Complementary &
Alternative Therapies
Volume 18, Number 4 Fall 2001
Article Summaries
Editorial-Biblical
Alternatives by Judith Allen Shelly
Christians don't agree on use
of complementary and alternative therapies-some think
there's no harm in using them; others think they're of
the devil and should be avoided at all costs. Many health
principles referred to in the Bible could be classified
as alternative today. Shelly gives five of these principles
of caring for the sick and health promotion that help
us sort out which therapies in use now are within biblical
guidelines. Ultimately, the bottom line is that therapies
are acceptable if they don't require us to compromise
our good sense or our relationship with God.
When
Pills Don't Work: One Couple's Struggle for Health Through
Homeopathy by Julia D. Quiring-Emblen
This very personal story details this experienced
nurse's dilemma with her husband who has controlled his
severe rheumatoid arthritis for 35 years by following
the treatments of his homeopathic physician. When she
sees that that therapy is no longer effective for his
serious symptoms, should she insist on conventional medical
intervention, thereby destroying his faith and hope in
homeopathy, or watch him limit his treatment to homeopathic
treatment, with what she sees as dire consequences?
What
Is Homeopathy? (sidebar) by Donal P. O'Mathuna
This brief historical look on the beginnings of homeopathy
sheds light on the principles upon which it is founded.
Christian nurses should be alert for practitioners who
view their diluted medications as capable of adding spiritual
energy to the recipient through the mixing and shaking
process.
Making
Sense of Complementary & Alternative Therapies by Donal
P. O'Mathuna & Julia D. Quiring-Emblen
Recognizing the widespread use of complementary and
alternative therapies (CAM), the authors give us a comprehensive
look at them. They divide them into five main categories:
alternative medical systems; mind-body interventions;
biological-based therapies; manipulative and body-based
methods; and energy therapies. They then further categorize
and evaluate these therapies as complementary, scientifically
unproven, scientifically questionable, energy medicine,
and quackery and fraud. The rest of the article examines
the nurse's responsibility for persons using CAM, with
the final section focusing on what should be of concern
to the Christian nurse particularly. A useful annotated
bibliography is included as a sidebar.
The
Gentle Art of Touch by Karla A. Weinstock
This short article champions the importance of appropriate,
caring touch in our relationships with friends and family,
as well as in our compassionate care of patients.
Journey
into Another Realm: Seeking Answers in Energy Medicine
by Jeanne M. Ritchie
A physician's assistant is unhappy with the lack of
holistic treatment of patients in a conventional setting
and attends a conference to learn about alternative medicine.
She not only observed and learned, she became a practitioner
who was told God had blessed her with the gift of healing
through the manipulation of a person's energy field. This
is the story of her journey into alternative medicine
and how she came to realize that the power she had did
not come from God, and was, in fact, not compatible with
her faith.
Pharmacognosy:
What Nurses Need to Know About Herbal Remedies by Donal
P. O'Mathuna
The author seeks to develop general principles relevant
to all herbal remedies. He sees an important difference
between herbal medicine, or phytotherapy, and herbalism,
which has deeply developed spiritual roots. He lists some
causes for caution for us as nurses and ends with hope
and concerns about herbal remedies.
Henry
Meets His Match by Iris Niemann
If you've ever had a difficult, borderline violent,
patient to care for, you will relate to Iris's dilemma
in her relationship with Henry, a long-term care resident.
When Iris takes the time to really listen to the reason
behind Henry's anger, pain and distrust, she comes up
with a creative solution that breaks down the walls between
them.
Building
Confidence in Spiritual Care: Strategies & Outcomes by
Sandie Soldwisch
Soldwisch was challenged at a conference to help
her students integrate their faith with their learning.
The nursing faculty at North Park College in Chicago evaluated
what was presently being done in that regard and then
began to intentionally include more emphasis on spiritual
care in the curriculum and clinical experiences. The plan
was valued by the students and resulted in a new ease
of giving spiritual care to their patients. Sidebars of
a case situation with one student's responses before and
after taking the spirituality course are included as examples
of the behavioral changes in the spiritual care of her
patient.
Tristam
Engelhardt's Christian Bioethics: A Physician-Philosopher
Confronts Health Care in the Light of Faith by Susan A.
Salladay
Salladay interviews this bioethicist primarily about
the contents of his latest book, The Foundations of Christian
Bioethics. Englehardt came to faith in Christ in 1991,
and the experience transformed his life and outlook. He
seeks to help patients and those who care for them to
appreciate the deep divisions and conflicts between Christianity
and the surrounding secular world, of which we are all
a part. He discusses the dangers of generic spiritual
healing powers, which have gained in popularity because
of an aversion to commitment to traditional Christian
spirituality, and concludes with a section on the proper
way to face suffering and death as believers.
When
Tears Turn to Joy by Debbie L. Miller
In this short article, Miller shares an experience
with a patient that illustrates God's perfect timing.
She became an instrument of comfort and encouragement
to the patient's family.
Night
of Terror: Reflections on the Taiwan Earthquake by Jill
Pei-Lin Huang
Huang was home sleeping when the severe earthquake
hit. After assessing the situation, she made her way through
the blackness to the home for the elderly where she was
the nursing manager. Trusting in God for wisdom and direction,
and to quell her fear, she successfully evacuated her
patients to the inner court, keeping up their spirits
with singing and praying as the aftershocks continued.
With the help of others in the community, she persevered
through this tragedy, in which hundreds in the city were
killed, and gave glory to God in the process.
No
Nameless Faces by Marcena Walker
How important is it that we treat each patient we
care for as a person? Walker sees it as essential to save
the patient from having his identity lost in the impersonal
health care systems in which we work. One way is by always
using the patient's proper name in greetings and conversation.
We also need to take a sincere interest in the person
and listen with undivided attention. Reflecting back to
the patient what we have heard confirms that we understand
what he or she has said. As Christian nurses, we don't
want any nameless faces in the health care system.
A
Christian Psychiatric Unit: The Freedom to Believe by
Donald L. Haines
Christians often are faced with those who believe
that Christianity and psychiatry are incompatible. In
his long career as a psychiatric nurse, Haines worked
in places where a religious person, particularly a Christian,
was viewed with a jaundiced eye. Imagine his delight to
answer an ad for staff for a "Christian-focused psychiatric
unit." He was interviewed and quickly hired. In the unit,
he found much that was the same as in other places he
had worked, but also much that was different.
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2001 Issue
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