Monday, April 25, 2005 11:23 AM CDT
Treating the Mind Body and Spirit
By SUE SMYSER, Features Writer
Holistic medicine treats the mind, body and spirit of patients.
The approach incorporates such practices as meditation, yoga, acupuncture, aromatherapy, medical music therapy and guided imagery.
Cheryl Yount, Lake Land College dean for continuing education, helped develop a collaborative Integrated Healing Arts Program with Illinois Valley Community College, Rock Valley College and Prairie State College.
The first four-day program was offered to health-care professionals at the Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center in Utica.
"We realized there's a need in the community to have an alternative way to help patients, especially those who are terminal," Yount said.
But the program also targets caregivers and aims to help them deal with stress.
June Reynolds has attended two of the planned four programs. Reynolds is the nursing services coordinator at the Alan G. Ryle Company in Charleston and heads up staff in group homes for people with disabilities.
"We have community integrated living arrangements and intermediate care facilities for developmentally disabled," she said.
The staff has to meet the needs for individuals who live in those homes. Reynolds said her number one goal this year is to help the staff be involved in their own self care.
Because of the nature of their work, stress levels can be high.
"The nursing staff is on call 24 hours a day and they all carry pagers and cell phones," Reynolds said. "How to take care of themselves is the number one priority."
After attending two of the Healing Arts Programs, Reynolds met with her staff and used some of the information she learned. She talked to them about a journey of caring for themselves by using reading, stretching and checking each other's blood pressures.
Reynolds said holistic medicine is much more of a common practice on the East and West coasts.
The program does double duty by helping both patients and their caregivers.
Yount said when combined with regular patient care, these therapies enhance patient comfort, provide pain relief, promote sleep, alleviate anxiety and encourage well-being.
"The program helps practitioners take care of themselves so they can better take care of others," Yount said.
Reynolds has worked with individuals with disabilities for the past 16 years. She said the holistic approach has taught her to look at the person as a whole.
"Often times individuals with disabilities are not able to tell us what is wrong or how they are feeling, so we have to look at the whole person — mind, body, spirit — to determine what they might be experiencing."
She said her time spent at the programs was a nurturing time for herself as well.
"Holistic nursing is about helping people look at themselves as a learning experience: ‘I don't know why I'm sick. What can I learn from this illness. What changes do I need to make in my life?'"
Holistic medicine involves looking at experiences that happen to someone, and that individual realizing they may need to make some changes.
"It's being a partner in the caring process. We used to say, ‘I'm going to take care of you.' Now in partnering, it's more a ‘doing to'."
Reynolds explained that with "doing to," a caregiver might ask a patient what he thinks can be done in order for him to get better.
The holistic approach connects self, others, nature and a higher power, she said.
Reynolds also talked about the positive and negative energy that people emit.
"Think of the world as a whole and we are a part, and if we put out negative energy, how does that affect others?"
To see the result of positive and negative energy Reynolds went to Dr. Masaru Emoto's Web site, which features pictures of ice crystals in frozen water.
On one, the message, "I hate you," was taped on it, and on the other, the message said, "I love you."
When the water froze, the crystals in the love vial were beautiful to look at, but in the hate vial, there was no order, just chaos.
One of Reynolds' favorite quotes is from Sarah Ban Breathnach, "Self care is never a selfish act — it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer to others."
She taped the quote to her office wall so she could see it every day.
Reynolds is especially fond of nature and the outdoors. Along with the quote, she has pictures of nature, water, trees and flowers on her office walls.
The holistic approach also examines the question, "Why am I here?" It also uses guided imagery, tapes and asks participants to lie on the floor. This, she said, produces a very calming effect.
"We also learned about deep breathing. We don't even know what deep breathing is. You have to force yourself to sit up straight and fill up the lungs. Much of the time we take shallow breaths."
When someone experiences stress, deep breathing is calming and allows a time to regroup, then go forward and deal with the situation.
Reynolds said the group also learned some Tai Chi exercises using controlled movement.
"We spent a day and a half learning about aromatherapy and I am now certified to use three essential oils — extracts of plants such as lavender," she said.
The extract is mixed in a carrier oil, such as grape seed oil with water, and placed on an oil burner.
The aroma of lavender is extremely calming. Lavender is good for anxiety and all kinds of skin problems. It is a sedative and good for depression Reynolds said.
"Inhale the aroma and it's a pain reducer for muscle aches and pains. You can use it in massage on your hands and feet," she said.
The mandarin essential oil is good for stress, the digestive system and acne, she said.
Reynolds plans to attend two more programs on holistic medicine, and said she is looking forward to attending the next session on music therapy and guided imagery.
At one of the programs Reynolds has attended, instructors talked about theories and philosophies of Florence Nightingale and others.
"Each cared for the whole person by incorporating all the elements she considered essential for care of the mind, body and spirit."
Contact Sue Smyser at ssmyser@jg-tc.com or 238-6864.
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