As práticas integrativas e complementares na atenção à saúde da mulher

Abstract

Integrative and Complementary Health Practices (ICP) can be described as activities that are developed and that aim to promote health holistically. In assisting women, this practice is used at various stages of their lives, as it provides an improvement in quality of life, brings well-being, comfort and, especially, relief of biological symptoms. From this perspective, the study aims to analyze the evidence on scientific production regarding Integrative and Complementary Practices in Women's Health. It is an narrative literature review. Eight articles were selected from the SciELO, LILACS and PubMed databases, with full texts and Portuguese language, that answered the research question. For this search, we used the descriptors “Complementary Therapies” and “Women's Health”. The study analyzed the relationship of ICPs with women's health, bringing their characteristics, impacts on women's health and the perspective of health professionals who use it in their healthcare work. Thus, the following categories emerged: Integrative and Complementary Health Practices, health impacts and perspectives of healthcare professionals. From this analysis it became evident that the current health model is biomedical, its performance has been disqualifying other forms of care such as ICPs, but this is gaining visibility because it presents a new form of care that should not be seen as something to replace, but to complement. In addition, there are today a variety of integrative practices that are used in women's health, such as music therapy, hydrotherapy, aromatherapy, foot reflexology, foot baths, medicinal plants, massage therapy, Qi Gong, among others. We realize from this, the impacts that come from the use of these practices by women, the main impacts that were perceived in the study, are: relief of physical symptoms, such as pain in general and edema, were also perceived benefits regarding emotional and psychological issues, since this practice allowed feelings such as tranquility, calmness, disconnections regarding daily life, among others, besides those in situations of chronic diseases, such as neoplasms, ICPs help in the process of coping with the disease, acceptance. Regarding the perception of professionals, it was possible to realize that most of them have the understanding that the ICPs bring several benefits to women at all stages of their life, and that the application of these practices requires a specific qualification, so that there is no harm to the recipient. It has been found that ICPs are of great importance to women's health, as it provides several benefits in all issues involving being a woman, and that it is important and necessary to carry out more studies in this area that is recently entering the scientific field.