Holistic Nursing and related subjects.: Books

Holistic nursing embraces all nursing which has as its goal the enhancement of healing the whole person from birth to death. It recognizes that there are two views regarding holism: 1) that holism involves identifying the interrelationships of the bio-psycho-social-spiritual dimensions of the person, recognizing that the whole is greater than the sums of its parts; and 2) that holism involves understanding the individual as a unitary whole in mutual process with the environment. Holistic nursing responds to both views, believing that the goals of nursing can be achieved within either framework.

Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice, Seventh Edition continues as the definitive resource for holistic nursing for both students and professionals. Completely updated and revised, it includes seven new chapters on creative expressions in healing, herbs and dietary supplements, holistic leadership, holistic nursing education, self-care and self-development, advanced holistic nursing practice, and advanced integrative health and well-being practice demonstrated through case study exemplars. With an ideal blend of theoretical and practical content, the Seventh Edition features Dr. Dossey's Theory of Integral Nursing, including an update on global nursing and the UN Millennium goals. There is increased emphasis on teaching holistic nursing in undergraduate and graduate programs, including the use of simulation as an effective teaching pedagogy, an enhanced focus on ways to enrich holistic care to improve patient outcomes through evidence-based practice and research, and new integrative health and wellness assessments.

This comprehensive handbook covers more than 100 alternative and complementary therapies, as well as fundamentals of alternative therapies and their impact on nursing practice. Organized by category, each entry includes an introduction, therapeutic uses, a research summary, equipment, procedures involved, complications, and a nursing perspective. Where appropriate, entries include safety factors, contraindications, possible adverse effects, and specialty group concerns. Reference lists of research studies are included at the end of each chapter. New features include 10 new entries, a revised and updated herbal therapy chart that includes dosages, and an in-text "clinical alert" logo that highlights warnings and other critical information. Special emphasis is placed on patient teaching and how to incorporate alternative and complementary care and nursing practice.