The Healing Power of Touch - Guidelines for Nurses and Practitioners: External Applications in Pediatrics

ISBN-13: 9783030855062 / Angielski / Miękka / 2021

Georg Seifert; Alfred Längler

Spis treści

Preface

Contributor: Prof. Georg Seifert

Synopsis: The preface explains the approach to creating the book in the context of integrative care projects in integrative medicine, mentioning the learnings and contributors. It provides an introduction into the topic of external applications from complementary medicine and introduces the purpose and the meaning of external applications for pediatrics in particular.

1. Introduction: External applications

Contributor: Prof. Georg Seifert

Synopsis: The introductory chapter explains an integrative medical understanding of health and disease, focusing on salutogenesis (becoming healthy) as opposed to pathogenesis. The chapter introduces external applications and explains for which indications and patients (emphasis on children, application possibilities for adults) the applications are suitable. It establishes why external applications are well suited to be used complementary to conventional therapies and where limits of the applications lie.

The introduction also explains for which readership the book is intended and why nurses in particular can use the book in their daily work. It concludes with a guide through the book, which describes the overall and chapter structure.

2. Factors of touch based external applications

Contributors: Inga Mühlenpfordt & Michaela Strümper-Brix

Synopsis: The chapter will introduce and explain the framing factors of external applications in a transparent way. Subsections will focus on the scientific backgrounds regarding the topics of touch and bonding and its meaning for health development, warmth, time and rhythm as well as the involvement of the parents and relatives into the procedure. Special emphasis will be received as well by nursing perspectives on touch and external applications and the advantages for using them daily nursing work.

2.1 Touch and Bonding

2.2 Warmth

2.3 Time and Rhythm

2.4 Involvement of Parents

2.5 Nursing perspectives and advantages in daily nursing work

3. The skin

Contributors: Prof. Georg Seifert & Inga Mühlenpfordt

Synopsis: The chapter will introduce theoretical background about skin physiology, including anatomical and developmental aspects. It deals with the development of touch impressions prenatal and in children. Physiological and psychological functions of the skin will be addressed as well as the meaning of the skin for the whole body system according to complementary medical theory. The chapter is supplemented by figures that illustrate the skin and as well as its functions.

3.1 Physiology of the skin

3.2 Development of the sense of touch in children

3.3 Skin/Touch functions

3.4 Meaning of the skin for the whole system

4. Therapeutic effects and relations of external applications

Contributor: Dr. Mathias Bertram

Synopsis: The author will give an introduction into the therapeutic use of external applications, talking about possible therapeutic effects and explanations for effect relations. In this chapter, the aim is to discuss some exemplary concepts by means of which the effectiveness of integrative therapies can be rationally developed. In particular, the chapter will discuss the efficacy of Integrative Therapies in determining the therapeutic benefit for a particular person in his or her particular life and disease situation.

5. Techniques of external applications

Contributors: Inga Mühlenpfordt & Gisela Blaser

Synopsis: This chapter lists and describes the different types of applications such as rhythmic embrocation in different areas on the body, compresses, baths etc. The chapter also provides descriptions of the substances used in external applications and explains their effects on the human body. It is supplemented by illustrations that help readers understand and imitate the techniques.

6. Instructions for external applications

Contributors: Inga Mühlenpfordt & Gisela Blaser

Synopsis: This chapter builds the main part of the book. It provides detailed instructions for applications grouped by indications. It systematically describes possible applications for each indication, using the same guiding frame for all descriptions and taking into account the goal of the application, e.g. calming or activating. Each subchapter on an indication group will include a section dedicated to the different the diseases managed by these treatments/applications.

6.1 Acute symptoms / injuries / shock

6.2 Allergies

6.3 Common cold indications

6.4 Digestion / Stomach indications

6.5 Infantile diseases

6.6 Oncological / Chemotherapy induced indications

6.7 Pain indications

6.8 Palliative indications

6.9 Psychiatric indications

6.10 Sleep indications

6.11 Skin diseases

6.12 Tension / stress / relaxation

7. Substances

Contributor: Inga Mühlenpfordt

Synopsis: Introduction and brief explanation of ingredients and substances used for external applications. Subchapters will look into the basic substances and herbal/natural active ingredients.

7.1 Basic Oils

7.2 Herbal Substances

8. Register

Contributor: Inga Mühlenpfordt

Synopsis: A listing of all applications, techniques, substances and indications, sorted by alphabet..

O autorze

Professor Georg Johannes Seifert was born on 1975, in Kiel, Germany. In 1995, he began studying medicine in Berlin, obtaining his license to practice medicine in 2002 at the Charité children’s hospital, Berlin. In July 2004, he was awarded a position as scientific officer and physician. 

Professor Seifert is currently holding the first professorship for “Integrative medicine in pediatrics” and he is holding a position as a Visiting Professor at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. His work focuses on Anthroposophic and Integrative Medicine. He is also a consultant for the intensive care unit of the Charité’s clinic for pediatric oncology.

Professor Seifert is a member of many professional organisations including the German Society of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ) and the European Society of Integrative Medicine. He also acts as scientific advisor for several journals such as the European Journal of Pediatrics, the European Journal of Integrative Medicine and Klinische Pädiatrie (Clinical Pediatrics). He has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and has participated in many conferences as a speaker in Europe and the USA.

Prof. Dr. Alfred Längler is Head of the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine and Medical Director of the Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Herdecke/Germany. He studied medicine at the University of Witten/Herdecke. The clinical training as a paediatrician took place in the Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Herdecke, the Evangelical Hospital Hamm and the University of Cologne, where he qualified as a pediatric oncologist. His clinical focus is on pediatric oncology. He is Professor of Integrative Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the Faculty of Health of the University of Witten/Herdecke/Germany. His scientific work focuses on integrative pediatrics. The use of integrative therapy methods in paediatrics as well as topics of further education and training in integrative pediatrics are the focal points of the scientific and practical activities of the working group he leads.  He is the author of numerous international peer-reviewed publications on the above-mentioned topics and author and editor of a large number of specialist books on the above-mentioned topics. He is also a member of a number of national guidelines groups of various scientific societies. He is the first chairman of the WHO/Unicef initiative Baby-Friendly Hospital in Germany and a member of the National Breastfeeding Commission in Germany.

Blurb

This book offers precise and highly informative instructions for nurses and caregivers on how to select external applications for various indications and how to perform them on children. It also enables readers to gain a deeper understanding of the skin, its functions and the therapeutic potential of external applications.

The sense of touch is the first sensation that develops in the body during embryonal development; therefore, it is essential for orientation in the world from the beginning of life. The skin is known as the body's protective mantle. It is the largest sensory organ of the human body and plays a key role in perception, social interaction and health. Touch and external applications to the skin can have a lasting effect on overall health and wellbeing and contribute to the healing of various conditions in children. Through the skin, children react sensitively to external influences like natural active ingredients and touch. These mechanisms are particularly relevant with regard to the deep relationship between the skin and the organism as a whole. External applications use these mechanisms to support the health and healing processes in children.

The book is intended for healthcare professionals interested in complementing conventional pediatric care with external applications, especially in daily use by nurses and caregivers. Nurses will find guidance from complementary medicine and care to deal with various indications occurring in various pediatric fields like pediatric surgery, psychiatry, oncology, intensive care, neonatology and during the phases of child development. In addition to the detailed descriptions of the application techniques, it provides insights into the theory behind external applications and explains the mechanisms of action. Furthermore, it includes case studies, scientific data and personal reports from experts.