A new study published in the journal Psychopharmacology is presenting a comprehensive look at the long-term efficacy of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study finds not only do the substantial beneficial effects of the therapy hold strong for well over a year after completing the treatment, but patients continue to improve as time passes following the few MDMA sessions.

After decades of prohibition and stigma, MDMA is finally on the precipice of becoming a clinically approved medicine. Currently deep in Phase 3 human trials for severe treatment-resistant PTSD, the therapy has proved so effective the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved it for Expanded Access, a program allowing certain patients access to the therapy before full market approval is granted.

While several studies have been published outlining positive Phase 2 trial results, this new paper investigates long-term outcomes from the treatment, compiling follow-up data from six prior trials. Around 100 subjects were included in the study.

At the original end-point of the trials, 56 percent of the cohort no longer met the clinical criteria for PTSD. The long-term follow-up data revealed continued improvements in most subjects for well over a year, with 67 percent of the cohort subsequently no longer meeting the PTSD criteria. Other long-term results noted in the cohort include reductions in suicidal thoughts and clinically significant symptom improvements.

"These long-term follow-up findings show that once people with PTSD learn that they can productively process traumatic memories instead of suppressing them, they can continue to heal themselves even after they have stopped receiving MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, notes Rick Doblin, co-author on the new study.

It is important to note the MDMA-assisted psychotherapy treatments involve more than just a simple dose or two of the drug. The entire treatment process takes between eight and 12 weeks, encompassing two to three day-long MDMA psychotherapy sessions, each spaced around a month apart. Extensive preparatory therapy sessions are conducted before the MDMA treatments, and follow-up integrative therapy sessions are conducted in the days and weeks after the active drug sessions.

The new study also suggests the long-term follow-up data finds the treatment does not lead to MDMA abuse, or any other substance abuse, and no significant adverse effects are detected from the therapy. At the 12-month follow-up point it is noted around 94 percent of subjects did want to engage in additional MDMA-assisted psychotherapy sessions. While the researchers do acknowledge this desire may be underpinned by some subjects wanting to experience the pleasurable effects of MDMA, the study suggests the urge to complete additional treatments is more likely a result of the positive outcomes of the treatment.

Although our Phase 3 trials are not yet completed, these long-term data support the hypothesis that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy may provide significant advantages in treatment outcomes, safety, and durability over available PTSD treatments, says Berra Yazar-Klosinski, co-author on the new study. This is the breakthrough that the world needs right now.

Phase 3 clinical trials are currently underway at a number of sites in the United States, Canada and Israel. These trials are expected to run for 12 to 18 months, and FDA approval for the treatment should come sometime in 2022.

The new study was published in the journal Psychopharmacology.

Source: MAPS

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Impressive long-term benefits of MDMA for treating PTSD, study reports - New Atlas

In the fall of 2019, my hospital put out word that it was looking for physicians who might wish to undergo intensive training to become certified health and wellness coaches. Having worked with patients who have used health coaching, I jumped at the chance. Their experiences were almost universally positive: many of them had attained health goals that had been otherwise elusive, such as the weight loss they invoked annually and fruitlessly as a New Years resolution. The few physicians I knew who were also coaches seemed to be able to fuse the different skill sets in a way that expanded their ability to connect with their patients and address their health needs on a deeper level.

Just as a sports coach can help an athlete develop and excel at a sport, a health and wellness coach can help anyone excel at living their life, even or especially if they have chronic medical conditions. The coaching process is similar to talk therapy in that it involves two people discussing ideas and issues, but it is different in that the person who is being coached is in the drivers seat, creating their goals as well as the strategies on how to arrive at these goals.

People tend to hire health coaches to help them with a broad variety of health issues, such as weight loss, stress reduction, the management of chronic conditions, improving diet and exercise, tobacco cessation, addiction, and adjusting to a life-altering health event, like a heart attack. There is overlap between what a health coach does and what a life coach does, but a life coachs domain is much broader, and includes career issues, executive coaching, and professional effectiveness.

A key technique utilized by coaches is motivational interviewing, in which a coach asks open-ended questions intended to help their client elicit his or her own reasons for change. Instead of the doctor saying, You need to lose weight, a coach might ask, How might your life be different if you lost the weight that youve been trying to lose? The concept, which has been proven effective in many research studies, is that people who are changing for their own reasons, on their own terms, are far more likely to succeed when compared with someone telling them what to do which is less motivating and is more likely to instill resistance to change.

Motivational interviewing has been creeping into the medical profession as well, with great success. With the intensive focus on it I received in my coaching training, I now put it in the forefront in my interactions with patients, trying to really hear what they are saying and to engage them as much as possible in coming up with solutions for the various health issues that arise. Patients seem to genuinely appreciate this, and while I havent conducted a study, this approach certainly seems successful in terms of both my relationships with patients and the results I am seeing.

Whereas traditional psychology has focused on what is wrong with people and what needs to be fixed, coaching philosophy focuses on what has, can, and will work better for you. This means that instead of rooting around for problems to dwell on, a coach will work with you to harness your strengths, in order to improve the health behaviors you want to address.

Coaching is effective for people managing a variety of health conditions. According to a recent study, coaching results in clinically relevant improvements in multiple biomarker risk factors (including systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and cardiorespiratory fitness) in diverse populations. Coaching has also helped improve health-related quality of life and reduced hospital admissions in patients with COPD. No wonder some doctors offices are offering it, some insurance companies are paying for it, and private companies are even starting to offer coaching to their employees in order to lower their healthcare costs.

Coaching is a relatively new field, and it is an unregulated industry, so you do not need any certification to practice as a health coach. There is no strict definition of what a health coach even is, which adds to the confusion. In other words, anyone can hang out a shingle and call themselves a coach. However, there are many programs that do train and certify coaches, both in person and online. Among the most popular and well-respected are: The National Society of Health Coaches, The American Council on Exercise, Dr. Sears Wellness Institute, Duke Integrative Medicine, and Wellcoaches School of Coaching (which is where I was trained). It is strongly recommended that you choose a certified coach, to ensure that they have a certain level of training and experience.

The time commitment and cost of coaching are highly variable. Some people do very brief coaching even one session for a discrete problem, such as whether or not to accept a job offer, whereas others may participate in coaching for months or years, for something like managing weight, diabetes, depression, or hypertension. The cost varies with the skill and experience of the coach. As mentioned previously, some employers and medical plans may cover this, as there is abundant evidence that, for example, health coaching around issues such as weight loss can significantly lower healthcare costs. It is important to note that coaches take privacy very seriously, and they have a professional code of ethics, but there are not the same HIPAA-level privacy protections as there are when you visit a medical office.

Coaching appears to be as effective when administered remotely by phone or the Internet when compared with face-to-face coaching. This provides great flexibility, as coaching can be performed in person, over the phone, or via videoconferencing.

Coaches resumes will often be available for you to review, so see if their interests and experience overlap with the issues you wish to address. Coaches enter the field from a wide variety of different backgrounds, and it might be an advantage to pick a coach who has a background in a health or wellness-related field, though many extremely talented coaches come from careers in different realms. Word of mouth is always an excellent way to find a coach, or you could call your insurance company and, if this is an offered benefit, its likely that they have coaches they can recommend.

Unlike health fads that come and go, health coaching has strong evidence behind it backing its effectiveness for improving health and well-being. Becoming a health coach has been deeply rewarding to me, because it is rare in life that you get to promote happiness, build resiliency, save people money, and help people live longer and more fulfilling lives at the same time.

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Health coaching is effective. Should you try it? - Harvard Health Blog - Harvard Health

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The Centers for Disease Control has already started coronavirus antibody testing, which determines whether someone has had the virus in the past, to piece together a picture of how many Americans may have already been infected.

Scaling up antibody testing is critical to re-opening the economy, said Dr. Tania Dempsey of Armonk Integrative Medicine, who practices in hard-hit Westchester County, New York.

SHOULD YOU WASH GROCERIES DURING CORONAVIRUS

"It is becoming more evident that there is a significant portion of the population who were exposed to COVID-19 but remain asymptomatic. These patients remain in isolation concerned about their exposure to this dangerous virus when, in fact, these patients have antibodies indicating they have already had the infection and have immunity to it now," Dempsey told FOX Business."These are the people who could go back to the workforce without the fear of getting infected. This would be a tremendous improvement over our current situation and would really help keep some or even most industries in business."

A Panera Bread shop displays a sign they are open amid the coronavirus pandemic on April 5, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)

The testing involvesdrawing blood from undiagnosed people of all age groupsin a community, STAT News reported. But getting Americans access to such testing, also known as serological testing because it measures antibodies in the blood,could prove difficult. So far, the FDA has only authorized one serological test for clinical laboratories under an Emergency Use Authorization, but FDA officials said more than 70 test developers havetests available.

New York, the state that has reported the most deaths from coronavirus, is working with FDA for approval of a serological test, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference against a backdrop of medical supplies at the Jacob Javits Center that will house a temporary hospital in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Tuesday, March 24, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Jo

"How do you start the economy back up? "How do you start getting back to work as quickly as possible?" Cuomo asked."It's going to come down to testing. You're going to have to know who had the virus, who resolved the virus, who never had it and that's going to be testing. And that is an entirely new field that we're just developing now."

FDA officialssaidthe tests "may potentially be used to help determine, together with other clinical data, that such individuals are no longer susceptible to infection and can return to work."

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Scaling up serological testing throughout the United Stateswill take the cooperation of scientists, doctors and the business world, Dempsey said. Health insurance companies may need to cover some of the tests, too.

"In addition, doctors will need to interpret the tests and help patients understand whether it is safe for them to re-enter the workforce," she said.

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Is the coronavirus antibody test key to reopening the economy? - Fox Business

The upcoming episode on In Depth with Laurence Fishburne will further explore patient-focused care and personalized integrative medicine.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (PRWEB) March 12, 2020

American actor, producer, and playwright, Laurence Fishburne, is the host of the educational program In Depth. The show interviews experts about a wide array of topics to educate its viewing audience about issues taking place in the world today. A new episode will plunge into the medical field by discussing personalized integrative medicine.

Integrative medicine differs from standard medical treatment. This type of care takes a patient-focused approach. Putting the patient first means taking time to get to know the patient and taking into consideration their beliefs and values in regards to their health. Conventional medicine focuses primarily on the disease, whereas integrative medicine takes into account a patients emotional, physical, spiritual, mental, and environment.

Often western medicine misinterprets symptoms as diseases, whereas integrative medicine works to treat the underlying causes for an individuals symptoms. Research shows there is a connection between the immune system and brain and a persons emotional state and disease. Integrative medicine uses laboratory and genetic testing to determine the appropriate route of treatment for a patients needs. This approach uses treatments that encourage the bodys healing process by removing barriers to healing and providing the body with what it requires to achieve optimal health. The least invasive procedures, which include natural evidence-based, are used first instead of more severe options when appropriate.

The upcoming episode on In Depth with Laurence Fishburne will further explore patient-focused care and personalized integrative medicine.

In Depth with Laurence Fishburne is carefully reviewed before broadcast. The informational program has accepted several accolades.

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Personalized Integrative Medicine and Patient-Focused Care Highlighted On In Depth With Laurence Fishburne - PR Web

By Mike Cook

Janet Quintanilla opened Sonoma Acupuncture Integrative Health last June in Sonoma Ranch Plaza, Suite 226 upstairs at 141 N. Roadrunner Parkway.

With six treatment rooms and a lounge, the offices of the El Paso native provide acupuncture, electroacupuncture, oriental medicine and other modalities in a cozy and calm atmosphere, Quintanilla said.

Quintanilla began training in the field 10 years ago and entered private practice in 2017. In that time, shes had a lot of success treating patients with chronic pain, including many referred to her by their doctors after being told there was no solution for their suffering and, youre just going to have to live with it, Quintanilla said.

Conditions treated include acute and chronic pain, including migraine headaches; autoimmune disease, including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and Menieres Disease; womens health issues and neurological issues, including stroke recovery, peripheral neuropathy, trigeminal and post-herpetic neuralgia, Bells palsy and macular degeneration.

We address the chronic problems so people can live their lives, Quintanilla said. Her goal is keeping people active in their homes and helping them to leave their pains behind, along with their canes and walkers.

One of the techniques Quintanilla uses is ATP resonance biotherapy, which uses frequencies to target tissue damage, she said, adding that its a new technology that is not available anywhere else in New Mexico.

I want to bring new therapies that work, she said. I want to provide therapies for those chronic conditions for those people who have lost hope.

One of Quintanillas patients is an 80-year-old man who is in the second month of a three-month treatment plan for peripheral neuropathy, including numbness in his feet.

Hes got feeling in his feet again, Quintanilla said, and has told her he is 90 percent improved.

A 65-year-old female patient with fibromyalgia is finding relief from back pain which had flared up when she got the flu and was coughing, Quintanilla said.

Quintanilla said treatments can also help patients regulate their immune systems, as they deal with mold, bacteria and fungi.

Its incredible therapy, she said.

Quintanilla said she is so grateful she found this practice. I love to learn about new therapies.

Many health insurance policies include coverage for acupuncture, Quintanilla said, and she can also work out payment plans. She advises new patients to bring their complete health records, including lab and imaging work and current treatment plans, which can help her to determine where to focus therapy.

Quintanilla is a New Mexico-licensed and board-certified doctor of Chinese medicine and is nationally board certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, according to the Sonoma Acupuncture website.

Sonoma Acupuncture is open mornings and afternoons, Monday-Thursday and has flexible scheduling.

For more information, call 575-618-6900 or visit https://sonoma-acupuncture.com/.

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Acupuncture offers alternative treatment for chronic pain, other health issues - Las Cruces Bulletin

I got a good crew, but today I just feel off, Justin Bieber says as he films a music video in Episode 9 of his YouTube docuseries, Seasons.

He drops to the ground, rubbing his hands through his hair. He circles his cheeks and forehead with his palms, like hes washing his face without any water. Hes physically struggling to get out of his own head.

Its a feeling Im very familiar with. The Biebs and I both struggle with mental-health issues. His difficulties are on full display in Seasons, which follows the 25-year-old megastar through the making of his new album Changes and shows his often-rough road to recovery from drug addiction.

A key player in Biebers mental reset is Buzz Mingin, a local health coach and behavioral specialist with a celebrity following. He helps clients struggling with mental illness, brain injury and concentration issues, and remembers Bieber being in bad shape when they first met.

He really wasnt functioning, says Mingin, 51, in the docuseries. His cortisol levels the bodys so-called stress hormone were through the roof.

Mingin, who has a Ph.D. in psychology but is not a medical doctor, works with the Amen Clinics, a national chain that specializes in brain-focused integrative medicine. Full workups by Amen Clinics which can include talk therapy, oxygen chamber sessions and brain tests called SPECT imaging scans cost about $4,000 and are not covered by insurance.

Its practices have come under fire in the past: In 2012, the Washington Post expressed skepticism about the reliability of the SPECT imaging, Amens high cost of care and its expensive supplements. A representative from the clinic rebukes these claims in a statement to The Post: SPECT imaging, they say, is based on reliable science, supplements can be better than toxic psychiatric medications and getting healthy isnt expensive when you compare it to the cost of being sick.

At any rate, Mingins techniques seemed to be working for Bieber. So I went to see if he could help me calm down too.

In the Amen Clinics Midtown office, Mingin explains the method to his madness. In a thick Jersey accent, he tells me that he functions as a combination therapist, neurologist and wellness guru.

The first order of business is getting his patients on a strict schedule. We want [to create] a predictable environment to avoid extraneous stress, he tells The Post. That means sleeping, eating and exercising at the same time every day.

When stressors do crop up, he recommends havening, a relatively new psychosensory technique that has panicky patients stroke their arms, face or hands (patients choice) with their fingers until they feel calm. According to Mingin, fingertip stroking increases the production of feel-good chemicals in the brain, including serotonin and dopamine, to combat stress.

Thats what Bieber is doing during his music video freakout, when he runs his hands all over his head and face. When hes done, he gets back up and back to work.

Sitting across from Mingin, I tell him Im ready to try it.

First, Mingin asks me to focus on a stressor in my life. Thats easy: coronavirus. Its spreading fast. All I can think of is a totally apocalyptic, worst-case scenario.

We come up with a mantra: Im not elderly. I dont have an underlying health problem. I wash my hands. Im going to stay alive.

Mingin instructs me to use my fingertips and palms to slowly stroke my face, upper arms or hands while breathing slowly and counting the breaths: For 30 seconds, close the eyes, inhale through the nose for three seconds and exhale for five seconds.

You want it to feel kind and soft, he says. Were calibrating your thinking and the [brain] chemicals to work together.

I close my eyes and focus on the texture of my finger pads, trying to match my breath to the motion, like a low-exertion yoga class.

While I haven, Mingin chants our mantra. I focus on taking long breaths. After 30 seconds, I open my eyes.

Stefano Giovannini

Stefano Giovannini

Stefano Giovannini

Stefano Giovannini

Stefano Giovannini

Im still scared of coronavirus. But my breathing is slower. My shoulders are lower. Im a little calmer.

With a daily stressor tackled, we turn to something heavier. Mingin asks me to think of a time I felt inescapable fear. My mind turns to a serious health scare that sent me to the ER.

Eyes closed, I bring myself back to that night where I was, how it felt, who I saw. Mingin had me take three quick, forceful inhales, like lifting weights, to bump up my heart rate and stress level. It works: Im in freakout mode.

Then, havening. As I stroke my palms and take deep breaths, Mingin prompts me to think of something joyful. My heart rate slows. I feel Zen. He tells me to open my eyes and, without moving my head, look to the right and then left 10 times. Doing so, Mingin says, helps to retrain my brain to associate terrible memories with a good feeling instead of a bad one.

Havening absolutely made me feel more chill. It forced me to check out and think happy thoughts and just be in the moment.

Am I ready to ditch my antidepressants? No. But if you see me or Justin rubbing our hands and taking a deep breath, know that we just need a minute to relax.

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Justin Bieber's wellness guru tried to cure my anxiety - New York Post

The event will also feature keynote presentations from Brand's Suntory, Blackmores, Herbalife, NIPPN, Avant Meats and Cerecin, alongside the Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine,National University of Singapore,the National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine in Australia, Mahidol University / The Food Science and Technology Association of Thailand (FoSTAT),the Malaysian Dietary Supplements Association (MADSA), Food Industry Asia, Ageing Asia Alliance and Mercer.

The summit takes place at Singapore's Hilton hotel from July 7-9.

Find out more by downloading our advance programme.

Plus, take advantage of our earlybird 20% discount offer until February 29.

The event takes place as the number of older persons in the region is expected to more than double from 600 million today to nearly 1.3 billion by 2050.

Organised by the publishers of FoodNavigator-Asia.com and NutraIngredients-Asia.com, the event brings together brands, suppliers, regulators and market experts to assess how the industry can meet the food and nutrition needs of older consumers of today and tomorrow.

Editor-in-Chief of both titles, and Regional Head of APAC at publisher William Reed, Gary Scattergood, said:Crucially, the event comes from the perspective that healthy ageing begins from conception. It assesses innovative food and nutrition solutions across all age spans, which will ultimately help people enjoy a healthy, as well as longer, older age.

"We are thrilled to have a fantastic line-up of expert speakers from across the globe, all of whom will be shining the spotlight on the biggest challenges and opportunities around healthy ageing."

The full list of confirmed speakers is:

To find out more, and view our highlights video from the 2019 event, please visit theevent website.

If you are from a major finished product brand and would like to discuss speaking opportunities, email gary.scattergood@wrbm.com

And to find out about our comprehensive partnership and sponsorship opportunities, email sueann.peh@wrbm.com and tim.evans@wrbm.com

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Nestle, Otsuka Pharma and Watsons added to the agenda for Healthy Ageing APAC Summit - NutraIngredients.com

TUCSON, Ariz., Feb. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --The Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation (APRF) announces Dr. Chris Walling as its new Vice President of Education and Outreach. Dr. Walling's first educational program in this role will be hosting a webinar on Sexuality and Aging: Embracing Change with guest speaker Prof. William L. Yarber, HSD.

Sexuality and Aging: Embracing Changewill take place on Friday, February 21, 2020 at 1 pm PT/4 pm ET and is available to the public as part of ARPF's educational programs. Guest speaker Dr. William Yarber is Provost Professor at the School of Public Health-Bloomington Senior Scientist, The Kinsey Institute Adjunct Professor of Family Medicine, IU School of Medicine, and Senior Director, Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.

Research has found that mental, social and physical activities are associated with slower rates of cognitive decline and reduced risk of dementia in older adults. Sexual activity with others, having mental, social and physical elements, is associated with better physical health and overall well-being. Studies reveal an association between sexual intimacy and results on cognitive tests. The English Longitudinal Study of Aging (Wright and Jenkins, 2016) showed that older persons reporting being sexually active in the past twelve months had better cognitive scores than those reporting not being sexually active in the past twelve months.

Dr. Chris Walling, PsyD, MBA, C-IAYTserves as Vice President of Education and Outreach for ARPF, where cutting-edge research is leading the field of geriatric integrative medicine. He is the lead trainer for ARPF's Brain LongevityTMTherapy Training.Dr. Walling also serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for the Kinsey Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University.

Dr. Walling is a licensed clinical psychologist and the President of the United States Association for Body Psychotherapy. He serves as the Associate-Deputy Editor for the International Body Psychotherapy Journal. His clinical focus in the behavioral sciences has examined the intersections of neuro-psychotherapy, affect regulation, and body psychology. Dr. Walling is a clinical associate at the New Center for Psychoanalysis, and a certified yoga therapist.

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Dr. Chris Walling's first program as Vice President of Education and Outreach for the Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation (ARPF) will be a...

When graphic designer Traci Klatkas anxiety began ratcheting up this summer, she knew she had to act.

The Pottsville woman, 40, was increasingly stressed by work and financial demands, including upkeep of the home she owns, but she didnt want to resort to medication.

So she added monthly reiki a traditional Asian energy healing practice to a self-care routine that already included regular exercise and massage.

The world we live in, its just stressful, said Klatka, who drives from Pottsville to Spring Township for services at the Salt Lounge. For me, stress starts as something emotional, and then it becomes physical as well.

Just as massage can relieve tension in tight muscles, it and other forms of stress relief can drive down the presence of key hormones that keep the brain in a heightened state.

Controlling stress may be especially important for women, according to an emerging body of research.

A study published in the journal Neurology in late 2018 found that people with higher cortisol levels had worse memory and visual perception, and they also had less gray matter in areas of their brains that control vision, memory and judgment.

The results were worst among middle-aged women.

And ladies, the bad news doesnt end there.

Older women who reported having stressful life experiences during their middle years were more likely to have greater memory decline later in life, according to a National Institute of Aging study published by Johns Hopkins researchers last summer.

The researchers said their findings add to evidence that stress hormones play an uneven gender role in brain health and align with already documented higher rates of Alzheimer's disease in women than men.

While the Johns Hopkins study looked at those who suffered traumatic events, it also asked participants about life experiences such as a marriage, divorce, death of a loved one, job loss, severe injury or sickness, a child moving out, retirement or birth of a child.

Munro said that that long-term stress, such as that experienced during a divorce, may more negatively impact brain function than short-term, traumatic events.

With so many mid-lifers stressed by daily demands including one in seven people trapped in the sandwich generation who are caring for both a child and an aging parent that could all be taken as bad news.

But theres no need to add more to your list of things to worry about.

"We can't get rid of stressors, but we might adjust the way we respond to stress, and have a real effect on brain function as we age," said Dr. Cynthia Munro, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "And although our study did not show the same association for men, it sheds further light on the effects of stress response on the brain with potential application to both men and women.

Feel it

Though the long-term effects of stress may be different on men and women, everyone can feel it their mind and body.

Registered nurse Paula Martin opened a Massage Envy franchise in Wyomissing after coming to appreciate the way regular sessions helped her muscles recover from tough spinning, running or Cross Fit workouts. For many of her clients, a regular massage is also part of a stress-relief routine that calms the mind.

Though she sees just as many male as female clients maybe more women tend to complain about headache more often. Those may be exacerbated by stress.

Regardless of gender, tension is often stored in the same areas: shoulders, back and neck. But women, Martin said, may not visit for a workout as often and then have more to be worked out during a visit.

We spread ourselves too thin, said Martin, who offers memberships and recommends monthly visits. But Massage really does have a cumulative effect. Its something that you can practice on a more regular basis, much like meditation or yoga.

Massage releases endorphins that counter the anxiety-inducing effects of cortisol. For some customers, add-ons like aromatherapy oils or hot stones may up the calm factor. Soothing music, low lighting and warmth also prompt the body to relax.

Identifying things that help promote relaxation and making them part of a regular routine can help lower cortisol levels, reduce physical tension that can lead to injury or physical limitations and set individuals up for better long-term health.

Klatka continues to seek the right combination of tools. She cut back on some of her more high-intensity workouts, which research has found can trigger more cortisol to be released. Instead, she does yoga several times a week and walks on her treadmill or outside when weather allows.

Alleviated symptoms

Though she was skeptical about Reiki, she found the first visit alleviated symptoms such as a racing heartbeat and racing thoughts for more than three weeks.

From the moment I laid down on the table, I could feel the change in my body, Klatka said. You go into this relaxed state where youre not quite asleep but not quite awake. It just happens naturally for me.

Theres no magic bullet when it comes to managing stress.

Ampersand Integrative Wellness opened in Wyomissing in December. Practitioners there offer a variety of services personal training, nutrition counseling, massage and yoga that can all lead to stress relief.

Yoga and meditation instructor Ariana Miley said she sees differences in how men and women store tension in their bodies. Men often repress their stress and that manifests in tension in their bodies, limiting flexibility. Women, she said, may be more open to talking about their emotions but they still carry significant tension in their hip flexors.

Her Yin yoga class includes 3- to 5-minute poses that allow the hips and the rest of the body to relax and allow the mind an opportunity to follow.

A lot of times, with breathwork and meditation, that trauma, including everyday stress, can come to the surface, Miley said. Even if its 10 minutes a day or an hour a week, people who commit to a practice are more able to focus and concentrate on the task at hand.

At Salt Lounge, just down the road, owner Rachel Eskin has continued to broaden her wellness offerings. In 2020, she is focusing events and classes around guided meditation practices.

Klatka continues to drive nearly an hour to get to her appointments after finding a place where she is comfortable that provides a service that works for her.

If its a chronic condition for you and youre not sleeping, its going to affect your memory, your body, your organs, she said. Its worth the $50 or whatever, and its better than spending it at the doctors office.

Contact Kimberly Marselas: specialsections@readingeagle.com.

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Hormones play an uneven gender role in brain health; are linked to higher Alzheimer's disease in women than men - The Reporter

Seventy-five years ago, on Jan. 25, 1945, public health officials began an experiment in Grand Rapids, Mich., to prevent the pain, misery, and cost of tooth decay: adjusting the level of fluoride in drinking water. Cavity rates plungedwith fluoridation.

Today, 211 million Americans have access to fluoridated water. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hailed this strategy as one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century. Yet as we celebrate this milestone, community water fluoridation faces a renewed threat from a recent study.

Fluoride is a mineral found naturally in lakes, rivers, and other water sources, but the typical level in the U.S. is usually too low to prevent cavities. So numerous public water systems in cities and towns across the country add fluoride to achieve the optimal level of 0.7 milligrams per liter.

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Despite its proven success, critics often attack fluoridation by citing medical freedom and sharing conspiracy theories which unjustly blame all manner of ills from acne to migraines on fluoride.

Opponents of fluoridation gained fresh fodder for their criticism from a Canadian study, published last year in JAMA Pediatrics. It reported that the more fluoride children were exposed to in utero, the lower their IQ scores at ages 3 and 4.

This study suffered from a host of weaknesses. Differences between the mothers other than fluoride, like parental IQ, socioeconomic factors, and the childrens early environments, could have influenced the results. The measures the researchers used to estimate maternal fluoride exposure have also been criticized by multiple experts.

The Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH), an independent organization that advises health care decision-makers in Canada, reviewed the JAMA Pediatrics study and called its evidence weak, pointing to potential errors, biases, and uncontrolled confounding, including how the researchers estimated maternal fluoride exposure. According to CADTH, the authors conclusion that maternal exposure to higher levels of fluoride during pregnancy was linked to lower IQ scores in children was not supported by the data.

In an interview with The Washington Post, John Ioannidis, a professor of medicine at Stanford University and an expert in statistical methods, called the studys results very borderline in terms of statistical significance and said the gap between boys and girls IQ scores should raise eyebrows. If you see a gender difference claim for this type of association, its far more likely to be a spurious finding rather than something true, Ioannidis said.

Two months after the study was published, 30 international researchers and faculty members signed a letter raising questions about the studys quality, including lack of data on multiple factors known to be key predictors of IQ scores. Their letter expressed the need to conduct an independent analysis of the study to determine if its findings could be validated.

Although the study relied on a Canadian birth cohort, it was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences a fact that it makes it entirely reasonable that the researchers should comply with NIHs data-sharing requirements. The authors of the study eventually released some details of how they conducted their analyses, but not enough to determine how they reached their conclusions.

Despite its many weaknesses, this study is likely to confuse or scare parents who have heard about its result many of whom may be unaware of the concerns about the research voiced by the scientific community. Sadly, even flawed research papers can have negative long-term impacts, especially when they are published by reputable journals. Take, for example, the now-infamous 1998 article by Andrew Wakefield in The Lancet that erroneously associated vaccinations with autism. Over the next 12 years, vaccination rates plummeted.

There are real consequences when unwarranted fear leads a community to end water fluoridation. In Alaska, where I live and work, the capital city of Juneau halted water fluoridation in January 2007, citing a presumed lack of evidence for its safety and effectiveness. Oral health worsened significantly after water fluoridation ended: Six years later, the average cavity-related treatment costs for Medicaid-enrolled children in Juneau increased by an inflation-adjusted 47%. For children born after fluoridation had been stopped, the increase was 111%.

Science is a discipline of objectivity, skepticism, and replication. Large studies and national research reviews from New Zealand, Sweden, Australia, and Canada have shown no association between fluoride at common levels in drinking water and IQ. While science welcomes studying old questions in new ways, when new results are at odds with previous research they should be interpreted with caution. Replication becomes even more important.

An independent re-analysis is needed of the Canadian cohort that was used for the article published in JAMA Pediatrics. Much is at stake for both public health and scientific integrity.

Jennifer Meyer, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of health sciences in the Division of Population Health Sciences at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Link:
Dubious study casts a cloud over water fluoridation anniversary - STAT

Scientists at the University of Michigan have found in new research that a naturally occurring protein called Sestrin might explain several benefits linked to exercise.

Aerobic Exercise

Published in Nature Communications, the study reveals that this protein mimics a good number of the effects of exercise in flies and mice.

Read Also: Using Mouthwash Can Interfere with the Benefits of Exercise

Doctors often advise regular exercise as a key to part to enjoying good health. Many people, however, do not observe this due to a lack of time, inspiration, or energy.

These new findings raise the prospect of people one day being able to enjoy the benefits of exercise by simply taking supplements. They could prove useful for controlling the muscle wasting that results from aging or certain disorders.

Researchers have previously observed that Sestrin accumulates in muscle following exercise, said Myungjin Kim, Ph.D., a research assistant professor at Michigan Medicines Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology.

The aim of researchers in this study was to unravel the link between Sestrin and exercise. To do this, they fashioned a treadmill for flies to work out with. This idea came from knowledge of the natural instinct of Drosophila flies to climb up and escape from a test tube.

Read Also: With exercise, 75 can be the new 35

These flies were trained for three weeks with the aid of the treadmill. The research team then compared the abilities of normal flies to fly and run to those of flies with an inability to produce Sestrin.

The normal flies showed an improvement in their abilities from the training. Those lacking Sestrin, on the other hand, did not see any boost in their abilities with exercise.

Overexpression of the protein in the muscles of healthy flies considerably enhanced their abilities beyond those that were simply trained. This effect persisted even when the flies in the overexpressed group did not do exercise.

Exercise failed to improve endurance further when there is an overexpression of Sestrins, the researchers observed.

Scientists found that this protein is not only beneficial because of how it boosts endurance.

Mice that lack it failed to feel benefits, such as fat burning, better aerobic capacity, and enhanced respiration, which come with exercise.

Read also: Muscle Power More Important Than Muscle Strength for Longevity

We propose that Sestrin can coordinate these biological activities by turning on or off different metabolic pathways, said Professor Jun Hee Lee, Ph.D. This kind of combined effect is important for producing exercises effects.

Also, in a separate study involving Lee, researchers found that Sestrin can be helpful for guarding against muscle atrophy. It was demonstrated to be potentially useful for checking atrophy in immobilized muscle, such as when using a limb cast.

Lee said this other study further stressed the ability of the protein to replicate many of exercise effects.

The research team indicated, however, that people should not expect Sestrin supplements to become available anytime soon. It is still trying to find small molecule modulators of the proteins, which are not small molecules.

There is also the need to find out in future research how exercise helps the body make Sestrin.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-13442-5

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Read this article:
University of Michigan Finds Protein That Might Replace Exercise - Gilmore Health News

Yoga therapist Tina Paul (back) and Lori Weisenberg-Catalano work on form.

Chief of the Integrative Medicine Service Jun Mao performs acupuncture on a patient.

Music therapist Alessandro Ricciarelli and an MSK Kids patient play the guitar.

Summary

The Integrative Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering is celebrating 20 years of incorporating complementary medicine into the care plans of people with cancer.Read on to learn about its first days and whats to come.

As a new millennium approached in 1999, another beginning was underway: the creation of the Integrative Medicine Service (IMS) at Memorial Sloan Kettering. The IMS was built on the premise that healing from cancer goes beyond standard medical treatments promoting wellness in mind and spirit can help people feel whole again, too.

For 20 years, the IMS staff has cared for hundreds of thousands of people with cancer and led studies that have furthered the field of integrative oncology. The program has always been rooted in evidence-based medicine, says IMS Chief Jun Mao. Unlike alternative medicine, which uses unproven methods instead of conventional treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, the IMS works with a persons primary MSK cancer care team to support them holistically. Specialized integrative medicine doctors consult with patients and create a road map for their therapeutic needs. Services such as fitness training, acupuncture, meditation, yoga, massage, music therapy, and more are tailored to the individuals symptoms and promote restoration.

The blend of programs at MSK was the brainchild of philanthropist Laurance Rockefeller, who was on MSKs Boards of Overseers and Managers for more than 50 years. He believed that we have to take care of quality-of-life issues for people affected by cancer, Dr. Mao says. The first IMS Chief, Barrie Cassileth, established the prototype for the IMS and later founded the Society for Integrative Oncology, a multidisciplinary international society with more than 500 members from over 30 countries.

Integrative Medicine

Our Integrative Medicine Service offers a range of wellness therapies that are designed to work together with traditional medical treatments. Visit us today.

Barrie wanted me to continue to build upon the strong foundation she created and take this program to the next level, Dr. Mao says. Mr. Rockefellers legacy is now being carried forward by his daughter Lucy R. Waletzky, an MSK Board member who continues to support the IMS.

Integrative medicine services at MSK are more accessible than ever. Today, patients can receive acupuncture at all of MSKs regional locations. Through telemedicine, they can consult with an IMS doctor and take mindfulness classes from home. They can also access an online video library of mind-body programs guided by IMS specialists, including a series of instructional tai chi videos. In 2019, the IMS began offering pediatric integrative medicine consultations through MSK Kids. The IMS continues to lead integrative oncology research. In April 2019, Dr. Maos team published findings showing that changes to sleep behavior and acupuncture can offer persistent relief for insomnia.

Dr. Mao envisions an even more robust future, with expanded in-person and digital offerings. MSKs About Herbs database, an online hub of information on vitamins and supplements, has had roughly seven million visitors from 194 countries over the past 15 years. We really want to harness the power of technology so that patients have access to MSKs experts and services at their fingertips, he says.

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Whole-Person Healing: Celebrating 20 Years of Integrative Medicine at MSK - On Cancer - Memorial Sloan Kettering

Everyone in SaddleBrooke seems to be talking about it. Everywhere you go, people are comparing notes and sharing information about how they use it and where they got it. However, its a buyer-be-ware market and theres lots of misinformation about CBD. Even the CDC has been giving out warnings on CBD. So how do you get accurate information about CBD?

The Wellness Integrated Network of SaddleBrooke has an expert for you. Dr. Jim Nicolai will be speaking at SaddleBrooke on Friday, January 3 at 1 p.m. in the MountainView Ballroom. Dr. Jim, as he is called, will be sharing his expertise with the Science of CBD and the Endocannabinoid System. Dr. Jim is a board-certified family practitioner as well as a graduate of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine fellowship under the direction of Dr. Andrew Weil. Dr. Nicolai is the former Medical Director of the Wellness Program at Miraval Resort and Spa, and he headed up the first interactive integrative wellness programs of its kind at a destination spa resort. Dr. Jim is also the author of Integrative Wellness Rules: A Simple Guide to Healthy Living. His expertise is in combining conventional medicine with the intelligent use of holistic therapies. In 2016, Dr. Nicolai received his certification as a hospice medical director demonstrating his vast experience, knowledge, and skills in hospice medicine. He currently serves as the Medical Director of Casa de la Luz.

Dr. Jim, along with a host of other professionals, will be featured speakers at our monthly meetings in SaddleBrooke. SaddleBrooke residents, Patricia Gould and Barbara Barr have formed a group to build a community of like-minded learners who desire to know more about wellness. The group will feature professionals to discuss a wide range of wellness topics. The Wellness Integrated Network of SaddleBrooke or W.I.N offers SaddleBrooke residents an opportunity to learn from a wide variety of professionals in the area of wellness and medicine.

Please note the location and time change for this program. We are meeting in the Ballroom rather than in the Sonoran Room.The meeting time has changed to 1 p.m. rather than our regular time of 10 a.m. SaddleBrooke interest in wellness has far surpassed even the wildest of expectations. We have had to move some our meetings to the MountainView Ballroom. As the Ballroom is constantly booked for SaddleBrooke events, the wellness meetings will take place at a variety of dates and times when the Ballroom is available. Members and interested visitors should watch for dates and information in the SaddleBrooke papers and other announcements.

The Wellness Integrated Network is open to all SaddleBrooke residents. Come join our community of learners as we find out how to make our golden years even brighter. Watch for details in the papers and other announcements. You can also contact Patricia Gould or Barbara Barr by email at at winsbaz@gmail.com or call Barbara at (520) 358-1111 or Patti at (808) 281-9001.

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The Science Behind CBD and the Endocannabinoid System - Arizona Daily Star

It was after Ed Blumenthals sudden drop in motor function that his wife, Fay, knew she would have to make the decision she had been hesitant to make.

The 83-year-old Beachwood resident had dedicated the past 10 years tending to her 84-year-old husband who had been diagnosed with progressive dementia, but she knew deep down that what she referred to as Eds bad day in December 2018 where he suddenly went flat foot and injured himself and an aide was a sign that Ed needed more personalized and intense care his current hospice doctor couldnt provide just through home visits.

And so, instead of Ed Blumenthal being transported to the hospital following his fall, he went to the place where he could receive specific medical care and therapy for the remaining months of his life until his death in July 2019 Montefiores Maltz Hospice House in Beachwood, where he had already been receiving Montefiores Vinney Hospice and Palliative Care through home visits. November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month.

Ed had been getting medical service at home through Cleveland Clinic, and the nurses and doctors came out from Cleveland Clinic and said, You know, hes hospice level. You should consider getting hospice services, Fay Blumenthal said. I had the choice of using Cleveland Clinic or a number of facilities, and after doing some interviews, I made the choice to use Montefiore. It proved to be a good choice.

Fay and Ed Blumenthal in 2015.

Montefiore, an assisted living, hospice, long term and post-hospital home care, health care services and memory care facility with locations in Beachwood and Bainbridge Township, offers a hospice program that prioritizes individualized treatment and care above all else with its Vinney Hospice and Palliative Care program. Vinney Hospice patients are assigned a team of a hospice physician, nurse, nursing assistants, medically oriented social worker and chaplain to meet every need they might have.

The six-bed Maltz Hospice House is for hospice patients in need of intense, symptom-calming care to eventually return home or patients close to end of life. While the house is made comfortable for patients with suite-style rooms with full bathrooms and individual patios, families who visit or stay over have access to pullout couches, a kitchen, two living rooms, a kids playroom, a meditation room, outdoor gardens and other amenities.

Dr. Barbara Messinger-Rapport, medical director of Vinney Hospice and Palliative Care of Montefiore, is responsible for all medical oversight of the hospice program and the Maltz Hospice House. She was named medical director in early 2019, but has worked with Vinney Hospice since 2010 in various positions. Shes held a number of geriatric medicine positions with Cleveland Clinic, including director of geriatric medicine, where she completed her geriatric medicine fellowship and geriatric medicine and hospice and palliative care medicine certification, and the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System.

Dr. Barbara Messinger-Rapport

What drew me to Vinney Hospice was the opportunity to help patients and their families make choices at the end of life that would improve the quality of their care and help facilitate the caregivers ability to take care of their loved ones and themselves, because many caregivers of those at end of life are elderly themselves, Messinger-Rapport said.

One of the many things that makes Vinney Hospice special in Messinger-Rapports eyes is that she only sees about 70 patients, giving her the opportunity to personally get to know her patients and their families on a much more intimate level.

For that period of time, weeks or months, Im the physician that tends to know the patients and their needs the best because even if Im not the primary care physician and Im just a consultant, Im often dropping by, she said. If I cant do that, Im checking with the hospice team who go into the home to take care of them. I form very close relationships with families because toward the end when patients are no longer able to express themselves, its the families that have to advocate and make sure that patients wishes are honored. I try to make myself available to them all the time to make sure that they know that theyre able to request the things for their loved ones that would help their quality of life.

Messinger-Rapport, a resident of Highland Heights and who attends Temple Emanu El in Orange, visits patients receiving her care even if they live at home in the Beachwood area or other parts of Northeast Ohio often on her bicycle, giving her the nickname bicycle doctor by her patients and Geagua County where The Weils, another campus of Montefiore, is located.

Cindy Smith, a Vinney Hospice nurse for nine years, makes a bed in the Maltz Hospice House.

Vinney Hospice patients also have access to a list of integrative therapies, including Reiki treatments, massage, music and art therapies. The therapies can help patients cope with their illnesses, but they can also provide an opportunity for patients to connect with their family.

Many patients toward the end of life are aware that their time is short and they want to leave a legacy behind, Messinger-Rapport said. We have one patient who is working with her art therapist to write holiday cards for her grandchildren. She might not live to Chanukah, but the grandchildren will have cards from her that she will dictate and the therapist will help her draw pictures and help write a message for her.

A part of the clinical team of nurses and social workers assigned to patients, they also have a chaplain who helps address any spiritual concerns they or their family might have.

Just like the nurse writes an assessment about the heart rate and the blood pressure and weight, we have to assess when a person comes to us, like how much fear and anxiety they have, how much purpose they have, how faithful they are to whats happening, do they believe in God, said Rabbi Akiva Feinstein, Vinney Hospice chaplain and director of spiritual care.

We try to assess and evaluate, and we share the results with the other people on the hospice team. And in that kind of sharing, we help each other out with the process.

Even if a patient isnt particularly religious, Feinstein works with patients with whatever concerns they might have to make sure theyre able to pass on unafraid and content with the lives they lived.

Rabbi Akiva Feinstein

Its basically a way of serving the deeper human needs that sometimes can be hard to define, he said. The people that we serve, theyre thinking about many things. Theyre thinking about leaving this world, theyre thinking about closure or things that they didnt do right. Theyre thinking about what the next world is going to be like. Spiritual care is helping them and guiding them with those questions without making them come to a religious approach. Its just utilizing whats in them, utilizing their thinking and the feelings, heart and soul of a person.

Feinstein, a resident of Cleveland Heights, greatly helped Fay Blumenthal during Ed Blumenthals time in the Maltz Hospice House, as he was always there for the both of them whether it was for Ed Blumenthals love of attending Shabbat services in Montefiore or making sure Fay Blumenthal was OK throughout the process.

Rabbi Feinstein, he went out of his way, Fay Blumenthal said. On the Friday before Ed died, we would have gone to the service, but we didnt go cause he was in bad shape. Rabbi Feinstein brought Eds cousin to see him, and that was so thoughtful. Then Ed died on Sunday, and we were sitting there after they prepared his body. Rabbi Feinstein sat with us for over an hour and he read psalms. It was just beautiful. You dont expect someone to do that, to have someone just sit with you for over an hour.

While Fay Blumenthal had to go through the painful process of losing her husband of 61 years, she was thankful for Montefiore, the staff and the care Ed Blumenthal received to allow him to pass painlessly and calmly.

It had become too hard to care for him at home, and I needed the help, Fay Blumenthal said. Im glad I made the decision when I did. I think it turned out to be a good choice.

See original here:
Montefiore celebrates its care during National Hospice Month - Cleveland Jewish News

Weight loss tips: Introspection is the first step on your weight loss journey. Read here to know how introspecting the duration and cause of weight gain and can help you lose weight in a healthy manner.

Tips for weight loss: Fat loss can be achieved by setting realistic goals for yourself

What is the first step towards weight loss and achieving good health? According to lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho, the first focus should be on fat loss achieved in a healthy way. Quick weight loss comes with several side effects like premature ageing of skin, weak immunity, thin, dry and dull hair to name a few. Thus, the first step towards fat loss and achieving good health is introspection-you should be aware of what you eat, the exercise you do and how it reflecting on your body and overall health.

When it comes to introspection, you need to ask yourself how long it took you to gain weight. Having figured out how long it took you to gain weight, ask yourself if you can lose that weight in a month, 6 months or 1 year?

For weight gain that happened over a period of 6 months or 1 year, losing that weight cannot happen in 1 or 2 months, says Luke in his live video session on Facebook.

Also read:Weight Management: 5 Practical Ways To Avoid Weight Gain

Setting a realistic target for yourself is the healthy way to lose weight, fat and gain good health. Setting unrealistic or too difficult to achieve targets for yourself can cause anxiety, frustration, disappointment and stress-which in turn can make you put on more weight.

After giving yourself realistic goals, you need to find out what made you put on that weight. It can be because of stress, overeating, partying too much, being sleep deprived, having high amounts of sugar or carbs, a new job that caused a change in lifestyle, being physically inactive or lack of exercise, etc. Doing this will make it easier for you to have an action plan for healthy and achievable weight loss.

A poor diet could be the reason behind your weight gainPhoto Credit: iStock

Work towards reducing or cutting down on the things that went wrong and caused you to gain weight.

The idea is to work on the causative factor of weight gain rather than only working on reducing weight.

Luke advises: Know your target and work only towards achieving that goal. There is no point in chasing a particular goal as it is only going to make you more anxious and gain weight instead.

Also read:Too Lazy To Workout During Winter? Do Not Compromise On Your Fitness Goals With These Weight Loss Tips

Sleep well to lose weight quickly and efficientlyPhoto Credit: iStock

The above steps, when followed with consistency, can together help you lose weight, fat and gain health. Let us know if this works for you.

Also read:7 Health Benefits Of Regular Exercise Other Than Weight Loss

(Luke Coutinho, Holistic Lifestyle Coach - Integrative Medicine)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

Originally posted here:
Weight Loss: This Is The First Step Towards Achieving Fat Loss And Good Health - Doctor NDTV

Photo byZoltan TasionUnsplash

For about 7 years, our team, now known as YogaX , has been promoting the integrative nature of yoga practice and philosophy. We have demonstrated via research that integrated yoga can be helpful in the fields of medicine, psychology, and physical exercise. It is now becoming clear that our emphasis on teaching a yoga that is inclusive of holistic lifestyle practices is also important to the field of mindfulness. Over the past decades, mindfulness has emerged as a powerful intervention in many contexts. Thanks to influential scientists, such as Jon Kabbat-Zin and Rick Hanson, and technology solutions, such as Calm, Headspace, and Insight Timer, mindfulness has become a widely-accepted and common practice.

Mindfulnesshas achieved a can-do-no-harmreputation. However, have you ever met adaily meditator who creates harm, lacks awareness, demands attention, fishesfor compliments, or plays on a phone through a conversation? Of course, we all have! Meditation cannotexcuse us from being human and it is not a complete solution for lifeimprovement.

Psychologicalresearch asserts that awareness is necessary but not sufficient forchange. Mindfulness is often practiced asan attention-strengthening activity. Forexample, the act of listening to a meditation for 5 minutes in the morning ornoticing your breathing for 10 minutes after lunch helps build the capacity forpaying attention. Enhanced attention isincredibly helpful and a necessary ingredient for change. However, without a path to help place attentionon life practices that create harmony and purpose, attention is simply noticing;in and of itself, it not transformed into change.

A recent article by Eric Dolan in PsyPost this August (link here) reviewed a study demonstrating that the non-judgmental practice of mindfulness may actually increase immoral behavior in meditators. The study involved 714 German adults (Study linked here) assigned to a brief mindfulness meditation practice or listened to a control recording. Participants assigned to the mindfulness condition showed less effort toward repairing damage, for example, after losing a friends bicycle. One possible explanation is that non-reactiveness facilitated by meditation reduced negative feelings caused by losing the bicycle. This reduction in negative affect may have resulted in less effort to repair the relationship and make amends.

Although researchers continue to question and explore themechanism of action that might have given rise to this finding, the point iswell taken. Mindfulness by itself doesnot provide guidance about how to live an ethical life. It is designed to increase the capacity forawareness and concentration. While theseskills have a number of standalone benefits, including decreased stress andstress-related physical reactions, they are not skills that necessarilytranslate into ethical or moral action.

Yoga philosophy, on the other hand, treats mindfulness asonly one part of a larger system of living called the eight limbs of yoga. The eight limbs of yoga detail a path towardsawakening, the final state of meditative consciousness. The eight limbs are as follows:

Limb 1 Yamas: ethical life choices

Limb 2 Niyamas: disciplined lifestyle

Limb 3 Asana: movement and posture

Limb 4 Pranayama: breath and energy awareness

Limb 5 Pratyahara: sense withdrawal to turn inward

Limb 6 Dharana: concentration

Limb 7 Dhyana: meditation

Limb 8 Samadhi: absorption or union with a greater whole

The foundational practices of the eight limbs are the ethicaland disciplined lifestyle choices (called the Yamas and Niyamas, which you canread about in our blog). Yoga ethics encourage us to promotepeacefulness (non-harming), truthfulness, non-stealing, moderation, andnon-passiveness. Yoga discipline guidesus towards living a life of purity, contentment, discipline, self-reflectionand dedication to the greater good.These practices lay the necessary foundation and create a helpfulcontainer for the development of breath work, movement, and the inner practicesof concentration and meditation.

In this tradition of yoga, mindfulness and meditation practicesare not recommended until ethical practices, personal discipline, breath awareness,embodied movement, and withdrawal of senses are in place. The contemporary urge is to cultivate mindfulnessas a quick tool that facilitates a better system of living. In yoga, however, mindfulness and meditationare practices that rest on and support a holistic and comprehensive lifestyleof compassion, lovingkindness, and joy.

We hope that these yogic wisdoms widen your understanding ofmindfulness and to consider situating your mindfulness practice within a largersystem of living that includes self-inquiry, breathing, and physicalpractice. This holistic approach mightjust enhance your experience of meditation and make you a better person in theprocess.

Thank you for reading.

YogaX

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Want to be a better person? Meditation is not enough. - Thrive Global

Lourdes Health System is committed to bringing patients the best in allopathic (conventional) and complementary medicine. This combination of services is called integrative medicine, which has been a tradition at Lourdes since 1979, when the Lourdes Wellness Center opened in Collingswod, New Jersey. This was something that few, if any, health facilities offered at the time, and therefore, Lourdes was well ahead of its peers in the healthcare field in recognizing the importance of preventive health and the benefits of non-traditional forms of therapy.

Integrative Medicine blends mainstream medicine with a variety of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities, such as intravenous (IV) and oral supplementation, nutrition, acupuncture, energy work and other forms of bodywork.

The Integrative approach is holistic. It takes into account a broad view of the whole person-body, mind & spirit. Integrative Medicine treats the underlying imbalances that cause disease symptoms. Most importantly, the goal of an integrative approach is to support the bodys own innate healing abilities, while respecting a persons biochemical individuality.

The Lourdes Wellness Center offers integrative family medicine, in which a medical doctor, provides a blend of traditional and complementary medicine. Integrative Family Medicine encourages a healthy lifestyle, supported by complementary therapies, natural supplements, nutritional and vitamin support, detoxification and other therapies that encourage a healthy immune system.

Integrative Medicine at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center is offered in the form of wholistic nursing care, which provides reflexology, guided imagery, massage and therapeutic touch to inpatients. Nurses at the hospital also offer a Prepare for Surgery program for patients about to undergo surgery. Integrative medicine has been shown to improve outcomes for patientsdecreasing the length of stay and reducing postoperative pain.

From its inception, the Lourdes Wellness Center has been combining mainstream medicine, alternative therapies and spirituality to enhance a healthy lifestyle. The Center offers acupuncture, massage, yoga classes, health education programs and many community-based services. The Center averages more than 30,000 visits annually.

The Wellness Center is also home of the Lourdes Institute of Wholistic Studies, which offers degree programs in massage therapy as well as certificate programs in yoga.

See these summaries of programs and presentations on stress and integrative-medicine by Lourdes experts:

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Integrative Medicine - Lourdes Health System

The Integrative Medicine Department at Highlands Hospital combines evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine with traditional or western medicine. Integrative Medicine thus refers to the synergistic blending of these two distinct types of care providing a more holistic approach to healing.

Integrative Medicine therapies are based on the bodys innate ability to heal itself. The focus is on the whole person- physical, emotional social and spiritual. Integrative Medicine involves nurturing touch, sensitive listening, comforting environment and social networking.

A partnership between patient/client and practitioner is essential to the healing process. We are the coach and facilitator but the driving force to heal comes from the heart of each individual. Integrative Medicine empowers each person with the skills to be in charge of his/her own health care.

The program at Highlands Hospital is designed to be gentle yet powerful using learned techniques to deal with stress and negative emotions. A few of the modalities that we use are breathing techniques, progressive relaxation and guided imagery, bio-energy techniques, HealthRHYTHMS drumming and music therapy.

Highlands Hospital is pleased to welcome Jeanne Brinker RN BSN as an Integrative Medicine Healing Arts Practitioner to oversee the program. Jeanne is a consultant and pioneer in Integrative Medicine with 20 years of holistic health care experience in hospital and community environments. She was the former director of Integrative Medicine at Windber Medical Center. In that capacity, she has worked to bring complementary and alternative (CAM) to diverse patient populations from prenatal care, newborns and their families, pre and post-surgical care, critical and cardiac care, cancer survivors, hospice and palliative care, grief and loss support for families, incarcerated young adults and healthy teens, adults and seniors.

Westmoreland Guide to Good Health Brochure Winter 2017 Issue (PDF)

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Highlands Hospital Integrative Medicine

VALPARAISO Lawn mowing is a summertime activity most people either enjoy or dread.

No matter which, those who mow probably dont know they are passing over weeds often used to relieve ailments like skin disorders, asthma, arthritis, anxiety and depression.

Many plants considered weeds can be both edible and medicinal, said Niccole Anderson Schelling at Health in Your Backyard on Saturday at Sunset Hill Farm County Park.

Schelling, a wildcrafter and Reiki master teacher, discussed how to identify these weeds like dandelions, cleavers, creeping Charlie and plantain how to cook them and how to turn them into medicinal tinctures, salves and teas.

First, Schelling said, wildcrafters people who pluck medicinal plants from their lawns, sidewalk cracks, and woodsy perimeters should be conscientious consumers by researching books and reputable online websites, like those of the Journal of Herbal Medicine and the North American Institute of Medical Herbalism.

Proper plant identification is crucial, Schelling said, as some plants are poisonous, or toxic if taken with certain medications.

Just because its natural doesnt mean it wont kill you, said Schelling, of Valparaiso.

Pokeweed is an example, Schelling said.

Parts of it are poisonous, and parts of it are not. Or belladonna if you chomp on it, you will die, she said. Its better to err on the side of caution than get sick. Always check with your doctor before you do any of this.

While early spring dandelion leaves add vitamins A, B, C and K to a fresh salad, they are also used for skin and stomach issues and as a liver detoxifier. Mullien, which grows along country roads, is antibacterial and relieves respiratory issues. Plantain, profuse in lawns, soothes bug bites, bee stings and other skin irritations, while lemon balm can relieve insomnia, anxiety and depression.

Although the benefits of plant medicines are not backed by science, Schelling said proof that plants relieve common ailments is often anecdotal.

I know people who swear by creeping Charlie for respiratory issues, Schelling said. I have a friend who has not had an ER visit since using it on her kids with asthma.

Our ancestors relied on medicinal plants before manufactured medicines existed, but that knowledge, which was passed between generations, is dwindling, Schelling said.

Schellings interest derives from her fathers relatives, who are from the South.

My grandfather planted his garden by the moon, and my mamaw just knew stuff, Schelling said. Now, Im in the process of going on this herbal journey.

Doctors who practice integrative medicine, like Harvard-trained physician and author Dr. Andrew Weil, are well-versed in using plants as medicine, Schelling said. Because the discipline is becoming more well-known and popular, traditional physicians are learning more about using plants to heal.

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Weeds get bum rap, have medicinal merit - nwitimes.com

Diana Stork was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2016 after she went in for her routine mammogram with zero cancer symptoms. An ultrasound and biopsy confirmed the initial suspicion of breast cancer. Diana had surgery and was placed in Dr. Daniel Hassetts clinic at Dana-Farber. She received radiation and is on continuation medication and is today cancer-free. Diana is extremely grateful for the quality care that she has had at Dana-Farber, including the Zakim Center. After surgery but before radiation started, Diana wondered what else she could do while spending so much time at Dana-Farber, so she stuck her head into a tai chi class and asked if she could just watch for one class. The instructor told her to join the class, so she did, and was hooked from that point forward! Diana began scheduling her radiation around Zakim classes. She has enjoyed womens exercise classes, Pilates, yoga, tai chi, tai gong, and massage. She goes to the Zakim Center 2-4 times a week. Diana says that the Zakim Center is beneficial for three reasons: 1.) when one feels stronger and healthier, one is stronger and healthier and better equipped to battle their cancer 2.) the camaraderie of the group is reassuring and inspiring without the pressures of a talk group, 3.) the teachers are both caring and challenging in a way that she finds extremely motivating. Diana is married to Dr. Muz Mansuri, a physician on the South Shore and they have one son, Daniel, 25. Diana is a former college professor who is now working as a book editor. One of her major goals is to successfully wrap up this 18-month project with a strong book launch and art opening in New York in the spring of 2018. She is also interested in traveling, fishing, designing, and consulting.

Dr. Ligibel received her MD from Washington University in St. Louis. Later she completed a residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, followed by a medical oncology fellowship at DFCI. In 2001, she joined the Women's Cancer Program at DFCI and is currently an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. In addition to her role as a breast cancer physician, Dr. Ligibel is also director of the Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living, which is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for cancer patients and their families by incorporating complementary therapies into traditional cancer care. Just two weeks ago, the Zakim Center opened a brand new specially designed facility within the Institute, making it the first comprehensive cancer center in Boston to offer such a broad selection of supportive services. This dedicated space will allow Dana-Farber to meet the increasingly large patient interest in integrative services, while expanding healthy living initiatives. The Zakim Center now features five treatment rooms for acupuncture and massage, a consultation room for integrative medicine and nutrition services, a mind-body studio for yoga and group movement class, and an exercise training studio. Patients using the Zakim Center often report reductions in cancer-related pain, less fatigue and nausea, and overall better quality of life.

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DHK - Diana Stork, 67, breast cancer, Boston, with Dr. Jennifer Ligibel, director, Leonard P. Zakim Center for ... - WEEI.com