Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/180483
Connections in Wellness I t's a Thursday evening and around a long wooden table in the WAC's 12th Floor Boardroom the Club's Wellness Center professionals have gathered for a panel discussion. The Wellness Center includes a network of doctors, therapists, and health practitioners. With offerings such as Rolfing, acupuncture, physical therapy, nutrition, naturopathy, podiatry, and yoga therapy, it's a hub for integrative treatment. WAC Wellness Manager Tamela Thomas is the host of tonight's discussion. She helped open the Wellness Center almost 13 years ago, when the concept of integrative medicine was in its infancy. Since then, the practice of using multiple modalities for collaborative treatment has proven to expand patients' recovery and well-being. During the past decade, more health professionals and hospitals have incorporated complementary medicine into their practices. The WAC Wellness Center remains near the forefront thanks in large part to the scope and quality of its practitioners. Tonight's panel discussion, summarized here and amended with some follow-up comments, aims to advance the Wellness Center's approach and keep the WAC and its members healthy and happy. t tamEla: tamEla: We call it integrated services because all of these modalities work together, but there are distinct differences. What qualities make your modality unique? Sara bayEr, rolfEr anD acupuncturiSt: In terms of acupuncture, it's unique because it's a borrowed medicine from another country. In order to understand it, we literally have to translate from Chinese. Jim WEbEr, yoga thErapiSt: Where yoga is different is the spiritual component, which is immense. Yoga is a philosophical set of guidelines and principles that were written many years ago. Stuart EivErS anD Emily Durban, phySical thErapiStS: As physical therapists, we use mechanical energy to create different tissue quality. It takes certain stimuli and dosage. There are a lot of different types of physical therapy. We mainly try 26 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | OCTOBER 2013 teaching people how to practice new exercises that'll make lasting impressions on their bodies. linDa oh, poDiatriSt: As podiatrists, we take a more traditional medical approach to treating the conditions of the foot and ankle, offering both conservative and surgical treatment options. In the specialty of podiatric sports medicine, we stress the importance of biomechanics, which are often overlooked. Prescribing orthotics and discussing the importance of conditioning, equipment, strength and flexibility are all part of that. paul Dompé, naturopathic phySician: The naturopathic medical approach is to recognize what kind of support a patient needs. I work from a preventative, holistic perspective. I specialize in stress-related disorders, which include anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure, and blood digestive issues. As a naturopath, I take into