Acupuncture As Energy Medicine
The ancient Chinese healing practice of acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to treat many ailments, especially pain. Today, this therapy that addresses disharmony in the body, mind, and spirit is widely practiced throughout China and is… Read more »
ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an increasingly common neurodevelopmental disorder of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD have trouble paying attention, focusing,… Read more »
Alzheimer’s Disease: Mysteries and Possibilities
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a condition in which the concept of loss is central—the loss of one’s memories, independence, the ability to recognize loved ones, and the loss of dignity. Often referred to as “the long goodbye,” AD is the most common typ… Read more »
Animal-Assisted Therapy
Animals have been a part of our lives as long as we have been on the planet. The health benefits of the human-animal bond are far reaching. From guide dogs, to watching fish in an aquarium, to swimming with dolphins, animals provide us with companion… Read more »
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 »
Aromatherapy: The Healing Power Of Scent
Aromatherapy is a complementary and alternative, holistic, and integrative therapy that uses essential oils to promote both physical and psychological health. It is often used in conjunction with massage, meditation, and other therapies to achieve he… Read more »
Ayurvedic Medicine: Ancient Foundations of Health Care
Ayurvedic medicine is a highly sophisticated religion, philosophy, and system of medicine that has been practiced in India for over 2,500 years. As with other forms of complementary and alternative medicine, it focuses on the whole individual and one… Read more »
Botanicals, Herbs, and Herbalism
While modern medicine has produced many scientific advances, one of the most important “advances” in health and medicine has been the recognition of the value of herbs and herbalism. After all, nature and plants have been an essential part of everyda… Read more »
Caregiving at the End of Life – Issues and Considerations
Caregivers are individuals who provide care to an individual who needs assistance. Caregivers can be professionals but are often unpaid individuals who support a loved one through an illness or the last phase of life. The experience can be immensely… Read more »
Centenarians: Keys to Longevity
Living to be 100 years old was once considered a rare occurrence, but with advancements in medicine and lifestyle changes, living to be 100 is not so improbable today. As a group, there are more centenarians worldwide than ever before, with the large… 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 »
Color and Health–Exploring the Connection
The use of color in healing has a long history. A fundamental aspect of environmental design, color has also been linked to physical, psychological, and social reactions in all of its uses. Color’s characteristics can influence how it is used in heal… 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 »
Cultural Competence in Health Care
The culturally diverse health care populations in the United States provide health care professionals with tremendous opportunities to bridge cultural gaps, incorporate new treatments and disease prevention strategies into their practices, and learn… Read more »
Cultural Considerations at the End of Life
At the end of life, attitudes about the loss of a loved one profoundly affect how both a dying person and his or her family and friends address the dying and the grieving processes. Diverse populations in the United States provide healthcare professi… Read more »
Current Issues in Nutrition
Our diet has a profound impact on our health and well-being as well as the health of the environment, yet many of us are not aware of where our food originated or how it was produced. We eat toxic, irradiated, or genetically altered foods, and we eat… 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.
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 »
Elder Abuse and Neglect
Older adults today are vibrant, independent, living longer, and in better health than their ancestors. However, as this growing population increases, so does the issue of caring for elderly individuals. Caregivers must often cope with stressful econo… Read more »
End-of-Life Issues: Pain Assessment and Management
Pain assessment and management are especially important for high-quality end-of-life care. To provide quality care to individuals at this stage of their lives, health care practitioners must be particularly skilled at assessing pain, understanding mi… Read more »
End-of-Life Issues: Physiologic Changes at the End of Life
For health care professionals to provide compassionate, quality care to patients at the end of life, they must understand the many changes the patient undergoes. Holistic end-of-life care provides relief, comfort, and support whenever possible. It in… Read more »
Energy Healing
The old paradigms of health care are shifting as a growing number of researchers, physicians, nurses, and other health practitioners embrace a new view that includes energy healing. Traditional healers have practiced energy healing methods for centur… 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 »
Essentials of Qigong
Qigong is an integrated mind-body-spirit energy healing discipline that has been practiced in China for thousands of years. Qigong is more than exercise. It is a holistic system of self-healing with a focus on posture and movement, breathing techniqu… 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 »
Ethical Issues in Complementary and Alternative Medicine
There has been a dramatic rise in the use and acceptance of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies in the United States. However, there are ethical issues that remain unresolved surrounding provider oversight, inconsistent legislative… Read more »
Financing Your Business in Health and Wellness
Creating a successful business means understanding the world of finance. Although this world is often intimidating, financial literacy is a critical skill for entrepreneurs. Many businesses fail because of a lack of adequate funding, so this remains… Read more »
Food Labels – Deciphering The Mysteries
An important element of health is the ability to understand what is in the food we eat. Knowing how to read and understand food labels can help individuals make healthier food choices. Many consumers do not fully understand what the labels on their f… Read more »
Genetically Engineered (Modified) Foods – Safe Or Sinister?
Genetically engineered (“GE”) or genetically modified (“GM”) foods are foods with foreign genes (genes from other plants, animals, or substances) inserted into their genetic codes. While the debate continues, most experts agree there is no consensus… Read more »
Healing Effects of Physical Activity and Movement
Physical activity and movement are essential elements of any program designed for obtaining or maintaining health and well-being. While most individuals associate physical activity with aerobics, many activities comprise a well-rounded and interestin… Read more »
Healing Elements of Meditation
Although there are many ways to meditate and many different forms of meditation, they all share the characteristic of intentionally training a person’s attention and concentration. Meditation practices are used by diverse cultures, are rooted in the… Read more »
Health and the Human Spirit
Spirituality plays an important role in health and healing. This course will explore the forms and expressions of spirituality; discuss culture and its relationship to spirituality; examine the relationship between spirituality and aging; explain spi… 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 »
Healthy Lifestyles: How Stress, Nutrition, Physical Activity, Substance Abuse, and Nature Affect Brain Health
Individuals’ lifestyles can have a powerful impact on the health of their body and mind. The brain is affected by virtually every aspect of their life including their levels of stress, the foods they choose to eat, the amount and type of physical act… 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 »
Holistic and Integrative Health: An Introduction
The past several decades have brought tremendous growth in the numbers of health care facilities and providers offering integrative health care training and services. Consumers in the United States use these complementary and alternative medicine (CA… Read more »
Holistic Stress Management
Stress affects each of us every day and while some of us rise to the occasion, others experience myriad physiological, psychological, and spiritual effects. How we cope with stress can determine the current and future state of our health and well-bei… Read more »
Humor and Health
How many times have you felt better after laughing? Humor and laughter make people feel alive and bring a unique perspective to life. They relieve stress and connect people to one another. Humor is a complex phenomenon and an essential part of human… 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 »
Iowa 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 »