Holistic Health

The milieu of the critical care unit is stressful for both the patient and health care professionals. As such, it has the potential to increase pain perception in patients, and decrease the nurse's awareness of pain relief needs of the patient. Several physical and pharmacologic methods of pain relief were discussed in this article. Nontechnologic analgesia such as hypnosis and relaxation were introduced as adjuncts or alternatives to more familiar methods of pain relief.

In summary, consumers desire health care professionals with interpersonal communication skills; with ability to interpret nonverbal communication or body language beyond gross facial gestures; and with effective questioning techniques for taking family histories quickly and accurately yet uncovering some client feelings and life-style difficulties in the process.

Western or conventional medical practices are founded on the principle of Newtonian physics; the body is viewed as a large clock whose broken parts are fixed or replaced.

BACKGROUND: Patients with sickle cell disease cope with their disease in various ways, such as psychological counseling, hypnosis, medication, and prayer. Spirituality is a coping mechanism in a variety of diseases. This study evaluates the role of spirituality in patients coping with the pain of sickle cell disease. METHODS: Seventy-one patients from the Georgia Sickle Cell Clinic completed a questionnaire addressing their ability to cope with the pain of sickle cell disease and their degree of spirituality. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used.

Unlike the biomedical model, holistic health care takes a much broader view of what constitutes health and the responsibility for helping restore an individual's health. Homoeopathy addresses the physical, mental and emotional aspects of the whole individual, while alternative practices such as yoga, hypnotherapy and meditation can be described as 'functional' spiritual practices which demonstrate the taking of personal responsibility for health care to the individual.

There exists a need for a broad and inclusive model of integration of mind-body interventions for palliative care. Symptoms relating to psychological distress and existential concerns are even more prevalent than pain and other physical symptoms among those with life-limiting conditions. The hypnotic model's purpose is to improve the patient's total psychological, social, and spiritual well-being. A 4-stage model of interventions is offered to assist the clinician in developing and implementing appropriate hypnotherapeutic treatment for noncurative patients.

Chronic neuropathic pain is difficult to diagnose and treat. For the patient, multiple aspects of his or her life may be altered, including physical, emotional, and spiritual health, as well as the ability to work, and family and social relationships. Successful treatment plans require more than just pharmacotherapy. Patients often need to receive a lot of information about complex regimens related to both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic strategies.

Pain is a complex phenomenon for children, and the concepts of hospitalization and pain are often linked in the minds of children. Despite best-practice guidelines and standards related to pain management, many hospitalized children continue to have unrelieved pain. This suggests that analgesics alone do not sufficiently relieve their discomfort. Complementary therapies may have an important role in holistic pediatric pain management.