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Essay Unit 25 - Complementary Therapies for Health and Social Care assignment 2
- Institution
- PEARSON (PEARSON)
criteria included - P2, P3, P4, P5, M2, M3, M4, D2, D3. i have achieved all of this criteria on the first attempt.
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Complementary therapies Report – HOPE ROWLEY:P2 – explain how service users can access complementary therapies with reference to factors affecting provision:
P3 – explain the role of complementary therapies in relation to conventional medical treatment of two different
disorders:
M2 – analyse the reasons why complementary therapies may be offered in addition to conventional medical
treatment:
D2 – evaluate the provision of complementary therapies in relation to conventional medical treatments to be
considered:
Complementary therapies are commonly used alongside traditional orthodox treatments, such as, chemotherapy to
provide benefits or relief to the service user. For example, complementary therapies such as, reiki, can help to
reduce stress, eliminate anxiety, and calm emotions.
Many complementary therapies are run strictly private and not alongside the National Health Service (NHS). For
example, individuals that meet the criteria for an NHS referral to a complementary therapy service can have access
to homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, and herbal medicines. within Stafford there is an herbal medicine service
that offers herbal remedies and acupuncture, they do not work on the NHS and is strictly private. To This is also the
Case for a business called crystalline Cities with Reiki professionals who also do not have any NHS referrals. Service
users have the choice to use complementary therapies alongside conventional medicine to get the best outcome for
what they are enquiring about. This is because complementary therapies use a holistic approach and take the whole
person into consideration, whereas conventional medicine would just treat the issue on its own. For example, a
person could be seeking conventional medicine for an injured knee, which the doctors may prescribed pain
medication to ease the pain. Whereas complementary therapies would also treat the pain in the knee possibly
through acupuncture or massage techniques and investigate what the injured knee may have cause. Such as, it could
have caused the individual to feel lonely as they may not be able to walk and go places, complementary therapies
can also help to treat this, but conventional medicine wouldn’t. regarding the two complementary therapy services
local to me (Crystalline cities and Acuherbs), there is several different factors that service users would have to
consider or prevent them from accessing these businesses. For example, they would have to consider access. Within
Acuherbs they have disabled access, however, they only have one room that is suitable for disabled people to use.
This is different from crystalline cities where they do not have any disabled access at all, however, they offer reiki
which is good for disabled service users. Another factor to consider is economic, such as, cost. Due to these services
not working alongside NHS referrals, it means that service users would have to pay for the service they wish to
receive. Acuherbs services are £48 for acupuncture and vary between different herbal medicines, this is like
crystalline cities as they charge £15 for 45 minutes of reiki. Another factor to consider is the geographical location of
these services. For example, both services are located within a 15-minute walk from Stafford train station and are
significantly easy to find. Another barrier to accessing specific complementary therapy services can be the degree of
public education. For example, there may not be enough awareness on the different complementary therapies and
their benefits. Meaning that some individuals may not be aware that these services exist or there could simply not
be enough public education on this. attitudes can also prevent an individual from accessing complementary
therapies. An example of this could be that an individual doesn’t believe that reiki will have any kind of positive
affect on anyone due to the service hands free, meaning they are unlikely to seek this service.
Using meditation and acupuncture within individuals that have Cancer:
The most common conventional treatments for Cancer are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Other options
include targeted therapy, immunotherapy, laser, hormonal therapy, and others. Here is an overview of the different
treatments for cancer and how they work. Surgery is a common treatment for many types of cancer
(Medlineplus.gov, 2022). However, different complementary therapies can be used alongside orthodox treatment to
help ease any symptoms of the condition as well as any side effects of the treatment. I believe that the
complementary therapies that would complement the orthodox treatment of cancer is Acupuncture and holistic
treatments such as, meditation.
Acupuncture complements the conventional treatment of cancer through helping to reduce the side effects of
chemotherapy, such as, reducing nausea and pain. Acupuncture cannot help with reducing the spread of cancer and
certainly can’t cure it, but it can improve the quality of life of different service users. It does this through stimulating
the nervous system to release natural painkillers and immune system cells (OHC - Oncology Haematology Care,
, 2018). This is means that it would significantly complement the orthodox treatment because acupuncture is a drug-
free option to help control and improve side effects from chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Studies have shown
that acupuncture can help with pain, fatigue, insomnia, neuropathy, and nausea (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Centre, 2021). Holistic treatments, such as meditation, can also complement the conventional treatment of cancer.
This is because evidence shows meditation can help lessen anxiety, depression, and pain. For some cancer patients,
meditation has been shown to help relieve anxiety, stress, fatigue, and improve sleep and mood, when used along
with standard medical treatment (Simon, 2020). Through reducing anxieties, depression, and pain that come
because of chemotherapy, meditation can work alongside this very well. This is because it will improve the quality of
life that the service user has and allow them to feel relaxed and at ease during and after the orthodox treatments
they are going to receive.
There are several different strengths and weaknesses associated with using Acupuncture and meditation alongside
the conventional medicine to treat cancer. For example, if we were to investigate the weaknesses of acupuncture,
we can identify that within the first few initial sessions, the treatment can cause an increase in physical pain. This
would be a weakness for individuals with cancer because most conventional cancer treatments can also cause pain.
The additional pain for individuals undergoing this treatment can have a huge impact on their health and wellbeing.
Another weakness of acupuncture alongside cancer treatments is that acupuncture is not proven through research
to reduce or treat cancer. It is stated that There is no evidence to show that acupuncture can help treat or cure
cancer. But it can help relieve some cancer symptoms and side effects from treatment. Research into acupuncture
for cancer focuses on treating: chemotherapy related sickness (Cancerresearchuk.org, 2013). Some strengths of
using acupuncture alongside conventional cancer treatments can be seen through reducing the nausea and vomiting
that chemotherapy causes. Acupuncture can help reduce nausea and vomiting by: Increasing the secretion of
endorphins and ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) from the pituitary gland which inhibits the chemoreceptor
trigger zone and vomiting centre; these are the areas of the brain that are responsible for nausea and vomiting
(acupuncture.org, 2021). This is a strength because it will help to ensure that the side effects of chemo are kept at a
minimum to improve health and wellbeing. Having a cancer diagnosis, no matter what type or stage can cause a lot
of anxiety and stress in an individual. Acupuncture significantly helps to improve anxiety, reduce stress, and improve
low mood. This would work very well for individuals undergoing cancer treatment because it will allow them to feel a
state of relaxation and even improve their sleep. Meditation can also be used to help within cancer patients because
it will help to induce a state of relaxation and wellness within them. This can help to reduce any anxieties they may
be feeling regarding their condition as well as the treatment they are undergoing. Another way that using meditation
would be a strength within cancer patients is reducing low mood or depression. It is stated that another common
feeling associated with cancer is sadness. It is important to identify emotions that can occur at diagnosis during
treatment and in remission. Mindfulness practice assists with restoring bodies, calming minds, and reigniting hope
during stress-filled days (Murphy-Walczak, 2020). However, there are also some weaknesses that are associated with
using meditation for individuals with cancer, such as, there is no evidence that meditation can help to prevent, treat,
or cure cancer, or any other disease (Cancerresearchuk.org, 2019). Another way that using meditation may be a
weakness is that it can cause increased anxiety and low mood, instead of helping to eliminate these like it said to.
This would be a weakness within cancer patients because the disorder is more likely to cause extreme anxiety and
low mood within the service user and increasing these can be damaging to health and wellbeing.
There are several benefits that can be associated with using acupuncture and meditation within cancer patients. One
of the benefits can include reducing the side effects of the treatment and increasing mental wellness. It stated that
recent medical research in the United States has shown that acupuncture appears to be a safe and effective
supplemental treatment for people who experience certain symptoms of cancer. It can also help manage some side
effects of treatment, including chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy (Red mint, 2020).
There are also several benefits of using meditation within individuals with cancer, mainly because meditation
increases an individual’s general sense of wellbeing. Meditation is a healing practice that involves focusing attention,
regulating breathing, and developing a non-judgmental awareness of one's thoughts and feelings. It aims to improve
emotional regulation and overall well-being (ONS Voice, 2022). However, there is no research or scientific research
to prove that these complementary therapies can help to treat the condition or help with minimising the side effects
of the conventional treatment (chemotherapy). There are also concerns for safety when receiving a complementary
therapy such as, acupuncture. For example, a safety concern could relate to the needles used within the practice.
This could be whether the professional has knowledge on the site that they are inserting the needle, or even
whether the needles are clean and new. Diseases that are spread this way include: HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, and
hepatitis C. People who inject drugs can spread viruses and diseases by sharing needles or drug preparation
equipment that has been contaminated with infected blood (Ri.gov, 2022). They also need to consider the costs of
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