Integrative Therapy Paper
Integrative therapy paper
Introduction to the CAM
According to Hayes et al. (2005), the popularity of CAM in the U.S. has increased significantly over the years. At least four in every ten adults in the U.S. are using CAM. In regards to young Americans, at least 12 percent, which accounts for one in every nine children, are using CAM-related practices. In most instances, individuals from various backgrounds use the practices. The use of CAM among American women and people with relatively higher incomes as well as individuals that have attained higher education levels is greater. The most commonly used CAM therapy includes non-mineral and non-vitamin natural products. However, meditation, breathing exercises, and yoga are used, as well. When CAM is used simultaneously with standard medical procedures, the concept of integrative therapy comes into force (Norcross & Goldfried, 2005). This paper examines the various aspects of integrative therapy.
Origin of Use
Integrative therapy started in the late 1960s when an organization of researchers and clinicians developed widespread interests in anthropological challenges and therapeutic approaches. As a result, the group began experimenting with active techniques with the primary objective of mobilizing depressed and regressed patients. The lead group member went to work with different groups in America and later on in Oslo. Over time, they established intervention approaches that were bringing the most efficient and sound techniques from a combination of traditional psychotherapies. The resultant plan was subsequently referred to as Integrative therapy. The process of teaching and practicing this new approach commenced in 1972 and eventually led to the introduction of integrative therapy training institutes and programs in most parts of the world.
Reported Use
The use of integrative theory has continued to exceed the expected limits. According to Hayes et al. (2005), most primary care providers often work in collaboration with integrative practitioners and physicians. Furthermore, the researcher noted that integrative therapy actually the prevalent model in small, medium-sized, and large healthcare care facilities. In another study by Hayes et al. (2005), these findings were scrutinised. The researchers revealed that care facilities that provide comprehensive care often have an integrative therapy practitioner who is mandated with the responsibility of managing care in the course of treatment and to intervene in specified conditions. Hayes et al. (2005) also revealed that in such instances, patients still maintain a primary care provider for subsequent health challenges.
Mechanism of Action
In the field of pharmacology, the mechanism of action is the precise biochemical interaction through which a medical substance produces its pharmacological effect. In integrative therapy, Tharpe, Farley, and Jordan (2016) revealed that the mechanism of action usually depends on the selected treatment. In regards to hydrotherapy, for example, Tharpe, Farley and Jordan (2016) suggested that in this integrative approach, water delivers pressure and temperature changes to the body of a patient. With this method, the scholar revealed that the physiologic responses are largely dependent on the therapeutic modality used along with the temperature of the water. Another integrative therapeutic model is exercise regimen, which can also be referred to physical activity. Tharpe, Farley and Jordan (2016) explained that exercises as well as physical activities always help the body relax and strengthens the cardiovascular and musco-skeletal systems.
Therefore, they promote a person’s ability to move freely. It also restores function, mitigates pain, prevents incapacitation, and prevents the loss of mobility. Dietary supplements or regimens present further integrative therapy models. In this regard, the patient consumes actual foods or supplements to correct deficiencies as well as provide both micro and macronutrients, which play a crucial role in assisting a patient not only to attain but also to sustain their health and wellness. The yoga meditation is also an essential integrative therapeutic method. In this case, the yogic postures and meditations are widely used to enhance body flexibility and muscular strength. Additionally, these postures improve a patient’s cardiovascular and respiratory functions. According to Tharpe, Farley, and Jordan (2016), this mechanism also reduces the levels of stress.
Drug and Food Interactions
Integrative therapies are usually adopted even where a person is not experiencing a health challenge. Therefore, the use of medication is not often required. Nevertheless, where one is sick, practitioners recommend the use of prescribed drugs and integrative therapies can be used to supplement them. However, the practitioner must provide succinct information regarding some of the practices that the patient can engage in as well as the ones that they should avoid. In the case of food, for most integrative therapeutic interventions, an individual is expected to use particular foods. For example, when an individual engages actively in physical regimens, they are encouraged to consume foods that provide them with adequate calories.
Adverse Effects
According to Norcross and Goldfried (2005), integrated theory necessitates the practitioners to work hand in hand. Furthermore, they suggest that commitment and communication are the keys to success. The therapist is supposed to be open to adding goals and activities to their routine. Moreover, they are also required to follow through these goals and activities during the sessions. In most cases, this obligation is essentially cumbersome and daunting. The situation is worsened by the fact that certain activities have to be prioritized and some goals adjusted. As a result, issues such as Burnout and medical errors often arise. For the patients, the integrative therapies might not work, especially if they are suffering from chronic or acute health issues. Instead, an integrated therapeutic approach might worsen their conditions.
Patient Education
Ideally, the integrative therapy approach provides endless learning opportunities for both the patients and health practitioners. However, such education depends on the integrative approach that is employed. Nevertheless, according to Hayes et al. (2005), such education can be provided at the therapy site or any other convenient place. The education is not only practical but also theoretical. In practical training sessions, the patients learn about the medications that they can administer without the help of a practitioner and the procedures that they are supposed to follow in such cases. The theoretical training entails a process where the patients learn the rules and regulations related to the various integrative therapeutic models.
Ways to Get Certified
If a person is eligible, he or she has to submit an application for certification. If accepted, an individual must undertake an examination, which is a computer-based test (ABPS, 2016). This examination touches on nine different areas, and these include nutrition, dietary supplements and other natural products, mind-body medicine and spirituality, and whole medical systems, lifestyle, prevention, and health promotion. Other areas include complementary and alternative therapies, integrative approaches, foundations of integrative medicine, as well as the professional practice of integrative medicine (ABPS, 2016). Once an individual passes this examination, he or she is presented with valid certification.
Conclusions
References
ABPS (2016). American board of integrative medicine. Retrieved from http://www.abpsus.org/integrative-medicine
Hayes, A. M., et al. (2005). Avoidance and processing as predictors of symptom change and positive growth in an integrative therapy for depression.International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 12(2), 111-122.
Norcross, J. C., & Goldfried, M. R. (Eds.). (2005). Handbook of psychotherapy integration. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Tharpe, N. L., Farley, C. L., & Jordan, R. G. (2016). Clinical practice guidelines for midwifery & women's health. London, UK: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
