Addressing Symptom Clusters with Complementary and Integrative Health Therapies in Palliative Care Populations: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Both palliative care (PC) and integrative medicine (IM) focus on the whole person to optimize wellbeing. Integrative palliative care combines the best of both approaches in relieving the distressing symptoms of serious illness and its treatment by combining evidence informed, pharmacological and nonpharmacological modalities that are aligned with the person’s goals, values and preferences. Healing is valued, as well as symptom relief, shared decisionmaking, person empowerment, compassionate care, and nurturing of hope. Increasingly, symptom clusters in serious illness are being recognized and addressed in both PC and IM. Symptom clusters arise from the complexity of the physical, psychological, social and spiritual aspects of a person interacting with serious illness. Many complementary and integrative health (CIH) modalities address symptom clusters effectively, and may allow for reduced doses of medication and their resulting side effects, or help alleviate the need for medication altogether, and increase health, healing and well being. Research reveals that the public desires more access to CIH including palliative care settings although actual delivery of these services in health care settings remains limited. This review explores the evidence for a combined palliative care and integrative medicine approach to symptom clusters experienced by people with serious illness through increased access and funding of these services in the community and health care settings with quality practitioners.

Storylines of family medicine VII: family medicine across the lifespan

“…It includes attending to advance care planning by establishing powers of attorney for healthcare and reviewing Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment forms. [34][35][36] As trusted personal physicians, family doctors can fully attend to the needs of dying patients in their practices by implementing home visits, supervising hospice care and frequently communicating with patients and families. A biopsychosocial spiritual approach to care is extremely helpful when providing care for dying persons, as is the involvement of interprofessional teams of health professionals.…”