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Health

PHARMA TO DHARMA: Managing pain in the Hospital Setting

The revised Joint Commission Accreditation Standards for Health Care Organizations became effective January 1, 2018 which includes…” involving patients in developing their treatment plans and setting realistic expectations and measurable goals.”  (www.jointcommission.org; The Joint Commission Perspectives; July 2017, Volume 37, Number 7.)

This calls for assigning a Health Coach to partner and coordinate the many aspects of life to overcome roadblocks and achieve goals.   

What to expect through the process of Health Coaching:

§        Health Coaching brings ideas and information from all areas of life to help patients in developing their “individualized” treatment plan.   
§       Health Coaching educates patients by translating research or concepts into understandable language.
§       Health Coaching assists in formulating questions directed to Insurance Providers and Healthcare Professionals involved in treatment plans.
§       Health Coaching establishes partnership with referrals to properly credentialed complementary therapists and healthcare professionals.

The Joint Commission published Facts About Joint Commission Accreditation Standards For Health Care Organizations: Pain Assessment and Managementunder the “Topics” menu on February 26, 2018.  These standards require hospitals to revise their policy and procedures. Included in the revisions the Joint Commission requires accredited hospitals to establish policy and procedures, based on clinical determination where appropriate, that includes providing… “at least one non-pharmaceutical pain treatment modality”.      www.jointcommission.org/facts_about_joint_commission_accredi…dards_for_health_care__organizations_pain_assessment_and_management/ 

HEALING TOUCH:
There are many complementary modalities.  One that best suits the hospital setting is Healing Touch. Healing Touch is an energy healing therapy in which practitioners consciously use their hands in a heart-centered and intentional way to enhance, support and facilitate physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health and self-healing.  Healing Touch utilizes using light or near body touch to clear, balance and energize the human energy system in order to promote health and healing for mind, body and spirit.


This modality has been developed in the 1980s by a nurse, Janet Mentgen RN, BSN, HTP/1, HNC.  Healing Touch was revolutionized as a medical model by Janet which includes a clinical approach to energy based therapy that is taught within the Healing Touch Program. (www.healingtouchprogram.com)  Subsequently, the American Nurses Association, American Holistic Nurses Association and the National League of Nursing endorses Healing Touch. Certification in Healing Touch  is attained through the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.  

Namaste,  Nurse Judith   

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Healing Touch Program: An Introduction to Healing Touch part 1of 2

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Health

The Daily Bandha: The Supraspinatus Muscle

The Daily Bandha: The Supraspinatus Muscle

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News

YOGA in a Modern Society

America is a multicultural society.  The search for continuity among diverse backgrounds continues with more and more people from other countries bringing traditions that have been in their families for centuries to America.    
A well-known tradition influencing the American population from India is Yoga.   The ancient tradition of Yoga made its way into America in the 1970s and it continues its presence into our high tech life.    America is finding ways to use the practice of Yoga in healthcare, businesses, schools and everyday life.   This tradition was embraced and tailored to fit into America’s Modern Society for all humans irregardless of age, gender, weight,  physical challenges, etc. 
Yoga influenced my career as a Professional Nurse and evolved it in the direction of Wellness Care.    After studying the “Fundamentals of Yoga” within a basic 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training which encompassed its philosophy, history of folklore and the people who established it,  I decided to embrace an in-depth study of the physical components of Yoga which are the postures and breath work.   I sought out medical professionals who practice, study and teach Yoga to learn from their medical perspective about breath, movement, limitations, mindfulness, and modifications to postures.  This ultimately fulfilled my profession as a Registered Nurse and RegisteredYoga Instructor.    
Nurses are integrating Yoga into their Scope of Practice and becoming Yoga Instructors in order to facilitate the healing process within hospitals and out-patient clinics.  Recently I took a continuing education program: “Yoga Nursing Essentials” by Annette Tersigni, RN, “The Yoga Nurse”.  The course focused on the use of Yoga for Stress Management and provided ways to integrate Yoga into patient care.  The course was a preliminary requirement for membership into Annette’s Yoga Nurse Academy.
The American Journal of Holistic Nursing publishes on-going research by nurses on the benefits of Yoga to manage pain, fatigue and anxiety.  Corporate Nurse Wellness Consultants are using Restorative Yoga  in coaching sessions to manage stress, relieve tension and improve productivity while at work.  Managed Care is starting to recognize the use of Yoga when part of a therapeutic program overseen by a physician as well as provide coverage through Wellness Accounts. 
Yoga has become modernized while sustaining its integrity as an art and science.   Using Yoga as a tool to connect the energies between breathing, movement, alignment of the body and concentration of the mind empowers people to take charge of their health.  Yoga provides me with an enhanced feeling of well-being and not a day goes by without taking the time to incorporate it into my daily life. 
My deepest appreciation for the tradition of Yoga and the people who introduced it to us here in America.  Nameste.

    
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News

State Government’s Impact on the Middle Class – Economic Health

NJEA.org – Somerset County teachers, school employees pressure local legislators to demand full pension funding

How does taking away someone’s retirement help the Economic Realm of the Middle Class?  It took many years for these individuals to pay into their State Retirement Savings Fund a.k.a. Pension Fund only to have it stolen from them.  The biggest insult to the American citizen, in my opinion,  is the disrespect toward their “American Dream” to trust the government to hold their money until they are ready to withdrawal during their retirement.

Americans, stand up to the governing body of the people, by the people and for the people and ask  every government official:

Who in the United States Government will directly support the Middle Class?

Who in the State Justice Department represents the needs of the people and not the needs of an inadequate politician trying to balance or amend a budget discrepancy?

How does taking away a Pension that people pay into help balance anything when now these citizens will need to be provided for by the State through other programs funded by taxpayers?

What recourse will be taken to give back to all of the citizens who paid into a State Pension Fund?

Use your freedom of speech and write to your Senator and State Representative today.  Let yourself be heard concerning the recent decision to take away the Pensions of Retired Middle-Class teachers of New Jersey.    

Respectfully submitted,

Judith  

 

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Health

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: How it Works and What You Can Do About It

Whether Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is interfering with your work, crafts, or sleep, finding relief from pain quickly starts with understanding how CTS occurs.  CTS is the result of inflammation around the medial nerve passing from the forearm through the wrist into the cannal, also known as the “Carpal Tunnel.”  Although musicians and administrative assistants often feel that repetitive motion activities cause their pain, Harvard researcher, David Ring, MD told his fellow orthopedic surgeons in 2007 that the underlying cause of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome more often is genetic. Ring found that there is more evidence of narrow canals responsible for CTS and only weak evidence for typing and other repetitive movements of the hands. (Ring: 2007)

Inflammation can cause or aggravate inflammatory conditions at another site which explains why arthritis, obesity, and diabetes all raise the risk of this painful disorder. Conversely, blocking inflammation and treating it wherever it exists may also improve CTS.

The diagnosis of CTS can be made by a physician or chiropractor. Beyond a physical examination, lab studies are used to rule out arthritis, gout and diabetic nerve damage, any of which can mimic the symptoms of CTS.  Because each condition requires a different treatment approach, getting the right diagnosis is important.  Some measures can be taken even before a medical diagnosis is made.
Fascial manipulation, a massage technique offered through chiropractors and physical therapists is a non-invasive approach that involves manual manipulation of the fascia, a membrane of connective tissue that surrounds muscle and groups of muscles, blood vessels and nerves.  A study led by Dr. E. Pratelli and published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, January 2015, found fascial manipulation to significantly reduce pain. (Pratelli:2014)

Eating anti-inflammatory foods such as berries, fish, avocados, nuts and vegetables and avoiding sugar, wheat, processed foods and saturated fats can provide relief; likewise, positioning the wrists above the hands may minimize pain during periods at the computer keyboard or while playing a musical instrument. Another anti-inflammatory lifestyle intervention recommended by the National Institutes of Health is getting 6 ½ to 7 ½ hours of sleep each night and waking at the same time each day. (Sabanayagam: 2010)
Track the results of these interventions daily and identify which ones are providing optimal relief for your CTS.  There are no downsides to using them and their added benefit provides an overall feeling of well-being.   
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Works Cited
Pratelli, Elisa, MD. “Conservative Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Comparison between Laser Therapy and Fascial Manipulation.” Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapy 19.1 (2015): 113-18. Print.
Ring, David M., M.D. “Gentic Cause of Carpal Tunnel.” Proc. of 74th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, San Diego. 
Sabanayagam, Charumathi, M.D., Ph.D. “Sleep Duration and Cardiovascular Disease: Results from the National Health Interview Survey.” Web.

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News

Nurturing the Academic Realm of Life

The most significant aspect about a program such as this one is that it provides the student with less stress and more time to focus on one subject at a time.  It opens a new concept in higher education that is “nurturing” to the mind and prioritizes one’s desire and sense of purpose in life while acquiring the knowledge.

Unlike conventional education, the student takes once class a semester and attends throughout a full year.  The learning experience is enjoyable without the pressure of trying to cram several courses into a short period of time and overload the brain with too much information at once.  Emphasis is placed upon why the student wants to learn the information, takes that energy and places it into the learning process.  Meditation recharges the brain’s ability to focus and calms the body through breathing techniques that balance hormones between the Sympathic and Parasympathetic nervous system.

This approach to higher education offers an edge to the learning process that does not include paying off a huge student loan or pressure to compete for a grade.  Take a virtual visit to this unique human-friendly University at www.mum.edu.  

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Yoga

Developing a Spiritual Realm of Life

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Yoga

The “Change” has Come – How to handle perimenopause

The blog “Healthcare De-Mystified” has been dormant because the author has been going through some “changes”that needed readjusting.  These changes led to a life-style congruent to the needs of the body and mind known as CAM Therapy (Complementary Alternative Modality Therapy).  Since today’s blog will only reference CAM Therapy you can go to a reliable reference regarding CAM Therapies such as healthlibrary.standord.edu and webmd.com.

It has been many years since my body went through “surgical menopause”, however, there are still times when my body experiences a “hormonal impact” as if those female organs were alive and kicking.  Sometimes I still awaken at night in night sweats with subsequent fatigue in the morning.  It continues with a fogged mind to which I try to remedy with a “caffeinated” morning beverage.  Throughout the day there is a struggle with “mental blurring” which encompasses forgetfulness, lack of concentration and daydreaming.  

Ten years post-menopause I had a body with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and continued night sweats from time to time.  Medical intervention with pharmaceutical agents were administered by my Healthcare Professionals to prevent further damage to the heart, brain and kidneys.  The night sweats still  continued from time to time.  Body changes ensued with some hair loss, side effects from cholesterol medication and a weight gain that won’t budge with exercise and nutritional corrections.

One day I decided to look into Complementary Alternative Modalities also known as CAM Therapy.  The result of discovering CAM and integrate it into my life relieved the insomnia and managed stress in order to facilitate the blood pressure medication to work more effectively.  Focus and concentration have improved as well as sleeping through the night without waking up in night sweats.

I posted this video regarding “Menopause The Musical” as a tool for women to recognize and know  areas of  life that are affected by going through Menopause also known as “Perimenopause” or “The Change”.  Talk to your Healthcare Professional about alternative therapies and if they are not familiar with any of them refer them to the American Holistic Nursing Association at www.ahna.org and FEMTIQUE Associates Incorporated at www.femtique.org.  It is very important that you are seen by a qualified Medical Professional even though you might engage in a CAM Therapy.

Healthcare De-Mystified is getting ready to post more information regarding CAM interventions that address perimenopause, premenstrual syndrome, hormone needs when reaching puberity or “menarche”, post-partum hormone imbalance, hormonal benefits to lactation as well as adrenal dysregulation.

Stay well and be happy!

Femtique e-nurse Judith  

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Yoga

Society versus Mother Nature

History always repeats itself in some way. Take a look at the struggles women face just being females. During the 1950s the actress, Lucielle Ball, overcame a fopoux by appearing on her own television series in the state of pregnancy http://scholarworks.umass.edu/berksconference/Workshops/180/5.  She was met with resistance and rose to the challenge with persistence and political savvy.

Now, in the 21st Century, women face the challenge of Breastfeeding their babies outside of their home.  How has the American Society dehumanized this basic function of a woman’s body and replaced it with a lessor means of healthy nutrition?  Why is it that a non-pregnant, non-lactating female can reveal more of her body than the aforementioned female without a controversial remark?

Isn’t is about time for all of America to show support for a Baby-Friendly world?!  Retailers, grocery stores,      Universities and Colleges and any other entity where women use their products and services need to pool together to support safe, respectable ways to offer our Breastfeeding Mothers a comfortable place to feed their babies.  It is a basic need and one that has the very valuable function of helping babies grow into healthy human beings.

Who is driving this message of negativity about Breastfeeding?  How did all of this suddenly start to become an issue instead of a natural function of life?  The United States Department of Health and Human Services and the Maternal Child Health Bureau as well as the Baby-Friendly USA, Inc. have joined forces with the WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Initiatie (BFHI) to help support Breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of a baby’s life.  It is part of a global strategy for optimal health and wellness of infants and young children.

At the present time, the US has a score of 7 out of a possible 50 points on the US National Report Card which is produced by the Healthy Children Project.  Fulfill your Academic Realm on this subject by going onto the following websites:  www.surgeongeneral.gov; www.cdc.gov; www.unicef.org and www.babyfriendlyusa.org.  These sites will provide you with the information on why it is so important to supply human breast milk only for our babies.