Introduction
More and more patients want options for alternative treatments that can be used alone or in conjunction with conventional treatments. Patients with chronic conditions will often seek out some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). It is important that nurses have an understanding of the types of CAM so that they can make recommendations and safely advise their patients.
Case Study
Mr. Yakisoma is a 55-year-old Asian male with numerous chronic illnesses, including the following:
Chronic lower back pain
Diabetes mellitus
Hypertension
Dyslipidemia
BPH
Depression
He takes the following prescription medications for his conditions:
Tramadol: 100 mg Q 45 hrs.
Lisinopril: 40 mg DQ
Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ): 25 mg QD
Metformin: XR 2 G day
Sitagliptin: 100 mg DQ
Simvastatin: 40 mg HS
Sertraline: 50 mg QD
ASA EC: 81 mg QD
Other important information about Mr. Yakisoma is as follows:
His vital signs in the clinic today are as follows:
145/90
P-75
R-20
O2 Sat 98% on RA
He rates his lower back pain an 8/10, saying It always hurts; I cant even play with my grandkids.
He reports that he does not sleep well at night.
He says, “I cannot exercise because my back hurts too much.
His diabetes is not well-controlled.
His A1C is currently at 8.0.
His cholesterol is not controlled, with the following lipid values:
Total cholesterol: 235 mg/dl
LDL: 110 mg/dl
HDL: 30 mg/dl
Trig: 450 mg/dl
He reports that he is often depressed about how many illnesses he has and how many medications he has to take, and says, I just want to enjoy my life again, decrease my pain, and be active.
You are working with a nurse practitioner in a busy primary care clinic. The nurse practitioner has only 20 minutes to spend with Mr. Yakisoma. She knows that you are studying complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and asks you to give some recommendations for CAM that would be safe and therapeutic for this patient. Mr. Yakisoma has a strong interest in alternative treatments. He says, I dont want to take all of those prescription medications, and they are bad for you!
Mr. Yakisoma, the case study patient, has multiple chronic diseases, including pain. Your first task is to identify 1 mindbody technique (e.g., yoga, meditation, hypnotherapy, guided imagery, dreamwork, intuition, music therapy, biofeedback, or animal-assistive therapy) that could be applied to this patient’s case. Conduct a literature review, and use evidence-based research to support or refute the recommended CAM treatment. You should utilize at least 3 research articles to support your assertions about the type of mindbody technique that you choose.
You should review each of the 3 research articles and present the following in a document of 46 pages, excluding title page and reference page:
State the therapy you selected.
State what condition the case study patient could use this for.
Report what the research has to say on this therapy.
Report what each of the 3 studies was about.
State how each of the 3 studies was conducted.
What were the results of each of the 3 studies?
Explain to the nurse practitioner how she can use this study for this patient’s case.
