April 2015

for health professionals

Complementary and Integrative Health for Older Adults

Many older adults are turning to complementary and integrative health approaches, often as a reflection of a healthy self-empowered approach to well-being. Natural products often sold as dietary supplements are frequently used by many older people for various reasons despite safety concerns or a lack of evidence to support their use. Although there is a widespread public perception that the botanical and traditional agents included in dietary supplements can be viewed as safe, these products can contain pharmacologically active compounds and have the associated dangers.

Mind and body practices, including relaxation techniques and meditative exercise forms such as yoga, tai chi, and qi gong are being widely used by older Americans, both for fitness and relaxation, and because of perceived health benefits. A number of systematic reviews point to the potential benefit of mind and body approaches for symptom management, particularly for pain. However, research on these mind and body approaches is still hampered by methodological issues, including a lack of consensus on appropriate controls and lack of intervention standardization. While much of the clinical data is inconclusive, these approaches may help older adults maintain motivation to incorporate physical exercise into their regular activities.

This issue of the digest provides information on complementary and integrative health approaches for conditions clinically relevant to older adults.

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What the Science Says:
Complementary and Integrative Health for Older Adults

Learn what current research has to say about:

 Osteoarthritis

 Cognitive Decline and Alzheimer’s Disease

 Sleep Disorders

 Menopausal Symptoms

 Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

 Age-Related Macular Degeneration

 Herpes Zoster (Shingles)

Read more »

Additional Resources

 Clinical Practice Guidelines

 Scientific Literature

 Research Spotlights

 For Your Patients

 Time to Talk Tips:
4 Tips: Mind and Body Practices for Common Aging-Related Conditions

 Time to Talk Tips:
5 Tips: Natural Products Used for Common Aging-Related Conditions

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NCCIH Clinical Digest is a service of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NCCIH Clinical Digest, a monthly e-newsletter, offers evidence-based information on CAM, including scientific literature searches, summaries of NCCIH-funded research, fact sheets for patients, and more.

NCCIH is 1 of 27 institutes and centers at the NIH. The mission of NCCIH is to define, through rigorous scientific investigation, the usefulness and safety of complementary and alternative medicine interventions and their roles in improving health and health care. For additional information, call NCCIH's Clearinghouse toll free at 1-888-644-6226, or visit the NCCIH Web site at nccih.nih.gov.