What are treatments?
Treatments, regarding self-care is specialised care towards an illness, condition or ailment that is either physical or mentally affecting an individual in a negative way. Psychotherapy, also known as talking therapy is the most common, and there are different types of treatments that fall under this category. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the most prominent treatment, and while it does not cure the physical symptoms, it can be used to improve patient’s ability to cope with them and increase quality of life [1]. Other notable examples of psychotherapy include, but are not limited to guided self-help, counselling, interpersonal therapy (IPT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). There are also treatments known as alternative medicine, and come in the form of acupuncture, chiropractic, reiki, and hypnosis which range from focusing on improving the body to the mind.
Acupuncture, [11]
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
CBT can be used on a wide array of mental health problems, from depression to PTSD or eating disorders such as bulimia. It works by changing the way an individual thinks, such as altering their perspective to the symptoms, so they respond more positively to them. However, CBT has been proven ineffective on these mental health problems if they are a positive symptom of another health problem such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [2]. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the treatment depends on the individuals own commitment to changing their perception of their condition and improving their quality of life, just like children at school need to be committed and do homework to succeed.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a treatment from ancient Chinese medicine, in which small fine needles are inserted in the body for both therapeutic and preventative purposes[3]. While the treatment itself is not based on scientific evidence, it is still recognised to be used for migraines, chronic tension-type headaches, and treat other musculoskeletal and pain related conditions. A study found that while acupuncture can alleviate many pain related conditions, the practitioner was also key in giving self-care support and advice to further improve the patient’s quality of life [4].
Chiropractic
Chiropractic is a treatment where the chiropractor uses their hands to relieve problems pertaining to the bones, muscles, and joints [5]. Half of patients in the US with back-related conditions, seek complementary and alternative medicine treatments with chiropractic being the most common form of this treatment [6]. It could be good for an individual’s self-care as it could alleviate pain due to musculoskeletal issues and therefore could help them relax and be less stressed and focus on more important things in their lives, such as education or work.
Osteopathy
Osteopathy is a way of detecting treating and preventing health problems through the manipulation and massaging of a person’s muscle and joints [7]. Osteopathy has shown been shown to increase self-care while significantly reducing pain, anxiety, and mental health disorders [8]. However, like all other alternate treatments, it is not fully scientifically proven, and as it is not as popular as acupuncture or chiropractic, has less studies to verify holistically how effective it is.
Reiki
Finally, Reiki is a Japanese technique used to alleviate stress and promotes healing and relaxation [9]. It is based on the idea of individuals having a ‘life force energy’, and that the more it is depleted the more likely you are to be sick and stressed, whereas if it is high then the individual is more likely to be happy and healthy [9]. The sessions are catered to the individual, and the treatment can range from fifteen to ninety-minute sessions, can include music, be in any location and can also include the use of crystals or chakra healing wands [10].
Summary
Overall, there are a plethora of treatments that can aid an individual both physiologically and psychologically and help to improve the quality of life and their self-care. If the individual has selected the right course of treatment, then they will gradually see positive advancements in how they feel and be able to live a more happy and healthier life.
Chiropractor doing spunal mobilisation in physiotherapist’s office, [11]
Bibliography:
[1] NHS Choices (2021). Overview - Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-cbt
[2] Coventry, P.A. and Gellatly, J.L. (2008). Improving outcomes for COPD patients with mild-to-moderate anxiety and depression: A systematic review of cognitive behavioural therapy. British Journal of Health Psychology, 13(3), pp.381–400. https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1348/135910707X203723
[3] NHS Choices (2021). Acupuncture. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/acupuncture/
[4] Paterson, C., Evans, M., Bertschinger, R., Chapman, R., Norton, R. and Robinson, J. (2012). Communication about self-care in traditional acupuncture consultations: The co-construction of individualised support and advice. Patient Education and Counseling, 89(3), pp.467–475. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738399112000894
[5] NHS Choices (2021). Chiropractic. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chiropractic/
[6] Schulz, C.A., Hondras, M.A., Evans, R.L., Gudavalli, M.R., Long, C.R., Owens, E.F., Wilder, D.G. and Bronfort, G. (2011). Chiropractic and self-care for back-related leg pain: design of a randomized clinical trial. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies, https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=uniaber&id=GALE|A253550101&v=2.1&it=r
[7] NHS Choices (2021). Overview - Osteopathy. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/osteopathy/
[8] Edwards, D.J. and Toutt, C. (2018). An evaluation of osteopathic treatment on psychological outcomes with patients suffering from chronic pain: A prospective observational cohort study collected through a health and well-being academy. Health Psychology Open, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2055102918774684
[9] Reiki Administrator (2014). What is Reiki? https://www.reiki.org/faqs/what-reiki
[10] Newman, T. (2017). Everything you need to know about reiki. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/308772#what-happens-in-a-reiki-session
[11] Bork, (2017), acupuncture, available at https://www.livescience.com/29494-acupuncture.html (accessed 16th March 2021).
[12] (2019), Chiropractor doing spinal mobilisation in physiotherapist’s office, available at https://www.spineuniverse.com/treatments/chiropractic (accessed 16th March 2021).
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