Patients' Use of Natural and Alternative Treatments to Manage Chronic Disease (HS - RUIZ - 077865)

Course overview

Imagine a patient, who has been admitted to your floor, has family bring in bottles of vitamins and supplements that he has been taking. Have you felt equipped in these circumstances to really know what these natural treatments were for? Could they be beneficial? Have you felt confident in the medication teaching with these patients? With the rising trend in natural therapies, nurses and allied healthcare professionals need to be equipped with the knowledge of alternative therapies to be able to assess for medication interactions and side effects, and advocate for patients on natural or conventional therapies. During this enlightening recording, you will also learn natural approaches to common conditions (diabetes, coronary artery disease, post-surgical management, hypertension...) as Dr. Vanessa Ruiz, Naturopathic Doctor and Registered Nurse, shares from her expertise to propel your own practice forward! Consider This Patient Story... A 64-year-old female patient presented with intermittent subconjunctival hemorrhaging for two months. Prior medical history positive for Hypertension with V/S 138/82, P 82. She had been taking Diovan twice daily. PT/INR, aPTT, platelet count and von Willebrand factor were WNL. Platelet aggregation was decreased. When asked what supplements were new to her, she reported taking daily multivitamins, magnesium citrate 500 mg daily and vitamin E 500 IU daily. The patient was advised to discontinue vitamin E due to its risk for increased bleeding. After cessation, subconjunctival hemorrhaging resolved within a few weeks. Patient case studies, like this one, will be interspersed through the day so you are ready to advocate well for patients when you return to work!