Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Nursing

[C]onsistently offers easily accessible and timely information on how complementary therapies influence the health, comfort, and well-being of patients in a variety of clinical settings. It is an influential resource for nurses in practice, education, and research.

--Janice Post-White, PhD, RN, FAAN

Now in its sixth edition, this highly acclaimed book continues to provide nurses with cutting-edge research and practice guidelines for complementary and alternative therapy. Enriched with new chapters, contributors, live web resources with the authors' own updated information, and a new emphasis on evidence-based practice, this highly anticipated edition demonstrates how nurses can serve as an active, healing presence for their patients.

Also new to this edition is the authors' emphasis on cultural awareness. To this end, the authors incorporate new, engaging cultural applications in every chapter.

Cutting-edge therapies discussed include:

• Energy and biofield: healing touch, light therapy, and reflexology
• Mind-body: yoga, meditation, and storytelling
• Manual: massage, exercise, and Tai Chi
• Biological-based: aromatherapy and herbal therapies

As the consumer demand for complementary therapies continues to increase, it is critical that nurses have thorough knowledge of complementary therapies in order to stay informed about research and practice guidelines, alert patients to possible contraindications with Western biomedicine, and even incorporate some of these therapies in their own self-care. "

"[C]onsistently offers easily accessible and timely information on how complementary therapies influence the health, comfort, and well-being of patients in a variety of clinical settings. It is an influential resource for nurses in practice, education, and research."

--Janice Post-White, PhD, RN, FAAN

Now in its sixth edition, this highly acclaimed book continues to provide nurses with cutting-edge research and practice guidelines for complementary and alternative therapy. Enriched with new chapters, contributors, live web resources with the authors' own updated information, and a new emphasis on evidence-based practice, this highly anticipated edition demonstrates how nurses can serve as an active, healing presence for their patients.

Also new to this edition is the authors' emphasis on cultural awareness. To this end, the authors incorporate new, engaging cultural applications in every chapter.

Cutting-edge therapies discussed include:

• Energy and biofield: healing touch, light therapy, and reflexology
  
• Mind-body: yoga, meditation, and storytelling
  
• Manual: massage, exercise, and Tai Chi
  
• Biological-based: aromatherapy and herbal therapies
  

As the consumer demand for complementary therapies continues to increase, it is critical that nurses have thorough knowledge of complementary therapies in order to stay informed about research and practice guidelines, alert patients to possible contraindications with Western biomedicine, and even incorporate some of these therapies in their own self-care.

Mariah Snyder PhD, RN, is Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. Her professional career has included teaching courses on complementary therapies, conducting research on the use of complementary therapies in persons with dementia and managing stress in persons with chronic illnesses, and assisting international nurses to incorporate complementary therapies in practice and education. Dr. Snyder was a founding member of the Center for Spirituality and Healing in the Academic Health Center and was a primary contributor to the development of its interdisciplinary minor--the first such minor in the United States. Her retirement activities include using complementary therapies in women with addictions and who are imprisoned, and assisting with developing the library at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis, MN, a college preparatory school for students from economically poor families.

Ruth Lindquist, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, FAAN, FAHA is a Professor in the School of Nursing, and faculty member of the Center for Spirituality and Healing in the Academic Health Center of the University of Minnesota. She is a research consultant for the Women's Heart Health Program of the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. Her research as a Densford Scholar in the Katharine J. Densford International Center for Nursing Leadership focused on critical care nurses' attitudes toward and use of complementary/alternative therapies. Her recent research focuses on cardiovascular patient response to the use of therapies in the context of hospitalization with acute cardiac conditions, and the use of complementary therapies, exercise, and cardiac support groups to reduce stress and improve quality of life of women with heart disease.