Complementary Therapies

Complementary Therapies

Abstract

Complementary therapies are the medication methods that are employed alongside the conventional treatments prescribed by a medical doctor. The administration of complementary therapy is crucial in the management of cancer and nurses should be well conversant with the requirements of administering the therapy. The study considers an analysis of evidence from several scholarly articles. The study considered several scholarly articles and compared the results from each article to ensure the comprehensiveness of the study. The evidence obtained from the literature shows that complementary therapy is useful in improving the quality of life among patients. The different studies leave a gap in that; the studies only assess the efficacy of complementary therapy on menopause alone. The different researches are faced with a lot of limitations such as inadequate consideration of modernization on menopause.

Introduction and Methodology

Complementary therapies are the medication methods that are employed alongside the conventional treatments prescribed by a medical doctor. The aim of complementary therapy is always to help the recipients feel better as well as improving their quality of life. Complementary therapies may effectively help patients to cope better with symptoms that come with certain conditions as well as adapting to the side effects of various treatments given for some conditions. An idea of interest could be to assess the impact and use of complementary therapies is comprised of cancer patients. Cancer being a non-curable condition at advanced stages requires proper understanding on the medication to be given, the symptoms to be expected, the side effects of the medication given, as well as the therapies, to be subjected on the patients. The nursing sector requires sufficient information on acceptable practices while dealing with cancer patients. The administration of complementary therapy is crucial in the management of cancer and nurses should be well conversant with the requirements of administering the therapy. An excellent complementary therapist should be able to communicate freely with cancer patients and give correct information concerning the condition. This study covers the use of complimentary therapy among menopausal women.

The method of research in this study was based on scholarly articles from researchers who had an interest in the application of complementary therapies. Internet was the source of articles used to give the evidence and information required in this study. The choice of the articles to use in the study was determined by the exhaustiveness of the details provided concerning the topic of discussion. For example, an excellent article to use in obtaining the literature should have a well-defined method of analysis showing a proper understanding of the topic in question. The author(s) should completely achieve the objectives of the study. The conclusions drawn from the study considered should also be sensible in that the researchers should connect the conclusions to the evidence provided in the analysis. The study considered several scholarly articles and compared the results from each article to ensure the comprehensiveness of the study.

Use of Acupuncture during Menopause Transition

Zhishun et al. (2018) did research to assess the impact of Acupuncture in addressing the symptoms that occur in women during the menopause transition. The study was based on the claim that evidence on the application of acupuncture to control the symptoms of menopause transition lacked even after several studies. The researchers were led by the primary objective of evaluating the efficacy of acupuncture used to relieve the symptoms of menopause transition in women. The study design was done in a way such that, a randomized participant-blinded trial was done in China through a prospective and multicenter process. The study involved studying a cohort of women throughout a twenty-four session treatment at traditional medicinal points. The primary outcome of the study was that a change was witnessed from the baseline stage in the total score recorded from a Menopause Rating Scale. The secondary outcome from the study was the change from the baseline 24-hour average score from the Menopause Rating Scale. The analysis was done by testing hypotheses using a probability value of less than five percent. The study was done on 360 women split into two equal groups who had been identified with menopause-related symptoms. The first noticeable results were obtained at week eight with the menopause rating score going down to 6.3 percent. For the secondary results, the reduction was noticed at weeks eight, twenty and thirty-two. The researchers concluded that the treatment did not indicate relief from menopausal symptoms. However, the complimentary acupuncture therapy was seen to improve the quality of life among women at the menopause transition age.

Aromatherapy as a Complimentary Therapy

Research by Kazemzadeh et al. (2016) assessed the impact of Aromatherapy in the management of hot flushing as a symptom of the menopause transition. The study was aimed at evaluating the extent to which hot flushing reduced the quality of life among menopausal women despite not having significant health impacts. The study involved a double-blinded cross-over clinical trial that included 100 women 45–55 years of age. The women had been referred to various health centers situated in Ardabil, Iran between 2013 and 2014. The samples used in the study were picked randomly and divided into two intervention and control groups. The groups were divided into two with Lavender being the intervention group while diluted milk formed the control group. The subjects were made to smell Lavender aroma for 20 minutes twice each day and the study was spread over 12 weeks. The collection of the Data was done using a demographic questionnaire with the flushing numbers being recorded. The analysis of the data was done using SPSS to apply the Chi-squared and t-tests in concluding. The researchers found out that both groups did not have any significant difference according to the probability value used. Besides, the researchers found out that the flushing number decreased in the intervention group more than in the control group. The conclusions drawn from the study were that the use of lavender aromatherapy could be trusted to reduce menopause hot flushing.

Acupuncture for Hot Flushes

Carolyn et al. (2016) did research to assess the efficiency of Acupuncture in the treatment of hot flushes at menopause. The primary objective of the study was to assess the efficacy of using Chinese medicine known as acupuncture instead of the sham acupuncture commonly used for menopausal hot flushes. The study was done in Australia using a stratified controlled trial with the use of equal allocation. The study was done on a sample comprising of women aged above 40 years and in their late years of menopausal transition or post menopause with at least an average of 7 moderate hot flushes each day. The subjects were rated according to the Chinese medicine diagnosis of kidney-yin deficiency. The study analyzed ten treatments over eight-week duration with two groups according to either the Chinese medicine standards or the non-insertive sham acupuncture. The primary outcome of the investigation was the hit flush score at the end of every treatment. Also, the secondary results were observed from the quality of life, anxiety, cases of depression and adverse health-related events. The assessment of the participants was done every four weeks, at the end of each treatment and later at 3 and six months after the end of the last treatment. The linear mixed effects models were applied to make the analysis successful. A total of 327 women were assigned randomly to acupuncture or sham acupuncture. After the last treatment, 16% of participants initially in the acupuncture group and 13% initially in the sham group could not be traced for follow-up and thus were considered censored. The censored individuals did not affect the conclusions drawn. The Mean hot flush scores at the end of the entire treatment were 15.36 for the acupuncture group while the sham group enjoyed 15.04. The researchers concluded that the Chinese acupuncture was not any superior as compared to the commonly used sham acupuncture.

Similar research was done by Baccetti et al. (2014) to test the efficacy of acupuncture on relieving menopausal hot flushes. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on hot flushes and other menopause-related symptoms. The study assessed the use of therapy in an integrated system, including diet therapy and self-massage. The research was done on a hundred women at the menopause stage having gone through at least three episodes of hot flushes. The sample was divided into two groups, and the participants in the groups were subjected to similar diet and self-massage training. The treatment with acupuncture began at week six after the beginning of the study. The treatment was done twice every six weeks. The measurement of mean change in frequency and intensity in menopause-related symptoms was done using questionnaires at the end of each treatment week.

Aromatherapy Massage versus Placebo Massage

Darsareh et al. (2012) assessed the effect of aromatherapy massage on menopausal related symptoms. The researchers were motivated by the significance of Menopause event in most women’s lives because it always marks the end of the women’s reproductive life. The primary objective of the study was to determine the effect of applying aromatherapy massage on women with menopausal symptoms. The study was based on a random placebo-controlled trial, which was conducted at a menopausal-care clinic in a gynecology hospital based in Tehran. The study used a sample population that comprised of 90 women. Each woman was assigned to a placebo massage group, an aromatherapy massage group, or a control group. The individuals in the aromatherapy massage group were subjected to a 30-minute aromatherapy treatment session twice every week. The aromatherapy treatment was conducted for four weeks using aroma oil. The participants in the placebo massage group were subjected to similar treatment, but the treatment was done using plain oil. The control group was not subjected to any form of treatment. The researchers were interested in outcomes related to menopausal symptom measures, which were obtained from a menopause rating scale. The researchers found out that the mean level of the menopausal score was not different between the study groups. However, a significant difference in the menopause rating scale among the study groups was noticed after eight sessions of intervention. Further analysis revealed that women in both the aromatherapy massage group and the placebo massage group showed lower menopausal scores than the women in the control group. The comparison between the aromatherapy massage and the placebo massage groups showed that the menopausal score of the aromatherapy group was lower than in the placebo group. The researchers concluded that both placebo and aromatherapy massage was effective in reducing menopausal symptoms. A further conclusion was that aromatherapy was more effective than the other forms of massage.

Aromatherapy Inhalation

Bakhtiari et al. (2019) did research to assess the effect of inhaling aromatherapy among women at the Menopause transition stage. The study was done by contacting a randomized, controlled trial on 62 women past the menopausal stage. The study considered individuals who had been referred to health centers of Isfahan, Iran. The sample was divided into two groups comprising of control and an intervention group. The intervention group was subjected to a 2% lavender essential oil each night. The therapy was done daily before bedtime for 20 minutes and was done for a whole month. The control group was subjected to a placebo instead of lavender oil. The data used in the study was obtained through questionnaires, and the results analyzed using SPSS to model descriptive and inferential statistical tests. The results obtained after an independent t-test showed that the mean score was significantly different between the two groups. The researchers concluded that inhaling lavender aromatherapy improved the quality of living among women in the menopausal stage and significantly reduced the complications associated with menopausal symptoms.

Supplements

A study was done by Reed et al. (2014) to assess the impact of supplements in improving the quality of life among women at the menopausal stage. The study was done on women aged between 42 and 60 years. The sample under study involved 355 women, and the sample was divided into two groups. The results from the study were based on 338 women since some of them did not complete the study. The results did not show any difference between the study groups. The researchers concluded that women who become menopausal seek medical advice on ways to improve quality of life. Also, another conclusion was that yoga appears to improve the quality of life among women at the menopausal stage.

Discussion

The evidence obtained from the literature shows that complementary therapy is useful in improving the quality of life among patients. Complimentary therapy can be used for individuals suffering from different conditions. Menopausal symptoms appear to trouble several women who in turn end up seeking medical advice. Since menopause is a stage that cannot be avoided, the only solution that is available for women is complementary therapy that tries to relieve women from the adverse complications of menopausal symptoms. One of the proposed complimentary therapy measures is the use of aromatherapy to relieve women from hot flushes that come with menopause. Also, various researchers have recommended the use of aromatherapy massage to relieve women from menopausal symptoms. However, the different studies leave a gap in that; the studies only assess the efficacy of complementary therapy on menopause alone. The study does not cover critical areas where complimentary therapy is widely applied such as in the management of cancer. The different researches are faced with a lot of limitations such as inadequate consideration of modernization on menopause.

References

Baccetti, S., Da Frè, M., Becorpi, A., Faedda, M., Guerrera, A., Monechi, M. V., …Parazzini, F. (2014). Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine for Hot Flushes in Menopause: A Randomized Trial. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 20(7), 550–557. doi:10.1089/acm.2012.0499

Bakhtiari, S., Paki, S., Khalili, A., Baradaranfard, F., Mosleh, S., &Jokar, M. (2019). Effect of lavender aromatherapy through inhalation on quality of life among postmenopausal women covered by a governmental health center in isfahan, iran: A single-blind clinical trial. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 34, 46–50. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.11.001

Darsareh, F., Taavoni, S., Joolaee, S. and Haghani, H. (2012). Effect of aromatherapy massage on menopausal symptoms. Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society, 19(9), 995-999. doi: 10.1097/gme.0b013e318248ea16

Ee, C., Xue, C., Chondros, P., Myers, S. P., French, S. D., Teede, H., &Pirotta, M. (2016). Acupuncture for menopausal hot flashes: A randomized trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 164(3), 146–154. doi:10.7326/M15-1380

Kazemzedah, R., Nikjou, R., Rostamnegad, M., &Norouzi, H. (2016). Effect of lavender aromatherapy on menopause hot flushing: A crossover randomized clinical trial. Journal of the Chinese Medical Association, 79(9), 489-492. doi: 10.1016/j.jcma.2016.01.020

Liu, Z., Ai, Y., Wang, W., Zhou, K., He, L., Dong, G., … Zhou, J. (2018). Acupuncture for symptoms in menopause transition: A randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 219(4), 373.e1-373.e10. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2018.08.019

Peng, W., Adams, J., Hickman, L., &Sibbritt, D. W. (2015). Association between consultations with complementary/alternative medicine practitioners and menopause-related symptoms: a cross-sectional study. Climacteric, 18(4), 551–558. doi:10.3109/13697137.2014.989828

Reed, S. D., Guthrie, K. A., Newton, K. M., Anderson, G. L., Booth-LaForce, C., Caan, B., … LaCroix, A. Z. (2014). Menopausal quality of life: Rct of yoga, exercise, and omega-3 supplements. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 210(3), 244.e1-244.e11. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2013.11.016