Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/132513
Wellness By Amy Schumacher, WAC Personal Trainer Tamela Thomas, Wellness Manager tamelat@wac.net 206.464.4639 Integrative therapies and recovery T he older I get the more proactive I am about my health. So when I get injured, the words vigilant and tenacious are not too strong to describe my approach. I employ several therapies to support my body's healing and recovery. From nutrition—including an alkalizing diet and targeted nutrients—to complementary integrative therapies, I'm using several if not all of the interventions to which I have access to create the optimal internal environment for my healing process. I've never been a very patient person, so this whole idea of sitting back and letting the body heal only works when I know I have provided the best foundation to facilitate the process. This month, we have a chance to learn a bit more about how different integrative therapies approach the recovery process. The more you understand about these interventions, the more you might find they suit you—and the more you'll realize which ones you want to incorporate in your own recovery situations. Holistic recovery Looking beyond our symptoms often yields better healing from injury W hen recovering from injury many people favor therapies they consider familiar or mainstream. Doing so can yield results, but it can also keep you from the sometimes more powerful effects of a holistic approach. Holistic medicine addresses the whole person. While mainstream medicine often views the body as a collection of pieces and parts to be assessed in isolation rather than as a working unit, holistic medicine frames symptoms as the body's expression of imbalance and attempts to return patients to homeostasis. Holistic medicine "doesn't simplify problems and locate them only in very exact places in the body," WAC acupuncturist and Rolfer Sara Bayer explains. Rather, holistic treatments support and assist the body, encouraging it to heal by discovering and eliminating underlying causes—whether physical, behavioral, environmental, or some combination thereof. Sara's treatments, for example, often focus on increasing the circulation of qi to reduce pain and create all-around better health. She often works with clients who seek treatment after an injury. Her hands, made strong through years of muscle manipulation, embody the broad assortment of tools included in a holistic approach to healing. In order to recover fully, she says, "you must rectify the pattern, not just fix the symptoms." Patients who seek holistic healing are proactive about their health. That means creating a personalized plan that empowers recovery and yields the best results. Some of the disciplines to consider include nutrition, physical therapy, naturopathy, massage therapy, and acupuncture. The WAC offers professionals in each of these fields. 26 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | JUNE / JULY 2013