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THRIVE ~
The Teal Center, Helping you Heal since 1990
| Issue 18
October 2011
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HEALWELL™ SPREADS ITS WINGS
With First Stewardship at VHC
The Teal Center Helps Launch Nonprofit to Provide Massage
Therapy to Inpatients at Virginia Hospital Center
Dear Friends,
A few years back you may have heard talk around The Teal Center about the Integrative Health Initiative. Those were the first stirrings of an idea to create the possibility of providing massage therapy to hospital inpatients regardless of their ability to pay.
Since those early conversations in 2007 Lauren Cates and I have worked together to co-found an organization that promises to open more opportunities for the inpatient massage therapy program that began as part of the work of The Teal Center at Virginia Hospital Center.
Now known as Healwell™, Integrative Health Initiative is incorporated in Virginia and received 501(c)(3) status in June of 2010. The vision for the organization has been organically unfolding with the help of a small but dedicated board of directors and the assistance of countless friends and supporters. After much patience, more faith and even more love and sweat, Healwell is beginning to spread its wings.
Serving inpatients at VHC is one part of Healwell's broader mission: to improve quality of life for people living with acute, chronic and terminal illness, regardless of ability to pay, through hands-on integrative therapies, education and research.
Healwell's flagship initiative, The Healwell™ Massage Therapy Hospital Stewardship Program: Clinical Excellence and Compassionate Presence In the Hospital Setting (lovingly, and thankfully referred to as simply "the stewardship") has just completed its first nine-day training at Virginia Hospital Center. Big congratulations and heartfelt thanks to all the good people, especially Lauren Cates and Lucille Eddy, who have put so much time, energy and care into this project.
Healwell will harness the skills and energy of many of the talented, compassionate therapists who complete the stewardship program as it facilitates a transition of inpatient massage therapy services at VHC late this fall from Teal Center therapists to therapists who will be contracted by Healwell. A small handful of therapists who have worked tirelessly to maintain and grow the inpatient massage program since it's inception will do "double duty", so to speak, as they continue to see clients in The Teal Center's treatment suite at VHC while also seeing inpatients for Healwell.
Learn more about the Hospital Stewardship, other Healwell programs, and how you can be involved in this important work here.
Thrive on!
Brenda |
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It's ABBIE Time Again ~
We'd Love to Have Your Vote!
We've been nominated as one of Arlington's Best Businesses again this year in the category of Customer Service. This is The People's Choice ABBIE so we need your vote to win!
It's easy. Just click on the graphic to the right. It will take you to the ABBIE's website. Follow the "nominate" link and type in The Teal Center under the Customer Service category.
The businesses who get the most nominating votes before October 12th will become finalists in the competition. Between October 26th and November 16th there will be another round of voting to choose the winner in each category.
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Off to the Races?
Get on a Massage Table!
With tiny water bottles and packs of energy goo hanging off their belts and looks of determination on their faces, runners are hitting the trails reminding us that race season is here. October is a busy month for roving packs of racers and tribes of triatheletes, ending with the area's biggie: The Marine Corps Marathon. And that means a busy month for massage therapists too, as just about every marathon training program includes massage in its list of must-dos pre and post race .
Runner's World magazine says Sports massage may be one of the most important parts of your training program.
Build massage into your training, at least once every two weeks(once or twice a week for elite athletes).Before a big race, get a massage early in the week, or at least before a light or recovery day so you won't be sluggish for the main event.
Pre-race, massage can speed up recovery after a large training day, a race or a big block of training by increasing circulation -- bringing more of what your muscles want: blood flood and taking away what they don't: metabolic waste. Massage also serves as an early-warning system, helping the athlete discover areas of tightness and potential injuries when there's still time to prevent them.
Massage therapists with specific training in stretching, such as Active Isolated Stretching, Muscle Activation Techniques, and KinesioTaping are great training partners. And massage can help nervous athletes take a moment to relax, thank their bodies for all that hard work and face those pre-race jitters.
Post-race, get some hands on your body post-haste, says renown marathon coach and author Hal Higdon. Runner's World cites an Australian study that showed that post-exercise massage lessened soreness 24 hours later.
Tip: Most races have therapists on site for a quick and targeted massage just to keep those juices pumping to avoid the soreness accompanied with the build-up of gunk. Get one. Schedule a more thorough session with your regular therapists within at least three days after the race.
Try Acupuncture for that Pain!
see article below for more details
The 1996 the World Health Organization report on the efficacy of acupuncture says that it can benefit patients with knee pain, plantar fasciitis, sprains, lower-back pain, and osteoarthritis. Download a PDF of the report .
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NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY
The Teal Center out and about in Arlington
ON OCT. 6 Patti Rodriquez and Amanda Long will be at the Ballston Farmer's Market with some homegrown chair massage.Stop by for a reviving mid-day break. They will be there from 2 to 4:30.
ON OCT. 15 we will participate in the 22nd Annual Breast Cancer Conference at Virginia Hospital Center from 8:00-12:00. Come by for a chair massage and to learn about the latest in breast cancer prevention, care and survivorship.
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The Competitive Edge
For Teen Athletes and Their Teams
Prevent Injury/
Improve Performance/
Speed Recovery
In athletics as in life, pain signals that something is wrong. Attending to a minor pain or an annoying condition such as an aching shoulder or tight hamstrings helps avoid serious injury. By addressing these types of conditions with sports massage and other manual therapies we have helped many athletes, from high school competitors to professionals, perform better and achieve more success. After treatment at The Teal Center athletes usually feel immediate results such as enhanced mobility and reduced pain, and often find they are quicker, stronger, and more resilient. Teal Center therapists evaluate each athlete to create a personalized treatment plan. We work collaboratively to address each individual's unique condition, using sports massage and modalities such as Active Isolated Stretching, Muscle Activation Techniques, KinesioTaping and Acupuncture.These treatments in the right combination are often the most cost effective and efficient way to speed injury recovery and to help athletes enhance performance and have less pain. We are happy to include the teen's family in the treatment session, teaching the athlete and parent about things they can do to make a difference. We support the family to work together for success. We educate the athlete about how to prevent injury, train safely, and prepare for competition, including the importance of nutrition, stretching, sleep and stress management. If your teen athlete, their coach, or you want to learn more, give us a call. We will be happy to answer your questions or to arrange for a therapist to come talk to your team, coaches and parents. |
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The Thrive Five
In each issue of THRIVE, a Teal Center practitioner finishes five sentences to help you get to know her better.
If I wasn't a acupuncturist I'd be a Qi Gong teacher, or a neuroscience researcher, or a Montessori teacher, or an art historian.
The best thing about being an acupuncturist is seeing my patients get more joy and satisfaction out of their lives as their health improves.
The best thing a client has ever said to me was "I feel like a whole new world of possibilities has opened up to me because of acupuncture."
The habit I'm most proud of breaking: cutting all refined sugar out of my diet
and the one I'm still trying to break: unconsciously holding my breath when I feel tense.
When I'm in a funk and need to shake it off I turn my happy music up loud and dance!
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| ACUPUNCTURE FOR PAIN
Artin Mahboubi, LAc, DiplAc
The Teal Center @ Virginia Hospital Center
There are many different kinds of pain, and from time to time, everyone experiences one form or another. Our pain may be caused by a sports injury, an auto accident or by sitting at our desk too long. Whatever the cause, pain is a warning signal, an alarm that goes off when the body is trying to tell us something is wrong or out of balance.
We often choose to either ignore the pain or silence it. However, neither of these choices get to the root of the problem or address the original reason for the pain. By ignoring or silencing the message the body is sending us, the underlying problem remains, the pain may become chronic, and some permanent damage may be done to organs or structures of the body.
We have essentially four options: we can ignore it and hope that it will go away with rest and the passage of time. Second option is to take medications, whether OTC or prescription, third option is to have surgery, which sometimes is our only option, but sometimes leads to no improvement. Our fourth and last option is to address the root cause of the pain. The time tested , safe, and effective natural approach of acupuncture is an ancient healing technique that does just that.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recognize the benefits of acupuncture in treating and eliminating pain due to a wide range of causes.
How Does Acupuncture Work?
Acupuncture works with the energetic life force called qi (chee) that courses throughout our bodies, and all of earth. When a person is in excellent health qi flows throughout the body unimpeded. Like anything that flows, qi can be blocked. Trauma, injury, surgery, stress or lifestyle habits can block the flow of qi, inhibiting the amount of nourishment that reaches our cells and tissues, often causing painful symptoms.
To resolve painful symptoms your acupuncturist inserts hair-thin, sterile needles at precise, carefully chosen points on the body to redirect the flow of qi. When the energy is balanced and flowing freely the pain resolves. By addressing the underlying causes of pain acupuncture brings comfort and supports your long term health.
The number of acupuncture treatments required to restore balance and resolve pain depends on the length and nature of the pain or injury. Patients often report significant results, from major reduction to complete resolution of pain, after a a few weeks of treatment. Other forms of adjunct therapies may also be recommended, such as massage, stretching, yoga, herbal or dietary supplements.
Dr Bruce Pomerantz, a Toronto neurosurgeon says: "I can't see a better solution to long-term chronic pain. There is no question in my mind that acupuncture is safer than surgery or drugs." I say, when it comes to pain, no matter what the problem may be, first give acupuncture a try. If the desired relief is not achieved, then try different approaches such as medicine or surgery. Acupuncture brings with it pleasant side effects, such as spiritual and emotional balance and stress reduction. Your acupuncturist will also help you learn how to stay well and handle the inevitable stresses of life.
Artin Mahboubi, LAc, DiplAc
Teal Center @ Virginia Hospital Center
703-558-5454
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We're committed to support your health and wellness & always to deliver on the TEAL promise:
Team oriented, highly trained and experienced practitioners
Effective treatment, including thorough evaluation and education about self care
Attention to the whole person: body, mind and spirit
Listening carefully to understand and address your concerns
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The information in this email is for informational purposes only. It is not to be construed as medical advice and is not a replacement for professional medical care.
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