Integrative Health

Incorporating practices that help support our bodies and mind, bolster our spirit and relationships, and blend with allopathic medicine, is a cornerstone of nursing philosophy and comprehensive health care known as  Integrative Health, Integrative Medicine, Holistic Nursing, or Complementary Medicine (CAM).

Many people are seeking safe and practical approaches to health care, and are integrating CAM modalities with their conventional care for:

• Health promotion
• Pain relief
• Treatment of chronic illness
• Spiritual or developmental growth
• Changing unhealthy habits and feeling better as they age

Did you know that about 2 million Americans use a type of CAM called “energy therapy”?
Also known as “energy work” these modalities create a balancing effect on energy in your body, which elicits a calming effect in the mind as well. My focus is on the practices of Reiki and Jin Shin Jyutsu because they may be safely used for anyone in medical settings as well as at home. Used successfully in Asia for centuries, they’re gaining popularity throughout the world as people discover their benefits.

 Like the name “Izumi Joi”, Reiki and Jin Shin Jyutsu originated in Japan. They enhance the skills I’ve acquired in conventional training as a Registered Nurse, as well as contribute to the knowledge and experiences I gained earning a Master’s Degree in Holistic Health Education and yoga teacher certification. It's wonderful to teach others these modalities for self-care, as well as offer to clients.

Research related to energywork and mind-body medicine (such as meditation) is growing. I find it fascinating because it perplexes our current mode of thinking and study design, yet seems to work; the effects are difficult to measure objectively with our current technologies and funding limitations, yet the potential uses for preventive health, active patient involvement, and healing are encouraging. Practices such as yoga, acupuncture and meditation that were once discounted by westerners are now considered therapeutic, and energy therapies are gaining ground at the cutting edge as well. Many articles point to the importance of developing an almost-daily routine of self-care in order to effect and maintain change as we age; whether it’s exercise, nutrition, or time for inner reflection, it’s crucial to find something easy that allows you to take as much time as you want, or can be beneficial within a few miniutes.

Energy work is an invaluable tool for accessing your “Izumi Joi”; Reiki and Jin Shin Jyutsu in particular are easily taught as short daily routines for self-care, and are beneficial when experienced with a practitioner.

I'm interested in hearing about what your experiences with energywork are like: have you tried it? What piqued your interest enough to try it the first time? What effects did you notice and were they immediate or over a period of time?

Sweet Energy

Ever wonder about sugar craving?
Is it will power, mass media & corporate advertising, or something else that makes us want to eat more than the 100-300 “discretionary” daily calories the USDA advises?

Tools for Good Health

My passion is offering tools of good health to people. With the right tools, a beautiful garden can be created (like this one, in the center of a hospital in Japan we visited).

My Dad always said that if you have the right tool, it’s more efficient, and the repair or build lasts a lot longer, maybe for a lifetime. He showed me that sometimes it takes awhile to figure out which tools are best for the situation, and that it’s important to observe the effects over a period of time to see how well everything is working: has the structure changed, does it hold up under tough conditions, is it working well? Are different building materials are needed? Sometimes we knew the ‘fix’ was temporary, like when you didn’t have the time, motivation or money for the best materials. But for the foundation of things he built, he always took the time needed, used the right materials to get the job done, and kept up with preventive maintenance.

I was pretty lucky to have a mentor-dad willing to show me how to repair and maintain things, and it’s been a great metaphor for health. When it comes to health, a lot can be learned on your own, and ultimately it is your own discoveries that will bring about a sense of peace. It may, however, increase your efficiency and provide deeper understanding when you consult with a well-seasoned teacher, mentor, book, or take a class from someone who is experienced.

Energywork is like that: the materials on hand, the amount of time you invest, your intuitive and book knowledge, previous experience, past neglect or maintenance, and mentors all affect what’s needed now to create a strong foundation of health, to reinforce what works well to maintain the structure, to restore and renew, or to help create a new addition to the ‘home’ (your body, your life).



Thanks, Dad! :>D

What effects our choices in healthcare?

I’m wondering today about the energy of choice-what moves us to make decisions that either support or thwart our well being? When it comes to how we obtain healthcare, what drains our energy and what empowers us? I believe that learning that we have options motivates us to explore ways to best care for ourselves, it's energy-enlivening. When we receive education and care from someone who respects our decisions, we feel free to ask questions, can make wiser decisions, and we become more energized to take actions which support our health (like taking a hike on a wintry day instead of sitting and watching TV...eating healthier food...)

Before I proceed, let me say that I am encouraged by the good work of many health care practitioners in both conventional and Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). I don’t think our healthcare system as a whole is quite ready to truly embrace Integrative Medicine, although there are a growing number of individual licensed practitioners who are providing services and a slow trend towards getting the word out to neophytes so that the philosophy and practice can be implemented early on in a career of general medicine, specialities, and nursing (see a little more about training and education trends here).

 Certainly medical and academic institutions aren’t yet embracing or implementing the concept of Integral Medicine, (see http://www.integraldevelopment.com/integral.pdf and http://wilber.shambhala.com/html/misc/integral-med.pdf for deeper detail about integral medicine], but there are some places where the need for blending a variety of approaches is at least recognized, and I believe that we will evolve towards more holistic care in the next generation or two (or three, or…). But it's a cryin' shame that we aren't welcoming these approaches as part of standard care now. 

     There is a growing body of research highlighting the value of communication, conveying caring presence, and the importance of the relationship between healthcare provider and healthcare consumer in healing. Several years ago while exploring the power of placebo  Barrett, Muller, Rakel et. al (2006) stressed how to "provide practical tools for astute clinicians...eight specific clinical actions: speak positively about treatments, provide encouragement, develop trust, provide reassurance, support relationships, respect uniqueness, explore values, and create ceremony. These clinical actions can empower patients to seek greater health and may provide a healthful sense of being cared for." How would you feel about going to the doctor's office if you got some of THAT? Would you be more likely to follow their advice, or trust in their recommendations, or seek advice in the first place?

     And the mass media has provided us information about what energizes people to take better care of themselves, too:

A recent NY Times article also points out that when people have personal contact for 5-15 minutes per month beyond their initial weight loss period, they keep their weight down and their healthy habits persist, even 2 years later compared to those who don't. In other words, they stay motivated and are healthier when they have access to a trusted professional that can listen, provide them with information about health topics they’re interested in, and is available. So, it appears that we will use our energy to take better care of ourselves when we have a relationship that is more than rote. Perhaps it is not only the CAM modality, but the practitioner's attitude and time that leads people to spend more than 30 million dollars annually out of pocket for CAM therapies.

  

There is also evidence indicating that it takes repetition over time to create and deepen the pathways in your brain. Did you know this is how habits become automatic? If you’ve spent years thinking you don’t need exercise, that it’s okay to consume greasy sugary foods (like those little Krispy Crèmes or Dunkin’ Donuts!), or that you’ll get to that yoga class ‘one of these days’ to de-stress, it’s like wearing a path in the carpet: pretty soon you see that’s the only way to go, and you keep following it, even when it’s not leading you to where you want to end up. You need to make the ‘healthy habit’ pathway bigger than the unhealthy one. This requires awareness, and commitment, which can be supported and reinforced by balancing your internal energy :>D

   In CAM and integrative medicine, rather than ‘doing’ meditation or yoga or energy work, we say ‘practice’. With practice over time, we become more skillful, enhance the neuronal pathways, and our habits, bodies, and behaviors become more supportive. Our thoughts influence our bodies; our internal balance influences our motivation. This applies to both practitioner and client/patient.

PRACTICE FOR THE DAY: HELPING YOU MAKE DECISIONS

What better way to gain clarity and make decisons than to reduce your worry?

A Jin Shin Jyutsu finger hold is to hold your thumb! How easy can that be? Simply hold one thumb, and breathe. Holding for about 10 breaths will definately work, but as few as three slow breaths while holding first one thumb, then the other, will calm your nerves and help you to regroup your thoughts so that you can gain a new perspective. As you hold, close your eyes or look at something peaceful...relax your shoulders, become acutely aware of the pleasant physical sensation of your thumb being firmly but comfortably held; notice the sound of your breath and the movement of your ribs, abdomen, chest...feel your heartbeat slow down. Then, consider your options once again. It can work in a few moments, or you may wish to do this self-help exercise several times a day for a few days or a week before making a decision.

     "How do I know that Reiki and other energy work is doing anything?" 
Even after hours of training, observation, working with individuals who benefit (as well as my own healing), I'm asking that question! "As I look up studies, read opinions about it being "inconclusive" or even "quackery", my mind begins to go down the dark path of doubt... Am I making this up? Can I authentically claim that it remedies particular conditions, that it's balancing energy or unblocking pathways in the body, that sitting there with my hands on a person is helping to heal?"
     There I am, on the razor's edge-ouch! A Registered Nurse with conventional training and a strong interest in the scientific process, AND a practitioner and teacher of philosophies and "methods" that claim to improve one's health, for which there is little conventional means of measurement. i.e., Reiki and JSJ, yoga, meditation, guided imagery. Sometimes being on the edge of new ways of thinking and being is darned uncomfortable, but when I remind myself that having a worldview, much less the movement towards integrative health, is new and that evolution is often s-l-o-w enough to not be obvious to the naked eye, my confidence returns. Just because a "quackwatch" conservative or the mainstream doesn't agree or believe doesn't mean it is not truth. So, I turn to my self-care practice today, and check in with my own experience, which is ALWAYS valid. And what I find to be true is that practicing Reiki feels really good. And, when I practice it on myself, on a daily basis, my acceptance of life as it is is strong,  I resonate with a deep joy and optimism that we are on our way to higher levels of consciousness, compassion, and healthier ways of living. I notice the gentle hum of pleasant energy in my body, my mind relaxes, and I'm better at practicing loving kindness towards myself and others for the rest of the day. Now THAT's healing!


     One of my core beliefs is that it's essential to have the full spectrum of healing available, conventional and CAM, invasive and non-invasive, and that we must integrate all as part of standard health care. Without accepting all levels of healing, we'll continue to slide down the slippery slope of ill-health that we are witness to now, such as the alarming rise in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, depression, and chronic pain syndromes, as well as  violence to ourselves (critical thoughts or debasing comments about our own body for example) and others (just look at the daily news).
     It's important to transcend our doubts and cynicism when something is beyond our comprehension, and be open to things we don't understand, but which intuitively seem beneficial. How would electricity have been discovered, or laser technology, or the benefits of handwashing to prevent the transmission of germs (Semmelwise observed lower death rates from infection in patients of midwives, who washed, vs. physicians, who did not)? These are all things not visible to the naked eye and beyond comprehension at the time... Even with research studies, we are after all talking about the statistical odds, and the outcome may depend on whether we are asking the right questions in the first place. In the midst of this line of thinking, I also realize that sometimes the information we have at hand, the ability to know which questions to ask, or the means to measure something like subtle healing energy is limited, and it comes down to plain old belief, observation and experience until we develop those means.
     I had a confirming 'lightbulb moment' while listening to an NPR interview with  Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, writers of the TV show "Lost", in which they said that the writers look at each other all the time and say "This is the most ridiculous show in the history of television shows, what the h*** do we think we are doing?" Same sort of question as when my cynical mind creeps in and says, "Energywork? Healing through my hands? What is it exactly that I'm doing?" They go on to say, " In our writing we have to be so committed to this not being ridiculous, " and when everyone continues no matter how ridiculous it seems, it all works. It's a very successful show, and the take away message for me is to continue the study of and application of mind-body and energy medicine and my belief that we do have an innate capacity for healing, and trust my intuitive wisdom, which tells me that when people slow down and intentionally experience subtle energy in and around their body, no matter how riduciulous it seems from a science or rational point of view, it is healing. (discussion of healing vs. curing for future blog topic) And, at the end of a session that I've provided to clients, the joyful and relaxed look on their face, as well as their verbal feedback, tells me this is true for others as well.

Being in the Here and Now & Insomnia Help

In the Here And Now

One of my ‘blogging intentions” is to write about whatever is on my mind RIGHT NOW, today, here...referred to as “staying in the present’. It’s what ancient wisdom traditions say is one of the necessary conditions for good health and being a balanced energetic Being. Also, to become more concise (but am not there yet!) So here it is: As I look out the window

I’m noticing a peaceful feeling in my body; I smile softly. Breathing slows, muscles in my shoulders relax as I witness winter snow dispersing into the air as it falls off dark tree branches waving in the wind.
      I have a thought about how they appear thick and solid, yet majestic and graceful in these movements, and I’m aware that the slow rhythm is comforting to me, and my breathing adjusts to an even deeper relaxed level. As I gaze at the woods, I see open spaces created by leaves that have fallen months ago, spaces that were not there compared to summer; I sense a certain spaciousness in my body, too.  I feel my ribcage moving as I breathe, and experience a vibrating, humming resonance throughout my body that seems to reverberate with this scene of nature;
I am with the entirety of All That Is. Nice.

Beauty inside, same as beauty outside.

Simple healing techniques: let your fingers do the walking!

     Last post I mentioned holding your ring finger to bring about a sense of joy, or thwart off winter blues.

     This comes from a method/philosophy called Jin Shin Jyutsu ("jitsu") Physio-Philosophy™, or "JSJ". I've become a lifelong student of this Japanese healing art. It's akin to acupuncture or acupressure without needles, only gentle placement of hands or fingers on specific areas in particular sequences are used instead of needles. Here's a picture of holding the ring finger, with the thumb placed in the center of the palm. The palm center helps balance the larger "Main Central" energy pathyway, and the ring finger will help lift your mood.

I like the fact that it's a healing art rather than a prescribed technique,  because it allows me the freedom to incorporate my intuition, as well as years of nursing experience when applying flow patterns to alleviate a symptom.

     JSJ is in alignment with yoga philosophy as well as other Eastern approaches in that it's based on the idea that there are energetic pathways in the body, and when we have symptoms it's because energy gets blocked, or is excessive or weak, and these hand placements somehow help to let the pathway get cleared. It doesn't make scientific sense in terms of the  double-blind-controlled-study, gold standard-conventional medicine approach, so it doesn't qualify as "evidence-based medicine". However many Eastern and other traditional practices have worked for thousands of people for thousands of years, and yet don't fit those criteria. I wonder if maybe we aren't asking the right questions, or don't know how to set up the study well enough yet. I know for certain that there is a lot less funding to study CAM (Complementary Alternative Medicine) modalities, esp if they're difficult to measure.

I remember when massage therapy, acupuncture, and exercise for women after surgery for breast cancer were admonished, and now we have more information indicating that these are things that are helpful to alleviate pain and inflammation, prevent limited mobility, and reduce risk of cancer recurrence and other disease states.
There are many facets and complexities of JSJ, but one of the things I love most is that it can be REALLY simple. As simple as holding your fingers! This is a  great self-renewal tool for restoring balance and inner wisdom, and keeping that "generalized anxiety" feeling at bay. If you have ever felt out of sorts but don't know why, and esp. if meditation is not your thing, try holding your fingers! It supports healing the physical, is compatible with conventional therapies, and brings harmony back to many levels of one's being.

     Although there are many patterns, I've found the easiest tool for overall self-renewal is to simply hold the thumb, then each one of the fingers, on one hand, while breathing 3 slow deep breaths for each finger hold. If you notice pain, symptoms or tension on one side of your body, hold the fingers on the hand of that side first. If you have time, complete the session on the other hand as well.
A 'double whammy' benefit to speed things up a bit is to put your thumb in the center of your palm as you hold, as shown in the pictures. If you find this awkward, forget about putting the thumb in the center of the palm, and just wrap your fingers around each finger of the opposite hand-it still works very well! Even holding only one finger is beneficial. Next or future posting, I'll introduce the specific remedies each individual finger or thumb provides.
Free, can do it anywhere, can't harm you, and beneficial even when you have only a moment or two (like when you boot up your computer, are waiting to reheat your beverage in the microwave, are on hold while on the phone, etc.). What have you got to lose, why not try it?
Of course, it is frequent, consistent, repetitive applications of the finger holds that will help you to feel your optimum.
As a healing arts practitioner, I incorporate JSJ as well as Reiki when working with clients in the private practice; the idea in both of these Japanese-based theories is that receiving the hands-on-healing from a practitioner is a great way to get a 'jump start', to help you become more centered and balanced, and get your energy flowing. The most complete healing, or sense of feeling things are "right" in our life, you must continue with finger holds or other recommendations almost daily between sessions.
Future postings: possibly whole food energy, Reiki, more JSJ-Here comes 2010!!