Healing, spirituality and integrative medicine

被引:61
作者
Steinhorn, David M. [1 ]
Din, Jana [2 ]
Johnson, Angela [3 ]
机构
[1] Childrens Natl Med Ctr, PANDA Palliat Care Program, Washington, DC 20010 USA
[2] Tao Ctr Healing, Sacramento, CA USA
[3] Rush Presbyterian St Lukes Med Ctr, Canc Integrat Med Program, Chicago, IL USA
关键词
Suffering; spiritual healing; complementary medicine; shamanism; acupuncture; ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE; SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT; PALLIATIVE CARE; HERBAL MEDICINE; PASTORAL CARE; CANCER CARE; COMPLEMENTARY; THERAPY; ACUPUNCTURE; SAFETY;
D O I
10.21037/apm.2017.05.01
中图分类号
R19 [保健组织与事业(卫生事业管理)];
学科分类号
摘要
Spirituality plays a prominent role in the lives of most palliative patients whether or not they formally adhere to a specific religion and belief. As a result, the palliative care team is frequently called upon to support families who are experiencing their "dark night of the soul" and struggling to make sense of their lives during a healthcare crisis. While conventional religious practices provide a source of comfort and guidance for many of our patients, a significant number of our patients do not have a strong religious community to which to turn. Over the last two decades, more people in Western countries identify themselves as spiritual but not religious and do not belong to an organized faith community. For those patients who express a strong spiritual connection or sense of 'something greater' or 'a higher power', encouraging the exploration of those feelings and beliefs through chaplains, clergypersons, or members of the interdisciplinary palliative care team can help provide context, meaning and purpose in their lives impacted by serious illness. One of the goals of effective palliative care is the facilitation of personal growth and psychological resilience in dealing with one's health challenges. Integrative medicine, also referred to as complementary and alternative medicine, provides a set of tools and philosophies intended to enhance wellness and a sense of wellbeing. Many of the modalities are derived from disciplines such as massage, acupuncture, Rei Ki, aromatherapy, and dietary supplements. The use of integrative medicine in North America is widespread and frequently not shared with one's clinician due to many patients' concerns that clinicians will disapprove of the patient's use of them. In addition to its efficacy in reducing symptoms commonly experienced by patients receiving palliative care (e.g., nausea, pain, depression, and existential suffering), integrative medicine offers non-verbal, non-cognitive avenues for many to achieve a peaceful and calm inner state. The calm state often achieved during integrative medicine treatments is similar to that seen during deep prayer or meditation. In such a transcendent or non-ordinary state of consciousness, many people experience new insights or understanding of their lives and choices they must make. Thus, integrative approaches facilitate patients attaining greater self-awareness and may meet their spiritual needs without the religious overtones that accompany traditional prayer. In so doing, patients may gain greater insight and find inner peace through simple, non-verbal approaches.
引用
收藏
页码:237 / 247
页数:11
相关论文
共 53 条
[1]   Energy Healing for Cancer: A Critical Review [J].
Agdal, Rita ;
Hjelmborg, Jacob v. B. ;
Johannessen, Helle .
FORSCHENDE KOMPLEMENTARMEDIZIN, 2011, 18 (03) :146-154
[2]  
Alcorn R, 2010, HEALING STORIES MY J
[3]   An assessment of the impact of herb-drug combinations used by cancer patients [J].
Alsanad, Saud M. ;
Howard, Rachel L. ;
Williamson, Elizabeth M. .
BMC COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE, 2016, 16
[4]  
[Anonymous], 2013, How to Cope With Stress, Pain and Illness Using Mindfulness Meditation
[5]  
[Anonymous], NY TIMES
[6]  
Barnes Patricia M, 2004, Adv Data, P1
[7]  
Barrie-Anthony S, 2014, ATLANTIC
[8]   Potential risks associated with traditional herbal medicine use in cancer care: A study of Middle Eastern oncology health care professionals [J].
Ben-Arye, Eran ;
Samuels, Noah ;
Goldstein, Lee Hilary ;
Mutafoglu, Kamer ;
Omran, Suha ;
Schiff, Elad ;
Charalambous, Haris ;
Dweikat, Tahani ;
Ghrayeb, Ibtisam ;
Bar-Sela, Gil ;
Turker, Ibrahim ;
Hassan, Azza ;
Hassan, Esmat ;
Saad, Bashar ;
Nimri, Omar ;
Kebudi, Rejin ;
Silbermann, Michael .
CANCER, 2016, 122 (04) :598-610
[9]  
Blumberg A., 2016, HUFFINGTON POST
[10]  
Botha Elmarie, 2015, JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep, V13, P21, DOI 10.11124/jbisrir-2015-2380