Use of Nontraditional Therapies—Implications for Older Adults

Abstract

Using nontraditional therapies to replace traditional medical treatment is becoming more popular in the United States. Nurses in the twenty‐first century are faced with the challenge of broadening their view of health care and discovering the benefits of nontraditional, often ancient, health care principles and practices. Health care professionals and patients need to understand, however, that although a nontraditional therapy may be natural or noninvasive, it is not necessarily safe and without consequences. This article discusses the increased use of nontraditional therapies among older adults with a focus on the use and perioperative implications of botanical, herbal, and nutritional supplements. AORN J 77 (May 2003) 913–922.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in the Elderly

“…In the hospital setting, an important concern is the interaction between CAMs and perioperative medicines such as muscle relaxants, narcotic analgesics and anaesthetics. 48,49 The identification of CAM-drug interactions in the elderly are grossly under-recognised. 49 However, many interactions with CAMs can be predicted and avoided with knowledge of how CAMs influence the cytochrome P450 and P-glycoprotein systems ( Table 4).…”