Each issue of TIHC will focus on a particular theme. Although many of the articles will be invited, we also welcome unsolicited manuscripts and “fast facts” collections. All submissions are peer-reviewed. The following themes are tentatively scheduled for the remainder of the first volume (2010-2011):
· Spring 2011: Physical Activity and Sports/Leisure
· Summer 2011: Approaches to Body-Mind Health and Healing
This is the second issue of Topics in Integrative Health Care (TIHC), a peer-reviewed, open-access quarterly online journal dedicated to advancing the integration of complementary and mainstream approaches to health into diverse settings. The journal targets health care providers who are open to any effective methods to help patients regain and optimize their health, and lead more fulfilling and productive lives. We believe that those methods may be found in all health professions, and in all sorts of settings. TIHC takes an evidence-informed approach, and we are grounded in its three “legs”: patient values and preferences; clinician experience and expertise; and the best available scientific evidence.
This issue focuses on issues related to a specific population rather than a health care setting or health condition: older adults. Topics addressed included fall prevention, characteristics of older Americans who use chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation, and special ethical considerations related to caring for older adults.
The Grand Rounds feature for this issue, in keeping with the theme, presents a case of an older male patient with stenosis, with treatment perspectives presented by a chiropractor, a geriatrician, a physiatrist, and a nurse. Our Fast Facts feature also focuses on topics relevant to older adults, specifically the effects of Vitamin D. Finally, we include a new feature, Brief Clinical Report, which will present a short summary of identification and clinical treatment of a specific condition or risk factor; in this issue, it is subdural hemorrhage, a particularly important topic for clinicians serving the older adult population.
All issues of TIHC will continue to emphasize not only the integration of various approaches and settings for the treatment of conditions, but also the integration of health promotion and prevention into all clinical encounters, as well as into both patients’ and providers’ daily lives.
Cheryl Hawk, DC, PhD, CHES
Editor, Topics in Integrative Health Care