title: The role of the optimal healing environment in the care of patients with diabetes mellitus type II.
abstract: An optimal healing environment (OHE) can include both general and specific physical, medical, behavioral, psychological, social and spiritual components. Type 2 diabetes mellitus, primarily a disease of lifestyle, provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the potential impact of this broader model of care on a chronic illness. This paper proposes a strategy for studying the application of the OHE model to the care of patients with type 2 diabetes. It provides a brief review of the current literature on prevention of type 2 diabetes in patients at high risk, and then discusses the evidence for and against a variety of interventions for established diabetes mellitus including nutritional, herbal, mind-body and exercise strategies. The essential elements of a protocol for an integrative medicine or OHE approach to diabetes are then outlined, followed by a discussion of the research issues that would emerge from an effort to test the effectiveness of such an approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA. bkligler@bethisraelny.org
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kligler
mesh_terms: D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000628:therapy; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000628:therapy; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000628:therapy; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000592:standards; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000592:standards*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D012107:Research Design; D012307:Risk Factors; D012648:Self Care; D014481:United States