Alternative therapies - Coursework Example

Alternative Therapies Nursing work March 11, Alternative Therapy in Bipolar Disorder The treatment of bipolar disorder entails keeping in check manic and depressive symptoms. Manic symptoms include spontaneous behavior, extreme petulance, and worry while depressive symptoms include low mood, loss of appetite, and emotive unresponsiveness. Fewer alternative treatments for manic disorder exist compared to those of depressive indicators because most patients with bipolar disorder suffer from depressive tendencies.

As a nurse practitioner, I would advise the patient’s family on the available alternative therapies for bipolar disorder. Some of the alternative treatments that are available for bipolar disorder include Rhodiola rosea, St. Johns wort and S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) for depressive tendencies, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids (Lam, Jones, & Hayward, 2010). Rhadiola rosea is a herb that has been used traditionally in the management of stress. However, it has some stimulating effects that can lift the moods of a depressed individual.

S-adenosylmethionine is a nutritional supplement with antidepressant action and can at times trigger mania in bipolar patients. St. John’s wort is a native mood enhancer that alleviates depression. Omega-4 fatty acids from foods such as salmon and sardines tend to lower manic tendencies in patients with bipolar disorders. It is proposed that omega-3 fatty acids facilitate the movement of neurotransmitters in the brain hence assisting in the stabilization of moods. Increasing Compliance with Therapeutic ModalitiesIt is worth noting that these alternative therapies should not substitute the prescribed medication for the disorder.

They should be considered as complementary treatments. Therefore, patients with bipolar disorders should take their antidepressants whenever they feel that they need them. In addition, most of the alternative therapies have not undergone rigorous evaluation and reviews compared to their pharmaceutical counterparts. Therefore, the nurse should advise family members to do additional research on the treatments to find out whether they have negative effects or adverse reactions with conventional medication that the patient may be taking.

For example, it has been reported that S. John’s wort is not safe and that it tends to interact with other medications such as lithium (Deligiannidis & Freeman, 2010).ReferencesDeligiannidis, K. M., & Freeman, M. P. (2010). Complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of depressive disorders in women. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 33(2), 441-463.Lam, D. H., Jones, S. H., & Hayward, P. (2010). Cognitive therapy for bipolar disorder: A therapists guide to concepts. Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons.