Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Alternative Holistic Medicine'

Improved health indicators, mental and physical health outcomes, and sustainable lifestyle practices have been found among yoga practitioners. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of mixed styles of yoga practice on the health and behaviors of yoga practitioners. The relationship between yoga and body mass index (BMI), self-reported disease diagnosis, participation in other types of physical activity, adoption of healthy and sustainable lifestyle and dietary behaviors, perceived improvements in medical conditions that yoga was used to treat, quality of life resulting from yoga practice, and the reasons for beginning and continuing yoga were observed and tested in this study. Participants (N = 383) were adult yoga practitioners who were recruited using systematic sampling in Facebook social media. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression, ANOVA, McNemar Chi square, and Spearman's correlation. Mean BMI for all yoga styles were in the normal range; however, ashtanga yoga was a significant predictor of low BMI. Self-reported disease diagnosis was significantly lower after beginning yoga practice. The majority of participants also engaged in other types of physical activity and adopted many healthy lifestyle practices. However, general/hatha and other styles of yoga were associated with adopting a greater number of other physical activities and general/hatha, ashtanga, and yoga therapy styles were associated with adopting a greater number of healthy and sustainable lifestyle and dietary behaviors. Medical conditions that yoga was used to treat and quality of life were perceived to be improved as a result of yoga practice. Results of this study confirm previous research findings that demonstrate numerous positive health outcomes from yoga practice.

Complimentary and alternate medicine, especially Ayurveda is gaining popularity in United States. However, there are various barriers that people face in adopting Ayurvedic practices into their lives and making cultural, familial and societal changes to better their health. This research explores these relationships and barriers behind why some people adopt and are able/unable to sustain Ayurvedic practices in the presence of traditional bio-medicine.

This thesis investigates the moral content of illness ontologies in different healing systems, in particular biomedicine and homeopathy. It was motivated by the wish to gain a greater understanding of the possible meaning and ethical significance underlying the increasing popularity of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Western countries. CAM is an umbrella term for a diverse group of therapeutic approaches, indicating their marginalized status in relation to conventional, scientific medicine. However, despite their diversity most CAM share a common bond by subscribing to a holistic perspective on life, health and illness. It is for this reason that this thesis concentrates on the conceptual level. The subject is approached by making use of interview material from five homeopathic doctors from Austria. Their perspective on different aspects of non-conventional, as well as biomedical, practice and underlying theory provides the springboard for theoretical investigations. The demand for scientific evidence of CAM is critically examined. The issue of increasing pluralism in health care is explored, along with its challenge of finding appropriate epistemological approaches for therapeutic systems that are based on different illness ontologies. The favored approach in this thesis is based on the recognition by medical historians that there are four basic illness axioms: "illness as loss of balance", "illness as disruption of interpersonal communication", "illness as a physical defect" and "illness as pathic creation". These axioms are matched respectively with four different epistemic pathways: the dialectical, the hermeneutical, the analytical and the phenomenological. The interviewees considered the more humane quality of the doctor/patient relationship in their homeopathic practices to be due to the holistic premises of homeopathy, which place the subjective dimension of patients at their center. The difficulty of achieving informed consent in the commonly used sense in homeopathic practice was solved by engaging in a shared decision-making process. Life was explained by the interviewees in vitalistic terms. Although rejected by science, the notion of vitalism appears to hold significance for the public. Illness was always perceived as a multidimensional process and not as a purely physico-chemical dysfunction. It became evident that the holistic perspective takes account of the many dimensions of human illness, of which neither the conventional reductionist conception nor the dualistic mind/body approach are capable. However, the unmanageable complexity of holism poses a problem for therapeutic practice. A conceptual approach providing some structure for the holistic multidimensionality is found in the four illness axioms and in analogous observations by Aristotle. It is concluded that there could be a connection between the increased popularity of CAM and their underlying holistic perspective, since this theoretical foundation allows the practitioner to address the patient in a whole-person way. At the same time the holistic perspective provides a much broader scope than biomedicine for patients to influence their health. The recognition that human multidimensionality needs to be appreciated at the level of illness ontology may also provide an impetus for bioethics to approach contemporary ethical challenges from a perspective of an ethics of the good life, instead of concerning itself predominantly with setting limits in the arena of technological medicine.

Holistic methods have increased in popularity in the American culture. Interventions such as yoga, aromatherapy, mindfulness and walking therapy have been shown to be beneficial for the treatment of both physical and mental illnesses. However, little research exists regarding the use of holistic interventions in the field of counseling. This phenomenological study explores the experience of counselors who integrate holistic interventions into their practice and seeks to determine the essence of their development of self-efficacy. Co-researchers in this study included eight holistic counselors from rural, suburban and urban areas across the United States. Through semi-structured interviews, the co-researchers revealed the significance of personal experience with holistic methods, the influence of client feedback and the experience of formal and informal training on their development of self-efficacy. The findings of this study prompted recommendations for counselors who desire to integrate holistic methods and for the field of counselor education, including increased training and areas for future research.

Combining the use of alternative and complementary therapies and orthodox medicine is an increasing phenomenon. This thesis examines the implications of mixing and matching plural healing modalities against a backdrop of patient and practitioner responsibilities. From an anthropological perspective, the predominant use of qualitative methodology is an integral part of this research project. Central to this study is the views of a variety of participant categories - patients who use both alternative and orthodox healing methods; non-medical alternative and complementary practitioners; medical doctors who integrate orthodox and CAM therapies into their daily practise; and orthodox general practitioners. Interviews with these participants took place over an eighteen-month timeframe and involved face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews, and focus group research. Social constructionist theory, which forms part of the compendium of interpretive theoretical approaches adopted under the medical anthropology paradigm, has been used in order to expose the beliefs patients and practitioners hold about their own responsibilities, and those of the other participant categories. This study reveals a palimpsest of complex, contradictory and competing discourses in relation to patient and practitioner expectations and responsibilities. One important finding relates to the significance of neo-liberal and individualistic ideologies. This thesis concludes that the rhetoric from complementary and alternative practitioners, and their integrative colleagues, is heavily imbued with ideas about self-responsibility, particularly in relation to patient lifestyle choices and therapeutic compliance. Patients and orthodox general practitioners share some of these views but in general adopt a more collective approach to health care responsibilities. While patients are prepared to accept some responsibility for their illnesses and health keeping practises, they express strong reliance towards the orthodox health model as well as those doctors who practise integrative medicine. However the same cannot be said of their attitudes towards CAM modalities where considerable ambivalence is evident towards both practitioners and the therapies themselves. The role of the state, and its responsibilities for the structure of the health care system in New Zealand, is also clearly influential in the construction of belief systems. This is especially so because the rhetoric underlying neo-liberal and individualistic discourses now permeates the direction of health policies. Increasing levels of surveillance, both at bureaucratic and individual levels, also attests to the influence of neo-liberalism and individualism. This study exposes the tensions between the rhetoric of self-responsibility and the lived experiences of patients and health practitioners, which in many cases is more collective in its focus than is initially apparent.

Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) and Chronic Pain Syndrome (CPS) can be treated in many different ways. I found a problem in the balance of healing modalities surrounding diagnosis and care of illness and disease. This struggle is not singular to AS and CPS, but universal to physical and mental concerns. Some effective treatments and therapies are not recognized as such or are just beginning to become so. The scope of my work reflects on the course of my life. It was heavily influenced by the way my medical care was managed from an early age and how it evolved over the years. Through my educational program, I examined the necessity to bridge the gap between treatment paradigms and to expand on a broader, more inclusive, healing rubric. This rubric includes a broader emphasis on skill-based and complementary and alternative medicines. The viability to incorporate holistic health therapies earlier in life is explored through my use of the Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN) qualitative research method. I chose this methodology because scientific fact could be argued either way for one therapeutic approach over another. By incorporating lived experience through SPN the union and cohesion necessary in all healing modalities, and their positive aspects, can be seen. The truth becomes self-evident. The results of this examination showed awareness earlier in life toward alternative and holistic treatments being paramount. Parents and educators lack information concerning modern therapeutic approaches. It also showed each situation will vary, but choice in treatment for ailments and illness of all kinds is not only viable, but highly recommended and researched. Access issues such as health insurance remain obstacles with some treatments and therapies, while others are a matter of cost prohibition, such as nutrition therapies. The implications of my work indicate a need for earlier incorporation of holistic healing programs and skill based therapies alongside perpetuated medical models in early childhood development and education. In conclusion, awareness towards medical concerns and how we as a society treat them can be improved upon by systemically incorporating less harmful therapies earlier in life. Fostering relations between medical providers, care providers and educators for students' wellbeing should be the foreground of any educational policy. Educators and parents alike should be made aware of and take advantage of effective skill-based treatments before a physical or mental condition surfaces or medication only approaches are authoritatively recommended. Integrating programs that build strong mental resilience and focus on youth development and education can reduce the necessity for more invasive treatments or medications should an ailment or illness develop.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the co-optation of the heterodox medical system of osteopathic medicine by the hegemonic medical system of biomedicine and its impact on the practice of osteopathic medicine in America. The study particularly explored students (n=20), practitioners (n=5), and faculty (n=5) regarding their views of osteopathic medicine. The process of professionalization of osteopathic medicine has caused DOs to become more akin to MDs, which may have led to an identity crisis within the profession. This case study took place at a private osteopathic medical school in the Southeastern U.S. A content analysis of the interviews, direct observations, and curriculum analysis was conducted to answer the qualitative research questions in this study. The qualitative research questions required in-depth interviews, direct observation, survey questionnaires and analysis of curriculum.

Thesis advisor: Eva M. Garroutte
Biomedicine has become a gatekeeper to numerous social opportunities and has gained power through the ritual inscription of individual bodies. Bodies serve as intermediaries between personal identities and biomedicine; individuals can reclaim bodies as sites of "identity projects" (Giddens 1991) to resist biomedical power. This project examines the intersection of the societal preoccupations with biomedicine, bodies, and identity through the lens of the religious and healing tradition of Christian Science. Christian Science theologically rejects biomedicine in favor of spiritual healing treatment. Christian Science is an especially appropriate venue for exploring relationships between biomedicine, bodies, and identities because its teachings require not only belief in the ineffectiveness of biomedicine but also embodied resistance to it. Drawing on the work of Foucault (1977), Giddens (1991), and Frank (1995) and using information gleaned from semi-structured interviews--averaging 1.5 hours in length--with 12 Christian Scientists, I argue that Christian Scientists use religious identities to (1) evade biomedical risk society, (2) resist external authority and reclaim bodies as sites of knowledge and power, and (3) build spiritual community
Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2011
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Sociology

This thesis comprises an exploration of the practice of Holistic Massage, working across the sociological areas of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM), body work, emotional labour, sociological phenomenology and narrative inquiry. Holistic Massage is one of a plethora of practices encompassed by the field of CAM. While there has been steadily increasing sociological interest in CAM in recent years, much research has treated this diverse group as relatively homogeneous. This thesis looks at one practice in depth, in order to address issues specific to Holistic Massage – including what ‘holism’ adds up in to in practice, and the devaluation of knowledge based on touch(ing) – as well as those concerning CAM more broadly. Hence, whilst drawing on existing research on CAM, this research also addresses a lacuna within it. This thesis employs the conceptual tool of ‘touching work’, which brings together the concepts of ‘emotional labour’ and ‘body work’ in a way that draws out relevant aspects of each around the fulcrum of touch, thus accounting for the latter in both its sensory and emotional meanings. In so doing, it also contributes to the recently burgeoning literature on the senses in sociology, and to an embodied sociology more generally. The thesis also draws on sociological phenomenology, in particular the notion of the intersubjective ‘stock of knowledge’, and the understanding of talk as constitutive of the everyday social world. The overall methodological approach taken brings together phenomenological theory with narrative inquiry, and specifically with the analysis of the form and content of talk. The analysis presented is based around data from loosely-structured interviews with ten women who do Holistic Massage. The interviews were analysed in terms of their overall shape and distinctive features (Chapter Three) and, in subsequent chapters, with respect to both what was said and how it was said. This analysis examines the constitution of a Holistic Massage stock of knowledge (Chapter Four) and how the practice is bounded (Chapter Five), and concludes in Chapter Six by taking a step back from the detail of the data to look at what can be known from it about Holistic Massage and touching work Piecing together the constitution by practitioners of a stock of professional Holistic Massage knowledge makes a significant contribution to the sociology of CAM. Also, by uniting phenomenological sociology and narrative inquiry, it provides a novel perspective on a form of work which is part of a small but significant contemporary occupational field in the UK. In particular, it draws out the multiple aspects of touch which can in fact be known and articulated through talk and challenges ideas about the supposedly ineffable character of touch. In this regard, it points to similarities between how practitioners talk about this and the Foucauldian challenge to the ‘repressive hypothesis’, which sees people as in fact talking readily and in detail about matters where they claim silence prevails.

Interpersonal sensitivity is a foundational component of interpersonal relationships. It encompasses an individual's self-concept and self-identity, which are formed as the individual develops. An individual's self-concept develops from the norms and mores of his or her society. Soldiers in the U.S. Army have been trained to form a repurposed self to engage in combat and work in combat-focused jobs. The consequence of this training in many cases has been diminished interpersonal sensitivity that has been detrimental to their interpersonal relationships. The Soldier 360° course is a comprehensive treatment program that takes a holistic approach to providing soldiers with self-empowering tools designed to create healing and wellness from the inside out for the individual and for his or her relationships. Deidentified data obtained from Soldier 360° participant scores on the Symptoms Checklist-90-Revised and the Quality of Life Inventory were measured using repeated-measures analysis of variance to examine the effect, if any, of the Soldier 360° program on soldiers' interpersonal sensitivity and overall quality of life. Furthermore, changes based on marital status, parental status, and gender were examined. The findings of this quantitative analysis indicated that there is improvement in the interpersonal sensitivity of participants in the Soldier 360° program; however, no significant effect was found in the categorical examinations. This research contributes to positive social change by expanding knowledge researchers, practitioners, and soldiers themselves can use to help soldiers reclaim their lives, maintain successful relationships, and reduce incidence of suicide.

Användandet av alternativa behandlingsmetoder, däribland akupunktur, ökar i många länder. Enligt WHO ska varje medlemsland verka för en ökad integration mellan skolmedicin och komplementär- och alternativmedicin. Enligt Socialstyrelsen bör sjuksköterskor söka information och implementera ny kunskap i den skolmedicinska sjukvården. Syftet var att undersöka patienters upplevelser av att ha valt och erhållit alternativ behandling med akupunktur för sina besvär. Ansatsen är en kvalitativ intervjustudie med narrativ metod där manifest innehållsanalys användes för analysen. Resultatet utmynnade i sju kategorier; 1)”otillräcklig vård och behandling” där informanterna uppgav att akupunkturen hjälpt mot besvär där sjukvården inte räckt till, 2) ”patientcentrerad holistisk syn” där informanterna upplevde sig satta i centrum först när de valt alternativ behandling med akupunktur, 3) ”önskan om integrerad vård” där samtliga informanter uttryckte önskan av integrering av akupunktur enligt traditionell kinesisk medicin i den skolmedicinska sjukvården, 4) ”känsla av trygghet” där informanterna uttryckte större trygghet i akupunktur utförd enligt traditionell kinesisk medicin med en utbildning och kunskap som ansågs djupare jämfört med akupunkturen inom sjukvården som kändes ytlig, 5) ”känsla av ökat välbefinnande” där samtliga informanter upplevde ökat fysiskt och psykiskt välbefinnande efter att ha erhållit akupunktur enligt traditionell kinesisk medicin, 6) ”ekonomisk fråga” där alternativ behandlingsmetod med akupunktur ansågs dyr och 7) ” attityder” där informanterna upplevde blandade attityder angående val av behandling. Sammanfattningsvis tyder resultatet på att det kan finnas ett behov av ökad integration mellan skolmedicin och komplementär- och alternativmedicin med fokus på akupunktur som ett komplement för att öka den enskilda individens valfrihet av behandlingsmetod. Fortsatt forskning om effekten av akupunktur enligt traditionell kinesisk medicin för olika besvär behövs för tyngre evidens inom ämnesområdet och erkännande inom skolmedicinen.
Use of alternative treatment, including acupuncture, has increased in many countries. According to WHO, each member country should work for an increased integration of complementary- and alternative medicine into school medicine. According to The National Board of Health and Welfare nurses should seek information and implement new knowledge within school medicine. The aim was to explore why people choose alternative treatment such as acupuncture and their experiences of it. The approach was an interview with narrative method and manifest content analysis was used for the analysis. The result generated into seven categories; 1) ”insufficient care and treatment” where the informants stated that acupuncture had helped them with their troubles when school medicine was insufficient, 2) “patient-centered holistic approach” where the informants experienced the feeling of being put in the centre first when they chose an alternative treatment with acupuncture, 3) “desire for integrated care” where all informants expressed a wish for integration of acupuncture according to Traditional Chinese Medicine within school medicine, 4) “sense of security” where the informants expressed a larger sense of security for acupuncture in accordance with Traditional Chinese Medicine due to the education and knowledge that was regarded as more profound than the acupuncture within school medicine which felt more superficial, 5) “feeling of increased wellbeing” where all informants experienced an increased sense of wellbeing, both physical and mental, after having received acupuncture in accordance with Traditional Chinese Medicine, 6) “financial matters” where alternative treatment of acupuncture was considered expensive, 7) “attitudes” where informants experienced mixed attitudes regarding their choice of treatment. In conclusion, the result shows that there may be a need for an increased integration between school medicine and the complementary- and alternative medicine, focusing on acupuncture, as a complement to increase individual freedom in choosing treatment. Continuous research regarding the effect of acupuncture according to Traditional Chinese Medicine for different troubles is needed for a greater evidence within in the subject area and recognition in school medicine.

The doctoral project presents an argument for the inclusion of complementary and alternative medicine in the provision of holistic care. Over the course of history the practice of medicine has evolved with developments in science and technology and transitioned into away from its holistic origins to a more fragmented practice. The project includes relevant literature on shortcomings of conventional medicine that are in part a catalyst for the trends of increasing complementary and alternative medicine utilization. The doctoral project concludes that the benefits of complementary and alternative medicine's inclusion in care, and more specifically holistic care, is of value and further research will be of benefit to further the utilization of complementary and alternative medicine.
McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts;
Health Care Ethics
PhD;
Dissertation;

There is an observable growing interest in the process of healing. While most are familiar with what occurs when healing takes place, the questions of how it takes place, and by what means, remain difficult ones. Through increased understanding of the process it may be possible to increase its occurrence and effectiveness, and broaden its scope. Antecedents of contemporary healing activity are documented in the early history of the Christian church. However, the orthodoxy which arose in the church led to the suppression of much of the information relating to this, and also to the spread of orthodoxy and hierarchy as models for government and the professions. Within the contemporary health system, the medical model is the dominant one, although there is an increasingly important social model emerging alongside. There are signs also of increasing overlap between conventional medicine and complementary medicine, despite their differences in emphasis. Emerging also is a growing field of practice which bases itself on an energy model with diagnosis and treatment reflecting information and concepts which stem from theoretical and practical advances made this century, largely in the field of physics and biophysics. Adapting medical practice to the changed conceptualisation which this has produced, is a challenging prospect. The energy model has been employed widely by "New Age" practitioners and there remains scope for further research to systematise the basis for much of this practice. Non-Western cultures have always provided the Shamanistic model of healing. It offers the possibility of wider incorporation of dance, art and symbolism into practices which could enhance both individuals and communities in Western cultures. Some discussion is devoted to the issue of how contemporary healers see themselves and their work. Questionnaire responses and literature sources are used to examine aspects such as training and techniques, and the extent to which healing work aims at achieving a situation of self-responsibility in patients or clients. The scientific backdrop against which developments in the practice of healing are occurring is also examined. Philosophical and conceptual shifts in the 1980's suggest there is what might be called a post-rationalist approach to problems emerging alongside continuing rationalist theory and technological change. A post-rationalist approach could involve working more within the existing social and natural systems to understand them better and to improve quality of life, and to bring healing to people and situations. A shift from hierarchical to holographic perspectives may assist this process.

abstract: ABSTRACT In an attempt to advocate body-conscious design and healing work environments, this research study of holistic health in the workplace explores cognitive, social and physical well-being in four small US offices that are between 1000 and 4000 square feet and employ three to twelve employees. Holistic health, as pursued in this research, includes social health, emotional health and physical health. These three factors of holistic health have been identified and investigated in this study: biophilia: peoples' love and affiliation with other species and the natural environment; ergonomics: the relationship between the human body, movement, the immediate environment and productivity; and exercise: exertion of the body to obtain physical fitness. This research study proposes that employees and employers of these four participating workplaces desire mobility and resources in the workplace that support holistic health practices involving biophilia, ergonomics, and exercise. Literature review of holistic health and the holistic health factors of this research topic support the idea that interaction with other species can be healing, ergonomic body-conscious furniture and equipment increase productivity, limit body aches, pains and health costs; and exercise stimulates the mind and body, increasing productivity. This study has been conducted primarily with qualitative and flexible research approaches using observation, survey, interview and pedometer readings as methods for data collection. Two small corporate franchise financial institutions and two small private healthcare providers from both Arizona and Georgia participated in this study. Each office volunteered one employer and two employee participants. Of the holistic health factors considered in these four case studies, this study found that a majority of participants equally valued emotional health, social health and physical health. A majority of participants declared a preference for workplace environments with serene natural environments with outdoor spaces and interaction with other species, work environments with body-conscious furniture, equipment and workstations, as well as exercise space and equipment. As these particular workplace environments affirmed value for elements of the factors biophilia, ergonomics and exercise, all three factors are considered valueable within the workplaces of these case studies. Furthermore, factors that were said to contribute to personal productivity in participating workplaces were found as well as sacrifices that participants stated they would be willing to make in order to implement their preferred work environment(s). In addition, this study recorded and calculated average miles walked by participants in each workplace as well as existing incentives and descriptions of ideal work environments. Implications of this research study involve interior design, industrial design and fashion design that can accommodate the desires of the four participating workplaces. Major design implications involve accommodating these particular workplaces to provide personnel with opportunities for holistic health in working environments. More specific implications of office related design involve providing access to natural environments, body-conscious equipment and spaces, as well as opportunities for exercise and social interaction. These elements of the factors biophilia, ergonomics and exercise were found to be said to contribute to cognitive, social and physical health.
Dissertation/Thesis
M.S.D. Design 2011

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree in Masters of Technology in Nursing, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015.
INTRODUCTION Globally, the use of alternative therapies by the public as well as healthcare workers has been widely documented. In South Africa, no studies have been done on alternative therapies specifically related to nurses. The vast amount of media attention with regards to alternative therapies related to the positive and negative outcomes has sparked major interest in this topic. The aim of the study was to determine the perceptions of professional nurses at nine hospitals within the uMgungundlovu District, South Africa, towards alternative therapies in a nursing context. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The objectives of the study were to determine the professional nurses’ perceptions as well as knowledge of alternative therapies. The possible barriers in providing alternative therapies in nursing practice was also explored in order to make recommendations to guide professional nurses with regard to alternative therapies in patient care. METHODOLOGY A quantitative exploratory research approach underpinned this study. A survey questionnaire was used to obtain information from professional nurses who had consented to participate. The total population of professional nurses was 1218. A total of 616 questionnaires were distributed to participants at the nine participating hospitals. Three hundred and eighty six (386) questionnaires were returned, which resulted in a 63% response rate. FINDINGS It was evident from the data that professional nurses used various forms of alternative therapies. The results revealed that almost 69% (n=265) used prayer/spiritual healing, followed by 53.9% (n=207) who used nutritional supplements, whilst 51.9% (n=199) used music therapy. Participants rated their satisfaction on the information received regarding alternative therapies in nursing education as follows: prayer/spiritual healing 71.1% (n=271), nutritional supplements 71.7% (n=273), music therapy 57.9% (n=220), massage therapy 46.7% (n=216) and support groups 80.3% (n=306). About two thirds (n=272) felt that alternative therapies was beneficial rather than a threat to patient’s health. However, 60% (n=229) agreed that the use of alternative therapies that were not tested in a scientific manner should be discouraged. More than 80% (n=313) of the sample thought that health professionals should have the ability to advise patients in the clinical setting about the most commonly used alternative therapies. More than half of the sample (n=254) stated that they did encounter patients in the clinical setting who enquired about alternative therapies. Only 39.6% (n=153) stated that they felt confident to advise patients about alternative therapies, whilst 26.7% (n=103) stated that they were unable to do so. As the evidence base for the use of alternative therapies grows, so too does the demand increases for the integration of alternative therapies in nursing education. Nurses being the patient’s advocate need to be well versed regarding the use and safety aspects of alternative therapies.

There has been an increase in the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in cancer populations, with reported higher prevalence rates in women than in men. Men with a variety of cancers have been understudied in CAM research, as well as the contribution and involvement of their significant others, like close family members or/and close friends. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the use of CAM in men after a diagnosis of cancer. Specifically, the research aimed to explore how significant others impact on men’s decisions to (continue to) use CAM, how they negotiate, talk, and practice CAM in everyday life, and how this affects their interpersonal relationship. A mixed methodological approach with two independent but related studies addressed the research aims: one quantitative study (survey) and one qualitative study (semi-structured interviews). The results are presented in two published and three submitted papers that contribute to our understanding of CAM use in men affected with cancer and how their CAM uptake is shaped by their social networks. Paper one reports the results of an integrative review of the literature, and indicates that significant others of patients with cancer often act as information seekers, advocates, and/or role models in patients’ decision-making about CAM. Despite the limited number of reviewed studies about familial involvement available, the results suggest that there may be important interpersonal consequences following patients’ decision to use or not use CAM, that need to be further explored. Paper two reports the results from the Study 1 survey involving 403 Australian men affected with cancer, a convenience sample of consecutive patients visiting two public and two private outpatient cancer clinics in Metropolitan Adelaide. The results indicate that the majority of male cancer patients (61.5%) have experience with CAM at some point during their cancer treatment, while more than half of the study sample (52.9%) were currently using CAM whilst receiving conventional medical treatment. It was also shown that family were the most frequent providers of information about CAM, and were significantly more often involved in patients’ discussions about CAM use than medical professionals. Papers three, four, and five report the results of Study 2, involving qualitative analysis of 43 semi-structured interviews with 26 men and 24 significant others, thereby exploring in-depth participants’ perceptions and experiences of CAM. Paper three indicates that men with cancer use CAM for individual and social/interpersonal reasons, a unique category augmenting those previously discussed in the literature. Discourse analysis highlighted how the interpersonal dimension impact on men’s decisions to uptake CAM, and how the use of CAM functions to connect the male cancer patient with his social network. Paper four reports on the variations of significant others’ involvement in men’s CAM uptake and maintenance, and indicates that CAM is sometimes practised as a shared and/or private activity in everyday life. The shared practice of CAM was associated with interpersonal benefits, working to strengthen the bond between men and their significant others, but there were instances when men expressed a need to practice CAM as a private activity. It was found that CAM benefited both men and their significant others to reduce uncertainty and to regain control. Paper five reports on how regular and habitual male CAM users integrate CAM routines and CAM rituals in their everyday life. The discursive analysis illustrates how CAM routines provide male cancer patients with certainty and control. By contrast, CAM rituals function for cancer patients and their significant others as a means to create and maintain meaning, thereby working to counter fear and uncertainty consequent upon a diagnosis of cancer. In summary, the results of these studies have shown that the majority of men with a variety of cancers use CAM in addition to conventional cancer care. Family members and/or close friends are a significant source of influence in men’s CAM uptake and maintenance. The interactions about CAM between men and their significant others functioned to help them to connect with each other or strengthen their social bond, and constitute a beneficial effect of CAM use. In addition, it was found that regular CAM use helped men and their significant others to regain control and to reduce uncertainty. These findings may help healthcare professionals to better understand how interpersonal processes impact on men’s CAM decisions. The results might also be translated into clinical practice, for example, in designing supportive cancer care programmes tailored specifically to men affected with cancer, with or without involvement of their significant others.
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2014

Historically the trend in health care has been the domain of health care professionals such as doctors, nurses and other professionals from the medical fraternity. This created the separation between the mind and body, due to the diagnostic and treatment origins being segregated. This thesis addresses the idea that psychological processes have significant impacts on our physical health {and visa versa). It establishes the notion that health care needs to be understood holistically, from a broader systemic perspective, expanding the working model of health. The second chapter of this thesis addresses the power of the mind and the connection between the mind and body. It establishes the importance of beliefs and perceptions and the huge effect this has on people and their lives. How we choose to perceive a situation will give that situation meaning. The meanings that we give to events usually depict how we will see and respond to that event, sometimes more than the actual event itself. It explains the importance of the mind (psychological issues) as well as the body (physiological issues) when understanding and dealing with health and wellbeing. The following chapter discusses the historical developments of physical and mental health; from Hippocrates and Descartes to a modern holistic approach and attitude. Behaviour Medicine6, explicitly recognises that mind and body are intimately interconnected and that an appreciation of these interconnections and their scientific study is an interdisciplinary field, uniting the behavioural sciences with the biomedical sciences; in the hope that the cross fertilization will yield a more comprehensive picture of health and illness. The 'biopsychosocial model'7 provides a theoretical framework, explaining how an awareness of biological, psychological and social process are all important in understanding disease and recovery, supported by systemic principles. The scientific research and practical implications of psychoneuroimmunology8 (PNI) takes this biopsychosocial model one-step further. It describes how thoughts, perceptions and emotions have interchangeable influences with brain chemistry, which in turn influences the body and neurological systems1 particularly immune system functioning. The concept that we all have an inner ability /intelligence to heal ourselves is also detailed. Miller (1997: 350) discusses this notion, stating that we all have "a healer within." He states that this inner healer can be awakened in order to participate in "our deep healing.11 He claims, "This vital essence has been with us since birth ... Its function is to maintain homeostasis (internal balance). As humans, we can1 through our ability to change our images and beliefs, enhance, or inhibit the power of this inner healer." The concepts discussed thus far in the thesis are then demonstrated practically. The relationship between stress and health is examined and practical ways to maintain a healthier lifestyle is detailed. The researcher then introduces a South African company that is currently working in the field with the concepts of mindbody medicine and psychoneuroimmunology. This led the researcher to find a philosophical container in which to hold the holistic mind body theories and concepts. Anderson & Carter (2003: 222) states, "Social work distinguishes itself by exploring the 'person-environment fit'. This is an area in social work where constructivism may prove supportive. Such an emphasis increases the likelihood that diverse voices and points of view are integrated in social work theory and practice." Therefore/ a constructive epistemology/ philosophy in which meaning is intimately connected with experience, is expanded upon. The mind/body theory and concepts are then linked to Constructivism and Personal Construct Theory (by George Kelly). Constructivism postulates that we all create and interpret our own meaning systems, which become our subjective realities. The link to mind body medicine is pertinent in that both constructivism and mind body medicine share similar ideologies about how realities are construed, and how this in turn effects treatment of disease and maintenance of wellbeing. Cybernetic complementarities then expand our understanding of the mind and body connection in a monolistic framework, where mind and body are recursive partial arcs of a holistic health care system. Constructivism therefore integrates eastern and western concepts, cementing all the concepts used in this thesis, in a holistic manner. It also helps us to understand how some of the mind body techniques may be working within the mind body realm. Given the unique needs of a changing and developing society, as found in South Africa, there is a need to be creative and find alternative ways to cope with our societal stresses and daily occurrences. This is where the researcher feels that the social work profession needs to be involved in working and contributing to our health care services. The development of medical social work is detailed and the latest social work definition discussed. It is reveals how contents of the definition of social work are relevant and are a pertinent fit with mind-body approaches to health and wellbeing. The researcher debates the role of social workers in this field of health care. It is then proposed, in the detailed discussion, that social workers practising in this field should be known as Health Care Social Workers. This field of holistic health care has many proposed strengths and implication, for both Health Care Social Workers and other health care professionals. It will naturally also present challenges that need to be considered and contemplated. The final chapter of this thesis examine these strengths and challenges and their therapeutic implications. The researcher concludes by demonstrating that the literature study on holistic mind and body approaches matches her objectives from the first chapter.
Social work
M.A. (Social Science with specialisation in Mental Health)

This qualitative study uses narrative inquiry (Connelly & Clandinin, 1988, 1990, 2001) and self-study to investigate ways to further understand and facilitate the integration of holistic philosophies of education with media literacy pedagogies. As founder and director of the Youth Media Literacy Project and a self-titled Imagitator (one who agitates imagination), I have spent over 10 years teaching media literacy in various high schools, universities, and community centres across North America. This study will focus on my own personal practical knowledge (Connelly & Clandinin, 1982) as a culture jammer, educator and cancer survivor to illustrate my original vision of a ‘holistic media literacy pedagogy’. This research reflects on the emergence and impact of holistic media literacy in my personal and professional life and also draws from relevant interdisciplinary literature to challenge and synthesize current insights and theories of media literacy, holistic education and culture jamming.