Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Older Adults: A Guide to Holistic Approaches to Healthy Aging

The field of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is expected to grow tremendously in the next few years. In addition to an increase by the general population, the baby-boomer generation, many of which have utilized CAM in their younger years, is also quickly entering retirement and thus is foreseen to utilize CAM increasingly as it ages. Although CAM research as applied to aging is just beginning and health professionals receive no special training in CAM and aging, the United States population still continues to employ it. For diagnoses that accompany aging such as cancer, neurological diseases, psychiatric disorders, and physical disabilities, CAM has been noted to be used in addition to or in place of unsuccessful conventional methods of treatment. This new and up-to-the-minute compendium of reliable and authoritative information on complementary and alternative therapies seeks to provide information that older adults may use as they seek to improve their health and quality of life. Covering dietary means; physical, mental, and spiritual methods of treatment; and various types of therapies, this handbook is the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource on complementary and alternative medicine available today. Each chapter or article includes: brief definition of modality; anecdotal reports of usefulness; discussion of scientific evidence for and against modality; list of resources that reader can use to find further information. Features include: clear and concise; edited by two highly skilled and knowledgeable professionals in CAM research and practice; and contributions from national sample of recognized experts in relevant fields.