Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Rehabilitation

Eric D. Leskowitz

Churchill Livingstone, 2003 - Medical - 472 pages

Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Rehabilitation is a comprehensive review of currently available scientific information relating to complementary and alternative therapies and rehabilitation. It outlines the current state of knowledge in the area of CAM as it relates to rehabilitation. Rehabilitation involves the practice of a multidimensional form of medicine that encompasses all levels of the human being as patient-body, mind, and spirit. The theory behind rehabilitation is to utilize several forms of therapies in order to heal the body. This integration of therapies is one of the core beliefs of CAM and is why CAM meshes so naturally with rehabilitation.

Representative therapies from each of the following four main categories comprise the first four sections of the book: mind/body therapies (i.e., meditation, biofeedback), body-oriented therapies (i.e., chiropractic, yoga), energy-based therapies (i.e., acupuncture, energy healing), and the emergent approaches (i.e., shamanic healing, teamwork and group dynamics). The emphasis is on evidence-based medicine, with enough research cited to whet the reader's appetite for further study. While history and theory of these CAM approaches are touched upon, the chapters are anchored in clinical examples so that the reader can apply the information to his or her practice.

The second section of the book deals with some of the most widely encountered clinical conditions in rehabilitation, including cardiac and dementia. Emphasis here is on clinical practice, with a solid research base. The Research Springboards section outlines future opportunities in which CAM can be integrated with rehabilitation, such as phantom limb pain and therapeutic touch. And the last section, The Patient's Perspective, tells the stories of a manual laborer, a freelance professional, and a spiritual teacher who have all been exposed to various holistic practices during their rehabilitation processes.

Training resources at the end of each chapter give the reader the opportunity to take the next step in pursuing personal exposure to a modality or approach within his or her own field of medicine.

Prominent contributors and editor.

Appeals to a wide variety of health care practitioners.

Evidence-based, covering the latest clinical studies, often by the people leading the studies.

Organization covers a comprehensive range of subjects, including Body-Oriented Techniques, Mind/Body Therapies, and Energy-Based Therapies, as well as specific rehabilitation conditions, such as cancer, additions, and depression.

Well referenced. Covers the latest research in this area.

Chapters provide a balance between analysis and experience, and research and practice.

Training resources at the end of each chapter gives the opportunity of applying the modality or approach discussed to individual practices.

Unique section on Patient Perspective demonstrates the outcome of CAM in rehabilitation for three patients.

Fills a need in the market.

Comprehensive treatment of rehabilitation in relation to CAM.

Contents

• BodyOriented Therapies: 1
• Massage Therapy: 28
• The Feldenkrais Method: 39

Bibliographic information

• Title: Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Rehabilitation; Medical guides to complementary and alternative medicine
• Author: Eric D. Leskowitz
• Editor: Eric D. Leskowitz
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Churchill Livingstone, 2003
• Original from: the University of Michigan
• Digitized: Aug 20, 2008
• ISBN: 0443065993, 9780443065996
• Length: 472 pages
• Subjects: Medical / Alternative & Complementary Medicine; Medical / Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation