An Introduction to the Special Issue
“Healing,” my online dictionary says, is “the process of making or becoming sound or healthy again.” This definition raises more questions than it answers. What is this “process”? How is it achieved? What factors contribute to it? How are “sound” and “healthy” measured? What crit eria are involved? And what is actually becoming sound and healthy — a physiological function, cells, an organ, the body, the mind? (Source: Explore)
Source: Explore - April 21, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Larry Dossey Source Type: research
The Profound Importance of Language in Cultural Dynamics
In his reflections on usages of the word healing Professor Levin has, as he always does, given us an erudite and detailed analysis. In this case, however, I believe that his commitment to technical precision has led him into problematic territory. Healing is a very old natural language term. That is to say, it arose and developed in ordinary speech. When modern technical language appropriates natural language terms, and then seeks to rehabilitate them for technical use, serious difficulties are often created. (Source: Explore)
Source: Explore - April 21, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: David Hufford Source Type: research
Reflections on healing from a nursing perspective
Levin ′s scholarly paper highlights the dichotomy between the narrow and unidimensional biomedical definition of healing that focuses primarily on the physical healing of a wound or lesions with what he defines as complementary medicine′s use that is multidimensional (occurs on many levels including p hysical, emotional and spiritual) and may be seen as an intervention, an outcome or state, and a process. Levin refers to complementary medicine′s view of healing as disturbing and unfortunate, in part because it lacks precision. (Source: Explore)
Source: Explore - April 21, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Mary Jo Kreitzer Source Type: research
Healing: Moving Towards Health and Wholeness
Is healing primarily concerned with the repair of wounds and lesions, or can it be an intervention, an outcome, and a process? Dr. Jeff Levin suggests that the ambiguity of not having one clear definition for the word “healing” has serious implications for medical research and practice. He says that if the definition is not done carefully, then one must question the conclusions of studies on the subject of healing. (Source: Explore)
Source: Explore - April 21, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Bill Manahan Source Type: research
And Then a Miracle Occurs
“Healing. The word sounds so uncomplicated and comfortable, yet defining and understanding this concept is neither. Facilitating true healing is more difficult still, and recognizing it when we see it may be the most subtle work of all.”1 (Source: Explore)
Source: Explore - April 21, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Janet F. Quinn Source Type: research
Healing: we know it when we see it
Concern about the meaning of healing is legitimate for all the reasons posed by Jeff Levin. A more precise definition would be helpful in guiding future research, and in unusual cases an inadequately defined syntax or semantics might lead to costly legal entanglements. A recent example involving a missing comma serves to illustrate. (Source: Explore)
Source: Explore - April 21, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Dean Radin Source Type: research
Leading a Virtual Team
In my position as Director of the Integrative Health Coordinating Center for the Veterans Administration (VA), one of the interesting leadership challenges I have encountered is that of leading a virtual team. The VA Central Office oversees policy and operations for a widely-distributed health system (over 150 medical centers and thousands of community based facilities across fifty states and several territories) —so although our offices are located in Washington DC, most of our work happens virtually, and our immediate team is physically located across the country. (Source: Explore)
Source: Explore - April 21, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Benjamin Kligler Source Type: research
Fish oil supplementation during pregnancy may reduce risk of persistent wheeze or asthma in children in first 5 years of life
DynaMed is an evidence-based clinical reference, which is updated daily through systematic surveillance and critical appraisal of the research literature. DynaMed editors and reviewers select content of interest for integrative medicine, summarize the current evidence, and describe challenges in evidence analysis and application. Evidence quality is rated level 1 (likely reliable) evidence for studies with clinical outcomes and minimal risk of bias, level 2 (mid-level) evidence for studies with clinical outcomes and significant methodological or statistical limitations, and level 3 (lacking direct) evidence for reports tha...
Source: Explore - April 21, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Daniel A. Ostrovsky Source Type: research
Acupuncture for the prevention of tension-type headache (2016)
Non-specific low back pain is a common, potentially disabling condition usually treated with self-care and non-prescription medication. For chronic low back pain, current guidelines state that exercise therapy may be beneficial. Yoga is a mind-body exercise sometimes used for non-specific low back pain. (Source: Explore)
Source: Explore - April 21, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Alison Whitehead, L. Susan Wieland Source Type: research
Code Lavender: Cultivating Intentional Acts of Kindness in Response to Stressful Work Situations
Providing healthcare can be stressful. Gone unchecked, clinicians may experience decreased compassion, and increased burnout or secondary traumatic stress. Code Lavender is designed to increase acts of kindness after stressful workplace events occur. (Source: Explore)
Source: Explore - April 13, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Judy Davidson, Patricia Graham, Lori Montross-Thomas, William Norcross, Giovanna Zerbi Source Type: research
---
I figure this will be my most popular column ever …“How Not to Die!” It will go viral, on every news website, social media, medical news, and more. Who wouldn’t want to read this? Ponce de Leon’s fountain of youth at last perhaps. (Source: Explore)
Source: Explore - March 20, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Victor Sierpina Tags: Book Review Source Type: research
How Not to Die
Review by Victor Sierpina, MD (Source: Explore)
Source: Explore - March 19, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Michael Greger Source Type: research
Acupuncture for the prevention of tension-type headache (2016)
Acupuncture is often used for prevention of tension-type headache but its effectiveness is still controversial. This is an update of our Cochrane review originally published in Issue 1, 2009 of The Cochrane Library. (Source: Explore)
Source: Explore - March 3, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Arya Nielsen Tags: Cochrane Reviews Source Type: research
Therapeutic Intention: Into the Next Generation
The belief that one organism can affect the well-being of another through therapeutic intention (TI) alone is ancient; no one knows how old because the oldest data about belief we have show it. Across time and geography this conviction can be found in every human culture. Usually it is framed in a religious context so it is not the individual intender, or even a congregation of intenders, but an intervening deity, god, or spirit that is responsible for success, if it occurs. This allows a measure of disassociation —it was not me but (fill in the name of the god) that did this thing and, because it works with surprising r...
Source: Explore - March 3, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Stephan A. Schwartz Tags: Schwartzreport Source Type: research
Letter
Dear Dr. Dossey: (Source: Explore)
Source: Explore - March 3, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Bonnie Horrigan Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research
