Opioids are strong medications that are prescribed for pain. You might recognize some of the names of these drugs; morphine, Oxycodone, Percoset, Vicodin to name a few. Medical professionals are using these drugs as a way to ease patient’s pain, however, at the same time the risk of addiction is apparent and in the end they do nothing to actually FIX the patients pain.

Between 1999 and 2010, there was a 400% increase in opioid sales with no change in reported pain levels.  Since 2004, deaths due to opioids increased 2900% in New York alone!

Amongst a growing alternative movement, the Center for Holistic Medicine and its physicians are taking a stand against the commonly referred to prescription pad to solve patients pain. Instead, with the help of our highly skilled physicians we know that there is another way.

Dr. Cheryl Schwartz, DO, PhD, as an osteopathic Internal Medicine doctor, provides non-addictive pain management to her patients at the Center.   In this way, DOs (and some specially-trained MDs) can help people with pain and potentially reduce or avoid the need for strong pain medications such as opioids.

It is important for our patients to know that despite Osteopathic doctors efforts and proven success, they are being challenged on a professional and political level. <1>, Medicare is currently proposing changes in the way they pay for OMT.  (For the story see: <http://cranialacademy.org/physicians/medicare-comments/>)

To make an appointment with Dr Schwartz for a pain management evaluation without the risk of opioids, please call the Center.

Related links:

1. http://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2498824

What Is It?
The Feldenkrais method is a form of “body education” that teaches students how to move their bodies more efficiently, improve coordination, expand range of motion, reduce stress on joints, and increase flexibility.

The Feldenkrais method is often sought out by those who have movement dysfunction and pain, and is also popular with dancers, actors, and musicians who regularly challenge their bodies with repetitive actions.

Russian-born physicist Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984) developed the method after he suffered a knee injury that was expected to prevent him from walking. A student of physics, psychology, and biology, and having achieved a black belt in judo, Feldenkrais blended his diverse interests and knowledge to create his method, which he conceived as he taught himself to walk again without pain.

How Does It Work?
The Feldenkrais method utilizes many strategies to teach students to listen to what their bodies’ are telling them. Predicated on the idea that the central nervous system plays an enormous role in a person’s comfort, the method encourages awareness of one’s skeleton, muscles, and joints, and also draws attention to negative patterns of posture and movement.

The intent of the practitioner is to enable a student to refine his body awareness, so that each body part participates more fully in every action. No one body part should be stressed more than any other. When a student unconsciously allows his skeleton to offer the support for which it was intended, the muscles begin to feel more relaxed and the consequent decrease in tension allows for expanded range of motion and flexibility (without the trauma of stretching exercises).

In teaching the method, the instructor may ask the student to repeat simple movements many times with slight variations. Doing so offers fine sensory cues to the central nervous system, and aids in shifting the patterns of automatic movement and posture so they’re more efficient and comfortable.

What You Can Expect
The Feldenkrais method has two components. Students may use one or both.

In Awareness Through Movement® (ATM) classes, which are taught to groups in a classroom, students explore basic movement themes to improve movement quality, awareness, and function. The themes utilize ordinary body positions, such as lying on the back, stomach, or side; standing; or sitting in a chair. In a typical hour-long ATM lesson, the class will focus on one movement theme, guided verbally by the instructor. Often the instruction will focus on the potential mobility in forgotten parts of the body, such as the thoracic spine or ribs of the chest area.

Functional Integration® (FI) individualizes the Feldenkrais method. It is a one-on-one learning process that usually takes place in a Feldenkrais instructor’s office. Sessions, which are tailored to meet a student’s individual needs, generally last 45 minutes to an hour. The student remains comfortably clothed, and frequently lies on a padded table. Positions such as sitting, kneeling, or standing may also be used.

The instructor uses slow, gentle touch and sometimes verbal suggestions to introduce movement relationships among the various body parts. Touch is used to communicate, not to correct, and there is no therapeutic pressing or stroking. The instructor’s goal is to bring sensory attention to habitual patterns, while also suggesting new options. Through exploration and experimentation, the student seeks an optimal, individualized style of movement. Changes occur spontaneously rather than through willful determination.

ATM classes are typically offered in a series of four to six sessions, meeting once a week. The schedule and frequency of the individual FI sessions is determined by a student’s goals and the recommendations of the practitioner.

Health Benefits
Better body awareness, easier movement, and a sense of relaxation and well-being have all been credited to the Feldenkrais method. For those who come to classes experiencing pain, the sessions often reduce it; those experiencing movement dysfunction can improve strength and coordination.

While those who practice Feldenkrais always emphasize that the focus is on individual learning rather than on the treatment of a particular condition, students often report success with specific ailments such as carpal tunnel syndrome and headaches. Some Feldenkrais instructors specialize in working with people with orthopedic and neurologic conditions that cause pain or limit movement, such as arthritis, stroke, whiplash, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral palsy. Others work specifically with performers or athletes in order to recover lost functions, relieve pain, or refine specific functions. Because most medical research measures isolated parameters rather than overall function, designing research specific to the Feldenkrais method continues to be challenging. While there have been a few studies evaluating Feldenkrais for those with multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and neck pain, most health claims for the method are based on anecdotal evidence.

Reflexology

An ancient art that is known to increase health, reduce pain and help diminish anxiety associated with cancer.

When a certified reflexologist came to our Center, I was eager to try it out. Throughout my career I became aware that points on the feet were somehow connected to the various parts of the body and could help with the healing process. I came to understand that it was practiced as an ancient medical art in Egypt, India, Greece and the Orient. It resembles massage in the sense that the practitioner uses their hands to exert pressure at specific points and areas in the feet. These reflex points are connected both physiologically and energetically to the organs, glands, and tissues throughout the body. When practiced skillfully, reflexology may help to reduce pain, promote relaxation, and reduce stress by affecting the nerves, blood flow and energy of the entire body.

I decided to give reflexology a try and, I really enjoyed my first session. I relaxed and felt a profound sense of well-being. After the session, I felt like I was floating on my feet and the sense of well-being persisted into the next day.

More recently, I was fascinated to discover one of the more specific and tangible uses for reflexology in regards to health. I read in an alternative medicine journal that reflexology can help cancer patients with some of their symptoms. In some clinical studies, cancer patients reported a significant decrease in pain and anxiety after receiving reflexology. For example, in one study concerning people in which the cancer has spread (metastatic), the partners of one group were taught reflexology where the partners of the 2^nd group read to patients. After30 minutes of treatments, the anxiety in the reflexology group decreased by 62% compared to the reading group’s 23% reduction. The pain was measured to decrease by 34% versus the reading group’s 2% reduction.

When cancer spreads, pain becomes a major issue. Powerful drugs are used to give relief and comfort, yet at the same time, they cause a lowering of consciousness. Unfortunately, this is precisely the time when family, friends and the patient are looking for meaningful communication. My suggestion is that instead of using pharmaceuticals to reduce pain, one might want to try and temper that outlet of relief with something more natural like reflexology. I want to pass this information on so you can think about recommending reflexology as a helpful tool in attempting to manage their pain and anxiety.

 If you are interested in learning more, please schedule an appointment with Elda DuPlessis, our certified reflexologist.

To your good health,

Jerry Gore M.D.

Executive Medical Director, Center for Holistic Medicine

240 Saunders Rd. Riverwoods/Deerfield

847-236-1701

www.holistic-medicine.com

Art therapy is the therapeutic use of art making in a professional setting.

Art therapy uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages. It is based on the belief that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight.

In the early 20th century, psychiatrists became interested in the artwork created by their patients with mental illness. At around the same time, educators were discovering that children’s art expressions reflected developmental, emotional, and cognitive growth. By mid-century, hospitals, clinics, and rehabilitation centers increasingly began to include art therapy programs along with traditional “talk therapies,” underscoring the recognition that the creative process of art making enhanced recovery, health, and wellness. As a result, the profession of art therapy grew into an effective and important method of communication, assessment, and treatment with children and adults in a variety of settings.

~American Art Therapy Association