Complementary and Alternative Therapies/Pain Management Flashcards
Define complementary and alternative medicine.
an array of health care approaches with a history of use or origins outside of mainstream medicine.
What are complementary therapies?
(integrative therapies) therapies used in addition to or together with conventional treatment recommended by a person’s health care provider
What are some examples of complementary therapies?
therapeutic touch, guided imagery, massage, reflexology, prayer, hypnotherapy, creative therapies
How do alternative therapies differ and how are they the same as complementary therapies?
Alternative therapies become the primary treatment and replace conventional medical care but may include same interventions as complementary therapies.
What are alternative therapies?
Therapies based on (allopathic) conventional pathophysiology and anatomy while acknowledging the mind-body connection.
What are Whole Medical Systems?
Therapies based on completely different philosophies and life systems than those used by allopathic (conventional) medicine.
What types of therapy is included in Whole Medical Systems?
traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda (practiced in India), and Naturopathy
What is Integrative health care?
Health care that emphasizes the importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient, focuses on the whole person, and informed by evidence.
relaxation response
the state of generalized decreased cognitive, physiological, and/or behavioral arousal
progressive relaxation
training that teaches a person how to effectively rest and reduce tension in the body.
passive relaxation
the process of calming the mind and body intentionally without the need to tighten and relax any particular body part.
What is a limitation of relaxation therapy?
increased sensitivity in detecting muscle tensions
Meditation
any activity that limits stimulus input by directing attention to a single unchanging or repetitive stimulus (person becomes more aware of self)
What is a benefit of mediation?
lowers O2 consumption
reduces RR and HR
reduces anxiety
lowers BP
What are some limitations of meditation?
- may become hypertensive
- may enhance effects of certain drugs
Imagery
a mind-body therapy that uses the conscious mind to create mental images to stimulate physical changes in the body, improve perceived well-being, and/or enhance self-awareness
What is a benefit of imagery?
pain control
What are the limitations of imagery?
none - very few side effects
Biofeedback
a mind-body technique that uses instruments to teach self-regulation and voluntary self-control over specific physiological responses. (immediate feedback is provided)
What is the intended purpose of acupuncture?
it regulates or realigns vital energy (qui), which flows through channels in the form of a system of pathways called meridians.
What is a desired effect of acupuncture?
pain relief
What is the intended purpose of therapeutic touch?
to affect energy fields with conscious intent to help or heal
What are the 5 phases of therapeutic touch?
- centering
- assessing
- unruffling
- treating
5 evaluation
What is the basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine?
“Life in balance”
Health promotion based on Yin and Yang - opposing, complementary forces that exist in dynamic equilibrium
What are the methods of evaluation in traditional chinese medicine?
- Observing
- Hearing/smelling
- Asking/interviewing
- Touching/palpating
natural product
a chemical compound or substance produced by a living organism
physical dependence
a state of adaptation that is manifested by a drug class-specific withdrawal syndrome produced by abrupt cessation, rapid dose reduction, decreasing blood level of the drug, and/or administration of an antagonist
addiction
a primary, chronic, neurobiological disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations
drug tolerance
a state of adaption in which exposure to a drug induces changes that result in a diminution of one or more effects of the drug over time
placebos
pharmacologically inactive preparations or procedures that produce no beneficial or therapeutic effect.
Acute/transient pain
pain that is protective, usually has an identifiable cause, is of short duration, and has limited tissue damage and emotional response - usually reversible
Chronic/persistent noncancer pain
pain that is NOT protective, lasts longer than 3 mos., has no purpose, and may or may not have an identifiable cause
Chronic episodic pain
pain that occurs sporadically over an extended duration
Cancer pain
can be acute or chronic
idiopathic pain
chronic pain without identifiable physical or psychological cause
nociceptive pain
pain that results from damage to body tissue described as sharp, aching or throbbing
What are the two classifications of nociceptive pain?
Somatic: comes from bone, joint, muscle, skin, or connective tissue
Visceral pain: arises from visceral organs such as the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas
What are the two classifications of neuropathic pain?
Centerally generated: CNS or ANS
Peripherally generated: polyneuropathies and mononeuropathies
breakthrough pain
severe pain that erupts while a patient is already medicated with a long-acting painkiller.
What are some types of breakthrough pain?
- incident pain: predictable and elicited by specific behaviors or triggers such as a voluntary act (walking), involuntary act (coughing) or treatments (dressing changes)
- end-of-dose pain: occurs toward the end of the usual dosing interval of a regular scheduled analgesic
- spontaneous pain: unpredictable and not associated with any activity or event
What are the four physiological processes of normal pain?
- Transduction: converts energy produced by the stimuli into electrical energy
- Transmission: sending of impulse across a sensory pain nerve fiber (nocicpter)
- Perception: the point at which a person is aware of pain
- Modulation: inhibits pain impulse (protective reflex)
What are physiological factors that influence pain?
age, fatigue, genes, neurological function
What are social factors that influence pain?
attention, previous experiences, family and social support, spiritual
What are psychological factors that influence pain?
anxiety, coping style
What is the ABCDE routine clinical approach to pain assessment?
- Ask about pain regularly
- Believe the patient
- Choose appropriate pain control options
- Deliver timely and logical interventions
- Empower patient
What are characteristics of pain?
Timing Location Severity Quality Aggravating factors Relief measures
What are some possible sources for errors in pain assessment?
Bias Vague or unclear questions Inappropriate assessment tools Inappropriate medical terms Unclear patients cognitively impaired patients
What are some nursing diagnoses relating to pain?
Activity Intolerance Fatigue Impaired social interaction Anxiety Insomnia Ineffective coping Impaired physical mobility
What are the three types of analgesics?
- nonopioids
- opioids
- co-analgesics or adjuvants
What type of pain are nonopioids used for?
mild to moderate pain
What type of pain are opioids used for?
moderate to sever pain
What are adjuvants?
drugs used to treat other conditions but they also have analgesic qualities
