Category Archives: Integrative Medicine

Imagine if you could know the status of any molecule in your body without needing to get your blood drawn. Science fiction? Almost but researchers at the University of Arizona are working on ways to do this by measuring molecules in sweat.

When physicians take blood samples from patients, they send the samples to labs to be analyzed for biomarkers. These biological clues indicate everything from cholesterol levels to disease risks, and they can be used to monitor patient health or make diagnostic decisions. The same biomarkers also are found in sweat.

Using $519,000 in funding from the SEMI Nano-Bio Materials Consortium, or SEMI-NBMC, Erin Ratcliff, a materials science and engineering professor and head of the UArizona Laboratory for Interface Science of Printable Electronic Materials, is leading a project to develop new ways of collecting and analyzing the clues sweat has to offer. Ultimately, this work could allow physicians to use patient sweat samples in the same way they currently use blood samples, for a less invasive and more informative approach to establishing and monitoring patient health.

Whats unique about this is that we are combining biology and engineering expertise to develop a wearable device that will detect molecules in sweat, so you dont have to get your blood drawn to know the health status of your immune system, your nervous system, indeed, any system in the body, said co-investigator and sweat biomarker pioneer Esther Sternberg, M.D. The goal, eventually, is to create a device that will provide physicians and health care providers the ability to monitor your health status continuously and in real-time without needing to draw blood.

We are pleased to sponsor and eager to complete this project with the University of Arizonas impressive team bridging the disciplines of engineering and life sciences, said Melissa Grupen-Shemansky, chief technology officer and executive director of SEMI-NBMC. A concerted interdisciplinary approach at the early stages of R & D is relatively new, and there is much learning on both sides. The University of Arizona team brings unique strengths in both areas, and we are excited to be partnering and collaborating with them.

Ratcliffs co-investigators are J. Ray Runyon, a research assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science, and Sternberg, research director for the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine; director of the Institute on Place, Wellbeing, and Performance; and the Andrew Weil Inaugural Chair for Research in Integrative Medicine. All three researchers are members of the BIO5 Institute.

Standardized Sample Collection

In order to study sweat, researchers need to collect samples of it, and there are a number of ways to do so.

The obvious idea would be to make a patch that gets information from many pores at once, but the problem is that this creates a space between the patch and your skin, and you have to wait for it to fill up with sweat, Ratcliff said. We hypothesize that while youre waiting, these molecules the very molecules youre trying to detect and analyze are changing chemically.

The teamsfirst task is to develop new, continuous and hands-free collection devices that deliver high-quality, standardized sweat samples. This will allow health care professionals to gain a more holistic picture of a patient's bodily systems over an extended period, rather than the snapshot a blood draw can provide of a particular moment.

Currently, sweat labs across the world are using different methods to collect samples, which limits researchers ability to compare data. Standardizing the collection method could provide researchers, including medical device developers, with a new degree of confidence in sweat sample data.

High-quality data, with respect to different target molecular biomarkers in sweat, requires that a high-quality sample be collected, Runyon said. This will be the first hands-free method that will truly take into account the interplay of the chemistry of sweat, the target biomarker and the device material.

Low-level Detection

The team is also developing methods for researchers to detect and analyze neuropeptides in the collected samples. Used by neurons to communicate with each other, these small molecules are involved in biological functions, including metabolism, reproduction and memory.

Commercial wearable devices monitor metrics like heart rate, and some use sweat sensors to monitor dehydration level. Measuring neuropeptides, however, will allow researchers to zoom in millions of times closer to investigate stress and relaxation responses at the molecular level.

The idea is that your sweat is reflecting your nervous system all of the neurotransmitters your body uses to signal between the brain and the rest of the body, Ratcliff said. Monitoring this biochemical response continually, over a 24-hour cycle, can inform us about the health of the wearer and also act as a diagnostic tool.

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Scientists Study Sweat, the Small Stuff - UANews

In the age of Instagram, self-care has become synonymous with indulgences like massages, facials, fancy products, boutique workout classes and lavish vacations.

That all sounds great if you have tons of disposable income. But for most of us, spending serious cash on self-care just isnt realistic.

The whole concept of self-care has really strayed from the original intent, and become a meme unto itself, said Kathleen Dahlen deVos, a psychotherapist in San Francisco. When I talk with my clients about self-care, rarely am I encouraging practices and habits that cost money. In fact, spending excessive money or funds we dont have In the name of self-care can actually be distressing, destructive and work against our mental and emotional wellbeing.

We asked experts in the wellness space to share some of the best ways to practice self-care that are basically free. Heres what they told us:

1. Spend some time outside.

Take a walk around the block, sit in the grass, hike a local trail or just let the sun shine on your face for a few minutes.

No matter where you live, you likely have access to an outside space, said Tiffany Lester, an integrative medicine doctor in San Francisco. If its not in your neighborhood, think of a close space you can get to within 10 to 30 minutes. Getting outside and away from our devices calms our nervous system from the negative effects of everyday stressors.

2. Clean and organize your living space.

When your apartment or office is a mess, it can take a toll on your mental state, making you feel more stressed, anxious and overwhelmed.

For some, a messy or disorganized space can activate their nervous systems and impact mental health wellness, said therapist Jesse Kahn, director of The Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center in New York. If thats you, taking time to clean up your space can be an act of self-care and self-love, and may feel healing rather than like a chore you dont want to do.

3. Reduce the amount of time you spend on social media.

Mindlessly scrolling through your social media feeds for hours on end is not only a time suck, but is also linked to lower self-esteem, sleep issues and an increased fear of missing out, or FOMO.

Social media and the internet is a great resource to connect, cultivate support and community, but it can also be a place of overconsumption, distraction, and numbing out to what we truly may need in our lives, said McKel Hill Kooienga, a registered dietitian in Nashville, Tennessee, and founder of the site Nutrition Stripped.

The iPhones Screen Time feature, Androids Digital Wellbeing tools or apps like Moment can monitor your social media usage and help you cut back. Other tricks that may be useful include disabling certain push notifications, switching to grayscale mode or hiding your most enticing apps in a folder thats not on your home screen.

4. Do some journaling.

CSA Images via Getty Images

All you need is a pen and some paper to get started. Journaling can be a therapeutic practice that helps you understand thought patterns, work through difficult emotions, reflect on certain events or cultivate more gratitude in your everyday life.

Sometimes I find it just as helpful as therapy and Im very pro-therapy; Im studying to be a therapist, said Lauren Donelson, a writer and yoga teacher based in Seattle. Journaling helps us externalize whats going on inside our heads, and it helps us to look at our thoughts more objectively.

5. Get better sleep.

Making an effort to get the recommended seven to nine hours of quality shuteye can make a huge difference when it comes to your overall wellbeing. Getting a good nights sleep on a consistent basis offers benefits such as better immune function, improved mood and better performance at work. (If you need some tips on how to make it happen, weve got you covered.)

Maybe the self-care practice here is getting a certain number of hours a night, not exceeding a certain number of hours, getting to sleep by a certain time so youre able to wake up by a certain time or creating a ritual to help you calm your body, relax and go to sleep, Kahn said.

6. Meditate.

Practicing meditation is one of the best ways to restore and reconnect with our mind and body, said Tamara Levitt, a Toronto-based meditation instructor and head of mindfulness at Calm.

As (writer) Anne Lamott said: Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, Lamott said. There is immense value in giving ourselves time and space to shift from doing mode to being mode. Meditation allows us to reconnect with the needs of our mind and body.

If you prefer guided meditations, you can check out the free version of apps like Headspace or Calm, or find videos on YouTube. And, of course, meditating in silence is another great option that doesnt cost a dime.

7. Check in with yourself.

At least once a day, if not more, take some time to check in with yourself. Pause to assess how hungry or full you are, any emotions you may be feeling or scan your body for areas of tightness.

Simply asking yourself the question, How am I doing right now? is a gentle reminder to take care of yourself, Hill Kooienga said.

8. Move your body.

Malte Mueller via Getty Images

It might be dancing in your bedroom to a fire playlist, doing squats in your living room or participating in a community yoga class (which is generally less costly than a boutique fitness class).

However, if that still doesnt fit in your budget, there are many free online yoga videos on YouTube, Kahn said. One of my favorites is Yoga With Adriene.

9. Connect with loved ones offline.

Texting and email are convenient forms of communication, but they dont satisfy our deep need for connection in the way more personal interactions do.

Call a friend, take a walk with a colleague or cook dinner with a family member, Dahlen deVos said. Connecting with others we care for helps to shift us out of our heads, regulates our nervous systems and elevates our moods.

10. Invest time in a hobby.

The demands of work, family and other obligations take up most of our time and energy, leaving barely any room in our schedules for activities we truly enjoy. But carving out some time for our hobbies even when we have a lot on our plate matters.

Most of us are too busy to make time for activities that are joy-filled and feel nurturing, Levitt said. Find a time each week to shut off your electronics, and engage in a hobby that rejuvenates your spirit; play music, write in a journal, take a cooking class. While electronics deplete us, our favorite activities nourish us.

11. Take some deep breaths.

During high-stress periods, we may go hours or even a whole day without taking a full, grounding breath if were not intentional about it.

I like to take a few deep breaths in the morning and also throughout the day because it helps me to recenter and connect more with the present moment, said Jessica Jones, a San Francisco-based registered dietitian and co-founder of Food Heaven. One strategy that I use to remind myself to do this is to take three deep breaths every time I go to the bathroom and wash my hands. Its easy, free and makes a huge difference in my daily stress levels.

12. Volunteer your time with an organization you care about.

Choose your cause, whatever it may be, and then figure out a way you can pitch in.

Engaging in altruistic acts and seeing our actions make a direct and positive impact in the lives of others is a surefire way to shift your mood and feel part of something bigger than yourself, Dahlen deVos said. This can help put our problems in context, or at least give us a break from stressors without numbing out.

13. Eat more vegetables.

Malte Mueller via Getty Images

Aim to put more of your grocery budget toward veggies and less towards ultra-processed snack foods. Then, to up your intake, cut up some vegetables at the beginning of the week and store them in your fridge that way you can easily grab them when you need a snack or throw in a handful or two to spruce up your meals.

Most of us are not consuming near enough whole foods let alone vegetables, which keep us nice and full because of prolonged satiety from the fiber, Hill Kooienga said. Vegetables nourish our physical bodies on a cellular level with fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, and they can taste really delicious too.

14. Cuddle with someone you love.

Snuggle up next to your partner, your child or even your BFF.

Cuddling releases oxytocin, a feel good hormone, that also helps with reducing stress, said Lynsie Seely, a marriage and family therapist in San Francisco.

Pets make great cuddle buddies, too. Plus, spending time with our furry friends has been shown to alleviate anxiety, depression and feelings of loneliness.

If you dont have access to a pet, go visit adoptable animals at the local shelter, sign up to walk dogs for a service such as WAG or sip tea at a cat cafe, Dahlen deVos said.

15. Say no more often.

We often think of self-care as doing something extra for ourselves on top of our normal day-to-day activities. But self-care can also be about what you choose not to do, Seely said.

One way to give a healthy no? Start setting boundaries with the people in your life.

So many of us are people pleasers and spend a lot of time doing things out of feelings of guilt and obligation, causing us to feel energetically drained and lacking the ability to focus on ourselves and what we truly want, said Sara Groton, a nutrition and eating psychology coach in San Francisco. Any time I find myself thinking I should do that or I have to do that, I take a moment to question and challenge that thought.

16. Practice self-compassion.

All the face masks, manicures and massages in the world cant undo the damage of that harsh inner voice criticizing, judging and berating yourself all day long.

If you dont know where to begin with self-compassion, Allison Hart a mental health professional in San Francisco recommended putting your hand over your heart and saying to yourself: I am struggling right now. Im in pain, Im angry or feeling out of the flow. May I be gentle and flexible with myself. May I be kind to myself and may I take a break from problem-solving just for a moment.

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16 Ways To Practice Self-Care That Cost Next To Nothing - HuffPost

Deepak Chopra, Special to SFGate

By Deepak Chopra, MD

In every age there has been a dominant worldview that people tried to conform to. In an age of faith, everyone asked how they could better serve God. This was their daily concern. In the Industrial Age the question shifted to economics and improving one's lot in life. In an age dominated by science the question shifted again--people asked every day how they could keep up with progress and add to it. As times change, so do people's vision of what is important, and usually they thought they had a better vision than the one which preceded them.

Yet if you back away to see the bigger picture, each age had one thing in common, and it wasn't God, economics, or progress. It was the fundamental idea that life is well lived only if you have a vision. Without one, purpose and meaning are limited.

It turns out that the one question you should ask every day is this: How can I fulfill my vision today? Whether they put it exactly in these words, this is the secret behind the greatest success stories. Someone dedicated his or her life to a plan, project, or set of values larger than any individual. A worthy vision, I think, needs to fulfill certain criteria.

1. Your vision should be suited to who you really are. It can't be borrowed from someone else, and it can't be chosen out of obligation. Your parents may desperately have wanted you to follow the family business or go to medical school because they weren't able to. Those are laudable motives, but it's risky to adopt a vision that isn't really your own.

2. Your vision should be valuable no matter how much money you expect to make. Of course, you can always make it your vision to get rich, but there are two problems with that. First, the day you arrive at a financial goal, it will tend to feel empty. Second, a life totally devoted to money never stops. Making more and more--greed and competition fuel an insatiable desire.

3. You should compare the visions that seem most appealing, which means doing research and dipping your toe into more than one pool. Philosophy, religion, science, business, and scholarship are rich with potential, and you owe it to yourself at least to sample what they are like.

4. Your vision should be ambitious. the old saying that a man's reach should exceed his grasp still holds true (or a woman's reach). Settling isn't visionary. Pick something that will feel like a challenge every day for as long as you can see into the future.

5. Finally, don't lose sight of two words that often escape notice when someone has burning ambition and drive: happiness and love. The more you can increase these two qualities, in your life and the lives of others, the more worthwhile your life will seem as it unfolds. A hugely successful life devoid of happiness and love is what Scrooges are made of.

DEEPAK CHOPRA MD, FACP, founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global, a modern-day health company at the intersection of science and spirituality, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. He is the author of over 89 books translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. His 90th book, Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential, unlocks the secrets to moving beyond our present limitations to access a field of infinite possibilities. TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century.

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The Most Important Choice to Make Today - SFGate

Coriander seeds water can be beneficial for high blood pressure patients

Coriander seeds are versatile in nature. They can be used raw or they can be grinded to form a powder. Coriander seeds can be added to almost every Indian delicacy. They impart a deep flavour and texture to the food and also offer a variety of health benefits. The aromatic herb is full of fibre that can improve digest and regularise bowel movement. In a video shared recently on Instagram, lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho talks about the benefits of coriander seeds and how they be an effective home remedy for swelling, joint pain, arthritis pain and bloating to name a few.

Coriander seeds can effectively reduce pain and swelling in jointsPhoto Credit: iStock

Also read:The Many Health Benefits Of Coriander Seeds Will Amaze You

Also read:Jeera Water For Weight Loss: Top 5 Benefits You Must Know

(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.

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Joint Pain, Arthritis Pain Giving You A Hard Time? This Coriander Seeds Concoction Is All You Need! - NDTV News

Cancer has an impact on every part of a patient's life. At GBMC Healthcare, the fight against cancer is about more than treating the disease. Delia Chiaramonte, M.D., Medical Director of Integrative and Palliative Medicine at GBMC, is leading the charge on integrative cancer care.

"It's not just about treating the cancer. It's also about how the person is coping, what side effects they may have from the disease itself or from the treatment, and how those symptoms make their life harder to manage," she says. "Treating the whole person is a really important part of cancer care."

These symptoms can be caused by a variety of internal and external sources, and Dr. Chiaramonte says it's important to get to the root of the cause of the symptom to better treat the patient.

"We hear the patient's symptoms then make an evidence-supported treatment plan that's different for every person, based on what their symptom is and why we think their symptom is happening," she explains.

For example, one person may not be sleeping well because of a physical reaction to chemotherapy. Another may not be getting good sleep because their mind is filled with anxious thoughts about their diagnosis.

Dr. Chiaramonte says there are three main causes of symptoms, and the Integrative Medicine Program makes it easier for patients to get an evidence-based, effective treatment plan and to receive those treatments at the Sandra & Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute at GBMC.

"We pull out all the causes and then address them with the treatment that is likely to work on that particular person, and often it's not just one cause," she explains.

The mind-body connection

The sympathetic nervous system directs our body's "fight or flight" response, which can be caused by both external factors and our own thoughts.

"Because the mind and body are connected, our anxious thinking can generate the 'fight-or-flight' response, and that can result in all kinds of physical symptoms, including increased pain, palpitations, changes in GI function, sleep, and nausea," Dr. Chiaramonte says.

According to Dr. Chiaramonte, there are a variety of ways to help decrease the sympathetic nervous response system, including craniosacral therapy (a light-touch manual therapy technique that works to balance and facilitate healing in the body) and massage. These methods reduce patients' anxiety.

Cancer treatment symptoms

It's no secret that chemotherapy and radiation can be taxing on the body. Nausea, fatigue, and neuropathy (nerve pain caused by damaged nerves) are just some of the side effects of cancer treatments that integrative modalities can help alleviate.

"Some energy medicine has been shown to help chemo-induced peripheral neuropathy," Dr. Chiaramonte says. "Many people come in with fatigue, usually from a combination of poor sleep and treatments. Acupuncture, meditation and guided imagery, reiki (a stress reduction and relaxation technique involving a trained practitioner), and yoga have all been shown to help fatigue."

Physical pain

Dr. Chiaramonte reiterates that the Integrative Palliative Medicine Program is just that: an integrative medicine program and not an alternative to standardized cancer care.

"I treat pain with medicines, with different kinds of opiates and complementary medications," she says. "But acupuncture has been shown to decrease pain. Meditation and guided imagery have been shown to decrease pain. Reiki has been shown to decrease pain. Depending on the person, we may use multiple modalities to help them manage their pain."

Massage is also an oft-used modality for physical pain.

"Often, when something hurts in our body, the muscles around it contract and tighten to try to protect it, and over time it can become the actual contraction of the muscle that hurts, not necessarily the underlying factor," Dr. Chiaramonte says.

She explains this can also tie into the mind-body connection because "if you're generating a lot of anxious thinking, you're more likely to continue to have this muscle tension, and massage can help."

Integrative treatment plans will vary by patient, which Dr. Chiaramonte says is the key to taking care of the mind, body, and spirit of every individual.

"We find out the 'why' behind each patient's symptoms, pull out the causes, and then come up with a plan for that particular patient, using all the tools that work."

For more information Integrative Medicine at GBMC HealthCare, click here.

Originally posted here:
How integrative medicine is changing the way cancer is treated - Fox Baltimore

People facing a cancer diagnosis, particularly a late-stage cancer diagnosis, may feel that their locus of control over life has been removed. They are now patients, relying on their oncologist, surgeon, radiation therapist and nursing staff.

But, consider an integrative cancer approach in which patients feel more empowered by an assortment of options they can choose, such as changing their diet, exercise, incorporating methods for reducing stress, seeing an acupuncturist and engaging in mind-body practices. Proponents of an integrative approach say these complements to conventional treatment (chemotherapy, radiation, surgery) make treatment more effective while reducing side effects.

Many cancer patients, like Jasmine Guha-Castle, are turning to integrative cancer care to enhance quality of life, improve outcomes and possibly beat the odds.

Guha-Castle, 50, of Austin, Texas, wont slow down for a minute in her fight to beat breast cancer, again. She made healthy living and volunteering at animal shelters her lifes mission since she overcame breast cancer 13 years ago.

But she received the unfortunate news that her breast cancer had returned while heading to England two summers ago. This time, it was metastatic, meaning the kind that spreads. And it was triple negative, a more aggressive kind of cancer that will not respond to hormonal therapy medicines. So, she flew right back to Austin.

This place gives me hope, which the other places havent so far.

Early in her treatment, regardless of a chemotherapy day, Guha-Castle could be found swimming in Austins Barton Springs pool, attending a meditation class, visiting a nutritional oncologist or acupuncturist, making carb-free foods, dancing and most often, reading science-based information about triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Where you wouldnt find Guha-Castle was hanging out with other patients just because they share her condition. That isnt my cup of tea, says the expat Brit, who finds it hard to connect with members of the cancer community if they are depressed and not optimistic like she is.

You have to be positive and proactive to change the environment of your cells, notes Guha-Castle.

There are more options if you have the right doctor, she says. Initially, she was only treated with chemotherapy and radiation by oncologists who use conventional treatment methods. She says traditional oncologists did not show an interest in hearing about her anti-cancer literature related to medicinal mushrooms, turmeric pills and other approaches that might improve outcomes and help her feel better. She also wanted more guidance, more personalized care and more hope.

Integrative oncology is not alternative medicine, which usually refers to treatments used instead of traditional ones. It also isnt it only complementary, which refers to the use of single-intervention add-ons to support mainstream treatment. So, what exactly is integrative oncology?

Here is a comprehensive definition from JNCI (Journal of the National Cancer Institute) Monographs: Integrative oncology is a patient-centered, evidence-informed field of cancer care that utilizes mind and body practices, natural products and/or lifestyle modifications alongside conventional cancer treatments. Integrative oncology aims to optimize health, quality of life and clinical outcomes across the cancer care continuum, and to empower people to prevent cancer and become active participants before, during and beyond cancer treatment.

After reading about cancer programs at different clinics, Guha-Castle decided to fly to the independent Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment in Skokie, Ill. She was reinvigorated by the clinic, with all of its physicians and specialists in the same building.

A growing number of leading U.S. cancer care centers claim to have integrative medicine programs.

Guha-Castle found it to be like no clinic she had seen, with a kitchen for nutrition classes, a yoga and exercise area and soothing lighting and music. Exercise equipment was only steps away from the chemotherapy areas.

This place gives me hope, which the other places havent so far, she says.

She was particularly motivated after reading the Block Centers preliminary study of stage IV breast cancer patients who were treated there. The treatment improved survival time for the patients, generally, compared to patients treated at conventional clinics.

Dr. Keith Block is the Block Centers medical and scientific director, and considered to be the father of integrative oncology. He developed a treatment program called Life Over Cancer, which uses a plant-based diet, exercise, nutritional supplements, nutritional infusions (administered intravenously) and mind-body therapies. He also uses innovative methods of chemotherapy and experimental and off-label medications.

No two patients are treated in the same way there. Treatment is based on individualized testing to determine a persons biochemical environment or internal biochemistry. This is the environment surrounding a persons cancer cells that can influence the growth and spread of cancers. It includes levels of inflammation, oxidation and the state of his or her immune system. Block uses blood tests for this assessment, which he calls this terrain testing or taking a blood terrain panel.

At the Block Center, all conventional cancer treatments, physician visits, blood draws and visits with counselors are covered by Medicare and most private insurance plans. Some extras, like dietitians, nutritional supplements and nutritional infusions are out-of-pocket.

Fortunately for Guha-Castle, she can afford to fly to the Block Center every two weeks for treatment. But many people dont have the means to do that, she acknowledges. She is still associated with an oncologist in Austin for blood transfusions and scans, but she says she would rather pay more to get the kind of care she wants at the Block Center.

A growing number of leading U.S. cancer care centers claim to have integrative medicine programs.

Dr. Lorenzo Cohen, professor and director of the Integrative Medicine Center at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, says what distinguishes his clinic from the Block Center is being part of an academic medical system. He says blood testing and prescribing medications, particularly of herbs and supplements, becomes a little more challenging when you are in an academic medical center and must follow strict evidence-based guidelines, such as the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines.

Treatments provided by integrated programs within large cancer centers are led by physicians, who also work with providers to guide patients in services like acupuncture, massage, music therapy, yoga, Tai chi and qi gong (methods of movement, breathing and meditation), physical therapy, nutrition and health psychology throughout treatment and whenever possible.

Like other treatment programs, they take commercial insurance and Medicare for standard procedures. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services now covers acupuncture for Medicare patients with back pain. Cohen says this shows that insurers see that integrative approaches are not only cost effective, but a huge value gained in quality of life.

Dr. Dawn Mussallem specializes in breast care at Mayo Clinics Integrative Medicine and Health program in Jacksonville, Fla. She worked with Cohen on an expert integrative oncology panel that recently endorsed the Society for Integrated Oncology Breast Cancer Guidelines.

In the last couple of years, Mussallem developed and piloted a breast-specific integrative medical program within Mayos Jacoby Center for Breast Health that included acupuncture, massage therapy, cancer nutrition, mindfulness classes, yoga and superfood cooking classes.

Mussallem met with patients about whole-person well-being, discussing aspects like nutrition, exercise, purposeful living and avoidance of toxins like alcohol and tobacco. The programs results showed a favorable patient benefit on quality of life, and these integrative services are now offered to all cancer patients at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.

Given the high prevalence of patients using alternative modalities often driven by misinformation available to patients, there is a strong need to guide the use of appropriate integrative oncology care to achieve optimal outcomes for our patients, Mussallem says.

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More Than Chemo: A Different Way to Treat Cancer - Next Avenue

Dr Dani Gordon is a double board-certified medical doctor, working with integrative medicine, as well as wellness expert and leading expert in clinical cannabis/cannabinoid medicine after treating 2500+ patients in Canada in a referral complex chronic disease practice where she specialised in neurological disorders, chronic pain and mental health conditions.

She speaks internationally on cannabinoid medicine and in mid-2018 moved to London to train the UKs first cannabis medicine specialist physicians, developing a leading online cannabis medicine physician training programme, helping to set up the UKs first cannabis medicine clinics and become a founding member of the UK Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society (MCCS), delivering the MCCS guidelines to 10 Downing Street.

Gordon is an American Board Specialist in Integrative Medicine, the newest American sub-specialty of mainstream medicine, focussed on the intersection of conventional and natural evidence-based medicine and therapeutics and she has studied herbal medicine and meditation extensively throughout India and south east Asia with traditional teachers, mind-body medicine at Harvard, neurofeedback brain training and EEG brain imaging techniques with leaders in the field in North America.

Here, she speaks to Health Europa Quarterly about her extensive background in cannabis medicine, patient experience, and the representation of women in the rapidly evolving industry.

I am medical doctor and Im trained in both integrative medicine, which is natural evidence-based medicine and a recognised speciality. I am also trained in family medicine in Canada, and I specialise specifically in herbal medicine, cannabinoid medicine as part of my integrative medicine practice.

I have been practising integrative medicine for the last decade in Canada and that is mostly what I do in my clinical practice. Around four years ago, I started experimenting with medical cannabis and I have been running a complex chronic disease clinic with a focus on medical cannabis for the last four years in Canada; at this point I have treated thousands of patients using medical cannabis and CBD.

I have also trained medical students, physicians and allied health care providers on how to use cannabis medicine. I am a writer, and I speak worldwide on cannabis medicine and other natural evidence-based medicine topics and integrative medicine. Last year I relocated back to the UK where Im also a citizen to get involved on this side of the pond.

Since that time, Ive been involved in quite a few major projects here, I advise on some of the high profile child epilepsy cases, and Im the vice chair of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society. I advise companies and I have overseen training the first group of UK specialist doctors in cannabis medicine along with overseeing the curriculum for the Academy of Medical Cannabis, which is the main body established to educate physicians and researchers on medical cannabis.

Integrative medicine is a subspecialty which started out in the States. I already had my postdoctoral fellowship and you already need to be a doctor to take the fellowship programme. Its a two-year fellowship which I completed in 2012 in the US, and the reason I decided to do it is because I was practising as a holistic medical doctor in Canada. I was already a conventionally trained medical doctor with the qualifications I had, but I wanted to add to my practice natural things such as herbal medicine, mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques and mind- body techniques for the benefit of my chronic disease patients.

I went to the states and completed this training in 2012, because there was no postdoctoral level training in natural medicine and I really wanted to have the most bona fide qualification. Since 2012, it has now become a fully recognised speciality in medicine in the US. Initially I wasnt interested in integrative medicine when I started my practice in 2009 as a family doctor helping people with chronic disease was my main interest. I realised that just using pharmaceutical drugs alone for complex chronic diseases, were not really cutting the mustard so to speak. It just wasnt really working very well for a lot of my patients with anxiety, stress related disorders, mental health conditions, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic pain and sleeping problems. Pharmaceutical drugs were just not helping enough on their own.

I became interested in cannabis specifically in 2015. At that time, I had been practising with herbal medicines and conventional drugs for almost half a decade. A lot of my patients started to tell me about their experiences with using cannabis therapeutically because I practised herbal medicine as well as the conventional kind.

I was really interested in the things they were doing, for example some of my patients were juicing cannabis in its raw form and saying that it didnt make them feel high. They explained that it was really a health supplement that their parents generation had been using it in West coast Canada where a lot of people grow cannabis on their land. That got me really interested in why they were juicing it and not getting high and what was what was happening with this plant; as a herbalist I became very intrigued.

I also had a few patients who were at the end of their life with terrible cancers and they told me how they were taking homemade cannabis tinctures to help reduce their morphine needs so that they could be more aware and alert. It allowed them to manage their pain, experience better quality of life and spend more time with their families in their final days.

I started to investigate it from there to find out how I could introduce it into my practice, so people wouldnt need to experiment with it alone and in isolation. I sought out additional training in cannabis medicine, and just found a few mentors but back in 2015, there really wasnt that much awareness. I started opening my door to cannabis medicine being included in my practice through the Health Canada legal system and I just started learning hand in hand with my patients. I was reading all the latest research and working with the plant just as I did with all my other herbal medicine practise. I started to see all these incredible changes in my patients so that really spurred me on to continue.

When I first started out in cannabis medicine, I was actually quite sceptical because I had a lot of ingrained training from medical school that cannabis was an addictive drug that it was going to make people lazy, hurt their brains and make them more tired.

What I found was the patients who were in orphan disease categories with conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic anxiety and chronic depression, chronic pain were improving when nothing else we had tried previously was really effective. When I started to study the endocannabinoid system, which is the cannabis system we have in our own bodies It made sense because essentially the cannabis plant regulates our own cannabis system which is involved in processes such as regulating our mood and pain signals.

We [doctors and researchers specialising in cannabis medicine] think that a deficient endocannabinoid system also known as Endocannabinoid Deficiency Syndrome theory may play a role in all of these overlapping symptom clusters that are very, very difficult to treat. Conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic daily headaches, chronic migraine, chronic depression and anxiety all these issues sometimes improve using traditional drugs, but it usually doesnt provide a good solution with few side effects.

What I started to do with cannabis is adding in different forms of cannabis medicines primarily the low THC and high CBD strains of the plant and then selecting different strains of the plant more specifically. I found with my background as a herbalist I was able to really personalise the therapy.

With many of my patients who suffered from chronic mental health conditions, I really wanted to get them practising something called Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) which I went to Harvard to study alongside some of the top researchers in the world. I really believe in it; however, it is not a quick fix. Unfortunately, people with chronic pain and chronic mental health conditions are often so poorly that they cant summon the mental effort to keep the practise going long enough for it to start working.

Once I got them onto cannabis, even the low THC cannabis which did not make them feel high, I started to get them to use it before their mindfulness or meditation practise. I found that they started to do more mindfulness and from there they started to exercise more because they werent fatigued. Many patients started to lose weight and become more social; it was kind of a snowball effect that allowed them to do a lot of other things. It allowed them to engage with a lot of non-drug therapies such as CBT that they couldnt engage with before because they were too ill.

I think its been enormously important to the patient experience and I have to say that it has reinvigorated my love of medicine in many ways. It is the kind of medicine that is very well tolerated by most people and helps them with their quality of life so greatly, even though it doesnt cure their condition.

We dont know that cannabis cant cure things and maybe one day we can figure that out, but for now its about quality of life. It has changed my patients lives in ways I could never imagine. Nobody Ive ever prescribed an antidepressant to has ever said to me this has changed my life, but daily and weekly in my practice, I get letters from patients and verbal testimonials that starting them on cannabis has saved their marriage, or completely changed the relationship they have with their children because they can engage with their family life again.

I have seen patients who were so debilitated by very advanced arthritis that they couldnt work or play music anymore and they are able to go back to those things. I had one patient who surprised me with a concert; he hadnt played in 10 years and he was very depressed because his hands were so painful.

I have seen ranchers who live out in the middle of the countryside in Alberta who couldnt get on their horse anymore to round up their cattle and when I did a follow up consultation via a video app, they took me with them on a ranch ride for the first time in five years. It had been five years since theyd been on the horse.

Ive treated young adults with epilepsy who had been told that they would never be independent and that they were going to be in a care home for the rest of their lives, and seen them be able to go to a part time job and get an animal to keep them company these things were not possible before. It changes the whole familys lives not just the person with epilepsy. As far as a single thing I can give someone, although its not a cure it has been the single most powerful tool that I have found so far since going from a Western medicine doctor to a herbal medicine doctor.

One of the things that I get very excited about is changing the perception of cannabis because I think the old perception of cannabis was this kind of stoner culture. On the recreational side of cannabis, which is very different to the medical side. Its not a very wholesome image.

The images that were portrayed of women were often women in bikinis smoking cannabis which are not necessarily positive images of women in general and definitely not the image of cannabis the medicine as I practise it. I feel very lucky to be involved in kind of seeing the transformation of the image of the plant because a hundred years ago, it was a perfectly respectable botanical medicine and its coming full circle back to that.

I feel that women have played a large role in that to be honest, and really introducing a balanced movement into the modern era. It isnt just me, there is Hannahs Deacon, Alfies mother and Charlie Caldwell these are the women who have had kids with epilepsy and have had to fight for access to the treatment. Carly Barton is a good friend of mine and a patient advocate. I have needed and developed a network of women and through social media many of them have become my friends. I think it has been a powerful tool for connecting and empowering women.

One thing that you do find when you enter the business side of the cannabis world is a lot of the people may have come from a traditionally male dominated industry. Often, when I go to give a talk, I will be one of the only women there, but I do feel that is already changing. It is certainly the case that as with many male dominated, corporate professions, women are generally underrepresented which is something needs to be taken seriously; we might potentially have to work harder than men.

Dr Dani GordonIntegrative Medicine Specialistdrdanigordon.com

Please note, this article appeared in issue 11 ofHealth Europa Quarterly, which is available to read now.

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Cannabis and integrative medicine in Canada - Health Europa

I wont sugar coat it. Fighting breast cancer with chemo is a nightmare.

After three infusions, Ive grown accustomed to the weekend fatigue that will barely allow me to leave my couch. On infamous Chemo Day 3, after being up all night with aimless energy and a racing mind, I literally feel like Im going crazy, as if Im a stained-glass window thats been shattered and I cant quite figure out how to put the pieces back. The doctors refer to this symptom as steroid induced psychosis. Im trembling, dizzy and dropping things. My spirit and joy for life are almost non-existent as I generally feel flat-lined emotionally. Being nauseous and rapidly going bald round out the experience. You get the picture.

On a positive note, my pain remains in check after a fear-inducing first week. With my initial infusion came a CRPS-like symptom known as myalgia. For several days my legs would get unbearably achy before amping to up-all-night, think-Im-gonna-die pain. Terrified, I made an emergency appointment with my integrative doctor and Dr. Taws reassuring nature and acupuncture treatment calmed my mind and body. As always, integrative medicine is my best healer and my new chemo-induced pain symptom is gone.

Cynthia Toussaint

Im happy to report that despite the trauma of chemo, all is progressing well. That being said, Im certain that Im suffering far more than need be due to the over-care of western medicine. This has always been my complaint with pain care and now with cancer treatment, its the same damn thing. Truth be told, I think western medicines doing the cancer thing completely backassward. Theyre making us patients suffer far more than necessary. Its called over-care and its all about the blessed buck.

I got the first whiff of profit-motive after I had my port surgery (an implantable device that provides a direct line to the artery) a procedure that blew up my CRPS so badly I strongly considered not following through with the chemo. After somehow surviving six days of hell, my infusion nurse on intake asked me why on earth I had a port. For these drugs, Cynthia, we just go through the arm. Stunned, I asked my doctor if this was true as hed told me the port was non-negotiable. Chagrined, Dr. Lewis admitted to the deceit, but with the rationale the port is much easier for access. Sadly, my port isnt working well, needing multiple flushings to clear it. And it may stop working altogether.

Another big money maker for this healthcare system happened when I arrived for my first infusion. After doctor appointments, procedures and preps, a nurse casually mentioned theyd forgotten to do a kidney work up and wouldnt be able to start that day. I got the sense that this kind of screw up wasnt uncommon. All I could think about was how much money theyd just made off of me and absolutely nothing got done.

And then there are the many expensive, unnecessary drugs. Before each infusion I get zonked with enough meds to kill a small donkey. In fact its the steroid and Benadryl delivered by IV that make me most miserable through the week. These drugs are supposedly given to fend off an allergic reaction to the chemo. But when no reaction happens, Dr. Lewis keeps me at the same levels. Angry and suffering, I pushed him to lower both doses and allow me to take them orally. He finally acquiesced, and the crazies have tempered. Next round, Ill be pushing hard to go down all the way. Far fewer bucks in their pocket, but, thankfully, far less suffering for me.

Another suspicious money maker is the plethora of anti-nausea meds theyre plying me with. One, aprepitant, is doing the job, probably too well, at almost $3000 a pop. When I talked to Dr. Lewis about having so little nausea Hey, can we go down?- rather than decreasing the aprepitant, he pushed me to take preventative anti-nauseas through the week. Again, hes medicating a symptom thats not plaguing me. Oddly when I told him that I wasnt taking the additional Rxs, he refused to remove them from my records. Think about it. Data gleaned from my chart will help sell drugs that Im not taking, but are deemed successful.

On the integrative front, its just not happening with my infusion center, one known for this progressive care approach. Dr. Lewis is kind and smart, but to my disappointment, he basically dismissed my plan to exercise, work, eat a cancer fighting diet, meditate, get sleep, etc. to enhance chemo efficacy. He applauded my motivation, but has never followed up. When I asked about his experience using acupuncture for cancer patients, he mentioned knowing a doctor in med school once who had tried it. Frankly, I was stunned at his ignorance.

At the infusion center, its more of the same. I find it nonsensical that the nurses want fitness tips from me, the patient and, in fact, Im helping several of them with their exercise and diet. Then when I was offered a snack, an assortment of chips and soft drinks, they almost did a double-take when I politely declined their junk food, asking for fruits and nuts instead. Still, Im bonding with these super nice women who seem genuinely pleased that I question my doctors and have taken the leadership role of my care.

Due to my CRPS, I educated myself for six months before choosing which cancer treatments to take, with whom and where. At Dr. Taws strong suggestion, Im going low and slow with the chemo. Instead of getting a big blast every three weeks which is the traditional method, I do a third of a dose weekly. This regimen affords me fewer side effects with far more efficacy. And perhaps more importantly, it greatly lowers the chance of me getting more high-impact pain in the way of neuropathy and bone pain. I feel in control or, at least, Im getting there. I feel empowered.

I thought cancer care, because of its advanced standing as a measurable disease and mountain-high level of funding, would be light years ahead of pain treatment. But I couldnt have been more wrong. In fact Im more aware than ever, that out of necessity we women in pain have had to find our own outside-the-box pain remedies, and these inventive, integrative strategies lead to healing and well-being. My 37+ years of being a critically-thinking pain warrior are serving me beautifully with cancer. More to the point, they could be saving my life.

With every new diagnosis, we must avoid panic, follow our guts, get educated, ask questions, choose our health care practitioners with utmost care and trust and, most importantly, take responsibility for our own wellness.

Spoiler Alert: By finding chemo my way, a miracle has happened. Ill share the good news in my next post

See the rest here:
Finding Chemo - National Pain Report

The phones screen turns a serene blue, and Calm, the leading mindfulness application, opens. At the very center, without capitalization or punctuation, small and faint, are the words take a deep breath.

That gives way to a menu. What brings you to Calm?

The app offers options to reduce anxiety, develop gratitude, build self esteem, even increase happiness.

The next screen offers a seven-day free trial. Once the trial has ended, the annual rate is $69.99, a small price for happiness.

Somewhere around 2010, according to experts and Google search data, the practice of mindfulness began an upward swing. In less than a decade, it has become the fastest-growing health trend in the United States, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mindfulness rules the online app store. The San Francisco-based Calm is valued at $1 billion, and its competitor Headspace at $350 million. (The industry as a whole has been estimated to be worth as much as $4 billion.) Meditation retreats are en vogue. Corporations offer access to mindfulness in the same way they do for gyms. Even the military uses mindfulness breathing techniques to boost soldiers performance.

But as with any Next Big Thing, there are reasons to be cautious. Some say this rush into mindfulness has outpaced the science and stripped it of its cultural context. All of this threatens to turn a tool for well-being, for situating oneself in the current moment, into a tool for standard American commercialism.

Around the same time mindfulness began its upward trajectory, Ronald Purser, a management professor at San Francisco State University, started to feel the familiar weight of doubt. Hed been doing a fair amount of corporate management training and consulting redesigning the workplace to work better, at least in theory, for everybody. I became somewhat disillusioned and disenchanted, he says. Even when we were making progress, trying to redesign work so employees would have more autonomy and decision-making, the management sort of pulled the plug on some of those experiments.

It was around this time, too, that Chade-Meng Tan, a software engineer at Google, gained notoriety for integrating mindfulness into Googles corporate culture through a series of in-house mindfulness seminars. In 2012, Tan turned those courses into a blockbuster book, Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success, Happiness (and World Peace), and Purser found himself attending Tans very first public offering.

I became very disappointed by what I saw, just in terms of what the program was and how superficial it was, Purser says. I just saw this as part of the interest in behavioral science techniques as a way of yoking the interest or subjectivity of employees to corporate goals.

A year later, Purser published an essay with the Huffington Post. It was titled Beyond McMindfulness. Mindfulness meditation, he wrote, was making its way into schools, corporations, prisons, and government agencies including the U.S. military. Purser, a student of mindfulness for 40 years, wasnt knocking the practice but was wary of its growing reputation as a universal panacea for resolving almost every area of daily concern. Last year, Purser expanded on the essay and published a book titled McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality.

Early on in his book, he writes this: I do not question the value of adapting mindfulness for therapeutic use, nor do I deny that it can help people. What bothers me is how its promoters want things both ways: one minute, mindfulness is science, since thats what sells; the next, it stands for everything in Buddhism, since thats what makes it sound deep.

The issues Purser called out eight years ago have only grown with time. Rhetoric, he says, still outpaces results. The practice becomes increasingly decontextualized, meme-ified and gamified. Mindfulness becomes a cure for more and more our happiness, our anxiety, our pain, even world peace.

Its worth pausing a moment to define or at least try to define mindfulness.

At its very core, its deepest and truest roots, mindfulness is a Buddhist meditation technique. There are hundreds, probably thousands of different meditative techniques. This is only one of them, says Mushim Ikeda, a Buddhist meditation teacher. Traditionally, in the Buddhist scriptures, it is said that what we call mindfulness meditation was one of 40 different techniques that the historical Buddha, the one we call the Buddha, talked about. So it wasnt even his one and only meditation technique according to those scriptures.

She knows those scriptures well. Ikeda, who primarily teaches at the East Bay Meditation Center, describes herself as a socially engaged teacher a social justice activist, author, and diversity and inclusion facilitator.

She describes mindfulness meditation as a secular term in Buddhism, one thats also called insight meditation. This is a sort of awareness, she says, that is different from the awareness that we might call everyday awareness the sort we need to drive a car, or maintain a conversation, or use an ATM. She and others describe mindful awareness as spacious and nonjudgmental. Ikeda says, Its been said mindfulness only sees. It does not judge.

The most common technique involves closing the eyes and focusing on the breath and only the breath, moving other thoughts, and the thoughts that come with those thoughts, away and out.

Mindfulness as a secular, western therapeutic intervention did not begin in Silicon Valley. Rather, youd have to go back to 1979 and a man named Jon Kabat-Zinn and the founding of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Kabat-Zinn has studied the effects of what he dubbed mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR for short), on everything from brain function to skin disease.

Still, its hard to ignore Silicon Valleys latest role in spreading and expanding mindfulness in the pursuit of a different tech culture value, peak performance. There is Search Inside Yourself, the book that coincided with the movements growth spurt. There are Twitter co-founder Jack Dorseys much-publicized meditation retreats. (Black Mirror, the dystopian science fiction show, seemed to parody both him and the now-ubiquitous apps.) Recently, there was the dopamine fast, a pseudo-scientific dopamine reset by way of doing nothing. (One originator said he drew directly from Buddhist Vipassana meditation when he crafted the fast.)

The voices are soothing and smooth soft, but not quite a whisper. The cadence and diction perfect, gently pulling you along. Birds chatter in the background. Waves move gently to meet a beach. Or maybe a brook babbles as it pushes over and under and between river rocks.

Breathing in ... I am calm.

Breathing out ... I am at peace.

A chime rings, a signal that this 90-second meditation to calm anger has ended. Calm offers its congratulations.

The danger in this rapid evolution is that it threatens to turn a very old practice into a fad that overpromises and underdelivers.

Helen Weng has practiced Buddhist meditation for more than two decades. I was reading a lot of books about psychology because I was unhappy because high school is horrible, she says. And her father, who, along with her mother, had immigrated to the United States from Taiwan, could offer her books about Buddhist philosophy. The two came together. The Dalai Lamas teachings offered her an opportunity to cultivate her own well-being. I dont like the word happiness anymore, but you can use mental exercises to become more aware of your feeling states and your thoughts.

Now Weng works as a clinical psychologist with the psychiatry department at UCSF and a neuroscientist with the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and the Neuroscape Center, both at UCSF as well. Her scientific work uses magnetic resonance imaging to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood that flows to the brain as people meditate. Essentially, she can track whether the meditator is actually focused on their breath or if their attention has wandered. And in her clinical work, she offers meditation as one of many possible therapeutic interventions.

Still, she calls the recent spread of mindfulness very freaky.

Im very proud that practices from eastern cultures and religions generate so much interest, she says. At the same time, mindfulness and its results are super hard to study. So much so that I just thought I was a bad scientist for a long time. Whats more, she says, meditation isnt always the right sort of behavioral therapy.

Im very disturbed by these messages that meditation basically cures everything or its good for everyone or theres universally very good positive effects. The effects are really moderate and subtle. Its not any better than any other kind of psychotherapy, she says. Part of it is cultural appropriation where its this magical, mystical thing that then people can say does all these things, and I think were still in the height of that and its going to take some time for things to settle down.

Medical students, she says, inevitably ask her how much time they have to commit to mindfulness to make it work. There are studies that show clear benefits to mindfulness. Weng points to one that indicated 30 minutes a day of compassion meditation for two weeks increased altruistic giving to strangers and brain responses to pictures of people suffering.

But the key here is consistency. What happens if you work out for 30 minutes just once? she asks. It benefits you a little bit. Thats good. But if you just do it once, its not going to have a long-term effect.

After the chime and the congratulations, the waves keep moving in and out, and a quote appears onscreen. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. (A quote sometimes attributed to Albert Einstein, but probably more correctly attributed to Narcotics Anonymous.) And in that moment, Calm reminds you that you really should turn on push notifications, in order to fully experience Calm. Decline and itll ask one more time about its mindfulness reminders.

Are you sure? Its hard to set aside time for yourself in our busy world without a little help.

Farrah Fawcett and Lee Majors are jogging. Theyre tan, of course. Their shorts are short. Her blond hair is fanned out, so are his brown curls. She has a broad, blindingly white smile and a red handkerchief tied around her neck. His jacket is zipped down almost to his navel; his chest is hairy. And right beside them, a headline: Farrah & Lee & Everybodys Doing It: Stars Join The Jogging Craze.

This is the cover of the July 4, 1977, issue of People magazine. Alex Will, the chief strategy officer for Calm, the industry-leading mindfulness meditation app, likes to reference this cover when he talks about mindfulness. (Theres even a copy of the issue at the office.) To understand the future of mindfulness, just look to the past.

Mindfulness is becoming mainstream, Will says. People are starting to understand that taking care of the mind is just as important as taking care of the body. Meditation and mindfulness is one way to do that.

In some respects, Calm isnt doing anything that hasnt already been done. Before smartphones, one could buy a meditation CD, slip it into a home stereo and start counting breaths. The app just makes it more portable and more accessible than ever before. I think one of the reasons Ive been so successful is that it is a very low bar for someone to try and get into, Will says. There are short, two-minute long meditations, narrations to help with sleep, even a beginners guide to mindfulness. Similarly, if you want to go deeper, we have a 30-minute master class where you can learn how to break bad habits.

All of the content, Will says, is vetted by mindfulness instructors, and, now that the app is available in more than 100 countries, the programming is also run by people to make sure translations work. This is very nuanced, he says. Language really matters. The Calm app has also been part of various clinical studies in an attempt to back up the applications rhetoric.

Mindfulness, by the way, has already had its magazine-cover moment. Not quite 37 years after the jogging craze, Time magazine featured the Mindfulness Revolution on its Feb. 3, 2014, issue. A blond, fair-skinned model stands straight, hands at her sides, eyes closed, face slightly upward. And the headline: The science of finding focus in a stressed-out multitasking culture.

Mindfulness began to trend in large part because corporations embraced the practice as a way to help employees relieve stress. This is one of the cruxes of Pursers concerns that mindfulness is just a way to wring more productivity from employees, a sleight of hand that shifts the onus from the company to the worker.

In 2012, the year Chade-Meng Tan published Search Inside Yourself, the idea of offering mindfulness courses to employees still felt novel. The New York Times featured Tan and the course hed developed for Google employees a course that involved meditation, Tibetan brass bowls, stream-of-consciousness journaling and lots of emotional openness. Even then the course was framed as a way to help employees deal with their intense workplace no mention of toning down the intensity.

Eight years later, mindfulness courses are the rule, not the exception. Apple, Nike, HBO and Target have all offered some form of mindfulness training to employees. Aetna, the insurance provider, decided to offer mindfulness and other stress-relief activities (including dog petting) after an internal study found that the most stressed-out employees spent $1,500 more a year on health care. And if a company cant bring a trained expert on board, well, they can always give employees memberships to Calm or Headspace.

The Buddha taught that almost everything comes and goes, says Muslim Ikeda, the East Bay Meditation Center instructor. Its called impermanence or change. And health trends famously come and go. Its a product of our capitalist system.

One year, its a certain kind of berry thats going to cure everything. Another year, its mindfulness meditation thats going to cure everything. Five years from now, heaven only knows, itll be something else. Burnt toast who knows?

Ikeda offers a path forward, a path separate from capitalism, a path that encourages students to cultivate a practice in which they care for themselves so that they may, in turn, care for their communities. Its an approach based in social justice and altruism. And yet, she isnt dogmatic.

Mindfulness, Ikeda says, does not judge.

A person might use mindfulness to lower their blood pressure or achieve peak performance. A corporation might use mindfulness to paper over an inherently unjust and healthy system. All this, she says, is like using a Swiss Army knife for just one thing. Its not what the tool was intended to do, and its not all it can do.

Mindfulness is always mindful awareness of something, Ikeda says. Who knows what a given individual is going to do with it? Or what it will do for them?

An individual might, for instance, become mindfully aware of a broken system.

Ryan Kost is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkost@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @RyanKost

See original here:
The (over) promise of the mindfulness revolution - San Francisco Chronicle

The diagnosis of cancer can turn your life upside down in a matter of minutes.

It is a life-altering experience that can be a cause for a lot of stress on the individual who received the diagnosis, as well as family members and caretakers. There are many things to think about when the diagnosis is made, including whether or not youll need to continue working throughout your treatment.

Holistic therapies can aid in the reduction of stress and ease the side effects of treatment if having to work while going through cancer.

Having cancer does not necessarily mean that you will have to stop working. Most likely you will need time off for appointments, treatments or extra rest. You might decide to work as much as possible or take a leave of absence and return when you feel up to it. Or you might have to continue to work for financial reasons and/or health insurance benefits.

One benefit of working while going through cancer is that going to work can help you feel more normal.

If you decide to continue working, it could take some adjusting. Your body might respond differently to normal activities when you have cancer or are going through treatment. You might feel tired, more stressed, have pain or difficulty thinking or remembering things.

Something to consider during this trying time are the benefits of integrative health. Integrative health is the unity of conventional and holistic medicine. It is a healing-oriented model that considers the whole person body, mind, spirit and lifestyle. It uses all appropriate therapies, both conventional and alternative, and focuses on the needs, values and well-being of the person.

Here are some holistic measures to help reduce stress and side effects of treatment:

Conserve energy. Take short breaks as needed throughout your workday to keep your energy up.

Be mindful of your innermost desires and acclimate optimism into your daily thoughts. Take time for yourself to reflect, soul search and nourish the soul. A positive mental attitude during this trying time can help heal the body and reduce stress.

Consider meditation practices. Meditation clears space in your head. Apps such as Insight Timer and Headspace are great places to start.

Use reminder lists and alarms to remember your meetings or tasks. Write a list of tasks that need to be completed for the day. A daily planner, Post-it Notes or use of a smartphone might be helpful tools. Set alarms to help remind you of the tasks that need to be accomplished.

Be open and honest about your situation. Talk with your manager about any concerns. Share your feelings and concerns with your family members and health care team.

Fuel your body with good nutrition. This will help to provide optimal energy throughout the day. A dietitian with experience in oncology nutrition can help you develop a plan.

Consider using essential oils. Aromatherapy can help ease anxiety, pain and nausea symptoms. A clinical aromatherapist can help guide you on which essential oils would be beneficial.

It is important to know your rights. Side effects of cancer treatment are considered disabilities under the American Disabilities Act. Your employer must provide reasonable accommodations according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology. These can include:

Giving you breaks to take medication, see a doctor or rest.

Having you do a job that fits your new hours or abilities better.

Giving you access to counseling through an employee assistance program.

Please remember, you are not in this alone. We live in a wonderful community where people care and want to help in any way they can. Seek out services offered by the community. There are many support groups and valuable resources available to help you and your loved ones through this healing journey.

Jessica Kennedy, BSN, RN, CHC, CMSRN, Jessica is a nurse at MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center.

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Continuing to work while going through cancer treatment? These tips can help - telegraphherald.com