Complementary therapies have become widely known and used in Western health care. However, the therapies included in many of the surveys that have been done about the use of complementary therapies are sometimes limited in scope. Expanding the perspectives on complementary therapies’ medicine so that nurses become more knowledgeable about therapies that are practiced by people in multiple cultures across the globe is critical to competent health care. In Chapter 1 and in subsequent chapters throughout this book, the authors have taken a new tack: to examine the use of complementary therapies from a global perspective. Nurses from across the globe discuss how a specific therapy is or is not used in their countries. This approach conveys the growing use of complementary therapies not only in the United States but worldwide.

Modeling the holistic, caring philosophy that underlies many of the complementary therapies typically used is an important aspect of care. Taking care of oneself is even more important in the increasingly pressure-filled health care settings in which nurses and other health professionals practice today. In Chapter 2, therapies and practices are discussed that nurses can use to lessen stress and thereby better focus on the patient and the patient’s family.