspected orthopaedic problems. CAM practitioners were consulted predominantly if a back problem was suspected, and the majority of CAM practitioners were not veterinarians.

Alternative Medicine as Counter-Conduct: Therapeutic Spaces and Medical Rationality in Contemporary Romania

Abstract This study analyses the practice of medical pluralism in contemporary Romania, addressing the phenomenon of alternative medicine through the Foucauldian concept of counter-conduct. Employing in-depth interviews with general and alternative practitioners from two towns in Transylvania, and participant observations in spaces where they practice their knowledge, I describe how certain discursive acts reformulate the body and the subject-patient. Alternative therapists construct their practice in direct opposition to several parameters of biomedicine, such as the logic of diagnosis, treatment, and the praxis of patient’s visit to the general practitioner’s office, discussed in the paper. They define their approach as psychosomatic, and set-up the medical space as a confessional space, envisioning a holistic corporeality and the idea of the “inner doctor” in each patient. This conduct would supposedly make the subject “active” and “empowered”, as opposed to the “passive” patient succumbed to the diagnosis of conventional doctors.

The Growth of Alternative Therapy: A Valid Argument against the Secularisation Thesis?

The fact that alternative therapy has experienced vast growth during the last 30 years in most of the West is used by both Paul Heelas and Linda Woodhead as an argument against the secularisation theory. The objective of this article is to examine whether such an argument can be seen as being valid. In order to do this, four preconditions are formulated whose fulfilment I consider to be necessary if the above-mentioned arguments against the secularisation theory are to be accepted. The four preconditions are discussed; they are as follows: 1) alternative therapy is of significant magnitude; 2) the alternative therapists themselves consider the practice to be spiritual; 3) the clients seeing such ‘spiritual’ therapists have a spiritually informed motive to do so; 4) ‘spirituality’ as understood both by practitioners and by clients has ‘religious’ connotations.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine after the completion of hospital treatment for colorectal cancer: findings from a questionnaire study in Denmark.

BackgroundLittle is known about the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for colorectal cancer, despite the high incidence of colorectal cancer and the frequency of CAM use for cancer-related symptoms. This is the first Danish study to examine the use of CAM by individuals who completed hospital treatment for colorectal cancer.MethodsIn 2011–12, a pragmatic trial on energy healing as rehabilitation after colorectal cancer was conducted in Denmark with participants who had completed cancer-related hospital treatment within the past 18 months prior to study inclusion. As part of the trial, participants (n = 247) completed a questionnaire on the use, motivations, pathways and perceived benefits of CAM. Socio-demographic information was obtained via the Danish National Patient Registry and self-report. Descriptive statistics were generated, using SPSS, version 18, and logistic regression analysis was carried out.ResultsOf 247 individuals, 49.4% used some form of CAM in the past month. Nearly half of the CAM users (49.2%) used natural medicines and/or dietary supplements only; 32% consulted an alternative therapist; 18.9% used both. Those who consulted alternative therapists were most commonly women (OR: 3.36; p = .002; CI: 1.54-7.33) with high educational levels (OR: 2.77; p = 0.010; CI: 1.28-6.01); more women than men used natural medicines and/or dietary supplements (OR: 1.83; p = .047; CI: 1.01-3.30) independent of educational levels. A majority commenced CAM on their own initiative; CAM was predominantly used to achieve better physical wellbeing. Beneficial effects were reported particularly in relation to physical health; few harmful effects were reported. Of those using CAM, 51.5% did not disclose its use to their physician; 8.5% of participants reported to have been asked by their physician about CAM use.ConclusionThe use of CAM following completion of hospital treatment for colorectal cancer seems widespread in Denmark. The identified extensive CAM use suggests a need for more reliable and diverse information about CAM for both patients and biomedical providers, and improved communication about its use in the clinical context.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1472-6882-14-388) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Effect of ginger on relieving nausea and vomiting in pregnancy: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Nausea and vomiting are common and unpleasant complications in pregnancy. Although many alternative therapists support the use of ginger for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, there is currently insufficient clinical evidence to support its use in this condition. The present study was performed to assess the effectiveness of ginger in the treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. This seven-day clinical trial was performed on 120 eligible pregnant women with symptoms of mild to moderate nausea and vomiting before 16 weeks gestation. They were divided into; ginger, placebo and control groups, by block randomization. Women were asked to record their nausea and vomiting for three days, and then participants received either ginger capsules, or a placebo for four days. No intervention was done with the control group. Data measure was self-recorded symptoms according to the Rhodes Index. Data were analyzed by ANOVA, ANCOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Chi-square, and Fisher's exact test, for the quantitative and qualitative variables. There were no statistical differences in the baseline demographics between the three groups apart from age of marriage and wanted or unwanted pregnancy. An ANCOVA test (covariance test) showed significant differences in mean scores after the intervention in the three groups (P < 0.001). Ginger was effective for the relief of mild to moderate nausea and vomiting in pregnant women at less than 16 weeks gestation.

Treatment of Symptomatic Leiomyoma of Uterus

The most frequently consulted alternative therapists for uterine fibroids (leiomyomas) are the homeopaths; however, there is a paucity of research evidence. Based on a study involving 45 recruited patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids, the authors conclude that individualized homeopathy can be regarded as effective in this condition; however, randomised controlled trials are worth investigating.

A paper that changed my practice: The question cube

When was the last time you came to the end of a consultation feeling unsatisfied (maybe even a little grumpy), unable to address a patient's problems neatly and unsure what to do next? Our response to patients with persistent symptoms that are proving difficult to treat may be to reconsider our original diagnosis, order more tests or search for a new drug that we have not tried before. Making a referral to a subspecialist or allied health colleague might buy us some time. Or perhaps we should consider an alternative therapist. Having often been in this situation, it was a joy to come across the Question Cube, a paper that changed my practice by offering a more satisfying way of approaching this type of encounter.1 The paper, given to me as part of the introductory reading for a family therapy course, offers practical advice on how to use questions to open up stuck consultations and steer them into previously unexplored areas. The technique is rewarding for the doctor and, if nothing else, may make a pleasant change for the patient. The key message of the paper is that questions, in addition to being used to elicit factual information, can be used strategically in a number of other ways. Most clinicians are familiar with open questions –‘How are you? How have the headaches been recently?’ These allow patients to expand on their symptoms but often along familiar lines and with no guarantee of a tidy conclusion. In these situations, closed questions (‘Have you taken any paracetamol today?’) can contain patients who have little problem talking but with minimal progression in the information presented. Closed questions ('Did the pain wake you during the night?') can also be used to obtain information from patients (e.g. many adolescents) whose typical response is either silence or a shrug. A follow-up is the forced choice question –‘Did you go to school yesterday or stay at home?’ Although the answers to questions such as these are inevitably brief, they do provide specific information. When working with patients who say very little, this is a valuable technique for allowing a conversation to develop. Forced choice questions also enable the clinician to suggest options or alternatives that the patient may not have considered and to test out hypotheses or hunches. ‘Do you think your symptoms been worse recently because you have had a lot on at school or because of problems at home?’ Ranking questions introduce ideas as to how others may be feeling. ‘Who would you say is most worried by your headaches? And who is the next most worried?’ while rating questions provide information regarding the importance or impact of a particular symptom. ‘On a scale of 1 to 10, how much of a problem are the headaches at the moment?’‘If not the headaches, what is the biggest problem for you at the moment?’ The value of these questions is that the answers can highlight issues, such as school non-attendance or the worries of a parent, which may be easier to address than the presenting problem. If you have your fair share of challenging patients but are too busy to enrol in another professional development course, this paper may be just what you are looking for.

P2-17-03: Incomplete Uptake and Diminished Adherence to Endocrine Therapy in Women with Hormone Receptor Positive Breast Cancer 4 Years from Diagnosis: An Australian Cohort Study.

Abstract Background: Tamoxifen(T) and the aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are associated with side effects which impair adherence to therapy. Our aim was to investigate the uptake of, and adherence to, endocrine therapy (ET) in a cohort of women with invasive breast cancer (BC) nearly 4 years post-diagnosis. Materials and Methods: The BUPA Health Foundation Health and Well being After Breast Cancer study is a prospective questionnaire-based cohort study of 1684 women with their first episode of invasive BC recruited between 2004 and 2006 through the Victorian Cancer Registry (VCR), Australia. An enrolment questionnaire (EQ) was completed within 12 months of diagnosis, with questionnaires every 12 months thereafter (FQ1-FQ3). Tumor pathology was provided by the VCR. FQ3 was completed on average 3.8 years from diagnosis. Active disease included a new primary BC, local recurrence or metastatic disease. Results: Of 1684 recruits, 1370 were HR+. At diagnosis, average age was 58 years and 50% were stage 1. The table shows the number of HR+ women retained in the analysis at each questionnaire, the average time of each questionnaire from diagnosis and the proportions of women at each questionnaire on any ET on T, an AI or on no ET. Switching of ET from T to an AI was predominantly a clinician decision. Cessation of T was patient initiated, mainly for vasomotor symptoms and vaginal bleeding. For the change from an AI to T, or cessation of an AI, the main reason was joint pain. At FQ3, nearly 4 years from diagnosis, 215 (18%) women were not on any ET. Compared with women on ET at this time, these 215 women were more likely to have been stage 1 (rather than &amp;gt; stage 1) at diagnosis, have active disease by FQ3, be seeing an alternative therapist (all p&amp;lt;0.01) and were less likely to be seeing an oncologist (p&amp;lt;0.001). The 215 women not on ET nearly 4 years from diagnosis consisted of 117 previous users and 98 never-users. Compared with the 117 previous users, the 98 never-users were more likely to be stage 1 at diagnosis (p&amp;lt;0.01) and be less likely to see an oncologist (p&amp;lt;0.001). Compared with women on ET at FQ3, both previous- and never users were more likely to have active disease and see an alternative therapist (all p&amp;lt;0.01). Discussion: By nearly 4 years from diagnosis, an increasing proportion of women with HR+ BC are not on ET, despite the evidence for the benefit of therapy for at least 5 years. Differences between ET users and nonusers at this stage are not simply explained by previous users not continuing ET, with or without active disease. There is a small (8.2%) but important subgroup who appear to have never been on ET, which raises serious concerns. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-17-03.

Transcranial static magnetic field stimulation in man: making things as simple as possible?

Transcranial static magnetic field stimulation in man: making things as simple as possible?

Transcranial static magnetic field stimulation in man: Making things as simple as possible?

Transcranial static magnetic field stimulation in man: Making things as simple as possible?

Are modern health worries associated with somatosensory amplification, environmental attribution style, and commitment to complementary and alternative medicine?

Relationship among modern health worries (MHWs), somatosensory amplification (SSA), and attributional styles was investigated in a cross-sectional questionnaire study. A total of 99 university students, 104 patients visiting their General Practitioners, and 102 future alternative therapists completed questionnaires assessing MHWs, SSA, negative affect (NA), and psychological, somatic and normalizing (environmental) attribution styles. Significant correlation between SSA and MHWs was found in all three samples. MHWs and psychological attribution style were significantly associated with Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)-orientation in the regression equation even after controlling for SSA, NA, and sociodemographic variables. MHWs were independent from any attribution styles in the student and patient samples, while significant correlations with all three styles were found in the CAM group. Previously described association between MHWs and SSA was replicated in three different samples. The connection between MHWs and CAM preference seems to be independent from SSA, NA or any particular attribution style.