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Holistic Wellness for Women
- 1. Encourage, Inspire, Empower! ABrief Introduction to Complementary and Alternative Therapies Shannon Felmey, RN (Women’s Health Concentration; Labor and Delivery, Postpartum, Pregnancy and Lactation Focus)
- 2. Instructor Name andCredentials: Shannon Felmey, RN (Women’s Health Concentration; Labor and Delivery, Postpartum, Pregnancy and Lactation Focus) Email Address: sfelmey517@gmail.com Intended Audience: General Public Interested in Women’s Health and Wellness Class Dates and Times: March 14, 21, 28, 2015 10am-11:30am Location: TBA Course Prerequisites: NONE
- 3. *Intro-Instructor, CAM overview *IsCAM right for me? *Common CAM practices *Ethics of CAM *CAM during pregnancy/lactation/postpartum
- 4. *Complementary = Inaddition to conventional medicine *Alternative = In place of conventional medicine *Holistic perspective = incorporating mind, body, spirit (Mayo Clinic Staff 2014) Photo courtesy of acupuncturecamtherapyinstitute.com
- 5. Common CAM Practices: *Mind-BodyTherapies *Manipulative and Body-Based Practices *Natural Products (Mayo Clinic Staff 2014) Photo courtesy of mychildwithoutlimits.org
- 7. *Personal decision *Evidence-based practices *Useof conventional medicine *Ethics of CAM *Always check with physician!
- 8. *Are these therapiessafe? *Do these therapies work for the intended purpose? *Are medical providers aware of patient’s use? *Does the potential benefit exceed the potential harm? (Cady 2009)
- 9. *Correcting malpresentation *Inducing labor *Managingpregnancy and labor pain *Pregnancy-induced nausea (Cady 2009) *Increasing supply of breastmilk (Marasco 2007) Photo courtesy of National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Ginger Photo courtesy of living-organic.org
- 10. *Brief Recall ofLast Week’s Session/Q&A *Overview of Stress *Common Stress-Related Problems *Stress Management Techniques *Practicing Yoga in Only a Few Minutes Every Day *How to Engage in Deep Breathing for Relaxation *Benefits of Stress Management
- 11. Photo courtesy ofwww.highlandhosp.com
- 12. *What is stress? *Doyou feel stressed? *What causes stress? *How do you manage stress? *Do you know what works for you in terms of managing stress? *Why is managing stress important in terms of overall health and wellness? Photo courtesy of www.allourkidsfund.net
- 13. Photo courtesy ofwww.boundless.com
- 14. *Meditation *Mindfulness, Mantra, QiGong, Tai chi, Transcendental (Mayo Clinic Staff 2014) *Physical Exercise *Yoga *Deep Breathing Exercises *Massage Photo courtesy of colonlibrary.org
- 15. *Breathe Deeply *Focus Attention *Repeata Mantra if Desired *Meditate While Walking *Engage in Prayer *Read and Reflect *Focus Love and Gratitude (Mayo Clinic 2014) Photo courtesy of Microsoft ClipArt
- 16. *Sit comfortably withyour back straight. *Breathe deeply from the abdomen, and fill the lungs with as much fresh air as possible. *Breathe in through your nose. *Exhale through your mouth, pushing out as much air as you can while contracting your abdominal muscles. *Continue to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to inhale enough so that your lower abdomen rises and falls. Count slowly as you exhale. (Help Guide n.d.)
- 17. *Lower heart rate *Lowerblood pressure *Lower breathing rate *Reducing stress hormones *Increasing blood flow to major muscles *Reducing muscle tension and chronic pain *Improving concentration and mood *Lowering fatigue *Reducing anger and frustration *Boosting confidence to handle problems (Mayo Clinic Staff 2014)
- 18. *Integrating diet/exercise/using supplements *CommonDietary Supplements Among Women *Importance of mind/body/spirit *CAM practitioners in this immediate area/additional CAM resources for more information *Q&A
- 19. Photo courtesy ofchoosemyplate.gov
- 20. *Healthy Diet andRegular Exercise *If Using Dietary Supplements, Be Informed *Always Check With Physician Before Beginning Any Diet, Exercise, or Supplement *50%-75% of American adults *Use tends to be more prevalent among women than among men *Usually used to enhance health and wellness (Dickinson & MacKay 2014)
- 21. * Ginger * StJohn’s Wort * Green Tea * Fenugreek * Common Dietary Supplements among women include Calcium and Vitamin D (Dickinson & MacKay 2014) Photo courtesy of www.greenteapedia.org Green Tea
- 22. Photo courtesy ofdepositphotos.com
- 23. *Integral Yoga Center *MultipleChiropractors *Massage Therapists/Spas *Acupuncture
- 24. *National Center forComplementary and Integrative Health https://nccih.nih.gov/ *Mayo Clinic www.mayoclinic.org *Women’s Health www.womenshealth.gov *National Institutes of Health Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-all/
- 25. *Cady, R. (2009).Legal Issues Related to Complementary and Alternative Medicine. JONA’S Healthcare Law, Ethics, and Regulation, 11(2). Retrieved March 9, 2015, from http://www.nursingcenter.com/lnc/pdf?AID=870753&an= 00152258-201301000-00010&Journal_ID=&Issue_ID *Dickinson, A., & MacKay, D. (2014). Health habits and other characteristics of dietary supplement users: A review. Nutrition Journal, 13(14). Retrieved March 3, 2015, from http://www.nutritionj.com/content/13/1/14 *Help Guide. (n.d.). Relaxation techniques for stress management. Retrieved March 9, 2015 from http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/relaxation- techniques-for-stress-relief.htm
- 26. *Marasco, L. (2007).Increasing your milk supply with galactogogues. Journal of Human Lactation (24)2008: 455-56. *Mayo Clinic Staff. (2014, January 24). Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Retrieved March 9, 2015 from http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests- procedures/complementary-alternative- medicine/basics/definition/prc-20021745 *Mayo Clinic Staff. (2014, July 19). Meditation. Retrieved March 9, 2015 from http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests- procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art- 20045858?pg=1 *National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (2014, July). Complementary, Integrative, or Alternative Health: What’s in a name? Retrieved March 9, 2015 from https://nccih.nih.gov/health/whatiscam
- 27. *National Center forComplementary and Integrative Health. (2006 May). Ginger. Retrieved March 3, 2015 from https://nccih.nih.gov/health/ginger *National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (n.d.). Stress. Retrieved March 9, 2015 from https://nccih.nih.gov/health/stress *Straub, J. (n.d.). Herbal alternative medicine: The benefits of being informed. Retrieved February 28, 2015 from http://www.healthandwellness.kaplan.edu/articles/cam/H erbal%20Alternative%20Medicine.html
Editor's Notes
- #2 Welcome to my class: Holistic Wellness for Women! This class is a brief introduction to Complementary and Alternative Therapies. Encourage, Inspire, and Empower all women!
- #3 Instructor and Class Information: Please refer to handout for Class Syllabus. I am a single mom of two boys, and I am currently working as a Registered Nurse in Labor and Delivery, and I enjoy working with women. I serve to Encourage, Inspire, and Empower every woman to be the best that she can be! I have been on my personal journey of working toward better health and overall wellness for nearly two years. During this time, I have overcome depression and no longer take medication for this illness. I have learned to enjoy life every single day, and I look for the positive in every situation. I have lost a considerable amount of weight (currently 45 pounds, and still working toward becoming healthy in terms of weight), and decreased my BMI by 10 points. When I am at work, I enjoy coaching women through labor and delivery; many times without the use of an epidural. I am also a breastfeeding advocate and I work well with women to assist them with breastfeeding. When I am at home, my boys and I love eating organic food, and we have all completely changed our eating habits to longer eating any fast food and focusing on organic foods as much as possible. Following graduation, I plan on working as a wellness coach and focusing on women with a holistic perspective. I Encourage women to attain their best overall health and wellness (physically, mentally, and spiritually), Inspire women to reach their goals, and Empower women to believe that they can reach their goals.
- #5 “Complementary means treatments that are used along with conventional medicine. Alternative means treatments used in place of conventional medicine” (Mayo Clinic Staff 2014). Complementary and Alternative Medicine has a holistic perspective to caring for the whole person; including mind, body, and spirit (Mayo Clinic 2014). “True alternative medicine is not common. Most people use non-mainstream approaches along with conventional treatments. And the boundaries between complementary and conventional medicine overlap and change with time. For example, guided imagery and massage, both once considered complementary or alternative, are used regularly in some hospitals to help with pain management” (NCCIH 2014). By focusing on the mind, body, and spirit, an individual can experience overall wellness because each of these components is directly related to the others. Without a healthy component, all components begin to suffer as well, which can lead to chronic illness. For example, many people know someone who suffers from depression, but also may suffer physical pain and a detached spirit; leaving this person to feel isolated from others, and this becomes a vicious cycle as the depression then worsens. Complementary and Alternative Therapies can work holistically to help individuals to improve mind, body, and spirit wellness.
- #6 Complementary and Alternative Therapies can be divided into three categories, including mind-body therapies, manipulative and body-based practices, and natural products. Mind-body therapies include practices such as Yoga, meditation, and acupuncture. Manipulative and body-based practices include therapies such as massage therapy and spinal manipulation (chiropractic care). Natural products includes the use of herbs or dietary supplements (Mayo Clinic Staff 2014). Organic food consumption or diet-based therapies could also be in the category of using natural products.
- #7 This chart lists the 10 Most Common Complementary Health Approaches Among Adults-2007. Natural Products were used by 17.7%. Deep breathing used by 12.7%, Meditation 9.4%. Chiropractic and Osteopathic was 8.6%, Massage 8.3%, Yoga 6.1%. Diet-based therapies 3.6%, Progressive relaxation was 2.9%, Guided imagery 2.2%, and Homeopathic treatment 1.8% of the Adults surveyed (NCCIH 2014).
- #8 When deciding if Complementary and Alternative Therapies are right for you, there are some factors that play a part in the decision-making process. Most of the decision is for personal preference. Many Americans seem to look toward CAM therapies instead of taking medication for every issue that is encountered; myself included. There are some evidence-based practices in CAM, and by researching these practices, individuals can become more informed. Individuals should always check with a physician before using any CAM therapies, especially if taking any medications or have any illnesses as some practices may negatively affect medications.
- #9 Some of the ethical considerations for CAM include questions such as: are these therapies safe? Do these therapies work for the intended purpose? Are medical providers aware of a patient’s use of CAM therapies? Does the potential benefit exceed the potential harm of using these therapies (Cady 2009). Many people may provide different answers to these questions. Before using any CAM practices, individuals should always be well-informed of the potential benefits and negative effects of any practices. Healthcare practitioners should also be aware of an individual’s use of these therapies to be sure that the individual is not causing more harm, especially if there is any chance of interaction with medications or other conventional treatments. Many CAM treatments may work because the person using the therapy believes that the therapy will work to treat or manage a specific condition.
- #10 “Alternative therapies also have potential for use in laboring women, including for inducing labor, correcting malpresentation, and managing labor pain” (Cady 2009). “In late 1997, an NIH consensus panel concluded that there was clear evidence that needle acupuncture can be effective for postoperative and chemotherapy nausea and vomiting, nausea in pregnancy, and postoperative dental pain” (Cady 2009). Some women have used Acupuncture or chiropractic care to assist in correcting fetal malpresentation (any fetal position other than vertex or head-down). Although not recommended when not used by a medical professional, some CAM therapies have been used to induce labor. These practices may be common practice among Amish midwives in this area. Pregnant women may be encouraged to try Chiropractic care or Yoga to help relieve pregnancy-induced pain. Ginger may be a common remedy used by pregnant women to alleviate nausea (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health 2006). Labor pain can be managed in many different ways by using CAM therapies, including aromatherapy, hypnosis, massage, and breathing techniques. I have personally used these techniques during my labors and witnessed these techniques with labor patients in my practice as a Labor and Delivery nurse. Fenugreek is a galactogogue; a supplement used to increase milk supply in nursing mothers (Marasco 2007).
- #11 Week 2 Outline
- #12 Common Stressors; I am sure that we can add more to this list as well.
- #13 What is stress? According to NCCIH (n.d.), “Stress is a physical and emotional reaction that people experience as they encounter changes in life. Stress is a normal feeling. However, long-term stress may contribute to or worsen a range of health problems including digestive disorders, headaches, sleep disorders, and other symptoms. Stress may worsen asthma and has been linked to depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses.” Do you feel stressed? What causes stress? How do you manage stress? Do you know what works for you in terms of managing stress? Why is managing stress important in terms of overall health and wellness? Many people may not consider that stress can contribute to negative health if not managed properly, leading to even more stress and negative outcomes.
- #14 Some common stress-related body, mind, emotional, and behavior problems include the symptoms listed here.
- #15 (Refer to handout for everyday ways to practice Meditation from Mayo Clinic.) Many techniques are used to manage stress, including different forms of meditation, physical exercise, Yoga, deep breathing exercises, and massage. Different forms of meditation can include mindfulness, mantra, Qi gong, Tai chi, and transcendental (Mayo Clinic Staff 2014). The practices listed here usually require a particular focus from the individual engaging in the activity. During this focus, the stress level becomes decreased. According to the Mayo Clinic (2014), “Focusing your attention is what helps free your mind from the many distractions that cause stress and worry. You can focus your attention on such things as a specific object, an image, a mantra, or even your breathing.”
- #16 Meditation requires only a few minutes per day in order to be effective (Mayo Clinic 2014).
- #17 Sit comfortably with your back straight. Put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach (this will allow you to know if you are breathing from the abdomen or the chest). If you find it difficult breathing from your abdomen while sitting up, try lying on the floor. Put a small book on your stomach, and try to breathe so that the book rises as you inhale and falls as you exhale. Breathe deeply from the abdomen, and allow the lungs to fill with as much fresh air as possible. More oxygen equals less tense, short of breath, and anxious feelings. Inhale slowly and deeply through the nose, and exhale slowly and deeply through the mouth. The hand on your stomach should rise. The hand on your chest should move very little during inhalation. When exhaling, the hand on your stomach should move in, but your other hand should move very little. Abdominal muscles should be contracted while exhaling to help push out as much air as possible. Continue to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to inhale enough so that your lower abdomen rises and falls. Count slowly as you exhale (Help Guide n.d.). After a few breaths, you should notice yourself feeling more relaxed. By practicing this technique every day, stress levels can decrease.
- #18 Stress management and relaxation techniques can have many benefits. “These benefits can include lower heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate and Reducing stress hormones. Blood flow to major muscles becomes increased; muscle tension and chronic pain are decreased, and concentration and mood are increased. Fatigue is decreased, as well as anger and frustration, and overall confidence is boosted” (Mayo Clinic Staff 2014). These are only a few of many benefits that may be noticed with stress management and engaging in relaxation techniques. Some people may notice other benefits as well.
- #19 Week 3
- #20 See Handout from choosemyplate.gov: Make better food choices 10 tips for women’s health. A Healthy diet is only one component of a healthy lifestyle. This is the government-run site to promote healthy eating among Americans. The plate has replaced the food guide pyramid that was previously used to promote healthy nutrition.
- #21 Healthy eating habits and regular exercise are important for overall health, and may be incorporated in many CAM therapies as well. If choosing to take dietary supplements, be informed of dosage, use, benefits, and potential harm. Always be sure to check with a physician prior to beginning any diet, exercise, or supplement regimen, as with any CAM therapy. “Roughly 50-75% of American adults use some form of dietary supplement, including vitamins and minerals, herbal supplements, omega-3 fatty acids, and fiber, to name a few. Dietary supplement use tends to be more prevalent among women than among men” (Dickinson & MacKay 2014). According to Dickinson and MacKay (2014), “Supplement use has been shown to improve the adequacy of nutrient intakes. Overall, the evidence suggests that users of dietary supplements are seeking wellness and are consciously adopting a variety of lifestyle habits that they consider to contribute to healthy living. Researchers found that the prevalence of dietary supplement use in more than 100,000 healthy adults over the age of 45 was 58% in men and 72% in women.”
- #22 Some of the commonly used herbal supplements among women include ginger, St John’s Wort, green tea, and Fenugreek, although there are many others that are used as well. According to Dickinson and MacKay (2014) common dietary supplements used by women include Calcium and Vitamin D. Ginger: Historically, ginger has been used in Asian medicine to treat stomach aches, nausea, and diarrhea. Today, ginger is used as a folk or traditional remedy for post surgery nausea; nausea caused by motion, chemotherapy, and pregnancy; rheumatoid arthritis; osteoarthritis; and joint and muscle pain. Studies suggest that the short-term use of ginger can safely relieve pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting, but it is unclear whether ginger is effective against joint and muscle pain” (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health 2006). St John’s Wort: Studies have shown that St. John’s Wort has compared well to Prozac in treating mild to moderate depression, although it was not effective in treating major depression” (Straub n.d.). St. John’s Wort can cause interactions or decrease effectiveness of many other medications, including antidepressants (Straub n.d.). Green Tea: Green tea is derived from steaming the leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis (Straub n.d.). Green tea contains high levels of antioxidants, called polyphenols, which have been proven effective against preventing the onset of cancer. Although there are no major drug interactions with the polyphenols of green tea, the caffeine content may interact with some medications (Straub n.d.). Many people drink green tea to improve health and wellness. Fenugreek: Fenugreek is a galactogogue; a supplement used to increase milk supply in nursing mothers. This herbal supplement should not be used during pregnancy, and has other precautions noted as well (Marasco 2007). Calcium and Vitamin D are usually taken to improve bone health.
- #23 Wellness is achieved when Balance is reached between Mind, Body, and Spirit. When one component is out of balance, the other components will also follow. During this course, we have discussed multiple Complementary and Alternative Therapies that are commonly used among women. Some of these CAM practices can be used during pregnancy and labor, as well as to relieve many other ailments. We have also discussed some important ethical considerations of CAM practices. Stress management was the main focus of the second session. Integrating some form of stress management into our daily routine is important for a healthy mind, and may also be used as a Complementary and Alternative Medicine practice. Although most people will not solely rely on stress management techniques for overall health, these techniques can easily be integrated into the plan for achieving overall health and wellness. This week focused on some common dietary supplements, as well as the importance of a healthy diet and regular exercise to achieve overall good health and wellness. Important factors to remember include being informed and always be sure to tell your health care practitioner about any supplements or CAM practices that you are using or plan on using.
- #24 Check Yellow Pages in phone book for local listings. Available CAM Practitioners in this immediate area include the Integral Yoga Center (offering classes in Yoga), multiple chiropractors, massage therapist and spas, and a limited number of acupuncturists. Massage therapy is even available at the local mall.
- #25 To find additional resources for more information regarding Complementary and Alternative Medicine, visit these web sites: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health https://nccih.nih.gov; Mayo Clinic www.mayoclinic.org; Women’s Health www.womenshealth.gov. These web sites offer a search option to find information on many different topics related to CAM therapies. National Institutes of Health Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet includes a list of many dietary supplements, and information related to these supplements.