Anxiety Disorders: An Integrative Approach
Anxiety disorders are the most common, and frequently occurring, mental disorders. Anxiety is manifested by disturbances of mood, as well as of thinking, behavior, and physiological activity. The five major types of anxiety disorders include generali… Read more »
Are Your Air and Water Safe? How Air and Water Quality Affect Health
The quality of the air we breathe and the water we drink is essential to our overall well-being, our economic prosperity, and the environment. Clean air and water play an important role in maintaining our health, and contaminants in either one or bot… Read more »
Behavioral and Mental Health in Aging
In the United States and globally, the population is aging rapidly. The need for geriatric behavioral and mental health services will also increase dramatically. Mental health and well-being are important for older adults as at any other time of life… Read more »
Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents: An Integrative Approach
It is sometimes difficult to determine if a child or adolescent is going through a “phase” or showing signs of a more serious psychiatric challenge such as bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder causes unusual shifts in moods and energy. These shifts are… Read more »
Child Abuse, Prevention, and Mandatory Reporting
Child abuse is a national and international issue that has serious long-term consequences for the child and the community. A social problem that has existed for thousands of years, child abuse in all its forms first became a topic of national interes… Read more »
Childbirth And Culture – Practices, Beliefs, And Traditions
An intimate and complex experience, childbirth reflects a woman’s biology as well as the social context in which delivery takes place. The experience of every woman is unique to her and deeply personal because of the culture in which she gives birth… Read more »
Choosing the Business Structure for your Health and Wellness Business
Innovations in health care directed toward improved health outcomes, the utilization of more varied diagnostic and holistic treatment options, and the increasing diversity of patient populations supports healthcare providers and other interested indi… Read more »
Chronic Pain: An Integrative Approach to Effective Pain Management
Pain interferes with the enjoyment of life. It makes it difficult to work, socialize with friends and family, sleep, and accomplish activities of daily living. It may reduce productivity and create financial hardships in terms of lost work and high m… Read more »
Contemporary Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare
With the advent of astounding scientific and technological advances in every area of health care, today’s healthcare environment is increasingly fraught with complex patient care issues. Healthcare professionals often have varying views on legal and… Read more »
Creating a Business Plan for Your Health and Wellness Business
Just like a builder needs a blueprint to ensure a house will be structurally sound and resemble the vision laid out on the blueprint, a successful healthcare entrepreneur needs to create a business plan for his or her vision. Creating a business plan… Read more »
Curanderismo and Central and South American Healing Practices
With a long and complex history, curanderismo, or indigenous medicine, is the broad healing tradition found in Mexico and Mexican American communities throughout the United States. For many Hispanics, conventional medicine has not been effective or w… Read more »
Depression: An Integrative Approach
Depression is one of the most serious and costly health care problems facing the United States today. It is one of the most common types of mental disorders. Depression interferes with an individual’s daily life, normal functioning, and may cause emo… Read more »
Diabetes in Pregnancy
Diabetes during pregnancy can provide a special challenge to the patient and her healthcare providers. The effects of poorly controlled blood glucose levels can result in life-threatening effects for both the mother and the fetus.
Domestic (Intimate Partner) Violence
Domestic (intimate partner) violence is an international health care and human rights issue affecting millions of people every day. Individuals and health care providers who understand the causes of violence, recognize the signs and symptoms of abuse… Read more »
Ectopic Pregnancy
Ectopic pregnancies are a gynecological emergency that can seriously affect a woman’s health and fertility. However, new developments in the diagnosis and treatment of this condition have resulted in greatly improved maternal mortality and morbidity…. Read more »
Effective and Empowering Communication
Communication is how people exchange information, opinions, and ideas and it links all human beings together. Intimate, complex, and necessary for our very survival, communication can profoundly affect our overall health and wellness. Today, communic… Read more »
Energy Medicine Therapies: Therapeutic Touch, Healing Touch, Reiki, Reflexology, and Craniosacral Therapy
The concept that energy systems are part of the human interactive environment and a powerful part of therapeutic healing techniques has been part of many cultures for centuries. Energy medicine therapies use gentle techniques thought to help balance… Read more »
Ethical Foundations in Healthcare
Healthcare professionals face ethical dilemmas every day of their professional lives. Ethical decision-making is an important part of the care they provide to their patients and clients. A sound understanding of key ethical issues helps healthcare pr… Read more »
Global Healing Systems – An Introduction
Global healing traditions date back thousands of years and have a long and rich history. They reflect the specific and unique characteristics of the culture, history, philosophy, and availability of resources in different parts of the world. Global h… Read more »
Health Effects of Meditation
Meditation is a mind-body practice with many methods and variations that are all grounded in the silence and stillness of present-moment awareness. Evidence of meditation’s health effects has been well documented: the practice offers improvement in t… Read more »
HIPAA and Patient Privacy
Personal health information is protected under federal law. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) provides for the protection and security of personal health information. Both healthcare professionals and consumers must unde… Read more »
HIV/AIDS Education for Healthcare Professionals
Since they were first described in 1981, more than a quarter of a century ago, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) remain a persistent and widespread threat to the health, well-being, and human potential o… Read more »
HIV/AIDS Education for Kentucky Health Care Professionals
Since they were first described in 1981, more than a quarter of a century ago, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) remain a persistent and widespread threat to the health, well-being, and human potential o… Read more »
Human Health and Climate Change—Is There a Connection?
Numerous independent researchers and scientists all across the world know that Earth is warming and human activity is the primary cause. How much climate change we will experience in the future is dependent on the choices we all make as global citize… Read more »
Hyperemesis Gravidarum
Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition affecting thousands of pregnant women each year. More severe than morning sickness, HG can affect every aspect of a woman’s life. With early recognition and treatment, h… Read more »
Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy
Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (previously called pregnancy-induced hypertension or PIH) are complex and serious conditions of pregnancy, which, if untreated or improperly treated, can result in maternal and fetal complications including death…. Read more »
Infection Control Basics
Each year, lives are lost due to the spread of infections in hospitals and other healthcare settings. Infection control procedures are a vital part of health care and patient safety measures used by every member of the healthcare team both in the Uni… Read more »
Influenza: Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention
Influenza (commonly called the “flu”) is a highly contagious respiratory disease that affects all ages and can cause significant illness and death. Striking hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide every year, this disease can be prevented usin… Read more »
Integrative Therapies for Cancer Pain Management
Many advances have been made in the treatment of cancer during the last several decades and yet effective cancer pain management remains an overwhelming issue for more than 80% of patients. Today, there are numerous options for cancer pain management… Read more »
International Women’s Health – Challenges and Opportunities
While women have a longer life expectancy than men in most every country, they don’t necessarily get to enjoy healthier lives. Millions of women suffer from health issues each year throughout the world—health issues that would not affect them if they… Read more »
Is Your Home Hazardous to Your Health?
While most of us consider our home a place of safety, the products we use every day and the communities in which we live can be causing our health to suffer. Common everyday items and medications can prove toxic to ourselves, our families, our pets,… Read more »
Legal Issues in Healthcare
Healthcare professionals today are acutely aware of the need to understand the legal environment in which they practice. Ever-shrinking resources, shorter lengths of stay, high-acuity patients, availability of more complex information, diverse patien… Read more »
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) Health Issues
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning individuals—often referred to under the umbrella acronym LGBTQ—are becoming more visible and acknowledged in societies both in the United States and throughout the world. Yet, because of the discri… Read more »
Marketing Your Health and Wellness Business
An effective, well-developed marketing strategy is one of the most important documents you will create in your business. This document communicates what customers receive from your company and helps secure customers for the future. Marketing strategi… Read more »
Meditation and Religious Traditions
Although there are many ways to meditate and many different forms of meditation, they all share a unifying characteristic: each one focuses on intentionally training a person’s attention and concentration. Meditation practices are used by diverse cul… Read more »
Meditation Types and Practices
There are many types of meditation. Some types appeal to people of an intellectual nature, while other types appeal to those who prefer the path of love and surrender. Individuals with an active approach to life may prefer meditation techniques invol… Read more »
Mindfulness Meditation
Widely accepted, used, and studied within mainstream medicine, mindfulness meditation involves paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and without judgment. The health benefits of mindfulness meditation include improvements in dealing wit… Read more »
Music and the Brain
Most of what we know about music and the brain has been discovered in the last 20 years. Music is universal across all cultures and, like other arts, is a function of specific social and cultural influences. Listening to or playing music can provide… Read more »
Music Therapy and Alzheimer’s Disease
Music therapy influences an individual’s physical, emotional, cognitive, and social well-being and is especially exciting as a modality that can improve the quality of life for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The type of therapy used in in… Read more »
Music Therapy for End of Life Care
Music therapy for end-of-life care involves playing music on a variety of instruments, singing, listening to music, and performing music based on the patient’s preferences. The goal is to enhance the person’s quality of life by relieving or easing a… Read more »
Music Therapy: Inspiring Health and Wellness
Music therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. At a time when people are increasingly turning to holistic methods… Read more »
Native North American Healing
Millions of Native North Americans (indigenous peoples) utilize traditional healing traditions as a way of maintaining balance and wholeness. To the traditional Native American, all aspects of life are intimately connected to good health and well-bei… Read more »
Nutrition, Toxins, and Chronic Disease
Chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and arthritis are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health problems both in the United States and worldwide. Globally, hundreds of millions of people are… Read more »
Oral Health: Beautiful Smiles for Life
Oral health can affect virtually every other aspect of our health. Good oral health can not only prevent disease in the mouth but it can also prevent many chronic diseases. Good oral health is more than “pretty teeth” and affects our ability to speak… Read more »
Pain Interventions and Treatments
Effective pain management begins with effective pain assessment. Only after an assessment is completed can the healthcare provider determine how to best manage a client’s pain. Barriers to pain management that can lead to the undertreatment of pain n… Read more »
Pain Management in Special Populations – Children and the Elderly
Helping pediatric and geriatric populations manage their pain requires special consideration regarding the types of medications and strategies chosen, the route through which medications are delivered, and specific comorbidities or metabolic issues t… Read more »
Pain Management in Special Populations – Surgery, Cancer, and HIV
Health care professionals often face difficult challenges when working with clients who have undergone surgery or who have cancer or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). These clients encounter unique problems with their health conditions, especially… Read more »
Pain Management in the Adult – Acute and Chronic Pain
Acute and chronic pain in the adult client have different causes, methods of diagnoses, and interventions. Effective health care providers understand these differences when they assess and manage their clients’ pain.
Pain Theory and Assessment Principles
Pain is a universal phenomenon. Pain is the fifth vital sign and its assessment is crucial in the comprehensive care of every patient. Pain is a subjective concept and is whatever the client says it is. Pain is experienced across all age groups, acro… Read more »
Pain Treatment at the End of Life
Regardless of the cause, pain is a common symptom in clients who are near death. Healthcare providers must understand the tremendous implications of pain and pain symptoms and prioritize the assessment and optimal treatment of pain in clients near th… Read more »
Perinatal Health – A Global Perspective
Poverty, scarce education, poor economic opportunities, gender discrimination, and unjust laws challenge the advancement of women’s health around the world. These factors restrict access to important health services and the education women need to im… Read more »
Pneumonia in Adults and Children
Pneumonia is an infection in one or both of the lungs. Globally, it is the leading killer of children under the age of 5 years. It is also common in the United States. There are several types of pneumonia, depending on the type of microbe (bacteria,… Read more »
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
When individuals experience a traumatic, terrifying, life-changing event or series of events, with a real or threatened risk of death, they may experience a variety of symptoms known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although this condition h… Read more »
Postpartum Depression
For most women, the birth of a baby is a joyous and exciting time. However, for some women, childbirth is accompanied by depression, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness, and even suicide. Depression following the delivery of an infant can take three ba… Read more »
Prevention of Neonatal Group B Streptococcal Infection
Great strides have been made in preventing and treating neonatal group B streptococcal infection during the last 20 years, especially with the use of prophylactic antibiotics during labor. In addition, the development of rapid detection tests and a v… Read more »
Psychology of Stress
Events, people, and circumstances fill our normal daily lives along with a certain amount of stress. Some of us experience psychological effects from this stress, while others seem to be unaffected or even thrive when challenged. Why do we react diff… Read more »
Sacred Spaces, Healing Places
Modern nursing was founded on the concepts of healing environments. Florence Nightingale was one of the first to realize the importance of nature, light, noise, and sensory stimulation in healing. Today, it is well known that healing environments emp… Read more »
Secrets of Successful Healthcare Entrepreneurs
Starting a new business takes a lot of work. Despite the intense effort required to launch a new venture, successful entrepreneurs have many diverse characteristics that provide the stamina to support their achievements and enhance their ability to c… Read more »
Self-Care for Health and Well-Being
Caring for yourself is one of the most important things you can do for yourself, and it is also one of the easiest things to forget to do or put aside in favor of tending to others. Good self-care involves small self-care habits that, when done regul… Read more »
Sexual Assault, Gender Violence, and Rape
Rape or sexual assault can happen to anyone, regardless of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. These forms of sexual violence are among the most underreported crimes in both the United States and the world due to the inten… Read more »
Sleep Disorders: An Integrative Approach
Sleep disorders are very common complaints and they include difficulty falling asleep, early awakening, and interrupted sleep. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only one-third of adults say they get enough sleep every night… Read more »
Social Media and Healthcare
Social media has many characteristics and has become part of the very fabric of today’s society. It can be immediate, irreverent, and incredibly powerful. The use of social media in all areas of life, especially health care, is growing exponentially…. Read more »
Sound Healing: Vibrational Therapy
Sound healing is the process by which participants play or listen to live or recorded sounds in order to have a positive healing experience. Those experiencing sound healing may feel healing on a physical, emotional, energetic, and/or spiritual level… Read more »
South African Healing Traditions
Traditional healing has existed in South Africa for thousands of years and is utilized by the majority of individuals who live in the region. Drawing from a primarily oral tradition, traditional African healers come from many cultures, speak many div… Read more »
Spiritual Assessment and Spiritual Care
Spiritual care is an important and necessary part of appropriate patient care, yet many health care professionals feel ill equipped to provide it to their clients. When people experience a spiritual crisis and need spiritual care, they may choose to… Read more »
Spirituality, Culture, and Health
Healthcare professionals and spiritual care providers face many challenges in becoming prepared to administer holistic, respectful, and culturally and spiritually competent care for their patients and clients. Understanding the relationship between s… Read more »
Spirituality, The Health Care Professional, and the Spiritual Care Provider
The relationship between healthcare provider and client can provide both with a sense of strength, healing, inner peace, and an interconnectedness that gives meaning to the relationship. This relationship is a deeply spiritual one and results from th… Read more »
Starting Your Own Business in Holistic and Integrative Health: Preparing for the Change
Starting your own business in health and healing provides many exciting options for creating a way to live and work that allows you to express your deepest core values and explore your own health and well-being more fully. Determining how to start yo… Read more »
Substance Abuse–Recognition, Intervention, and Prevention
Individuals abuse substances for a variety of complicated reasons. Abused substances produce some form of intoxication that alters judgment, perception, attention, and/or physical control. Substance abuse impacts individuals, families, and communitie… Read more »
Suicide Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention
Suicide—taking your own life—is a tragic reaction to stressful life circumstances. Approximately 800,000 to 1 million people die by suicide in the world each year. This means someone commits suicide every 40 seconds. In the United States, there is on… Read more »
The ABCs of Hepatitis
Hepatitis A, B, and C are viruses that affect millions of individuals throughout the world. They affect the liver and have a variety of etiologies and mechanisms of transmission. All forms of hepatitis can have significant economic and social consequ… Read more »
The Biofield (Human Energy Field): Foundation for Energy Medicine
Energy is everything, and everything in the universe is in motion, even a rock at an atomic and subatomic level. Science is increasingly showing that human beings are comprised of an energy system that is highly integrated with the physical body, emo… Read more »
The Global Health Impacts of Overpopulation
The term “overpopulation” is not a common topic of conversation between citizens or among politicians. Yet, overpopulation is now considered to be the biggest threat to the future of the planet. Because the world’s population is growing at an alarmin… Read more »
Tickborne Diseases
In the United States, ticks carry many different pathogens that can cause a variety of human diseases. One of the most common of these is Lyme disease. Many tickborne diseases are challenging to diagnose because their symptoms imitate other common il… Read more »
Traditional Chinese Medicine: An Ancient Approach to Healing
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest continuously practiced professional medical systems in the world, with origins dating back more than 3,000 years. TCM emphasizes the holistic view of the human being and encompasses many differe… Read more »
Tuberculosis
Despite advances in their treatment and prevention, tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug-resistant TB, or MDR-TB, remain two of the world’s deadliest communicable diseases. An ancient disease found in Egyptian mummies, TB and MDR-TB are increasingly diffi… Read more »
Women’s Health Issues
Women represent over half of the global population. Despite this, women and their health issues have traditionally been neglected both nationally and globally. Although this is slowly changing, many of the health issues facing women today do not rece… Read more »
Women’s Mental Health and Wellness
Good mental health is as important as physical and spiritual health and research continues to show how closely mental, physical, and spiritual health are connected. A healthy mental state allows us to enjoy life, good physical health, helps us cope w… Read more »
Workplace Violence in Healthcare
Workplace violence is an increasing problem in organizations today and is especially challenging in the healthcare industry. Considered a human rights issue, workplace violence affects the dignity of millions of people worldwide and is a major source… Read more »
Zoonoses: Can Your Pet Make You Sick?
For many people, animals are an important part of their lives, providing valuable social bonds, emotional support, and joy. Pets and other animals can contribute to a healing environment with their companionship, assistance, sensory stimulation, need… Read more »