FNP 590 WEEK 7 DISCUSSION 1| LATEST CASE

FNP 590 WEEK 7 DISCUSSION 1| LATEST CASE Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is the use of health promoting services, products, or systems that are not generally included in traditional Western or conventional medicine (Edelman & Kudzma, 2018). Complementary medicine is when CAM is used in conjunction with traditional medicine while the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health defines alternative medicine as the use of CAM instead of conventional medicine (Edelman & Kudzma, 2018). While CAM is relatively new to the healthcare industry, the use of CAM dates back to more than 5000 years. With growing popularity in mainstream healthcare, nurse practitioners must understand the use of CAM and how to safely and effectively implement it to facilitate integrative care (Edelman & Kudzma, 2018). Biologically based practices are a sub-category of CAM, which includes herbal therapy and the use of other natural products. It is estimated that 80% of the world uses some sort of herbal therapy. Despite their popularity, there are few regulations regarding the manufacturing, quality control, and ingredients of herbal products (Edelman & Kudzma, 2018). While they are very loosely regulated, herbal remedies can interact with the body in the same way prescription drugs do. Given their potential reactions with prescription medications and complications with surgical interventions, it is important that the nurse practitioner understands these reactions and closely reviews the patient’s information. For instance, evidence shows that the hawthorn herb is an effective cardiotonic (Orhan, 2018). It can also have side effects such as nausea, fatigue, headaches, palpitations, etc. Given it’s cardiotonic effects, the nurse will want to carefully review any heart medications the patient is taking to avoid any interactions (Orhan, 2018). The nurse practitioner will need to be knowledgeable and provide the appropriate education while creating an open environment for the patient.