title: The experience of using a combination of complementary therapies: a journey of balance through self-healing.
abstract: Literature on complementary or alternative therapies from the perspective of personal experience is limited, and to date, there are no published studies using a qualitative approach to study the contextual effects of combined complementary therapies. Evaluating the use of combinations of complementary therapies from the perspective of those who experience them is important in understanding their beneficial and synergistic effects. This article is a report of the findings of a hermeneutic phenomenological study on the lived experience of 8 guests participating in a structured naturopathic program that used combinations of complementary/alternative therapies to promote healing in illness.
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Thora Jenny
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Gunnarsdottir
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peden-McAlpine
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019222:Mind-Body Relations, Metaphysical; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012648:Self Care; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors