NR391 Transcultural Nursing

Common Illnesses and the Use of CAM (graded)

Our patients come to us after exploring various avenues of self-help. At times, these avenues involve the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies. Select a common (or not so common) illness/ or condition that affects a specific ethnic group/ or cultural group or vulnerable population.

Name the condition/ or illness and the group/ or population.

Identify two (2) CAM therapies that patients are likely to try before seeking (or in addition to) allopathic, osteopathic, or ayurvedic medical intervention for the illness or /condition.

Discuss the effectiveness of each therapy you identified.

Describe how you would answer an individual who asks you for your professional advice about the use of these CAM therapies.

Common Disease Affecting Asian Women

According to Sultana (2017) article, Asian American women are at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis. Asian American women who are 50 years old and above have a low bone density, this means that their bones are weakening even though they have not yet developed osteoporosis.

CAM Therapies

Lifestyle modifications and exercises such as yoga are some of the CAM therapies that a patient is likely to try before seeking medical help. Lifestyle modifications include avoiding smoking and alcohol. Exercises such as yoga are also used by patients.

Effectiveness of the Therapies

Smoking affects bone health even during the old age; therefore, lifestyle modification like avoiding this is an effective way of dealing with osteoporosis since it will slow down the weakening of the bones. Yoga can also be effective in dealing with osteoporosis since it helps to maintain and increase bone density. In addition, yoga helps in establishing better balance and coordination which may protect an individual from falling and getting osteoporotic fractures (Puspita, Siregar & Adenin, 2017)

How to answer an Individual who needs Professional Advice

I would recommend that an individual seeks medical advice first from a licensed doctor. This is to establish the extent of the condition in the individual. Depending on the condition of the individual, then I would advise them on whether or not they should use these CAM therapies. This is because some therapies such as exercises might worsen the condition. I would advise them that they should avoid smoking since it will help with the condition and even avoid other additional health complications.

References

Puspita, E. M., Siregar, M. F. G., & Adenin, (2017). Correlation of Estradiol Serum Levels with Classification of Osteoporosis Risk OSTA (Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tools for Asian) in Menopause Women.

Sultana, S. (2017). Understanding the Impact of Periodontal Status in Pre & Post-Menopausal Women with Generalized Chronic Periodontitis and Osteoporosis: A Cross-Sectional Study. Global Journal of Health Science, 9(4), 204.