Beyond the Mainstream
Organic Treatments for Stressful Times
Represented from the Los Angeles Times, 11/05/01:
Barrie R. Cassileth:
Nearly two months after the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks, all of us--from New York to Los
Angeles--are living in a world of heightened
fear and uncertainty. We are under great
stress. We wake up at night because of
it. We look over our shoulder wondering,
"What next?"
How do we cope? How do we get a good night's
sleep? How can we resume our normal daily
lives again, as the president and others
have urged us to do? How do we reduce
the worry and fear that are natural byproducts
of such terrible intrusion and destruction?
Sales of sleeping pills were up more than
25% in the two weeks following the Sept.
11 attack, and sales of anti-anxiety drugs
are up nearly 10%. Sleeping pills are
fine to help us through an occasional
sleepless night. Depending on pills to
get a good night's sleep too often, however,
does not in the end reduce our stress
levels. And, in fact, it could create
an addiction that would be hard to break.
There are nonchemical complementary therapies
that can help reduce the stress. Some
therapies are self-administered; others
require assistance. But each may very
well help, and they all are noninvasive,
inexpensive and effective.
More than a dozen types of mind-body therapies
are used to reduce stress and anxiety.
These various therapies center on a basic
concept: relax the mind, and the muscles
follow suit. Relax the body, and anxiety
dissipates.
Among the most popular of these is massage.
Many readers may relate massage primarily
to muscle soreness or athletic overexertion.
However, massage, which has been in use
for literally thousands of years, has
important emotional, psychological and
physiologic benefits.
Swedish massage, the most common technique,
relaxes muscles that in turn reduce stress.
It is used regularly to treat insomnia,
depression, high blood pressure, backaches
and headaches. A good massage by a trained
therapist every week will work wonders
in reducing stress and anxiety in most
people, no matter what the cause. Shiatsu
and light massage produce similar benefits.
Yoga and tai chi also reduce stress. Yoga has been
shown to induce physiological change, increase skin
resistance (a measure of reduced stress) and produce
brain wave activity indicative of relaxation. People
who practice yoga on a regular basis typically experience
lowered levels of stress and increased feelings
of well-being. Some research indicates that it relieves
symptoms of anxiety and pain. Yoga classes are available
in most communities and on videotape.
Tai chi is a very gentle exercise program that soothes
your mind as it improves your body. It combines
the use of movement, meditation and breathing to
improve health and well-being.
If you're interested in learning more about
yoga or tai chi, check the Internet. Among
the many sites, you might try are http://www.yogaclass.com,
http://mydailyyoga.com,
http://easytaichi.com
and http://cloudwater.com.
You might also look at a good general fitness
and health site, such as http://www.miavita.com.
There is ample material on the Web, as
well as in your public library.
Although not as popular as yoga, reflexology
also may help reduce stress. It is essentially
foot massage--a therapy that applies pressure
to specific, identified reflex points
on the foot. Practitioners claim that
reflexology treatments can reduce stress
and tension.
Meditation is a great means of managing
stress. With meditation, people learn
to redirect their attention to the present,
reacting neither to memories of the past
nor thoughts of the future.
The mental training that meditation provides
teaches individuals to be aware of what
causes their stress, giving them a sense
of control. Positive results are well-documented
in the scientific literature. To learn
more, talk with meditation practitioners,
psychiatrists, other mental health professionals
or yoga masters.
Proponents of imagery and visualization
claim that using the mind's eye to see
oneself in a relaxing place or to rehearse
healing can influence the unseen processes
of our bodies.
Positive mental images have both psychological
and physiological effects, lowering blood
pressure and altering brain waves. As
the English poet John Milton once wrote,
the human mind "can make a heaven
of hell." Libraries and bookstores
have books and tapes devoted to imagery.
There is also hypnosis and biofeedback.
An easier, universal "therapy"
is the process of sharing your thoughts
and concerns with others. Talk about your
feelings with family, friends and health
professionals.
Both the airing and the sharing help.
Send questions to DrCassileth@aol.com.
Her column appears the first Monday of the month.
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