Jill's List Blog
Making our List and Checking it Twice
Reflecting on 2011, it was a year of birth, tests, changes and growth for Jill’s List. We are proud to share with you our accomplishments in 2011 and our plans for 2012.
In 2011, the Jill’s List team:
- Grew from 3 to 15.
- Launched our Integrative Health directory – adding thousands of new practitioners and attracting interested health consumers and professionals to our website.
- Provided Practitioners with:
- A tool to market and promote their Integrative Health practice
- An online community and network of Integrative Health Practitioners
- Provided Health Consumers with:
- A trusted resource for finding credentialed practitioners
- A place to share information and recommendations
- Partnered with Boston-based doctors, nurses and Integrative Health professionals to offer pro bono (free) appointments to underserved patients who could not afford to pay out-of-pocket for acupuncture, massage therapy and chiropractic sessions.
- Doctors referred their patients using the Jill’s List referral network (which was in beta) to participating acupuncturists, massage therapists and chiropractors
- An enormous thank you to all of the generous practitioners who participated in the program, offering pro bono sessions and feedback to the Jill’s List team
- Began discussions with many Integrative Health Academic Institutions, Associations and Healthcare Networks about collaborations in 2012
2011 was a year of birth, learning, testing, building and growth for Jill’s List!
Our 2012 Goals:
We want to share with you our list of goals (resolutions, perhaps?) for 2012 and invite you to participate and Share the Health!
In 2012 we will:
- Launch Jill’s List Tools for Integrative Health Professionals and Practices:
- Set up your Calendar and offer Online Appointment Booking
- Store Notes about patients, privately, safely and securely
- Refer patients to Practitioners on Jill’s List
- Receive referrals from other Integrative Medicine practitioners and doctors on the Jill’s List network
- Launch Jill’s List Tools for Health Consumers:
- Book appointments online
- Store and access health information in one place for you and your family (in a private, secure environment)
- Share information, progress reports, and updates between Practitioners (you control the ability to share notes amongst your practitioners)
- Build relationships with Academic Institutions, Associations, Health Networks and Consumer Networks involved in Integrative Medicine:
- Enable the best Integrative Health Referral Network in the US
- Codify current credentialing requirements (or lack of) within each Integrative Health modality and expose these to health consumers and professionals
- Expose and lobby for ideas and initiatives that help drive awareness for and usage of Integrative Healthcare (including providing care to health consumers who cannot afford to pay out-of-pocket for care)
- Highlight studies, research, and programs that show evidence of Integrative Health to lower cost of care and increase efficacy of care.
- Be a PLATFORM for collaboration and education that helps health consumers and professionals get well, be well and stay well!
There are many ways that you can participate in the growth of the network…here are a few:
- Join Jill’s List
- Invite a health professional to join Jill’s List
- Recommend treatments that have worked for you!
- Email us your ideas or suggest ways to collaborate
Thanks for being a part of Jill’s List in 2011! We are excited for the future and for what 2012 will bring for better, smarter healthcare!
Share the Health!
Jill and the Jill’s List Team
What Do Our Wrinkles Truly Reveal About Us?
The Wisdom of Your Face
Every time I look in the mirror, it seems another line has developed around or between my eyes. Is it lack of sleep, the stress of work and three kids, or could it possibly be the roadmap to my inner self? If you ask anyone in North America, they’d tell you those wrinkles are simply a sign of age, and in the next breath, they’d refer you to their plastic surgeon. But according to ancient Chinese medicine, those lines on your face may tell a deeper story about who you are, and may even provide a roadmap to the inner you.
Jean Haner, author of The Wisdom of Your Face and The Wisdom of Your Child’s Face, recently introduced me to Chinese Face Reading, an ancient branch of Chinese medicine, which is thousands of years old. “The secrets of your inner nature and personal potential are eloquently inscribed in the curve of your cheeks, the shape of your eyes, the contour of your brows, the unique language of your original design.”
Face Reading was originally used as a diagnostic method in Chinese medicine, to help determine someone’s physical health. But it was also used to reveal one’s inner nature and discover their strengths and their personality type. Ancient Chinese face readers were so insightful they could be considered the original life coaches, advisors, therapists, and matchmakers.
Jean spends time consulting clients on the deeper meaning behind the features, lines and wrinkles that develop on our faces, so we have a stronger understanding of who we are, where we came from, and how we can use this information to live with more purpose. Despite the recession, $10 billion was spent last year in cosmetic surgery and other procedures to eliminate these minor signs of aging. If only we understood the positive message those lines provide, perhaps we could embrace them rather than try to erase them!
Curious about the emerging crow’s feet and changing shape of my face, I asked Jean to do a face reading for me and my family. Before my reading, Jean and I had never spoken nor met. She knew very little about me, my kids, my personality or my life. Armed with only my birth date, a few photos of me and the kids, and the knowledge of my work at Jill’s List, Jean was ready to begin.
Her observations of my exterior features (my open eyes, nose, mouth, lines, and ears) helped me understand what my face reveals about me. She nailed my personality right from the start and “read” different characteristics about how I manage my personal, family and professional life. She revealed what my features say about me, but also how others might interpret my expressions or features. Despite the fact she knew so little about me, Jean really understood my personal and professional strengths, my weaknesses, and the challenges I tackle. It seems the “3000 years of research and development”, as Jean refers to it, really does hold significance and merit.
Jean’s second book The Wisdom of Your Child’s Face, helps parents understand their child’s inner nature and potential. A reading can help understand what your child’s personal gifts and challenges may be so you can help guide them in their lives. Jean included a mini reading of my three kids and could not have been more accurate about each of their personalities. Quite intriguing!
The size of a nose, the slant of your eyes, the shape of your brows, or “strength” of one’s jaw can truly uncover whether you have potential to be powerful, active, sensitive, open hearted, generous, compassionate, or have strong integrity. I learned there is not a cookie-cutter approach to Jean’s readings, but rather an unveiling of how our face weaves together the meanings of all the features, all the wrinkles, and all the markings to reveal the true you.
You can find information about Jean Haner’s workshops and private consultations at http://wisdomofyourface.com
Engage with Grace this Thanksgiving
After meeting Alexandra Drane last year and hearing her speak at TEDMED about Engage with Grace, we felt compelled to remind our readers about this important topic. Engage with Grace is a simple 5 question proposition to ensure your loved ones get the gift of dying the way they wish. This week, many of us are gathering with family to celebrate togetherness and to remember what we are thankful for. But it is also an opportunity to give your family the gift of knowing end of life wishes. Having these very important conversations with our closest friends and family is at the core of Engage with Grace, and we hope you can be the one to help get the conversation started.
You only live once. And you only die once. The goal is to live and die the way you want.
Here are the 5 questions. Read them, consider them, answer them, and share your answers with your loved ones.
From Patient to Healthcare Consumer
Can we become health consumers?
Here in the US, we consider ourselves active consumers. We make conscious decisions and choices about the things we buy ourselves or our families. Before we buy something, we often do research, we compare prices and product quality, and we ultimately select what best suits our wants or needs. But when we are considering caring for our own health needs, are we taking as much time considering what is best for our own body and mind?
Our Jill’s List guest blogger this week is Scott Cedeno. Scott, a Licensed Acupuncturist and founder of Beacon Street Acupuncture, examines the shift from passive patient to active healthcare consumers, where “individuals are capable of making real and lasting changes to their health and well being.”
From Patient to Healthcare Consumer – by Scott CedenoThe face of healthcare in America is currently undergoing major change. More and more, individuals are seeking out care beyond the standard Biomedical interventions that their Doctor’s office commonly provides. However, patients often wade into the unfamiliar waters of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), without sufficient guide posts to mark their way.
The world of CAM can be a strange and mystical place, laden with new and unfamiliar information and concepts. It is populated by a variety of treatment types and modalities, characterized for their safety, efficacy and power. Some modalities, such as Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, stem from traditional medical systems and have ancient origins. Others, such as Chiropractic and Massage Therapy, have a more contemporary genesis.
Though many treatment practices and perspectives exist within the greater field of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, numerous fundamental similarities exist. They serve to unite these disparate and varied disciplines into a unified perspective, as well as to distinguish them as unique from standard Western Biomedical care. Two prime examples include:
1. A Holistic understanding of the individual
The term Holistic is pervasive throughout contemporary culture, and its use extends into the realm of cliché. However, it is a principle factor in the formulation of a CAM perspective. Patients are seen and understood as individuals, who’s health exists across the entire spectrum of their being. This spectrum is composed of an intricate and interrelated web of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual components. The compartmentalization and hyper specialization that exists within the Biomedical model remains un-emphasized. This allows for individual CAM practitioners to serve as providers for a wide range of health concerns that a patient may have.
2. The increased role and responsibility of the patient in their own healthcare
All too often, patients engaged in Biomedical care are passive recipients of this care. Procedures are done to a patient; they are preformed on a patient. Consequently, care becomes reactive and intervention based. Conversely, CAM modalities strongly emphasize the increased role and responsibility of the patient in their own heath and well being. This shifts the emphasis from a reactive form of medicine to a proactive one; from a intervention based standpoint to a prevention based one.
As patients increasingly continue to choose CAM options for their healthcare needs, they begin to understand their own health and well being differently. Physical concerns are seen in light of emotional correlates; psychological imbalances are gleaned through a physical lenses. Patients perceive themselves as primary stakeholders in their own health, with a powerful and justified voice concerning the type of care they receive. Through exposure to CAM options, individuals see themselves less as the passive recipients of intervention based care, and more as active agents, capable of making real and lasting changes to their health and well being. They transcend the modern understating of patient and become a healthcare consumer, with the ability to make educate and informed choices about what treatment types are right for them.
The key to this transition, however, lies in access to both useful and reliable information about CAM options. This is true for both patients, as well as Biomedical providers. For patients, it is important to be able to effectively select what type of CAM modality and practitioner is right for them. For Doctors and Biomedical providers, it is important to understand and be familiar with the capacity and potential of various CAM modalities, when and how to make referrals to CAM providers, and how best to communicate with these providers about patient care.
As healthcare in America continues to change, both patents and providers have a unique opportunity to shape the way in which we provide care for each other.
About Scott Cedeno:
Scott received a B.A. in Philosophy from Boston College, a Master of Acupuncture degree from the New England School of Acupuncture, as well as Diplomate status in Acupuncture from the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. He specialized in Japanese Acupuncture, focusing on 5 Phase Meridian Therapy, Extraordinary Vessel and Extra Channel Polarizations, Channel Divergences, and Muscle-Tendon Meridian Treatments.
Scott recently completed a Certificate of Advanced Study in Pain Topics with a Policy Specialization from Tufts University School of Medicine. The program focused on the examination and understanding of the complex issues and unique challenges associated with both chronic and acute pain conditions. He currently has a private practice at Beacon Street Acupuncture in Brookline, MA.
Healthy Kitchens lead to Healthy Lives
- Announcements, Conditions, Family Health, Gluten Free, Healthy Recipes, Kid's Health, Nutritition, Practitioners, Vegan Lifestyle, Vegetarian Lifestyle
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The idea that food is medicine is the foundation for an upcoming leadership conference that bridges nutrition, science, heath care and the culinary arts. Leading experts in medicine and food collectively tackle the idea that our diet can greatly reduce the risk of chronic illnesses including obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
“It’s one thing to tell our patients to eat well in order to stay healthy and reduce the risk of disease, but it’s even more important for health care providers to be able to model these behaviors themselves” according to David Eisenberg, MD.
Dr. David M. Eisenberg is the Bernard Osher Distinguished Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Co-Director of the upcoming Healthy Kitchens, Health Lives, a continuing education program in Napa, California. The conference invites health care providers including physicians, nurses, nutritionists, exercise physiologists and food executives to participate in a 3-day conference to study the effects of food, prepare and taste their creations, and develop nutrition plans for their clients.
Attendees participate in hands-on teaching sessions from culinary experts and learn the connection between healthy food choices and reducing the risk of disease. The program teaches the doctors about the preparation of healthy, delicious, affordable and convenient foods. The intersection between the “culinary world’ and that of integrative medicine will also be discussed.
Conference Dates: March 22-25, 2012 in Napa, California
Early Bird Registration is available through November 15th.
For more information and to register visit: Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives.
You Control the Healing
“You have a profound ability to influence how you go through medical treatments”
“You have a profound ability to influence how you go through medical treatments”
How Patients Use Mind/Body Techniques to Heal Faster
At Jill’s List, we talk a lot about patients being active participants in their health and empowering the patient with information to improve their healthcare and physical healing. For some patients and practitioners, including Peggy Huddleston, this has been common practice for many years. Peggy, a graduate of the Harvard Divinity School, practicing psychotherapist, and clinical researcher, has been teaching self-healing techniques for decades. Through mind/body exercises, Peggy has empowered thousands of patients throughout the world as illustrated in her book Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster. Peggy shows how to reduce anxiety before surgery, use 50% less pain medication, and heal faster using mind/body techniques.
“In my practice, I had many clients facing surgery. They expressed how nervous and anxious they were and asked if there was anything I could do to help reduce their anxiety.” Peggy guided her patients through a relaxation and visualization technique and was flooded with positive reports from her patients after their surgeries. It was clear to Peggy that she had to share these techniques with other patients and practitioners worldwide.
Today, Peggy’s techniques are used by nurses, doctors, anesthesiologists and patients alike, and her workshops are offered in hospitals from Boston and New York to Paris and Amsterdam. Through her book and CD, Peggy walks the patient through a 5-step process which includes deep relaxation exercises, visualization, family/friend support, healing statements, and benefits of meeting your medical team in advance of your treatment.
A controlled research study with 56 patients having colorectal surgery at The Lahey Clinic showed patients using Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster had significantly less anxiety before surgery and healed faster being discharged from the hospital 1.6 days sooner than the control group. These patients used 60% less pain medication by the second day at home and had less depression and insomnia.
In addition to surgery, Peggy also focuses on lessening the side effects of chemotherapy, radiation or other medical procedures. “Children can absorb the feelings the parents are experiencing. If a parent is anxious, then the child often absorbs that anxiety and begins to feel that way too.” Parents can share Peggy’s healing techniques with children facing what can be considered scary and unfamiliar procedures, and can help children take a more positive approach to healing. For instance, Peggy’s method suggests viewing chemotherapy less as a toxin and more as a 100% healing agent. There are clearing profound implications of the age-old saying “think positive”.
Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster has implications for a generally healthy life as well. The book and CDs can be used to gain a deeper relaxation for use at work, dealing with stress and handling any crisis with which we are faced.
Peggy trains and certifies healthcare professionals in using Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster. Nurses and social workers get 13.5 CEUs for her weekend training which can be taken in person in Lexington, MA or from home.
To learn more about Peggy Huddleston, her workshops and research, or to order a copy of her book and relaxation CD visit www.HealFaster.com
Share the Health!
Finding a Good CAM Practitioner
How does one find a good Complementary and Alternative Medicine practitioner? Typically, patients have conversations with friends about their health issues – their aches, their pains, their moods or headaches, and so on. Until recently rarely did recommendations or referrals to CAM practitioners came from a patient’s primary care physician, but instead came from a trusted friend whom had tried a treatment for a similar condition. So the burden to find a CAM practitioner has traditionally fallen on the patient. While history is beginning to change as MDs are taking a more integrative approach to health, many patients are still faced with the challenge of locating credible and trusted CAM practitioners on their own.
At Jill’s List, we are helping patients find credible CAM practitioners in their area, assisting hospitals in the referral process, and providing an online space for practitioners to be more accessible to patients. But we understand patients (old and new to CAM) are still uncertain how to proceed and establish a trusting relationship with a practitioner. We reached out to the Jill’s List community of experienced practitioners and advisors to share their thoughts on best practices for assessing a CAM practitioner.
Mark Hyman, MD , Founder of the Ultrawellness Center in Lenox is dedicated to identifying and addressing the root causes of chronic illness through a whole-systems medicine approach called Functional Medicine. Regular and ongoing communication with his patients is essential to caring for his patients’ needs.
“When meeting with a CAM practitioner for the first time, feeling apprehensive or uneasy about a new treatment is not unusual; however, the practitioner should make every effort to make the patient feel comfortable and at ease from the first meeting. To help reduce any concern, the patient should come armed with questions about the practitioner’s practice, experience, various treatments offered, expectations during and after treatment, and projected results. Open communication between a practitioner and patient is essential to treating individual needs and creating wellness.”
Dr. Hyman’s advice is sound and underpins the positive experience I recently had with Scott Cedeno of Beacon Street Acupuncture, whom practices Japanese Acupuncture. Until my appointment with Scott, I was only familiar with Chinese Acupuncture otherwise known as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which strengthens and harmonizes the flow of qi (energy) in the body by the insertion of very fine needles into specific points or meridians. While Japanese Acupuncture also uses some light needling and Moxibustion, it is based on a “root/branch” approach to healing, which seeks points on the body that may be the root cause affecting a certain “branch” of one’s system. I was honestly not sure what to expect from the treatment, but Scott immediately put me at ease with his kind demeanor and his effort to keep me informed throughout the treatment. There was a lot of two-way communication prior, during, and after my treatment which made me feel like a participant in the healing process and eliminated any insecurities I may have had.
Scott is also a practitioner participating in our Comprehensive Medicine for All program at Jill’s List. As part of the CMA program, Scott is apt to meet with patients both experienced and inexperienced with complementary care. Important to Scott is having a holistic understanding of each individual patient.
“Patients are seen and understood as individuals, who’s health exists across the entire spectrum of their being. This spectrum is composed of an intricate and interrelated web of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual components. The compartmentalization and hyper specialization that exists within the Biomedical model remains un-emphasized. This allows for individual CAM practitioners to serve as providers for a wide range of health concerns that a patient may have.”
Experience, education and credentials are also key factors in selecting a practitioner according to John de Kadt, licensed Acupuncturist , Chinese Herbalist, Ayurvedic Consultant and Living Food Nutritionist from Canyon Ranch. John understands the importance of finding a practitioner that best suits the patient’s needs. “Call the practitioner in advance and ask them if they have worked with treating your health concern before. Having at least 5 years experience in their field of work is an important qualification. Finally, while some conditions take longer than others to treat, you should feel some benefit or improvement after 7-10 treatments. If not, you may consider exploring another practitioner whom may take a different approach.”
Have you had a positive experience with a practitioner? What made you feel confident in your choice?
Share your story with us!
Is Your Mood Ring Predicting the Future of your Health?
If you grew up in the 1970’s, you probably owned a mood ring at one point in your life. In my day, they were big, glossy cat’s eye-like stones atop an adjustable silver-plated band that allegedly changed color to match one’s current mood. They all came with a piece of paper the size of a gum wrapper (generally misplaced within the first hour of owning the ring) which had the “key” to the colors. Blue meant calm and relaxed, red meant excited, green meant normal and so on. I suspect if you put a mood ring most women today, it would permanently glow on the color match for “stressed”, since many of us maintain prolonged stressful mood states throughout the day.
But did you know research shows prolonged stress can lead to negative thoughts which have been linked to chronic illnesses? In fact, a new study and analysis reported last week by the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests depression increases the risk of stroke. Anxiety, resentment, resignation, and shame or embarrassment are four of the most common “stressful mood states” we experience at one time or another. The key is to understand which mood we are experiencing, connect to that feeling and consciously and mindfully make the mood shift.
Stressful Mood States
Anxiety is a continual feeling of worry and concern and is expressed as a need to control the actions and behavior of others. People can be anxious about anything – their future, their kids, their health, their finances, their safety and more. Prolonged anxiety can lead to Irritable Bowel Syndrome, chronic headaches, and high blood pressure.
Resentment is a continual feeling of anger or bitterness. Many can feel that things are terrible in their life and someone else is responsible or to blame for it. When resentment settles in for a prolonged period of time, this mood state can lead to further anger and hostility, Cardiovascular Disease and TMJ.
Resignation is a continual feeling of helplessness, hopelessness, cynicism or skepticism. Often people in this mood state feel lonely or abandoned and believe there is nothing they can do to improve their life. Prolonged resignation can lead to fatigue, depression and insomnia among other illnesses.
Shame or embarrassment is a continual feeling of inadequacy or that things are “all my fault”. Depression and chronic pain can develop from the deep effects of shame and embarrassment.
Shift the Mood
I don’t need a mood ring to tell me when I am stressed or in need of a mood shift, I have a husband who can tell me that! But it does take some self awareness to remind myself when I need to make that mood shift during my regular day. It seems obvious that we all have the power within ourselves to shift our negative mood to a positive state at any time, thus improving our thoughts and helping to prevent chronic conditions. But then again, more than 60% of Americans are suffering from preventable chronic illnesses or conditions including depression, fatigue, cardiovascular disease and sleep disorders. Perhaps because they are unaware their moods and thoughts are contributing to the decline in their health.
When we are in a positive mood state, we are more likely to achieve our goals, accomplish more, find happiness, love deeper, have more tolerance, and find inner serenity. Certainly, there are many techniques for managing our moods from massage therapy, to exercise, to connecting with nature, to the foods we eat. But if you find yourself in a prolonged stressful mood during your day, there are a few FREE “on the spot” techniques which I learned at Canyon Ranch to help “shift your mood”.
1) Acknowledge or attend to the sensations you are feeling. Consciously connect to these feelings in your mind and understand why you are expressing this negative mood.
2) Sit down. Close your eyes (keep them open if you are driving). Breathe in slowly and deeply for a count to 5 and then breathe out for as long as you can. Repeat this breathing 5-6 times while focusing as much of your attention to the tip of your nostrils. Visualize the negative mood state leaving your body when you exhale. Now, in your mind, think of the positive mood you want to outwardly express and mindfully place in your body.
3) Once your breathing has slowed, focus your attention on the top of your head. Imagine a warm liquid sunshine or light beam shining down through the top of your head and gradually warming and relaxing your body from your head to your shoulders, shoulders to hips, then hips to feet. When that light beam has reached your feet take notice of how it feels to be in your body right now. Now match that feeling with the positive mood state you visualized in step two. Open your eyes.
Usually after I try this, I find my shoulders have dropped several inches away from my ears and my breathing is more fluid. I realize I had probably spent hours involuntarily breathing shallow breaths, and I was so disconnected to my own physical body that I couldn’t even recognize when my muscles were tense or my jaw was clenched. This short exercise can almost always bring me back into my own body, create more self awareness, and bring me peace for the rest of my day. Five minutes of my day in exchange for a peaceful experience and a lifetime avoiding negative health conditions sounds like a good plan to me. Oh, and my mood ring is glowing a calming blue now too.
What color is your mood ring today?
Sources:
Canyon Ranch “Mood Shifting” lecture
Mindful Meditation – select audio meditations
Center for Disease Control
Meditation in Motion
I have explored many of the various disciplines of Complementary and Alternative care over the past 15 years, yet it wasn’t until last week that I tried Tai Chi for the first time. Tai Chi is a mind-body practice that originated in China as a martial art. It consists of slow and gentle body moves, while breathing deeply and meditating. It is a wonderfully relaxing combination of deep breathing, meditation and movement that can also offer remarkable health benefits to all.
“Tai chi incorporates the Chinese concepts of yin and yang (opposing forces within the body) and qi (a vital energy or life force). Practicing tai chi is said to support a healthy balance of yin and yang, thereby aiding the flow of qi” as explained by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).
I arrived at class without any previous experience in Tai Chi and kept an open mind. My class instructor was none other than Peter Wayne, PhD. Peter is the Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Research Director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hopsital and the Harvard Medical School. He is also the founder of the Tree of Life Tai Chi Center in Watertown, MA.
Dr. Wayne quite effectively takes his role as Harvard Professor, conducting some of the country’s leading evidence based research, and balances it with his role as a Tai Chi instructor, sharing in the experience and personal benefits of Tai Chi. Dr. Wayne and his associates at the Osher Center have conducted research to identify trends of use of Tai Chi, including studies on patients with cardio-pulmonary disease, osteoporosis, depression and bone mineral density.
Over 2.5 million people practice Tai Chi in the US. Wayne admits the strongest evidence in studies that have been done confirms regular practice of Tai Chi improves balance and increases musculoskeletal strength. As described by Wayne, “Falls are a critical issue in the aging population. There is a high risk of fracture (particularly in women) from falls”. Research has shown 1 in 5 older women with fractures, die within a year. And 1 in 4 don’t get better at all. In addition to being costly when it comes to medical expenses, it also greatly reduces the quality of life for patients. According to Wayne, “There is strong clinical evidence that Tai Chi reduces the risk of fall related fractures. More generally, regular Tai Chi practice is associated with improved quality of life and emotional well being”, providing good evidence that Tai Chi may be helpful for everyone.
At 58 years old, Nan Braucher began practicing Tai Chi under the instruction of Calvin Chin at the Calvin Chin Martial Arts Academy in Newton, MA. Nan’s curiosity about Tai Chi had piqued after observing a young man in a park doing it. Her interest lead to regular practice of it and now 13 years later she has begun to teach some neighbors on an informal basis. “Regular Tai Chi practice has enabled me to assume postures that were impossible for me earlier. What I love about Tai Chi is that the exercise is not of individual body parts, but of the whole body. I know that certain muscles of mine have been strengthened, but not as a result of exclusive attention to individual muscles. Rather, they are strengthened through whole body engagement.”
My class at Tree of Life Tai Chi Center was small yet included both men and women and represented a broad age range. Some classmates were newbies like me, and others had practiced it for several years. Everyone had a different reason for starting Tai Chi – from general interest to recovery from an injury; yet we all agreed the strength Tai Chi can build through its continuous movements was beneficial both mentally and physically.
What’s nice about Tai Chi is anyone can do it. It has a nice balance of physical motion and mental training. The movements are low-impact and the risk of injury is very low. It provides strengthening of both lower and upper extremities, yet builds self awareness and teaches breathing techniques. You can practice it at home, at work, or on vacation. It does not require a new wardrobe or special equipment and for those with more serious conditions, it is relatively safe.
Will I try Tai Chi again? Definitely. If it can “improve quality of life in moods, self efficacy, and can build confidence in patients to exercise on their own”, as Peter Wayne explains, then I see no reason not to do it all the time.
Have you done Tai Chi? Share your experiences with Jill’s List!
About Peter Wayne, PhD:
Peter Wayne, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in Medicine at the Harvard Medical School, and Research Director for the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine jointly based at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. His current research, supported by NIH grants, focuses on evaluating how Tai Chi and related mind-body practices clinically impact a variety of health conditions (osteoporosis, balance impairment, heart failure, pulmonary disease, depression), and understanding the physiological, mechanical, and psychological mechanisms underlying mind-body practices’ therapeutic effects. Peter also has more than 30 years of training experience in Tai Chi and Qigong, and is an internationally recognized teacher of these practices.
Sources:
The Healing Power of Touch
Having a massage is one of my favorite gifts I treat my body to. The relaxation it provides and relief it gives my muscles is unbeatable. Jill’s List member Melissa Amendola of Healing Moments Massage and Reiki in Attleboro, MA, contributes to our blog this week and describes the not so obvious benefit of massage.
A Not So Obvious Benefit of Massage Therapy
by Melissa Amendola
Most of us are familiar with the physical benefits of massage therapy. And, we all know & experience first hand throughout our daily interactions, the unavoidable stresses of life. The majority of clients that seek out massage therapy usually do so to help alleviate the physical manifestation of their accumulated stress. And, it is certainly well warranted & sought after, as consistent massage therapy helps to reduce your overall level of physical pain, stiffness & discomfort. It also helps to increase the range of motion of the major joints in your body. Educated, intuitive & skilled hands work out the accumulated knots, tensions & muscular adhesions that develop over time.
What about the emotional & mental manifestations of stress? Massage therapy also addresses those symptoms as well. Anxiety, depression, work related burn out and feeling tired & sluggish most of the day are all issues that we battle with from time to time. Regular bodywork & massage can help you to actually feel physically & emotionally lighter, more energized and more at peace. The mechanics of massage stimulate circulation and help to increase the overall levels of serotonin in our bodies inducing a strong sense of relaxation & well being.
There is one very important benefit to massage therapy that most people overlook. And that benefits consists of the experience of having another person touch us in a compassionate, nurturing, SAFE and loving way. If you really stop to think about this exchange, it is pretty profound. Our society does not encourage physical touch from another person, in a way that does not involve sexual, aggressive or violent intentions. Just think of the themes of the television shows, commercials and news media that we are overwhelmingly bombarded with every single minute of the day. Eighty to ninety percent of it all revolves around sex, traumatic events or violence. This is what we expose ourselves to in the context of human interactions. How many people do you hug, on a daily basis? Probably not many. Massage therapy is one of those beautiful exceptions to that status quo. In a massage session two people agree to let their guard down; one receiving nurturing, compassionate, healing touch and the other giving that nurturing, compassionate, healing touch. When this exchange of energy & intent happens in a safe, comfortable & supported environment the overall effect for both the receiver as well as the giver, is that of more peace, energy, balance and a greater sense of wellness for body, mind and spirit. And THAT, folks, is truly why I love my profession. The power of touch can be, and is so incredibly HEALING………………..
About Melissa:
Melissa is licensed by the state of Massachusetts as a Massage Therapist. She graduated from the Muscular Therapy Institute in Cambridge MA in 2003 (now part of Cortiva Institute in Watertown MA) and has been practicing since. Along with providing muscular therapy, she is also a Usui Reiki Master & Shamballa Master/Teacher. As a result, she offers reiki & shamballa sessions as well as chakra balancing sessions.
Melissa’s approach is simple yet nurturing, “My objectives are to rejuvenate the heart, body & soul of clients and assist them in creating more peace, energy & balance in their lives through the use of massage therapy & other forms of body/energy work”
For more information on Melissa and Healing Moments Massage, please visit her web site at www.healingmomentsmassagetherapy.com
