Develop programs to meet ‘alternative’ demands
Develop programs to meet alternative’ demands
Public wants info on complementary medicine
A holistic approach to health is very popular right now throughout the general population. Scan the covers of the magazines at your local newsstand and you will find many of the article topics focus on the mind, body, and spirit approach to healthy living. Market research shows that people are spending out-of-pocket money on all kinds of alternative therapies, says Bruce Doolin, LMT, CPFT, owner of Wellness Works Holistic Health Center in Columbus, OH. Yet, most community outreach classes focus on traditional medicine.
That’s why Doolin and his business partner began creating classes that had a holistic health point of view to support the public’s quest. Classes included massage therapy for couples, self-acupressure, meditation, stretching, and yoga. Currently, Doolin conducts workshops on alternative therapies for corporations and health care organizations that focus on maintenance and prevention.
Stress relief for the deskbound
For example, at corporations, instructors teach people how to use their bodies ergonomically, do stretches at their desk, breathe properly to relieve stress, and visualize the outcome they want for a particular job. Combining stretching, ergonomics, and self-acupressure can prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, says Doolin.
The need is there, agrees Sonia Strevy, BSN, MS, coordinator of the Optimal Health Center at Marion (IN) General Hospital. Education services staff at Marion were doing so much programming and research in alternative and complementary health areas for both community and staff education, they developed the center that opened in August 1999, she says. The classes at the center are based on whole-person approaches so they incorporate mind, body, and spirit.
However, Strevy has been interested in holistic health for years and developed community outreach classes. Of all the classes she has developed, the one that has gotten the most response is a five-part series called Mind-Body Techniques for Healthful Living. The class includes information on responses to stress, relaxation techniques, exercise and movement, healthy nutrition, cognitive restructuring, and positive self-talk and affirmation. Single-topic classes that have been the most popular are relaxation techniques and the safe use of herbs, says Strevy.
There are several complementary therapies that can be taught in outreach classes. Yoga, Tai Chi, acupressure, meditation, creative visualization or mindfulness, self-hypnosis, and shiatsu work well, says Doolin. All these techniques reduce stress. Also, when people are taught about self-empowerment, self healing, and their ability to control their own lives, they are healthier, he says.
Other good topics for outreach classes include body scanning, where people are taught to look for areas of tension and pain, deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided imagery, says Strevy. (For more details on what these complementary therapies entail, see article above.)
There are several factors that contribute to a successful class. Two of the most important ones are class length and interaction between instructor and participant.
People like interactive classes
Lecture and demonstration is not enough in a complementary therapy class; interaction is key, says Strevy. "People don’t just want to hear about it, they want to experience it," she says. For example, if the class is on yoga, participants will do several exercises, or if it focuses on progressive muscle relaxation, the class will try the technique.
Time is another factor that should be considered when designing an outreach class on complementary therapies. Instructors not only need to have enough time to cover the information adequately; time must allow for interaction, as well.
Also, the amount of material must be considered. For a class on herbs, Strevy covers the top 10 herbs sold in the United States and their safe use and side effects. "The topic generates a lot of discussion, and it is difficult to cover the information in less than an hour and a half or two hours," she says. Single topics usually can be covered at one class meeting, but if several techniques are covered, the class should be divided into a series, she advises.
Ongoing classes boost compliance
The ideal is to provide ongoing classes in most cases so participants can learn properly and begin to see the benefits. With corporate accounts, Doolin encourages management to provide ongoing classes in complementary therapies. The next best option is to offer a topic as a series.
"Proper breathing, stress management work, and acupressure can be taught in a day, but if you do them on an ongoing basis you will have more compliance, and the benefits will be more long-term," explains Doolin. "Stretching, yoga, and meditation really need to be ongoing, because there is a certain amount of time it takes for people to get into the process where it becomes second nature for them."
For more information on offering community outreach classes on complementary therapy, contact:
• Bruce Doolin, LMT, CPFT, Wellness Works Holistic Health Center, 742 Worthington Forest, Columbus, OH 43229. Telephone: (614) 885-4325. Fax: (614) 846-2874. E-mail: [email protected].
• Sonia Strevy, BSN, MS, Coordinator, Optimal Health Center, Marion General Hospital, 330 N. Wabash Ave., Marion, IN 46952. Telephone: (765) 651-7360. Fax: (765) 671-3046. E-mail: [email protected].
Subscribe Now for Access
You have reached your article limit for the month. We hope you found our articles both enjoyable and insightful. For information on new subscriptions, product trials, alternative billing arrangements or group and site discounts please call 800-688-2421. We look forward to having you as a long-term member of the Relias Media community.