The relationship between health promotion and complementary therapies

Complement Ther Nurs Midwifery. 1999 Dec;5(6):171-5. doi: 10.1016/s1353-6117(99)80082-1.

Abstract

The underlying philosophies of health promotion and complementary therapies are very closely related and, consequently, share many similarities; yet such similarities that exist between these two disciplines are rarely expressed, acknowledged or explored. It would be almost impossible to practice complementary therapies without incorporating elements of health promotion within them, whether this is done so knowingly, or not, by the practitioner. This account sets out to establish the nature of such a relationship and highlights the common advantages and dilemmas in recognizing such a relationship. It seeks to determine the validity of closer collaboration (between the two disciplines) in order to provide a collective consensus for like-minded nurses to move towards a more holistic and empowering paradigm. It concludes by suggesting that, in order to move the shared aims of health promotion and complementary therapies forward, closer ties need to be established, between the disciplines, and built upon.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Complementary Therapies / methods*
  • Cooperative Behavior
  • Health Promotion / methods*
  • Holistic Health
  • Holistic Nursing / methods*
  • Humans
  • Interprofessional Relations
  • Nurse-Patient Relations
  • Philosophy, Nursing
  • Power, Psychological