IJHC

The IJHC fills a unique niche in world health literature, presenting:

Personal, clinical, and research observations in integrative care

Wholistic healing – click on icons above for a wholistic tour

Spiritual awareness and healing – within yourself, between you and others, and with your environment

“I love your online journal. I have cited it in my classes at UMass-Boston.
Thank you very much.
Greta”

The IJHC Features

Complementary therapies can provide benefits in treatment of problems which add to conventional therapies. For instance:

Acupuncture, homeopathy, osteopathy and Therapeutic Touch help with arthritis, backache and other pains, cancer, neurological disorders, and more.
Homeopathy may address lack of motivation to change as a symptom for which there is a medicinal remedy.
Music, art and humor are therapeutic modalities finding their places in patient care.
Spiritual awareness, as for example in "healing unto death," is a contribution from healing.

Wholistic approaches, focused on the person who has the illness rather than on the illness the person has

Wholism addresses the growth and healing of body, emotions, mind, relationships, and spirit.

Considering the person rather than merely diagnosing and treating problems
Dis-ease is addressed along with disease
Caring is emphasized rather than curing, adding life to your days rather than just days to your life
The person who is the therapist is as important as the therapeutic modality used.
The recipients of care are full participants in their own care and treatmen

Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice

Including a spectrum of approaches from acupuncture to yoga. Each has its own philosophy and methodology that may enhance the health care of people suffering from dis-ease and disease.

The term alternative therapies has been used for these approaches, but this is a polarization which needlessly suggests an either/or dichotomy in health care.


	Complementary therapies can provide benefits in treatment of problems which add to conventional therapies. For instance: Acupuncture, homeopathy, osteopathy and Therapeutic Touch help with arthritis, backache and other pains, cancer, neurological disorders, and more. Homeopathy may address lack of motivation to change as a symptom for which there is a medicinal remedy. Music, art and humor are therapeutic modalities finding their places in patient care. Spiritual awareness, as for example in "healing unto death," is a contribution from healing.

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)

Including relaxation, meditation and imagery.


	Clinical, research and theoretical papers are included on psychological issues that relate to self healing and on clinical approaches which facilitate healing. PNI is widely acknowledged in the USA, but is barely known in England and Europe.

Wholistic psychotherapy


	Promoting stress management, disease prevention, enhanced quality of life, love, joy and personal spiritual awareness.

Healing

From physical and psychological injuries growing into self-awareness and self-healing

From pain, fear, and despair to hope, joy and laughter

Healing through biological energies, extending into spiritual awareness

Learning through struggling with psychological shadow and growing into lessons of acceptance, forgiveness, and unconditional love

Learning traditonal wisdom of cultures around the world, balanced by scientific research

Integrative Care

Clinical issues in wholistic complementary therapies as they are integrated with conventional medical practice.


	The philosophies of complementary therapies bring fresh perspectives to health care. Medical schools are including these modalities in their curricula. Modern medicine brings a discerning eye and scientific methodology to the study of complementary care.

International exchanges among conventional and complementary practitioners


	Complementary therapists are learning to work with conventional medical practitioners, extending the approaches available for health promotion and disease management and enhancing services available to the public through integrative care. Conventional carers are diversifying their clinical approaches as they assimilate wholistic awareness and complementary therapies into their practices. Different cultures do this differently and we have much to learn from each other.

Research


	Conventional practitioners bring research perspectives to therapies that have not been well studied through conventional approaches. Complementary therapy philosophies challenge researchers to develop new paradigms to accommodate their focus on the uniqueness of individuals rather than emphasizing similarities between them. Qualitative as well as quantitative research will be featured.

The caregiver as an agent for change


	The therapist may be more important than the therapy in bringing about changes in clients.

The caregiver as a person


	Caregivers are often neglected, by themselves and by their employers. Personal growth and development of the carer is stimulated by holistic practices.

Clients' experiences with complementary therapies and integrative care


	The consumer is a neglected source of information on the efficacy of healing approaches. This rich resource will be tapped for information as well as for encouragement to others dealing with physical and psychological challenges. Wherever possible, therapists will complement their articles with reports and observations of their clients and students .

Humor, poetry, metaphor, imagery, art, music, dance, and movement as healing


	The creative arts offer powerful avenues to self-healing, to healings of relationships with other people and with the environment, and to spiritual awareness.

Volunteer services in clinical settings


	If we cure people of their illnesses we create dependency. If we teach people to care for themselves and each other we give them the gifts of independence, self-confidence, and opportunities to develop and share of their own healing gifts.

Healing society

Modern society has lost its connection with nature and with the individual connections between people that create and nurture humane ways of dealing with each other.

The large numbers of people on the planet, our increasing mobility, our disconnection from extended family, our pursuit of money and power, our pollution of the planet, and our disconnection from spiritual awareness are threatening the existence of life on this planet.

Spiritual healing knows no limits. We can focus our healing energies to deal with these problems.

Healing Gaia, our planet


	Our planet is being polluted, its resources exhausted, and many species are being driven to extinction. We must focus our healing energies to deal with these problems.

Networking

A major focus of the IJHC

The IJHC Newsletter brings subscribers monthly news and notices.

National and international conferences and workshops will be listed, and highlights of past conferences summarized.

Allopathic and complemntary therapy courses will be featured.

Highlights from various CAM and spiritual awareness publications will be presented in brief cameos.

Advertisements for various therapists will make complementary therapies available to those who seek them. (The IJHC does not endorse products or services in our ads.)

Readership

The focus of the Journal is on practical clinical and theoretical issues and on the personal intuitive and spiritual awarenesses that can guide us in achieving all of the above. Though not intended to be a strictly academic journal, research articles will be refereed.

Readership will include conventional and complementary health caregivers and members of the public interested to know more about complementary/alternative therapies and integrative care.

Appreciations and Testimonials

IJHC Appreciations

Editorial Panel

Healing Resources

Submission Guidelines

The IJHC is a peer-reviewed journal

Click here for submission guidelines for caregivers and careseekers

About IJHC

The IJHC Features