Introduction to wellness
CHAPTER 12 INTRODUCTION TO WELLNESS WHAT IS ‘WELLNESS’? ‘Wellness’ is a concept that has gained popularity in recent years but still has no rigorously developed definition, theory or philosophy. At…
Introduction to food as medicine
CHAPTER 5 INTRODUCTION TO FOOD AS MEDICINE Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food. (Hippocrates) The maxim coined by Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, around the…
Safety and complementary medicines
CHAPTER 7 SAFETY OF COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINES Complementary medicines (CMs) are widely used by the public, who assume they are a safe, non-pharmaceutical option that can be used to prevent, treat…
Herbs and natural supplements in pregnancy
CHAPTER 11 HERBS AND NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS IN PREGNANCY INTRODUCTION Most women take over-the-counter medicines at some point during their pregnancy. This may occur intentionally or happen inadvertently during the early…
Interactions with herbal and natural medicines
CHAPTER 8 INTERACTIONS WITH HERBAL AND NATURAL MEDICINES A pharmacological interaction is said to occur when the response to one medicine varies from what is usually predicted because another substance…
Introduction to the practice of integrative medicine
CHAPTER 6 INTRODUCTION TO THE PRACTICE OF INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE Throughout history, every civilisation and culture has developed its own form of medicine. The rise of modern technology and scientific enquiry…
Introduction to aromatherapy
CHAPTER 4 INTRODUCTION TO AROMATHERAPY The term ‘aromatherapy’ refers to the use of essential oils and is an aspect of phytotherapy (botanical medicine). Essential oils are volatile liquid substances extracted…
Introduction to clinical nutrition
CHAPTER 3 INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL NUTRITION Nutrition may be defined as the science of food, its nutrients and substances, and their association with the body in relation to health and…
Cancer and safety of complementary medicines
CHAPTER 10 CANCER AND THE SAFETY OF COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINES Complementary medicine (CM) is commonly used by oncology patients and therefore it is important for healthcare providers to become familiar with…
Preoperative care: considerations
CHAPTER 9 PREOPERATIVE CARE CONSIDERATIONS Reducing the risk of surgery and maximising successful outcomes is the common effort of surgeons, anaesthetists, physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals. However, few consider…
