The Brag Wall!

OK ALL!!! I've got my brag wall updated at the office. Besides my WHS wrestling team, I'm collecting photos of others that I've touched, who have gone out and achieved their own GREATNESS! And for those who aren't on the wall yet... Be proud of what you have done and get on my wall! It's the place to be!!!

The Softer Side of Cancer Care

Patients with cancer are finding a host of wellness opportunities at Cleveland Clinic.

Wellness is a term not commonly associated with cancer. But Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute specialists make wellness a priority for their patients undergoing cancer treatment.
Encouraging inner peace and tranquility

Patients who take part in the Reflections program have the opportunity to be pampered, to regain a sense of control over cancer, and to enjoy some special moments for themselves. A licensed medical aesthetician, certified in Reiki and reflexology, oversees the program. Treatments are given in a softly lighted room filled with soothing sounds and tranquil scents.

Private sessions are designed to reduce anxiety and promote healing. Patients can enjoy a professional reflexology treatment and a gentle foot soak, or refresh and rejuvenate with a luxurious facial. Guided imagery enables participants to focus their minds on healing and reducing pain.
Enhancing beauty

Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy can get skin care and makeup advice, help with the selection of wigs and tips for wearing scarves creatively when the national Look Good… Feel Better program visits the Taussig Cancer Institute every other month. All participants leave with a complimentary gift bag of skin care and cosmetic products.
Expressing emotion

Art Therapy Programs gives patients and their caregivers the opportunity to express themselves through a variety of media including drawing, painting, collage and sculpture.

“Many of our patients schedule their treatments to coincide with the once-a-week art therapy sessions,” says instructor Rosalia Rozsahegvi of the Art Therapy Studio, the oldest expressive art therapy program in the country. “Art therapy encourages spontaneity and open exploration, giving patients an alternative mode of communication, personal exploration and self expression.”
Reducing anxiety

It’s no surprise that people with cancer have increased rates of depression and anxiety, which can lead to increased pain. With appropriate treatment, these patients can have an improved quality of life and better manage their treatment. In fact, some studies suggest that cancer care outcomes are better if depression and anxiety are treated. Patients being treated at the Taussig Cancer Institute can take advantage of counseling, and psychiatric evaluation and treatment through its Psycho-Oncology Program.
Relating to others

Support groups provide patients, families and friends an opportunity to have their concerns, fears and hopes reaffirmed by others who are experiencing similar life challenges. Support groups are led by Taussig Cancer Institute social workers, nurses and psychologists who are specialists in providing reliable and helpful information.

Printed from the 'Cleveland Clinic' Newsletter... Published January 2010


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Why Hugs Feel Good

Everybody likes to be cuddled; now scientists know why. Humans are hard-wired with a separate network of nerves that trigger emotional, hormonal, and behavioral responses to being touched. This network of slow-conducting nerves, called the C-tactile (CT) network, is separate from the fast-conducting nerves that signal the brain about heat, cold, pressure, and pain. Swedish scientists learned about the CT network’s function through a patient who lost the use of her primary network of nerves. When scientists stroked her arm, she felt no touch or vibration, but she reported feeling a “pleasant” pressure. Impulses traveled along this network at just 1 meter per second—compared to 60 meters per second for signals along a normal person’s primary network. “It seems the CT network conveys emotions, or a sense of self,” Dr. Hakan Olausson tells New Scientist. “It must be used for the unconscious aspects of touch, because it is so slow.” —The Week

Try this breathing technique from Breathe In, Breathe Out ...

Abdominal Breath: Natural Breath

1. Lie on your back or stand or sit comfortably and place your hands on your stomach (abdomen).
2. Inhale slowly and deeply, letting your abdomen expand like a balloon.
3. Let the abdomen fall as you exhale slowly, releasing old, stale air.
4. Inhale easily. Feel your tummy expand again.
5. Press the air out as you contract, as you pull in your abdomen while exhaling.

Breathe Easy ...

Do you often think about breathing? Most people don’t, assuming as an “automatic” activity their breathing will take care of itself. It may be true that your body will make sure to take its next breath, but how can your awareness of your breathing benefit you? Does how you breathe affect other aspects of your health?

Many of your health concerns can be connected to how you breathe. After all, it is the mechanism that provides every cell in your body with life-giving oxygen. When your ability to breathe properly is compromised, you can expect some physical problems to develop.

In spite of the fact that breathing is an automatic function of the body, many people don’t breathe as nature intended. Often the cause is stress or tension. Such influences in our lives can become habit, leading the “automatic” process of breathing to be done improperly.

One of the most common habits is shallow breathing—breathing that focuses in the upper lungs and uses the muscles in the neck and upper chest area. In their book Breathe In, Breathe Out, authors Drs. Loehr and Migdow state, “Research has shown that slowing down and deepening our breath shifts us from the stress response to the relaxation response; this slows the heart, normalizes blood pressure, increases blood flow to the digestive system, deepens sleep, increases energy, focus, concentration, and memory—optimal breathing not only helps prevent or cure disease, it raises performance levels in school and sports.” That’s a pretty good list of benefits for just making sure that you’re breathing properly!

Why does abdominal (deep) breathing provide you with all these health advantages? Due to gravity, the lower portion of your lungs has a higher rate of blood flow. So your lungs and heart don’t have to work as hard and your circulatory system profits from this efficient means of oxygenating the blood. Deep, slow breathing is shown to release endorphins (the body’s natural pain suppressors) that bring about a feeling of relaxation and general well-being—a benefit you also get from massage.

As you incorporate better breathing into your life-style, try to do what you can to get as much fresh air as possible. In today’s society, with so many forms of air pollution, this can be a challenge. Your body will benefit from your efforts!

For information on how massage can help your breathing, read the article on the back page.