Join us for an experiential introduction to The Art of Living Programs and the Science of Breath
Presented by Debra Joy Eklove M.SC., ACTT

Queen West Community Health Center
168 Bathurst St
(South of Queen St)
Toronto
Bring an RN colleague as your guest.

For over 25 years the Art of Living Foundation has been offering programs for stress management, personal development, trauma relief and social transformation. The quality of a person's life is determined by the state of their mind. Happiness and peace can only be experienced in the present moment, yet the mind has a tendency to swing between regrets about the past and anxiety about the future. This constant movement back and forth is a primary cause of stress.

Sudarshan Kriya® and its accompanying practices (SK&P)  are time-honored stress management/health promotion techniques whose health benefits are being validated by modern medical science.

Independent research has  shown that SK&P significantly:

• Reduce levels of stress (reduce cortisol - the "stress"  hormone)
• Benefit the immune system
• Reduce cholesterol
• Relieve anxiety and depression (mild, moderate and  severe)
• Increase anti-oxidant protection
• Enhance brain function (increased mental focus,  calmness and recovery from stressful stimuli)
• Enhance health, well-being, and peace of  mind

 Chemo Patients Show the Power of Recorded Stress Reduction

Hot Research http://healthjourneys.c.topica.com/maaglpDabymSsbpbksCeaeQy6Q/ abstract, courtesy of Paul Jacobsen and his team at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. 
This research shows that a relaxation & imagery program, dispensed to chemo patients via audio, video and some print resources, produced virtually the same effect sizes as the same techniques administered by a live counselor. 
 
Jacobsen studied the responses of 411 randomly assigned cancer patients who were about to begin chemotherapy, comparing the effects of (1) standard psychosocial care only, (2) a professionally administered form of stress management training (which included deep breathing, progressive relaxation + imagery and affirmations), or a patient self-administered form of the same stress management training, using video, audio and printed materials.
 
Quality-of-life assessments were conducted before randomization and before the second, third, and fourth treatment cycles.  In addition, the costs of each intervention were assessed.
 
Compared with patients who received usual care only, those who received the self-administered intervention reported significantly (P < or = .05) better physical functioning, greater vitality, fewer role limitations because of emotional problems, and better mental health.  Those who got the professionally administered intervention did no better.  The self-administered intervention cost 66% less to deliver, too.
You can find the abstract of this Journal of Clinical Oncology article here http://healthjourneys.c.topica.com/maaglpDabylZtbpbksCeaeQy6Q/.
 

This supports the idea that you can hand out relatively inexpensive, portable, self-administered imagery materials to people and they can get significant help from them, comparable to sitting with a therapist -means we can be helping a lot more people than we thought, inexpensively, effectively and easily. Thinking about all the promising possibilities implied by this and research and others like it, boggles the mind and offers a ray or two of sunshine.

www.healthjourneys.com

1. New Website Launched - CMTRN
2. Notice: Transitional Council of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario
3. Reiki Research - seeking Reiki Practitioners

The Canadian Massage Therapy Research Network (CMTRN) has announced the launch of its website which serves the CMTRN's mission to promote public health and wellness through the establishment of a national network to communicate research outcomes and encourage research initiatives regarding the efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness of massage therapy within the Canadian health care system. 

For more information, please visit: www.cmtrn.ca       

2. Transitional Council of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario

Interested individuals may now apply for the Transitional Council of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario. The Transitional Council exercises the powers of a council of a health regulatory College to carry out the statutory objectives of a college to serve and protect the public interest.Individuals interested in the position of Transitional Registrar of that College may also apply at this time. The Transitional Registrar will assist the Transitional Council in establishing and maintaining the College, and developing and implementing regulations,
bylaws and policies related to the practice of traditional Chinese medicine.

Please note that the application deadline is May 18, 2007 

For more information, please go to www.pas.gov.on.ca

Seeking Reiki Practitioners to participate in a research study. The e-mail addresses for contacting Paul E. Royes to participate are:
energymedicine@messagetolove.com or proyes@goodmedia.com        

Alphabet Soup
By Dr Lawrence Rosen

Just returned from the Pediatric Academic Societies' Meetings in Toronto - and here's what I've learned:
"IPCAAPPSOCHIMAPASIGPEDCAMCAHCIMCCCWGPSGCCTN."

These are the acronyms of the various US, Canadian and UK integrative pediatrics networks represented at ground-breaking discussions this past weekend. It is incredible to see the rapid proliferation of international interest in the field, and it was wonderful to witness the collaborative spirit among those sharing a dedication to pediatric integrative medicine principles. The networks present all agreed to continue exploration of collaborative efforts to promote the health and wellness of children across the world, and to seek out other networks with similar interests and goals.

Here's the "Who's Who" of those in attendance:

IPC: The Integrative Pediatrics Council, with a mission "to enhance the health and development of children, families and communities by bolding leading the evolution of pediatric healthcare toward integrative, high-quality, accessible care," is a nonprofit, multinational, multidisciplinary group supporting sustainable, collaborative health care change. The IPC, which I chair, sponsors the annual Pangea Conference and the IPIM-Network listserv, facilitating intentional dialogue among a diverse group of stake-holders.

AAP PSOCHIM: The American Academy of Pediatrics' Provisional Section on Complementary, Holistic and Integrative Medicine works to support the mission of the AAP "to attain optimal physical, mental, and social health and well being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults." Serving the needs of member pediatricians, the AAP group, chaired by Kathi Kemper, aims to support educational, clinical and research efforts in pediatric integrative medicine. The AAP is also a member of the International Pediatrics Association, and PSOCHIM leadership expressed great interest in reaching out to the international community to develop partnerships.

APA SIG: The Ambulatory Pediatrics Association Special Interest Group in integrative pediatrics served as host for a wonderful series of presentations this weekend, including discussions on research on a variety of mind-body therapies for at-risk youth in urban settings: Erica Sibinga's MBSR for HIV-infected youth in Baltimore, Anju Sawni's televised guided imagery for hospitalized children in Detroit, and Deborah Berger's yoga for school children in the Bronx (NYC). The APA SIG functions within the framework of the Pediatric Academic Societies, which also includes, among other groups, the Society for Pediatric Research.

PedCAM: The Canadian PedCAM network, directed by Sunita Vohra, served as host of this weekend's roundtable discussions among all the groups listed here. The network welcomes non-Canadian members and is a leading source of pediatric CAM research information. PedCAM has well-developed information gathering and dissemination processes, thanks in part to Network Coordinator Leah Vanderjagt, facilitating member access to research, education and clinical practice references and resources.

CAHCIM CCWG PSG: OK, here we go. And you thought PSOCHIM was tough. The Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine Clinical Care Working Group Pediatric SubGroup is the newest kid on the block. The CAHCIM, supported by the Bravewell Collaborative, consists of 30+ medical schools who support integrative medicine. This group will work within the CAHCIM framework and help focus attention on the work of its member institutions' pediatric initiatives.

CCTN: The Children's Complementary Therapy Network is based in Birmingham, England and operates out of the Freshwinds Charity. The CCTN was developed to assist CAM "therapists working with children to share and learn from each others experiences and knowledge, provide opportunities for education and learning geared towards working with children, develop guidelines for working with children, and develop appropriate information resources on therapies for children and families." The CCTN is one of several European integrative pediatric networks, and we greatly welcomed the contributions that Drs. Pankaj Shah and Rhonda Lee made during the weekend in Toronto.