Deck 3: Complementary and Alternative Therapies

Question 1

A nursing instructor has been teaching the clinical students the difference between complementary and alternative therapies. Which statement, if made by a student, would indicate that teaching has been successful?

A) "A complementary therapy may be defined as any procedure or product that is used instead of conventional treatment."
B) "An alternative therapy is used in conjunction with conventional medicine."
C) "Because alternative therapies are used in place of medically prescribed treatments, patients might be reluctant to discuss them with a conventional physician."
D) "Integrative nursing combines mainstream medical therapies with alternative therapies."

Answer 1

"An alternative therapy is used in conjunction with conventional medicine."

Question 2

A patient pregnant with her first child reports that her husband wants her to visit a homeopath for help with her nausea and vomiting. The patient asks what the nurse's opinion of homeopathy is. The best response by the nurse is:

A) "Homeopathy is unproven and potentially dangerous. Avoid using homeopathic remedies."
B) "The FDA has approved homeopathic remedies, and practitioners undergo education and certification."
C) "I can't give you advice about what alternatives to try. Go online and do some research to get information."
D) "Homeopathy is the same as herbal remedies. Some are safe during pregnancy and some are not."

Answer 2

"The FDA has approved homeopathic remedies, and practitioners undergo education and certification."

Question 3

The nurse in a rural clinic is talking with some patients about biofeedback. The nurse explains to the patients that biofeedback:

A) Is an alternative therapy.
B) Is a state of great mental and physical relaxation in which one is susceptible to suggestion.
C) Is a method to learn control of physiological responses based on the concept that the mind controls the body.
D) Is a complementary therapy in which one goes into a relaxed state and focuses on positive scenes.

Answer 3

Is a method to learn control of physiological responses based on the concept that the mind controls the body.

Question 4

The nurse who is working with patients using complementary or alternative medicine is aware that the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is responsible for:

A) Ensuring the safety of complementary and alternative therapies.
B) Endorsing products for further approval by the FDA.
C) Testing new therapies and products.
D) Promoting research on complementary and alternative therapies and disseminating information to consumers.

Question 5

Based on an understanding of how patients learn about complementary and alternative therapies, the nurse realizes that which of the following patients are most likely to use complementary or alternative therapy?

A) An elderly couple on a fixed income without a computer at home
B) A middle-aged woman who travels internationally for her job
C) An adolescent male who plays many sports through school
D) A young mother of preschoolers who uses the Internet daily
E) A middle-aged man who has never married and rarely travels

Question 6

The nurse is assessing a patient who reports seeing an acupuncturist on a weekly basis to treat back pain. The nurse understands that acupuncture is an example of:

A) A risky practice without evidence of efficacy.
B) A folk remedy.
C) A complementary therapy.
D) An alternative therapy.

Question 7

In caring for pregnant patients, the nurse realizes that information on conventional, complementary, and alternative medicine is:

A) Obtained at the medical office if the physician feels it is appropriate.
B) Best obtained from family and friends who have already experienced a situation.
C) Readily obtainable on the Internet.
D) Best passed on by word of mouth.

Question 8

The nurse counseling a pregnant woman who expresses a desire to take herbal supplements explains that complementary therapies carry risks because of:

A) Lack of regulation.
B) Inadequate training.
C) Lack of research.
D) Emphasis on wellness.
E) Noninvasive approach.

Question 9

The nurse is sitting with a patient in labor who practices meditation. The nurse understands from this that:

A) The patient is very religious, and is practicing her religion.
B) The patient tries to let all thoughts fade away and listen receptively in a state of not knowing.
C) The patient is in a state of intense, focused concentration used to create compelling mental images.
D) The patient relaxes and focuses on a positive or soothing scene.

Question 10

The nurse is planning a community education program on the role of complementary and alternative therapies during pregnancy. Which statement should the nurse include? "Alternative and complementary therapies:

A) "Bring about cures for illnesses and diseases."
B) "Are invasive but effective for achieving health."
C) "Emphasize prevention and wellness."
D) "Prevent pregnancy complications."

Question 11

The patient reports to the nurse that she is utilizing ayurvedic medicine. Which statements would the nurse expect this patient to make? "Aryurvedic medicine:

A) "Is knowledge of how to live a vital, healthful life."
B) "Combines heat and cold with spinal manipulation."
C) "Uses both traditional means and current modern medicine."
D) "Cures an illness with a like substance."
E) "Seeks balance to achieve harmony in my life."

Question 12

The nurse is counseling a pregnant woman who intends to see a naturopathic physician. The nurse tells the woman that she can expect education on:

A) Clinical nutrition.
B) Botanical medicine.
C) Lifestyle modification.
D) Use of "like to cure like."
E) The role of yin and yang.

Question 13

A nursing instructor is teaching a group of student nurses about the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). Which statement, if made by a nursing student, would indicate the need for further teaching?

A) "NCCAM is dedicated to exploring complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science, training CAM researchers, and disseminating information to the public and professionals."
B) "The NCCAM only distributes information to professional caregivers."
C) "Recently, NCCAM recognized a new domain of integrative medicine."
D) "Integrative medicine is an approach that combines mainstream medical therapies with complementary therapies for which there is some high-quality scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness."

Question 14

The nurse is teaching a community education class on complementary and alternative therapies. To assess learning, the nurse asks, "In traditional Chinese medicine, what is the invisible flow of energy in the body that maintains health and ensures physiologic functioning?" Which answer indicates teaching was successful?

A) Meridians
B) Chi
C) Yin
D) Yang

Question 15

A pregnant patient tells the nurse that she takes part in complementary and alternative therapies to maintain wellness. Which situation that she describes would the nurse consider a risk?

A) Getting a massage from a licensed massage therapist for back pain, prescribed by the primary caregiver
B) Trying out a homeopathic medicine from a friend to reduce swelling in the legs
C) Getting a chiropractic treatment for lower back pain due to discomforts of pregnancy without telling the primary healthcare provider
D) Taking an herbal preparation suggested by a health food store worker for treatment of leg pain
E) Joining a group that practices tai chi weekly to help with physical fitness and movement

Question 16

The nurse is teaching a class to the community on mind-body therapies. A class participant gives an example of a friend with leukemia who was taught by her complementary therapist to concentrate on making antibodies that will fight and kill the cancer cells in the bloodstream. The nurse would describe this technique as:

A) Guided imagery.
B) Qigong.
C) Biofeedback.
D) Homeopathy.

Question 17

A Hindu patient being admitted to the hospital practices ayurveda. The nurse knows that which piece of information is true about this practice?

A) Ayurveda is a new system of Hindu medicine.
B) Ayurveda is the knowledge of how to live a vital, healthful life.
C) Ayurveda physicians believe that there are three elements: ether, wind, and fire.
D) The three tendencies, called doshas, are vata, pitta, and alpha.

Question 18

The nurse is admitting a patient in labor who states that she is a naturopath. The nurse understands that this patient believes:

A) An initial worsening of symptoms after treatment means the correct remedy has been used.
B) There are five elements that take form in the body.
C) She must nurture herself and be responsible for her own body.
D) That her pregnancy is a kapha condition.
E) She must nurture herself and be responsible for her own body

Question 19

The charge nurse is providing an in-service for the nurses on the obstetrical unit about complementary and alternative medicine as it relates to conventional medicine. Which statement from a nurse indicates an understanding of the topic?

A) "The therapies of conventional medicine treat symptoms and illness, whereas complementary and alternative medicine emphasizes wellness."
B) "Conventional medicine only needs to be used in life-saving situations."
C) "The goal of conventional therapy is to heal the patient's spirit, mind, and body."
D) "Complementary and alternative medicine is not concerned with nutrition and food preparation."

Question 20

The patient who is in her third trimester of pregnancy asks the nurse whether hydrotherapy might help her. The nurse explains that hydrotherapy makes use of:

A) Hot and cold compresses.
B) Different types of bathing.
C) Biofeedback.
D) Reflexology.
E) Therapeutic Touch.

Question 21

In taking a patient's history, the nurse can best obtain information about the use of complementary and alternative therapies by:

A) Asking questions that are direct and nonjudgmental.
B) Asking questions about specific therapies used.
C) Avoiding comments that are negative.
D) Explaining that complementary therapies are unproven.
E) Using nonverbal expressions of disdain.

Question 22

The nurse working in an obstetrical clinic has been trained in the science of Therapeutic Touch, which she uses to help patients having pain, especially in the shoulders and back. Therapeutic Touch is based on the belief that:

A) There needs to be balance in the patient's energy fields.
B) Pressure is used on certain areas to relieve pain in other areas.
C) The practitioner can modulate his own energy field with that of the patient to relieve pain or anxiety.
D) It can be used as an alternative therapy.

Question 23

The nurse is examining a patient in her third trimester of pregnancy. The patient's weight gain has been within normal limits, she has no swelling of her feet, and she states that she feels great. She states that she has been doing yoga 5 days a week ever since she got pregnant. The nurse understands from this that:

A) The patient has continued her regular prepregnant exercise of walking 5 miles a day.
B) The patient has been doing hydrotherapy baths or using a hot tub.
C) The patient has been bicycling on the trails.
D) The patient has been doing a series of gentle stretches and postures coordinated with deep breathing.

Question 24

A nurse is caring for a 34-week multiparous patient. The patient asks the nurse about taking some new herb she has heard about that will make her labor easier. The correct response from the nurse would be:

A) "It sounds fine to me. Go ahead and start taking it so it will be helping you by the time you go into labor."
B) "You need to talk to the doctor to determine whether it is safe for you to take."
C) "Look it up on the Internet and see what it says about it, as I have never heard of it."
D) "You would probably not want to start taking the herb until closer to your time to go into labor."

Question 25

The labor and delivery unit nurse manager is incorporating complementary and alternative therapies into the unit's policies and procedures. Which statement should the nurse manager make to the nursing staff during an in-service educational presentation?

A) "Policies have been developed for using massage and aromatherapy."
B) "When patients ask questions you don't know, tell them to look online."
C) "Because herbs are dangerous during pregnancy, we will not use them."
D) "Be sure to ask patients what alternative therapies they have used."

Question 26

A patient in her second trimester of pregnancy tells the nurse she is still suffering from nausea on a daily basis. However, since she began wearing the wristband each day, the nausea is subsiding. What is the most likely reason for this relief in nausea?

A) The soothing color of the bracelet has helped ease the nausea.
B) A small magnet in the bracelet helps ease the nausea.
C) Small spikes in the bracelet afford relief of the nausea.
D) The bracelet exerts a small amount of pressure to help ease the nausea.

Question 27

The patient asks why she should not use a sauna or sweat bath in the first trimester of pregnancy. The best explanation by the nurse is that saunas and sweat baths have been associated with fetal:

A) Craniofacial defects.
B) Neural tube defects.
C) Gastroschisis.
D) Patent ductus arteriosus.

Question 28

The patient in the third trimester tells the nurse that she has designed the baby's room to take advantage of sense therapies. The nurse knows that complementary and alternative therapies affecting the senses include:

A) Aromatherapy.
B) Color therapy.
C) Sound therapy.
D) Supplements.
E) Acupressure.

Question 29

The nurse is seeing a patient for the first time who says she became pregnant using in vitro fertilization. The patient explains that she had had previous attempts were not successful, but this time she also used a Chinese therapy along with the in vitro procedure to help with the positive development of a pregnancy. The nurse knows the Chinese therapy used was:

A) Therapeutic touch.
B) Acupressure.
C) Acupuncture.
D) Dietary supplements.

Question 30

A woman has just been referred to a chiropractor for lower back pain by her primary physician. The physician's nurse knows that which consideration is important in choosing an appropriate chiropractor?

A) Do not expect chiropractors to provide a written report to the primary physician.
B) Do not choose a chiropractor who considers a spinal manipulation a cure for anything that ails you.
C) Choose a chiropractor who orders frequent x-rays in order to determine treatment progression.
D) Do not expect chiropractors to provide you with a written treatment plan.

Question 31

The nurse counseling a newly graduated nurse just starting employment on the maternity floor explains that certified nurse-midwives frequently incorporate complementary and alternative therapies into treatment for:

A) Nausea and vomiting.
B) Stimulation of labor.
C) Lactation disorders.
D) Rupture of membranes.
E) Stimulation of ovulation.

Question 32

The patient reports relief from headaches when she rubs the temples on each side of the head. The nurse understands that this is a form of:

A) Acupressure.
B) Acupuncture.
C) Reflexology.
D) Hydrotherapy.

Question 33

The pregnant patient has brought an herbal remedy to the clinic to learn about the safety of the remedy. The nurse should include which statements about herbal therapies? "Herbal remedies:

A) "Are subject to FDA approval."
B) "Are used to eliminate certain diseases."
C) "Cannot be sold over the counter."
D) "Are different from homeopathic remedies."
E) "Are not subject to safety and effectiveness testing."

Question 34

The patient reports using an alternative therapy that involves the manipulation of soft tissues. This therapy has reduced the patient's stress, diminished pain, and increased circulation. This therapy is most likely:

A) Guided imagery.
B) Homeopathy.
C) Massage therapy.
D) Reflexology.

Question 35

The patient in the first trimester of pregnancy tells the nurse she regularly sees a massage therapist to help with pain in her shoulders and neck. The nurse tells her that massage has the added advantage of:

A) Improving immune function.
B) Reducing anxiety.
C) Promoting sleep.
D) Eliminating energy blockages.
E) Allowing coordination of breathing and moving.