Where are all of the holistic nurses?

[PaleoNurse]

I would love for this holistic nursing forum to be more active! I am been so immersed in the holistic/integrative world for the last few years that it is odd to me when I read a lot of the posts in the general nursing forum. It reminds me of how grateful I am to have discovered alternative health.

If you are a holistic nurse, what brought you to the field? What does your current practice look like?

I became involved in holistic nursing and functional medicine almost 3 years ago. I was diagnosed with 3 autoimmune diseases and I was really struggling and very ill for a while. Then I discovered food as medicine and the transformation in my health was remarkable. I went back to school for additional certifications in holistic nutrition and herbalism and now I have a practice nutritional therapy and functional medicine practice.

I'd love to connect with other like-minded nurses!

[MunoRN, RN]

"Holistic" nurses aren't hard to find since a holistic care focus is part of every nurse's scope. If you're referring to "CAM" nurses then that is entirely different thing, unfortunately the term "holistic" has been used completely incorrectly by CAM focused nurses.

"Holistic" refers to caring for a patient using a wide variety of modalities, including but not limited to medical modalities as well as complimentary/alternative (CAM) methods. The types of modalities used depends on the patient's preference. Focusing solely on CAM modalities is actually less holistic than the spectrum most nurses practice in.

[ixchel]

[vikivail26]

I would love to learn more. Where did you go to school?

[vikivail26]

I love the oils to and I am getting into clean eating right now. I would love to hear more about your Holistic practice.

[minute22]

I love this. A small community for Holistic nurses. I plan to be a mental health nurse.

I need all the hands- on experience I can get at a holistic setting before writing the exam

hopefully and God willing.

[tylerpenn]

Im going to try to bring this one thread back to life. I too am quite surpised more nurses have not jumped on board of this specialty. Im not a nurse yet but Im a public health student looking to get into nursing to eventually practice integrative medicine as an ARNP. Interestingly I dont see alot of famous holistic ARNP like you do MDs, DOs, DC, LAC etc. Dr Mark Hymen is both Bill clintons and Hillary clintons personal physicians and he is the chairmen of the institute for functional and integrative medicine. In the affordable care act it made reference to "integrative healthcare" multiple times. Also I found a grant that physician residents can get for training in integrative medicine from the department of health and human services for Preventative medicine residency with integrative health care training. and in the description is says "preventive medicine physicians who can address public health needs, advance preventive medicine practices, increase access to integrative health care"

" Harvey Fineberg's 5 dimensions of integrative medicine included: health care that 1) embraces the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual factors; 2) encompasses a full spectrum of health interventions including approaches to prevention, to treatment, to rehabilitation, and to recovery; 3) emphasizes coordination of care across an array of caregivers and institutions; 4) is patient-centered; and 5) is open to multiple modalities of care, not just ‘usual care,” but also unconventional care that helps patients manage, maintain, and restore health".

[MauraRN]

Holistic nursing does NOT mean just integrating CAM into your practice. It means viewing your patient as a whole person and not just a disease. I think a holistic viewpoint is incredibly important when dealing with socioeconomically and/or medically at-risk populations.

Nutritional intervention might mean decreasing soda consumption or helping patients identify the healthiest fast food choices. Lifestyle intervention might mean harm reduction for IV drug users.

Holistic nursing is not about wheatgrass juice and reiki; it's about meeting patients where they are at and looking at the impact of disease on their life, and the impact of their life on the disease course.

This is a snarky comment about Holistic practices. I did not miss the sarcasm "wheatgrass juice and Reiki". If getting a patient to drink less soda is all that you accomplish with that patient, you have not helped much at all. If we Holistic Nurses weren't out here making a difference and a living, the ANA and the FDA would not be so interested in us.

[MauraRN]

Lately, I have seen a lot of marketing by Integrative Nurses, AHNCC and other organizations trying to get on board the Holistic bandwagon. I studied for, and passed all of the pre-testing for HN-BC but ended up not taking it. Something about the Nursing profession hijacking the fruits of the Holistic movement is annoying to me. Why take such awesome modalities and twist them with crazy NANDA language?

[ixchel]

This is a snarky comment about Holistic practices. I did not miss the sarcasm "wheatgrass juice and Reiki". If getting a patient to drink less soda is all that you accomplish with that patient, you have not helped much at all. If we Holistic Nurses weren't out here making a difference and a living, the ANA and the FDA would not be so interested in us.

There was absolutely no snark in the comment you responded to. It was a very spot on comment saying you guys keep using that word, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS.

[ixchel]

Lately, I have seen a lot of marketing by Integrative Nurses, AHNCC and other organizations trying to get on board the Holistic bandwagon. I studied for, and passed all of the pre-testing for HN-BC but ended up not taking it. Something about the Nursing profession hijacking the fruits of the Holistic movement is annoying to me. Why take such awesome modalities and twist them with crazy NANDA language?

Something about the CAM movement hijacking the word holistic is annoying to me.

And really, while we're on the topic, when evidence backs a practice being beneficial, nursing will back it. Are you really suggesting a large portion of the medical world should leave "your" treatment modalities alone because all your hipster friends made it cool?

[2nurse2teach]

I am a certified women's health NP, and working as ADN faculty for the past 7 years. I am interested in moving into (or developing) a functional medicine/holistic type practice. What did you do for training? I'm looking at Functional Medicine University, and also aromatherapy certification.

[Steeleworks]

One comment mentioned the need for science before nursing will back us.

One of our biggest challenges as holistic nurses is trying to fit into a world that demands science, even if it is bought and paid for biased commercialism.

There is science to back most of what holistic nurses are doing. There is common sense too. Cows, antelope and deer have strong bones but do not drink milk once weaned. Now the science says milk is not good for strong bones, rather, for protein and low fat milk will even decrease bone density. Yet there is the mind set the advertising has created that we have to overcome.

Raw cruciferous veggies have cysteine that our bodies turns into glutathione (GSH). There are over 80,000 studies on glutathione and what it does. And the studies say it can be made inside us or taken. If you cannot afford an IV GSH or don't want a DIY GSH suppository or cannot afford the 'Totally Awesome Clinically Proven' $79.95 - $600 a month 'MLM GSH Boosting Product,' then simply eat right. Do we really need a study to say "Eating Right Improves Health?' No question, the MLM stuff works. If you can afford $600 a month, it will even reverse your leukemia or possibly end your AIDS as it did for 10 of 16 pediatric AID's patients in McGill Hospital according to one study over 10-15 years. What we are missing about this, they have an incredible marketing machine, solidarity, a culture and a network which is why they succeed and many holistic nurses are struggling.

We are competing with commercialism and at the same time, non-consumption, not science.

Ironically, there is science to back up everything we do in the holistic field. It just requires digging, turning over some books and occasionally, simply thinking. There is even research on the spiritual side of healing too. It is there.

It took almost 30 years for Dr. Lind to get lemons as a treatment for scurvy. Today it takes at least 15 years for change to take effect in healthcare.

Lets see, I started in 98 (when still a LPN) introducing holistic nursing in the hospital. I heard just last year that a college in my state started to study one of the treatments that I started promoting in the hospital almost 18 years ago...black strap molasses and peanut butter (now almond butter to avoid the risk of mold) to increase the TIBC and avoid blood transfusions in those who did not want it for 1) religious reasons, and 2) scientific reasons (mostly doctors, health care professionals, PHD's and police officers according to one study). None of those I case managed (most were not Jehovah's Witnesses by the way) ever died even with my lowest blood count Hgb 2.9.Oh yea, and the ads, Blood saves lives. Well, "Not according to the science," says Dr. Richard Spence, an expert on bloodless medicine and surgery. "All the high level studies show that any to the more blood you get, the greater the morbidity and mortality," he said, not to mention immunomodulation (decreased immunity) for life.

My point, we are competing with a commercial system, not science.

And one last point...When I suggested gum chewing to decrease post op illus risk, you know who gave me the most grief? Not doctors. It was other nurses. The docs to a one said, Why didn't we think of this?

Maybe we have to also compete with thinking or a lack of it, too.

There is a saying in marketing. Give people what they need and you will make a living. Give people what they want and you will make a million. We need to get people to want health.