Field Experience(Interaction with a CAM Practitioner)
According to Ventola, (2010) close to 40% of the adult population in the USA is currently utilizing the complementary alternative medications (CAMs) for the management of the condition. Notwithstanding, most hospitals are currently integrating CAM as an option for patients in the management of various conditions. Such a depiction of the current trend of CAM utilization necessitates an experiential analysis of this practice to enhance understanding of the same. In essence, this paper aims to achieve the same by presenting a report of a field visit to a CAM practitioner as a patient. With such a report, it is beyond doubt that a comprehension of this issue is inevitable.
Setting and Reason for choosing it
Primarily, the hospital that I visited as a patient for consultation with a CAM practitioner is UNC Medical Center. The main reason for going to this institution was the growing reputation about its cultural competent medical personnel. They constantly sought opportunities to integrate this alternative in the plan of care for patients. Based on UNC Medical Center’s practice and my trust in such options I decided to visit this institution.
Initial Impression
Initially, during this visit, I was nervous and afraid that I had made the wrong decision to visit this facility, which I had not visited before in my lifetime. However, upon interacting with the CAM practitioner, this perception changed significantly. Such is the case given that the CAM practitioner who attended to me was more friendly and courteous than the healthcare professionals that I had interacted with before this visit. As such, the CAM practitioner’s treatment enhanced my trust in him since it eased my fears.
Ailments shared with the Practitioner
Of the utmost significance to this visit was my high blood pressure secondary to the increased stress in the past few days. Central to my conclusion that I had hypertension was the realization of symptoms such as a persistent headache and light-headedness, which led to self-measuring of blood pressure while at home. The blood pressure reading turned out to be high given that it was at 150/90 mmHg. As such, I shared these predicaments during this visit.
Practitioner’s Recommendations
After listening to my predicaments and confirming that indeed my blood pressure was high, the practitioner suggested various non-pharmacologic alternatives that he promised to lower my blood pressure. Among the options given to me, includes dietary supplements such as garlic and cayenne pepper as well as yoga for stress relief. According to the practitioner, the dietary supplements (garlic and cayenne pepper) were blood thinners that had a proven efficacy in the reduction of high blood pressure. However, he cautioned that I should avoid them if I were on any anticoagulants such as Warfarin, which would worsen bleeding in the event of an injury.
Adherence to the Recommendations
Based on the reception by the CAM practitioner, my intention was to adhere to the recommendations provided by the practitioner. Also, the positive outcomes seen in patients treated in this institution was another reason that informed my choice of following the specialist’s recommendations to the letter.
Outcome
Following my adherence to the practitioner’s recommendations for one week, I noticed an improvement in my condition. That is for sure because within this timeline the headaches and lightheadedness disappeared. Moreover, after two weeks of utilizing the recommended CAM treatment strategies, the blood pressure had significantly reduced to 130/85 mmHg, which further depicts an improvement of my condition.
Conclusion
Concisely, this paper aimed at presenting a report of a field visit to a CAM practitioner as a patient. Largely, the discussion has achieved this objective, and an understanding of this practice has further enhanced. An implication from the report for nursing practice is the need for integration of CAM in the treatment of various conditions whenever they are applicable. By so doing, the quality of care will inevitably improve.
Reference
Ventola, C. L. (2010). Current issues regarding complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the United States: Part 1: The widespread use of CAM and the need for better-informed health care professionals to provide patient counseling. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 35(8), 461.
