Week 8

    Wow we are almost there class! My article on meditation was Chiesa, A., & Serretti, A. (2009). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 15(5), 593-600. There are several CAM practices I believe in whole heartedly. The ones I have tried and currently use are: yoga, acupuncture, prayer, massage, and herbal remedies. One I haven't tried enough is meditation. There are so many proven benefits of meditation. I have always had a very difficult time sleeping and I know that if I started practicing meditation that it would help me in several aspects of my life. Mindful based stress reduction techniques have been proven through several studies to reduce stress levels in healthy people (Chiesa, A., & Serretti, A.,2009). There is a direct correlation between reduced stress levels and insomnia. I recently ordered two meditation CDs to listen to before I go to bed.
Based on its mission and responsibilities, the Commission developed 10 principles to guide the process of making recommendations and to shape the recommendations themselves:

1. A wholeness orientation in health care delivery. Health involves all aspects of life-mind, body, spirit, environment-and high-quality health care must support care of the whole person.
   
2. Evidence of safety and efficacy. The Commission is committed to promoting the use of science and appropriate scientific methods to help identify safe and effective CAM services and products and to generate the evidence that will protect and promote the public health.
   
3. The healing capacity of the person. The person has a remarkable capacity for recovery and self-healing, and a major focus of health care is to support and promote this capacity.
   
4. Respect for individuality. Every person is unique and has the right to health care that is appropriately responsive to him or her, respecting preferences and preserving dignity.
   
5. The right to choose treatment. Every person has the right to choose freely among safe and effective care or approaches, as well as among qualified practitioners who are accountable for their claims and actions and responsive to the person's needs.
   
6. An emphasis on health promotion and self-care. Good health care emphasizes self-care and early intervention for maintaining and promoting health.
   
7. Partnerships as essential for integrated health care. Good health care requires teamwork among patients, health care practitioners (conventional and CAM), and researchers committed to creating optimal healing environments and to respecting the diversity of all health care traditions.
   
8. Education as a fundamental health care service. Education about prevention, healthful lifestyles, and the power of self-healing should be made an integral part of the curricula of all health care professionals and should be made available to the public at all ages.
   
9. Dissemination of comprehensive and timely information. The quality of health care can be enhanced by promoting efforts that thoroughly and thoughtfully examine the evidence on which CAM systems, practices, and products are based and make this evidence widely, rapidly, and easily available.
   
10. Integral public involvement. The input of informed consumers and other members of the public must be incorporated in setting priorities for health care, health care research, and in reaching policy decisions, including those related to CAM, within the public and private sectors.