Chapter 10.Complementary, Alternative, and Integrative Medicine Interventions

Western medicine tends to focus on illness and acute care rather than on prevention or wellness, which causes both patients and care providers to lose sight of their strengths and abilities. Holistic medicine and complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine (CAIM) focus on whole persons, with all their strengths and weaknesses (McBee 2008). In addition, holistic medicine tends to be preventive and wellness oriented. Health care providers will see the burgeoning number of baby boomers increasingly use Western and holistic medicine approaches for the treatment and prevention of the most common diseases of aging. CAIM therapies can be practiced mindfully to promote awareness in the practitioner and the patient. Given the widespread use of CAIM, health care providers urgently need greater awareness of and familiarity with CAIM approaches. In this chapter, we examine evidence supporting the use of CAIM approaches for enhancing resilience to prevent and treat mental disorders of aging. The major domains of CAIM therapies are defined, and relevant approaches, including biologically based therapies (omega-3 fatty acids, S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAMe), Saint John’s wort, ginkgo biloba), mind-body medicine (yoga, Tai Chi, exercise), alternative medical systems (acupuncture, Ayurveda), and other CAIM practices (religion and spirituality, expressive therapies), are discussed.