| Description |
Currently, more than 30 percent of adults in the United States use health care approaches developed outside of mainstream Western medicine in order to relieve their symptoms and the side effects of conventional treatments (NCCIH, 2016). As the prevalence of non-mainstream health approaches continue to grow among U.S. adults, more clinical research is being developed by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) on complementary medicine, its holistic philosophy, and the potential benefits of using such approaches to treat, manage, and prevent chronic illnesses, such as dementia. Due to the chronic and progressive nature, complementary therapies have become increasingly used as a holistic treatment option to supplement conventional pharmacological treatments. Based on evidence-based literature, complementary appraoches such as music therapy, aromatherapy, massage therapy, bright light therapy (BLT), Gingko biloba, huperzine A, and chiropractic care, have shown to have potential efficacy in treating cognitive, behavioral, and psychological symptoms of dementia. Many of these dementia symptoms include depression, cognitive impairment, anxiety, sleep problems, stiff muscles, agitation, and behavioral disturbances. However, such evidence-based literature supporting the potential benefits of complementary health approaches has failed to reach dementia patients and their caregivers and there is still a communication gap between dementia patients and their physicians regarding complementary therapies. This prospectus will describe the major features of the proposed book entitled Looking Beyond Mainstream Medicine: An Exploration of Complementary Treatments for the Symptoms of Dementia, which explores complementary medicine and its potential to treat cognitive, behavioral, and psychological symptoms of dementia. The propsed book aims to fill the communication gap, educate its inended audience, and ultimately reduce the adverse effects of dementia. |
