Core Care Blog

Noah's Notes: Tis The Season to Slow Down!

Noah — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:11:16 +0000

Too many of us are going too fast right now; we've made it through Thanksgiving holidays and are now focused on surviving the Christmas struggle. Did I get the right gifts for everyone? Will there be enough food for the holiday parties? How can I get to three parties on the same evening?

I'm reminded of my teacher Stacey Mills years ago. We came out of a workshop she led to find an advertisement on the windshield of my car, advising us of a workshop teaching us how to deal with stress. Stacey said, "I have a two word answer to stress--so what?" It's true. We've all heard that we shouldn't sweat the small stuff, and that it's all small stuff. Can we internalize that message? Can we decide that we are enough, we do enough, and we are satisfied with who we are and what we do? Can we enjoy the season for the joy it should be bringing instead of the guilt we feel when we don't do enough? Can we allow ourselves to have a joyous holiday season?

Gratitude is the law of increase!

Noah — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 07:06:08 +0000

I'm sitting in my London hotel room early this morning; preparing to go teach another course at the north school, and reflecting on some very satisfying days I've had in the past couple of week.

Last night I attended my second, and unfortunately, final rehearsal of the Messiah for this year. The choir is outstanding; the rehearsal director was wonderful, and afterwards I joined several members for a drink at the pub down the hill. And thought: "How lucky I am to get to do this..."

Before rehearsal I hopped into a taxi to get from a busy clinic day to share a quick dinner with a past client with whom I love to check in once a trip if possible, an Indian woman who is on an amazing spiritual path. And thought: "How lucky I am to get to do this..."

This came after two days full of really wonderful clients and colleagues at the clinic, during which nearly everyone came off my work table looking taller, or me looking shorter. All were quite satisfied, and I felt really grateful that I had the chance to work with such eager and committed people. And thought: "How lucky I am to do this..."

And opportunities keep coming. Gratitude is truly the law of increase.

Health Update: Medical Students Have Many Alternative Options

Noah — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:13:32 +0000

Individuals who wish to study this area of medicine can also attend Georgetown University, which has offered a master's degree program in complementary and alternative medicine since 2003, its website states. Students who enroll in this course of study focus on topics such as massage, acupuncture, herbs and supplements as well as the interactions of the mind and body.

Additionally, the Texas College of Traditional Chinese Medicine recently became the first Chinese medical school in the country to offer a dual master's degree program from the U.S. and China, the institution's website states. After completing this course of study, participants will be awarded a master of acupuncture and oriental medicine degree from the Texas school, as well as a Tui Na credential from the Zhejiang Chinese Medical University in China. Using these two qualifications, officials from the school said students will be able to practice in the U.S. and abroad.

Health Update: Massage Therapy's Place in a Multi-Disciplinary Setting

Noah — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:05:08 +0000

A skilled massage therapist can successfully integrate mechanical correction with freeing psycho-spiritual blockages. Although an oversimplification of the tenets of massage, the physical manipulation of tendino-muscular groups can facilitate healthful tissue mechanics while massage's circulation enhancement can move stuck emotions and release unhealthful thought patterns. As such, massage therapy is an ideal component of a multi-disciplinary health practice where other professionals address cellular, neurological, chemical and biophysical components of clients' health.

Health Update: Acupuncturists building bridges with Western Medicine

Noah — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:03:42 +0000

When Mary Tagliaferri, MD, L.Ac. and Isaac Cohen, OMD, L.Ac. co-founded the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Program at the University of California, San Francisco's Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center and opened the first traditional Chinese medicine clinic at UCSF, their plan was straight forward: employ state of the art technology to rigorously identify and test the active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine herbs and botanicals.

Little did they know that 15 years later they would be working with the FDA to test oral botanical drugs for major medical indications.

Tagliaferri and Cohen's plans shifted because their lead candidates, all derived from TCM, worked even better than they anticipated to treat breast cancer and menopausal hot flashes.

Health Update: Affordable holistic medicine can lower health costs

Noah — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:08:32 +0000

The National Center for Biotechnology Information recently published a story showing CAM therapies (complementary and alternative medicine) that may be considered cost-effective compared to usual care for various conditions: acupuncture for migraine, manual therapy for neck pain, spa therapy for Parkinson’s and more.

According to the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine, studies done in Psychosomatic Medicine and The American Journal of Managed Care show the cost benefits of alternative treatment. The studies found that the practice of Transcendental Meditation lowered health insurance utilization, hospital inpatient days, hospital admissions and hospital outpatient visits for all categories of disease studied.

Health Update: Effects of thermal therapy combining sauna and underwater exercise in patients with Fibromyalgia

Noah — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:06:20 +0000

Forty-four female FMS patients who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria received 12-week thermal therapy program comprising:

Sauna therapy once daily for 3 days/week
And [warm] underwater exercise once daily for 2 days/week.

Pain, symptoms, and QOL were assessed using a pain visual analog scale (VAS), a fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ), and a short form 36-item questionnaire (SF-36), respectively.

All of the patients reported significant reductions in pain and symptoms of 31%-77% after the 12-week thermal therapy program, which remained relatively stable (28%-68%) during the 6-month follow-up period (that is, the thermal therapy program improved both the short-term and the long-term VAS and FIQ scores).

Source: Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice

Health Update: Asthma study shows strong placebo effect

Noah — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:05:03 +0000

In order to test the placebo effect on asthma patients, researchers had 39 patients cycle through four treatment options. They either got the inhaler treatment albuterol, an inhaler with no medicine, a fake acupuncture treatment, (they were told it was real), or no treatment.

Patients receiving no treatment said their symptoms improved 21%, but patients receiving a placebo treatment improved by much more – 45% when they received the placebo inhaler and 46% with the fake acupuncture. Patients who received albuterol improved 50%.

Health Update: Massage beats meds for lower back pain

Noah — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:12:04 +0000

Massage therapy may be better than medication or exercise for easing low back pain in the short term, a new government-funded study suggests.

Those who received a series of either relaxation massage or structural massage were better able to work and be active for up to a year than those getting "usual medical care," which included painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants or physical therapy, the researchers found.

Health Update: Reiki: Up and Coming Alternative Therapy

Noah — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:09:59 +0000

According to Reiki.org, "Reiki treats the whole person including body,emotions, mind, and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and well-being. Many have reported miraculous results."

Although many people are at first skeptical of a treatment that uses energy as opposed to physical touch, many hospitals across the nation have began to recognize the effectiveness of energy work and the relaxation it seems to bring to patients who may be suffering from pain.

In a study done by Integrative Cancer Therapies, it was determined that within two groups of colon cancer patients, the group that received one Reiki therapy session a day experienced less fatigue and a higher quality of life as opposed to the group that did not receive the therapy.