Background: Chronic pain is a major public health concern in Canada, with an estimated annual cost of $6 billion in direct health care expenses. At the same time, Canadians are participating in an increased use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies. Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative research study was to examine the relationship between the use of CAM and HRQOL for individuals living with chronic pain. Method: This study was a secondary data analysis of the nationally representative Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) Cycle 3.1 Subsample 1 collected by Statistics Canada in 2005 (n=32,133). Results: The prevalence of CAM use for the Canadian population was 20.9% whereas for the chronic pain subset, it was 30.8%. CAM users had 1.48 times increased odds of reporting a high HRQOL than non-CAM users (CI=1.16-1.88). Conclusion: These results demonstrate that a modest but significant positive association exists between CAM use and a high HRQOL.

Introduction: Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese treatment. It is difficult to know what role the nurse performs during acupuncture in Sweden since no guidelines exist. Indications that patients appreciate receiving acupuncture justifies investigating nurses’ work in China. Good practice may be uncovered that could provide the basis for understanding, defining and promoting the nurses’ role in acupuncture in other countries. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the nurses’ conception of their role in acupuncture therapy in an acupuncture clinic in Chengdu, China. Method: A descriptive qualitative study. Data collection by methodological triangulation from observations and interviews. Result: Results show that the role of the nurse is to perform practical procedures, support patients and have responsibility for hygiene. Conclusion: Nurses have an important role in acupuncture therapy to carry out treatment as well as caring for the patients and treating them as individuals.

Bakgrund: Depression och ångest är två vanliga folksjukdomar. Omkring 350 miljoner människor globalt beräknas vara drabbade av depression. Var fjärde människa upplever någon gång under sitt liv ångest. Depression och ångest orsakar tillsammans ett stort vårdbehov i Sverige och i övriga delar av världen. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva alternativ behandling vid depression och ångest hos vuxna samt att granska datainsamlingsmetoden i litteraturstudiens ingående artiklar. Metod: En litteraturstudie med deskriptiv design. Efter sökningar i PubMed och Cinahl identifierades 14 vetenskapliga artiklar. Dessa artiklar granskades utifrån föreliggande studies syfte och frågeställningar, och utgör resultatet i föreliggande studie. Huvudresultat: Huvudresultatet i denna litteraturstudie visade att det fanns fyra former av alternativ behandling. Dessa var Yoga, Mindfulness, Akupunktur samt Växter, kosttillskott och naturopatisk vård. Vid granskning av metodologiska aspekten framkom att enkäter använts i majoriteten av studierna. Även en semistrukturerad intervju kunde ses som datainsamlingsmetod. Slutsats: Föreliggande studies resultat visar att det finns fyra olika alternativa behandlingsformer som kan ha positiv effekt på depression och-/eller ångest. Dessa är; Yoga, Mindfulness, Akupunktur samt Växter, kosttillskott och naturopatisk vård. Sjuksköterskan har en viktig roll i vårdandet av patienter med depression och ångest. Det bör finnas ett intresse hos sjuksköterskan att ha kunskap om alternativ behandling, detta för att bland annat kunna optimera patientens omvårdnad och egenvård. Dock behövs mer forskning inom området alternativ behandling. / Background: Depression and anxiety are two common diseases. About 350 million people globally are calcuated to be affected by depression. Every fourth person will experience anxiety sometime in their lifes. Depression and anxiety cause together a large demand for care in Sweden and in other parts of the world. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe alternative therapies in adults with depression and anxiety and to examine the data acquisitions of the articles. Method: A literature review with descriptive design. After searching in the databases PubMed and Cinahl, 14 research articles were identified. These articles were examined by the aim and the issues, and compose the result of the present study. Results: The main result of this literature review showed four forms of alternative therapies. These were Yoga, Mindfulness, Acupuncture and Plants, supplements and naturopathic care. The examination of the methodological aspect showed that questionnaires were used in the majority of the studies. Also a semi-structured interview could be seen to collect data. Conclusion: The present study results show that there are four different forms of alternative therapies that can have a positivt effect on depression and-/or anxiety. These are; Yoga, Mindfulness, Acupuncture and Plants, supplements and naturopathic care. The nurse have an important role in caring of patients with depression and anxiety. Therefor the nurse should have an interest in the knowledge of alternative therapies, to optimate caring and self-care for patients. There’s a need of more research in the area of alternative therapies.

The use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is now widespread and endeavours are increasingly being made to incorporate CAM into conventional healthcare and move towards Integrative Medicine (IM). To date research has primarily focused on the prevalence of use, and safety and efficacy of CAM; less is known about patients' experiences of and reasons for using specific therapies. While therapeutically diverse, it has been suggested that many CAM modalities share mutually referential ideologies and that people who use them may be motivated to do so by specific health beliefs. This study focuses on traditional acupuncture in a New Zealand context and investigates users' experiences and perceptions of the therapy, and discusses how personal health beliefs influence usage. A systematic review of relevant international qualitative research informed the main study, which was carried out using an interpretive phenomenological methodology (Heidegger's approach). Data was gathered from interviews with 12 participants who had recently received treatment from traditionally trained (non-biomedical) acupuncturists. Thematic analysis suggested that acupuncture was often sought for health conditions (typically of a chronic and benign nature) that are difficult to treat conventionally. Whereas initial access was primarily motivated by ineffective biomedical treatment, personal health beliefs-particularly subscription to holistic and vitalistic ideologies-often inspired more extensive and ongoing use. The therapeutic encounter was interpreted to contain many elements-other than needling-integral to treatment. Outcomes were perceived to be wide ranging, personal and necessarily subjective, and included the relief of symptoms, increased well-being, and changes to understandings and health behaviours. It is concluded that the attraction of acupuncture for patients and many of its perceived benefits lie in therapeutic components that are ultimately embedded in Chinese medicine (holistic) theories of health. A more pluralistic schema for assessing evidence may be necessary to acknowledge treatment outcomes that are meaningful to patients, and to accommodate the divergent ontologies and practice models of acupuncture, other CAMs and biomedicine. Increased interdisciplinary cooperation and communication is suggested as a means to improve patient safety and satisfaction and as a scenario for moving forward with IM.

Σκοπός της εργασίας είναι να μελετηθεί κατά πόσο εξοικιωμένοι είναι οι Έλληνες με την εναλλακτική ιατρική και ποια χαρακτηριστικά της προσωπικότητάς τους οδηγούν στο να διαλέξουν κάποια εναλλακτική θεραπεία έναντι της κλασικής ιατρικής. / This essay wants to show us how alternative medicine is believed to heal, versus classical medicine.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the additive therapeutic effects of a yoga intervention on the anxiety, depression and behavioral problems of conduct-disordered male adolescents in residential treatment. In addition, the moderating effects of callous-unemotional (CU) traits on outcome measures were assessed. The program consisted of a four-week intervention program in which participants were randomly assigned to either the yoga group (n=25), in which they practiced yoga with an instructor, or the control group (n=19), in which they met for a supervised study hall. The study included pre-testing on symptoms of anxiety, depression and CU traits, and post-testing on anxiety and depression measures only. Behavioral data were unavailable due to unanticipated program changes. A repeated measures MANOVA was utilized to investigate the benefits of yoga practice on a combined mental health variable that consisted of two dependent variables, anxiety and depression. A significant effect for time, but not for the interaction between time and group, was found. This indicated that both groups' scores decreased over time on the depression and anxiety variables, but that there was no statistically significant difference between the treatment groups' depression and anxiety scores over time. In spite of non-significant results, additional exploratory analysis was conducted. Results indicated a trend towards significantly greater decreases in anxiety outcomes for the yoga group vs. the control group over time. The moderating effects of CU traits on the relationships among the treatment conditions and anxiety outcomes were found to be non-significant. Limitations of the present research, including low sample size and statistical power, are discussed.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is among the most important pathogens affecting the human race in our time. In spite of recent medical advances, our therapeutic choices for MRSA infections remain limited due to the propensity of this organism to develop resistance to antimicrobials. Therefore, there is a continuing need to develop newer methods of treating MRSA infections. This dissertation examines the effects of bacteriophages 88 and 92 on ten clinical isolates of MRSA from the central Florida area. . For the majority of the MRSA isolates, bacteriophages 88 and 92 were unable to induce lysis. However, bacteriophage 88 was found to lyse MRSA Sample 94. Reduced cytotoxicity and apoptosis due to MRSA Sample 94 was also observed. This protective effect was most notable in the 1:10-6 concentration of MRSA 94 and bacteriophage 88. In addition, this effect was observable with both immediate inoculation of the cell culture with the MRSA concurrent with the bacteriophage and with bacteriophage applied one hour after initial inoculation of the MRSA. This effect was likely due to the increased replication of the bacteriophage in the actively growing bacteria found in the 1:10-6 samples. The bacteria in the 1:10-6 concentration were likely more able to replicate in comparison to the higher bacterial concentrations because of less competition between the bacteria for the limited nutrients in the 1:10-6 concentration. The long-term goal of this study is the development of a bacteriophage-containing ointment for the control of MRSA nasal carriage. In addition, the concept of bacteriophage therapy may open a new horizon in controlling infections such as those caused by MRSA. Finally, as for future studies, it would be informative to be able compare these results with other MRSA isolates and bacteriophages samples to examine the effects across a wider sample of bacteria and bacteriophages. In addition, it would be interesting to examine the possibility of being able to modify the bacteriophage in order to allow lysis of the previously resistant bacterial strains.

The growing interest and use of complementary and alternative approaches by the general public has created pressure on many health care providers to broaden their traditional scope of practice and integrate complementary and alternative therapies into their repertoire. This study examined the knowledge, attitudes, and level of integration of complementary and alternative approaches by Canadian social workers. Due to limited literature on social work use of complementary and alternative approaches, a broad operational definition of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) was utilized in the study and a wide range of approaches were listed in the questionnaire. This cross-sectional, descriptive, quantitative research study included 311 Canadian social workers. A self-administered, web-based survey was developed for the study to examine social workers’ level of knowledge, use, as well as attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine. Based on the findings of the study, Canadian social workers demonstrate general familiarity with CAM, however are less likely to be trained in the approaches. Despite lack of appropriate training, a significant number of social workers integrate complementary and alternative approaches into their practice. Overall, Canadian social workers hold a positive attitude toward complementary and alternative medicine. They express interest in broadening their knowledge in CAM as well as are open to integrating some approaches into their practice. Implications of the findings and further research suggestion are offered at the conclusion of the thesis. There are several implications from this study, most importantly the need for clear guidelines around integration of those approaches into social work practice and inclusion of complementary and alternative methods into social work educational curriculum. There exists number of external and internal threats to validity of the study. The limitations of the study include lack of participation from a number of Canadian provincial social work regulatory bodies. Also the use of web based, English only survey, and may have deterred some social workers. Self-selection process may have attracted those with extreme opinions about the topic. The descriptive nature of the study did not require manipulation of the variables, the analysis was bi-variate, and, therefore could not account for confounding factors.

The growing interest and use of complementary and alternative approaches by the general public has created pressure on many health care providers to broaden their traditional scope of practice and integrate complementary and alternative therapies into their repertoire. This study examined the knowledge, attitudes, and level of integration of complementary and alternative approaches by Canadian social workers. Due to limited literature on social work use of complementary and alternative approaches, a broad operational definition of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) was utilized in the study and a wide range of approaches were listed in the questionnaire. This cross-sectional, descriptive, quantitative research study included 311 Canadian social workers. A self-administered, web-based survey was developed for the study to examine social workers’ level of knowledge, use, as well as attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine. Based on the findings of the study, Canadian social workers demonstrate general familiarity with CAM, however are less likely to be trained in the approaches. Despite lack of appropriate training, a significant number of social workers integrate complementary and alternative approaches into their practice. Overall, Canadian social workers hold a positive attitude toward complementary and alternative medicine. They express interest in broadening their knowledge in CAM as well as are open to integrating some approaches into their practice. Implications of the findings and further research suggestion are offered at the conclusion of the thesis. There are several implications from this study, most importantly the need for clear guidelines around integration of those approaches into social work practice and inclusion of complementary and alternative methods into social work educational curriculum. There exists number of external and internal threats to validity of the study. The limitations of the study include lack of participation from a number of Canadian provincial social work regulatory bodies. Also the use of web based, English only survey, and may have deterred some social workers. Self-selection process may have attracted those with extreme opinions about the topic. The descriptive nature of the study did not require manipulation of the variables, the analysis was bi-variate, and, therefore could not account for confounding factors.

INTRODUCTION: It is estimated that 100 million individuals suffer from chronic pain in the United States. Many of the options involved in chronic pain management have limited effectiveness come with risks of addiction, and/or have numerous side effects. The toll of chronic pain is even more substantial when complications with addiction arise. With an estimated 13.7% of adults having admitted to using pain relief medication for nonmedical purposes in the United States totaling a cost of approximately 55 billion dollars annually, the combined burden of chronic pain and addiction is considerable. To curb the sufferings created by chronic pain, it is essential to investigate its sources, the risks involved with current treatments, and alternative methods to alleviate chronic pain. PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to review the current literature on the topic of nonopioid therapies in the treatment of chronic pain, their ability to reduce opioid prescriptions, and assess their pros and cons. Three different forms of alternative treatments were chosen: 1) psychotherapeutic treatment Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, 2) Eastern Medicine Acupuncture, and 3) pharmacological class cannabinoids. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The current literature on alterative therapies show that cannabinoids had the most potential to decrease pain, followed by CBT, and acupuncture showing the least consistent efficacy. The literature on CBT elucidate a great potential to decrease the use of prescribed opioids without increasing pain while cannabinoids showed a synergistic effect with opioids. The combined results for acupuncture were not consistent, with only one of the studies showing potential to reduce the use of opioids, while the others showed no difference between real and sham acupuncture.