Enhancing Cognitive Function with Herbal Supplements.

Herbal medicine is the art and science of using herbs, for health promotion and preventing and treating illnesses that are not usually considered part of standard medical care. It is the leading therapy among complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in the United States. Using herbal supplements to improve or stave off the effects of normal cognitive aging is appealing to many patients because of the misconception that "natural" therapies have no adverse effects.

Cultural competent patient-centered nursing care.

This article provides a theoretic framework for culturally diverse practice, provides a model for developing cultural competency, and provides best-practice guidelines for conducting a cultural assessment on patients to identify their diverse needs to integrate into a patient-centered plan of care. The role of ethics is discussed to empower mutual respect, equality, and trust building in patients to promote positive health care outcomes. Cultural diversity tool kits from the National League for Nursing and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing are reviewed to provide educational resources to the front line nurse.