Alternative Medicine and Natural Health Practices

People choose alternative medicine and natural health over conventional health practices for a number of reasons. Perhaps you are at a point in your life where you are experiencing minor health problems and are seeking alternative methods to conventional health practices that often don’t work. Or, perhaps you feel healthy and want to maintain this health by supplementing your current diet and lifestyle with natural health practices.

Types of Alternative Medicine

Since there are varying types of alternative medicine each offering their own philosophy and discipline, you will have to decide what form of alternative medicine is best able to help you heal any particular health problems that you have. Following are types of alternative medicine:

Herbal medicine. Herbal medicine uses certain properties of herbs and other plants in the form of dietary supplements as a means to promote health and to heal specific health problems. Plant parts used can include the leaves, flowers, stems, or a combination of all. Examples of some commonly used herbal medicines include green tea which may have an anti-cancer effect, valerian root used to treat insomnia, peppermint tea for digestive issues, and Echinacea extracts to limit the length of colds.
Chinese herbal medicine. Also known as “herbology,” Chinese herbal medicine involves combining medicinal herbs to heal the body. The focus is on preventing disease before it has a chance to manifest itself, as well as treating existing health problems. A key to the success of Chinese herbal medicine is the treatment of each patient as an individual with herbs mixed specifically for each patient.
Acupuncture. Acupuncture is a technique of inserting and manipulating needles into acupuncture points on the body to stimulate nerve impulses and restore health and well-being. It is believed that your life energy, or “qi,” travels along your body on what are known as “meridians”. When this flow of energy is broken and damaged, your body is weak and results in health issues.
Acupressure. Acupressure involves placing physical pressure by hand or elbow on acupuncture points on the surface of the body. Shiatsu is a form of acupressure that promotes the prevention and recovery of illnesses by stimulating the immune system and natural healing power the people already possess.
Massage. The goal of massage is to apply pressure, tension and motion to the soft tissues of the body to assist with healing injury, relieving psychological stress, manage pain and improve circulation.
Reflexology. Also known as “zone therapy,” reflexology is the practice of stimulating nerves on the feet, hands and ears to encourage a beneficial effect on other parts of the body, or to improve your general well-being. It stimulates the blood flow to particular parts of your body while relieving the tension in your body and mind.
Homeopathy. Homeopathy is the principle of “treating like with like.” Homeopathic remedies are substances derived from plants and minerals that are diluted in a precise way as to cause toxic behavior and cure the symptoms.
Yoga. Yoga uses specific body “postures” to reduce stress, slow breathing and heart rate, lower blood pressure, and promote relaxation that is necessary for a healthy mind and body.
Aromatherapy. Aromatherapy uses the extracts of plants, known as essential oils, and other scented compounds to relax and balance the body. An example of aromatherapy is eucalyptus oil and mint which is used to provide relief for the airways during a cold or the flu.
Ayurveda. Ayurveda operates on the precept that various materials of vegetable, animal, and mineral origin have some medicinal value for curing illness and/or for maintaining good health. Ayurveda originated in India and is based on the philosophy that disease occurs when you are not living harmoniously within your environment.
Meditation. Meditation is a relaxation technique used to reduce and alleviate symptoms of ill health including headaches, back pain and high blood pressure.
These are examples of alternative medicine. Since there are many variations, it is important to research alternative medicine as it relates to your health issues and your lifestyle.

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Occupational Health: Core Areas of Knowledge and Competence, Part 1

It is not possible to describe a highly complex and dynamic process such as occupational health nursing simply in terms of core activities or tasks. Occupational Health Nurse (OHA) are constantly learning new skills, adapting current practices to meet new needs and developing new approaches to solving problems and therefore their practice is not static but is constantly improving based upon a core range of skills.

However, within this limitation it is possible to describe those core areas of knowledge and competence that occupational health nurses use. The following list is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather to give an indication of the wide range of competencies that occupational health nurses demonstrate in practice.

The Clinician

Primary prevention

The OHA is skilled in primary prevention of injury or disease. The nurse may identify the need for, assess and plan interventions to, for example modify working environments, systems of work or change working practices in order to reduce the risk of hazardous exposure. Occupational health nurses are skilled in considering factors, such as human behavior and habits in relation to actual working practices. The nurse can also collaborate in the identification, conception and correction of work factors, choice of individual protective equipment, prevention of industrial injuries and diseases, as well as providing advice in matters concerning protection of the environment. Because of the occupational health nurses close association with the workers, and knowledge and experience in the working environment, they are in a good position to identify early changes in working practices, identify workers concerns over health and safety, and by presenting these to management in an independent objective manner can be the catalyst for changes in the workplace that lead to primary prevention.

Emergency care

The OHA is a Registered Nurse with a great deal of clinical experience and expertise in dealing with sick or injured people. The nurse may, where such duties form part of their job, provide initial emergency care of workers injured at work prior to transfer of the injured worker to hospital or the arrival of the emergency services. In many instances, where hazardous conditions exist at work, or where the workplace is far removed from other health care facilities, this role will form a major part of an occupational health nurse’s job. Occupational health nurses employed in mines, on oil rigs, in the desert regions or in areas where the health care systems are not yet fully developed will be familiar with a wide range of emergency care techniques and may have developed additional skills in order to fulfill this role. For others, who are working in situations where the emergency services are on hand, they may simply provide an additional level of support beyond that provided by the industrial first aider.

Nursing diagnosis

Occupational health nurses are skilled in assessing client’s health care needs, establish a nursing diagnosis and formulating appropriate nursing care plans, in conjunction with the patient or client groups, to meet those needs. Nurses can then implement and evaluate nursing interventions designed to achieve the care objectives. The nurse has a prominent role in assessing the needs of individuals and groups, and has the ability to analyze, interpret, plan and implement strategies to achieve specific goals. By using the nursing process the nurse contributes to workplace health management and by so doing helps to improve the health of the working population at the shop floor level. Nursing diagnosis is a holistic concept that does not focus solely on the treatment of a specific disease, but rather considers the whole person and their health care needs in the broadest context. It is a health based model rather than a disease based model and nurses have the skills to apply this approach with the working populations they serve.

General Health advice and health assessment

The OHA will be able to give advice on a wide range of health issues, and particularly on their relationship to working ability, health and safety at work or where modifications to the job or working environment can be made to take account of the changing health status of employees.

In many respects employers are not solely concerned with only those conditions that are directly caused by work, but do want their occupational health staff to help address any health related problems that may arise that might influence the employees attendance or performance at work, and many employees appreciate this level of help being provided to them at the workplace because it is so convenient for them. In particular the development of health care services to men at work, younger populations and those from ethnic groups can be most effective in reaching these sometimes difficult to reach populations.

Research and the use of evidence based practice

In addition to utilizing information and knowledge produced by research in various fields to support activities that relate to the occupational health component of their role, occupational health nurses will also utilize fully research information available from many fields to help support the general health of the working population.

Specialist

Occupational health policy, and practice development, implementation and evaluation

The specialist occupational health nurse may be involved, with senior management in the company, in developing the workplace health policy and strategy including aspects of occupational health, workplace health promotion and environmental health management. The OH nurse is in a good position to advise management on the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of workplace health management strategies and to participate fully in each of these stages. Possibility to perform that role will depend upon level of nurse education, skills and experience.

Occupational health assessment

OHA’s can play an essential role in health assessment for fitness to work, pre-employment or pre-placement examinations, periodic health examinations and individual health assessments for lifestyle risk factors.

Collaboration with occupational physician may be necessary in many instances, depending upon exiting legislation and accepted practice. The nurse can also play an important role in the workplace where informal requests for information, advice on health care matters and health related problems come to light. The nurse is able to observe the individual or group of workers in relation to exposure to a particular hazard and initiate appropriate targeted health assessment where necessary. These activities are often, but not exclusively, undertaken in conjunction with the medical adviser so that where problems are identified a safe system for onward referral exists.

Health surveillance

Where workers are exposed to a degree of residual risk of exposure and health surveillance is required by law the OHA will be involved in undertaking routine health surveillance procedures, periodic health assessment and in evaluating the results from such screening processes. The nurse will need a high degree of clinical skill when undertaking health surveillance and maintain a high degree of alertness to any abnormal findings. Early referral to an occupational health physician or other appropriate specialist will be the responsibility of the occupational health nurse where any abnormality is detected. The nurse will be involved in supporting the worker throughout any further examination or investigation, and may help to monitor their health on return to work. Once alerted to the possibility of an adverse health effect the occupational health nurse is in a good position to co-ordinate efforts to re-evaluate working practices in order to help protect others who may be similarly affected.

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