Alternative Therapy Carolina is an organization committed to serving Puerto Rican communities by offering alternative medicine services that help improve long-term quality of life, offering personalized and superior patient care in any location possible. We aim to have dispensaries available near every part of Puerto Rico for easy accessibility while providing a broad selection of medicinal products.
Healing modalities
Many North Carolinians use complementary and alternative therapies such as aromatherapy, acupuncture, massage therapy, herbs and supplements in addition to regular health care services. Nurses should be familiar with such therapies since they may provide new avenues of healing; it is also important not to judge or bias about them; if unfamiliar with any therapy it would be wise to discuss it during each visit so as to prevent potential complications and provide the highest standard of care possible for their patients.
Somatic experiencing is a holistic healing method designed to assist individuals in processing traumas they’ve never addressed properly. This type of bodywork primarily targets the central nervous system and digestive tract for best results.
Massage therapy
Massage therapy is a popular approach for relieving pain. While generally considered safe when administered by trained professionals, patients with certain medical conditions should take extra precautions. A recent survey found that 38 percent of adults used complementary and alternative medicine. Some hospitals in North Carolina have implemented integrative medicine programs, such as Mission Hospital Greenville which offers both acupressure and massage treatments.
Participant were randomly allocated either Usual Care or one of two massage protocols – relaxation or structural. Massage services were administered by 27 licensed massage therapists who were familiar with each protocol, had at least five years experience and received 1.5 days of protocol training; randomization was hidden and protected and they weren’t blind to which type of treatment they provided.
At 10 weeks, both massage treatments demonstrated similar functional outcomes that outshone Usual Care. Both types of massage significantly reduced days spent in bed and pain severity while not altering narcotic analgesia use. By 26 weeks both types of massage had continued their beneficial effects.
Participants reported a blurring between service (spa) and health care, feeling that therapeutic relationships and communication had an influence over results. Furthermore, training played a significant role in effectiveness; by the time a therapist completes massage school they typically have experienced 8-10 different techniques as well as completed 50-100 hours of continuing education training.
Nutritional counseling
Nutritional counseling is an assessment tool used to analyze various health needs related to diet and exercise. Nutritional counselors can help set realistic health goals that you can stick with throughout life, and show you how to keep them fulfilled. Nutritional therapy may also be offered as an alternative treatment program in eating disorder residential programs.
Nutritional counselors can help patients assess their current food consumption and eating habits as well as develop sustainable meal plans to manage chronic conditions like diabetes or cardiovascular disease that often necessitate diet changes. This service is especially valuable for people living with these diseases that necessitate dietary adjustments for managing.
Nutritional counseling sessions typically start off with a food frequency questionnaire that helps the counselor gain an understanding of what meals and snacks an individual consumes throughout the day. Once this data has been compiled, an analysis is conducted to assess their total energy and nutrient consumption, which then allows a nutritional counselor to assist their patient in creating a plan designed to enhance overall health while working closely with their physician if necessary.
Nutritional counseling is a fundamental element of integrative medicine. Unfortunately, most insurance plans only cover partial costs. One effective way to cover these costs is with a health savings account: you can use these funds to cover things such as acupuncture or nutritional counseling services – both provide significant health benefits that nurses must understand more about.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture has been practiced in Asia for centuries and more recently in the West to treat back problems, nerve conditions (like shingles), headaches and menstrual cramps. Acupuncture involves inserting extremely thin needles into specific points on the body called acupoints which are believed to correspond with certain energy pathways called meridians in your body – any imbalance between yin and yang or the flow of Qi is believed to lead to health issues and must remain balanced otherwise health complications will ensue.
Studies suggest that acupuncture relieves pain by altering how painful signals reach the brain and stimulating natural substances within the body – including endorphins – that act to mitigate pain. Achieving lasting relief may take multiple sessions.
Before considering acupuncture, be sure to find a licensed practitioner who follows state and federal regulations for infection control. They should use single-use, sterile needles that swab each point with alcohol before use; additionally those with low white blood cell counts shouldn’t use it, as it increases their risk of infection. Also remember that people may experience some brief discomfort before their sessions but usually go away quickly – an indicator that treatment is effective! In general the discomfort experienced usually compares favorably to pain experienced after medical procedures or surgeries compared with post-surgery discomfort felt by patients after medical procedures or surgeries!
Chiropractic care
Chiropractic is a health care profession dedicated to the spine, muscles, joints and nervous system. Chiropractors diagnose issues that interfere with how your body moves before employing hands-on manipulation techniques to restore alignment – helping alleviate pain while increasing function. The term “chiropractic” derives from Greek words cheir (hand) and praxis (practice); there are over 100 distinct chiropractic techniques; spinal manipulation being the most frequently practiced.
Chiropractors provide nutrition, diet and exercise counseling as well as home exercises you can do yourself to alleviate discomfort. In addition, chiropractors treat a wide variety of health conditions such as headaches, back and neck pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Chiropractics strive to prevent and alleviate back, muscle, and joint issues by maintaining the health of their musculoskeletal systems – which includes bones, muscles, ligaments, cartilage – which supports your body, enables movement, and provides the basis for immune defenses. Maintaining these systems’ wellbeing is of great significance in maintaining overall good health.
Chiropractors believe in your body’s inherent ability to heal itself, an ancient philosophical belief rooted in harmony with nature that can be disturbed by illness and injury. This approach differs significantly from standard medical solutions which rely on drugs and surgery for treatment.
Yoga
Yoga has quickly gained prominence within medicine. Studies demonstrate its benefits on musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health; stress reduction; anxiety reduction; depression reduction; and even mitigating the effects of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Yoga can improve respiratory health by soothing the nervous system and slowing breathing patterns. A meta-study published by Lancet found that those who regularly practice yoga take fewer yet deeper and more efficient breaths, leading to higher maximum breath volume and improved oxygen saturation levels.
Regular yoga practice can help you become more present, which may in turn reduce destructive emotions like anger. Research indicates this through increasing feelings of compassion and interconnection while simultaneously soothing your nervous system and mind. Yoga may even help develop greater equanimity which allows one to remain composed when dealing with difficult or upsetting situations.
Yoga provides you with the tools to make necessary changes in your life. The “tapas,” or discipline built through practicing yoga can extend beyond its practice, helping overcome inertia and break dysfunctional patterns in other aspects of your life. More psychotherapists are encouraging yoga as part of trauma survivors’ treatment protocols and are encouraging it alongside traditional psychotherapy methods.
