THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION

The emotional and spiritual effect pain has on your body can be equal to or greater than your physical pain. No matter the underlying cause, you cannot separate your mind from your body. In order to control your pain sensations and give you true relief, not only do we work with your physical pain, but also give you support for your emotional/mental connection to your pain.

At Advanced MMC we offer a variety of a la carte services as well as packages to help guide you along your journey to relief.

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  • TCM/Qi Gong Guidance (includes meditation and yoga)
  • Breathing Techniques
  • Meditation Guidance
  • Aromatherapy
  • Acupressure
  • Acupuncture (Future)
  • Energy Healing (Future)
  • Teas/Herbal therapies (Future)
  • Rowing Meditation (Future)

TCM/Qi Gong Guidance (includes meditation & yoga)

Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM, as it is commonly referred to, is one of the oldest systems of healing. It is said to have originated sometime in 1766 BC during the Shang dynasty when the first healers documented their work. The system of healing is over 3500 years older than traditional western medicine. Take, for instance, the formation of the American Medical Association in 1847. However, the most common mistake people make is associating traditional Chinese medicine with what’s called “oriental medicine,” which is a catch-all phrase used to describe mainly practices that weren’t only developed in Asia but across the world.

Traditional Chinese Medicine happens to be a standardized version of Chinese medicine that has been practiced since prior to the Chinese revolution. It is mainly rooted in ancient beliefs. One of the most important ones even in this day and age is that of the Daoist belief system that the human body is a smaller version of the universe. There is the belief that vital energy, aka Qi (pronounced “chi”), as it’s called, flows through the entire body and is responsible for multiple functions needed to maintain good health. All Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners believe that chronic pain is mainly caused by a blockage of the Qi or an imbalance, and as doctors, they need to correct the flow of balance, whichever may be the case.

Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM, as it is commonly referred to, is one of the oldest systems of healing. It is said to have originated sometime in 1766 BC during the Shang dynasty when the first healers documented their work. The system of healing is over 3500 years older than traditional western medicine. Take, for instance, the formation of the American Medical Association in 1847. However, the most common mistake people make is associating traditional Chinese medicine with what’s called “oriental medicine,” which is a catch-all phrase used to describe mainly practices that weren’t only developed in Asia but across the world.

Traditional Chinese Medicine happens to be a standardized version of Chinese medicine that has been practiced since prior to the Chinese revolution. It is mainly rooted in ancient beliefs. One of the most important ones even in this day and age is that of the Daoist belief system that the human body is a smaller version of the universe. There is the belief that vital energy, aka Qi (pronounced “chi”), as it’s called, flows through the entire body and is responsible for multiple functions needed to maintain good health. All Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners believe that chronic pain is mainly caused by a blockage of the Qi or an imbalance, and as doctors, they need to correct the flow of balance, whichever may be the case.

Breathing Techniques

Integrative Medicine, or IM as it is often referred to, is a combination of conventional medicine, and complementary treatments. The goal for Integrative Medicine is to treat the individual as a whole and not just a particular health problem.

Many forms of mind-body therapy are mainly meant to help activate your parasympathetic nervous system, settle the mind and consequently reduce stress. This will decrease pain sensations, increase your immune function and increase the release of endorphins to help with mental acuity and mood. The most commonly prescribed therapies include breathing techniques, and meditation.

Meditation Guidance

Do you hold stress in your body? Perhaps in your neck or pelvic/hip muscles? Meditation has been shown to help relax muscles and decrease pain perception by up to 25%. It can help to decrease your need for medication or at least optimize the way the medication works. For chronic pain, guided meditations seem to be most effective, but everyone is different and can change over time.

Self-visualization (you are the guide)

  • Review each of your 5 senses one at a time to observe what you are seeing, hearing, smelling, etc. without judgement, excuse, or qualification.
  • Review how you are feeling. This can be a review of each part of your physical body, your emotional state or mental focus or all three. Go slowly one at a time, again without judgement, excuse, or qualification.
  • Visualize light or heat moving from one part of your body to another and as the light or heat passes through an area, the area warms and relaxes.
  • Repeat a soothing phrase, a core value or a dedication for your day, syncing it up with your breathing.
  • Take deep breaths focusing on your breath by counting your inhales and exhales to make them deep and even.
Yoga Guidance

Do you hold stress in your body? Perhaps in your neck or pelvic/hip muscles? Meditation has been shown to help relax muscles and decrease pain perception by up to 25%. It can help to decrease your need for medication or at least optimize the way the medication works. For chronic pain, guided meditations seem to be most effective, but everyone is different and can change over time. Try some of the tips below to see what works for you.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is a therapy for soothing the mind and body. This healing process started way back in 3500 BC and is safe and natural. Aromatherapy falls under phytotherapy or herbalism, and it utilizes the volatile active components of plants. The main ingredient in aromatherapy is essential oils, which are absorbed by your body through inhalation, topical absorption, and, in some cases, ingestion.

Inhaling the vapors or scent promotes a healing environment, reducing anxiety, and helping to manage pain through the limbic system, which controls your emotions, memories, smells, and behaviors. Inhaling essential oils is the fastest and safest way for the oils to get into your body with the scent getting into your olfactory nerves and brain. Aromatherapy triggers a chemical reaction in your brain receptors in response to the scented oil resulting in the release of the feel-good hormone dopamine.

In our office patient have the option of including aromatherapy during any needle procedures and acupressure sessions to help with anxiety and induce relaxation. We have a variety of different essential oils that the patients can pick from prior to their session.

Acupressure

Acupressure is an ancient technique used in traditional Chinese medicine, combining manual pressure to specific acupressure points with energy healing. The main objective of this ancient practice, like most Chinese medicine treatments, is to boost the movement of the “qi” (chi) or life energy to allow it to flow freely through the 14 meridians or energy channels of your body. The principle of Chinese medicine believes that your body’s qi should be in regular diurnal movement to maintain your overall health. Acupressure applies manual pressure to the acupressure points in your body to help address the possible blockages as well as the hyperactivity of energy at that point to keep your qi flowing steadily.

The effects of acupressure, regulating your energy channels and fields, include not only diminishing pain and other physical ailments, but also addressing your emotions, mind, and spirit. Studies have shown that anatomically the acupressure points correspond to areas of rich neurovascular networks. The pressure being applied to your body’s pressure points leads to the release of endorphins, the natural pain-relieving chemicals released by your body. This directly impacts your autonomic nervous system. This system controls and manages all involuntary actions that your body does, like breathing, digestion, and heart pumping. According to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, your body is composed of invisible trails of energy known as meridians. Along these energy meridians are superficially located acupressure points that connect the superficial energy pathways to the organs. If your qi is obstructed along any meridian, it won’t be able to flow, causing physical and mental health conditions. Alternatively, there are conditions that cause excessive flow requiring the energy to be dissipated for the energy flow to normalize.

These perturbations in the energy flow are resolved during an acupressure session, restoring the normal energy flow. Your symptoms help determine the pressure points. Nonetheless, due to the complexities of how meridians travel within your body, the pressure points that will be subjected to acupressure are not the same as the region where you are experiencing pain.

In our office, we use a program approach consisting of a series of acupressure sessions with instruction on daily self-acupressure for in-between sessions coupled with moving meditations such as Qi Gong to enhance the movement of qi through the body.

Before the session starts, you will have to share your indicators so they can apply the appropriate pressure points on a symptom sheet. It is important that you do not eat 30 minutes before or exercise 1 hour before the treatment. Wear loose-fitting comfortable clothing and stay warm before, during, and after the treatment. Good hydration is also a must.

You will be asked to sit or lie down on the massage table during the acupressure session with the option of an acupressure mat. Dr Delzell will then use her hands, fingers and palms, elbows, to dissipate or hold your meridian acupressure points. Usually, the points are held for 1-3 minutes. It is best for you to breathe deeply into the points that are being manipulated. Acupressure is very relaxing for most people and many people will fall asleep during the treatment once their pain dissipates. Several acupressure sessions are recommended for the best results.

Please see our blog for more information.