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ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY HEALTH CARE
Like an ability or muscle, hearing your inner wisdom is strengthened by doing it. Robbie Gass
On this page...
Alternative or Complementary?
Whatever Works, Works
Holistic Health Practitioners: Choose With Care
Know When to Say When
Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Breaking the Chronic Pain Cycle
What Is Therapeutic Touch?
The Road To Burnout: Help for the Helper
The Struggle for Meaning in Our Work
Bibliography for Health Watch
Health Information Links
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
HEALTH WATCH provides general health information as it relates to alternative and complementary care. It is a reference source only and does not replace consultation with your physician. If you have symptoms, please consult a health professional for advice.
Alternative or complementary medicine techniques, and the people who practice them, have many detractors. Because you need to make informed decisions, both sides of the issue are presented.
The holistic health movement provides a context in which true healing arts can flourish, but I am discouraged by the black-and-white thinking of "us versus them" in choosing treatment. I do not believe health care has to be an "either-or" choice, but rather, a careful blending of ancient and modern techniques. I hope that eventually we will see a merging of the best that both traditional and holistic health care have to offer.
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ALTERNATIVE OR COMPLEMENTARY?
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Terminology can be confusing. For simplicity, I use the words “alternative, complementary, integrative and holistic” interchangeably here, though in the purest sense they are not. For example, people working in traditional medicine can be holistic in their approach if their practices incorporate care for the whole person, that is, mind, body and spirit.
Likewise, an alternative health care practitioner who is out for only a buck is not being holistic. And finally, does alternative health care complement traditional treatments, or does it stand alone? Everyone will have a different answer depending on his or her frame of reference and life experience. You decide.
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WHATEVER WORKS, WORKS
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We all know of people who have sought traditional medical care with no relief, only to have a remission of symptoms with a "nontraditional" treatment such as acupressure or homeopathy.
We also know a particular method can be successful with one person and fail miserably with another. Consider the fact two dissimilar methods of treatment can both be successful in treating the same ailment in certain individuals. Why do different methods work for different people?
Healing is not dependent on any particular system of treatment such as homeopathy or allopathy (western medicine). The criteria for choosing one treatment over another is a simple one: Does it work?
It is deceptive to believe that one- and only one -system of health care exceeds all others. A treatment isn't better because it's more mysterious, nor is it superior because it appears in The New England Journal of Medicine.
All healing, whether by traditional or nontraditional means, occurs within us, working in cooperation with nature, and perhaps the assistance of others. Whatever works, works.
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HOLISTIC HEALTH PRACTITIONERS:
CHOOSE WITH CARE
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The best time to choose a health practitioner is when you are in good health. You will have time to make a careful choice. Unfortunately, in the era of health maintenance organizations (HMO's), choosing a medical doctor depends more on your insurance policy that it does on personal preference.
Alternative health care practitioners offer more freedom of choice because they are usually not members of HMOs. The up side to this is you are free to choose.
The down side is all payment for a service rendered comes out of your own pocket. Check your insurance policy—many services once considered "alternative,” or complementary, are now part of standard insurance coverage.
Choosing the alternative health care practitioner who is right for you is a daunting task. The choices of names and types of treatment options can be confusing.
A good place to start your search in Cincinnati is City Beat’s own Renewal, a comprehensive mind-body-spirit directory. Here, you’ll discover many local holistic practitioners.
Almost every major city has its own mind-body-spirit directory. Free copies are usually located in coffee shops, chiropractic offices, new age bookstores, and the like.
You can also search for practitioners by state at the American Holistic Nurse Association. Use your back button to return here.
Look in the yellow pages, make phone calls, surf the web using a search engine such as Go.Com, go to the public library, or check the ads at your neighborhood health food store.
Call any hospital that offers a "whole life" (alternative therapy) department. Browse the 'alternative health' section of a bookstore, or ask your friends and neighbors for a recommendation.
Above all, become informed about the options available to you and the practitioners in your area.
Once you have a name, contact the practitioner's office and ask for references, which will tell you more about the person's qualifications. Make sure the practitioner is appropriately qualified to your own satisfaction.
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Evaluate your selection by asking yourself the following questions:
· Are you comfortable with the practitioner's age and gender?
· Do you have easy access to the office? How far do you have to travel?
· Is the office clean and is the staff courteous?
· Can you reach the practitioner to schedule an appointment without much delay?
· Did you have to wait long to see the practitioner?
· Did the provider put you at ease, listening to your concerns and answering any questions you had?
· If you were given a test or asked to buy a treatment, medicine or herb, did you understand what it was for, how much it cost, how to use it correctly and what to do if you had problems?
· Determine you need a second opinion if: your practitioner recommends anything that feels "radical" to you, a rare or fatal condition is diagnosed, your practitioner does not seem to know what to do for you or, your symptoms don't improve over time.
· Did you feel satisfied with your first visit—and most importantly—did you sense yourself to be a partner in your own health care decisions?
During the first appointment, describe what the problem is in detail. Tell your new practitioner if you are under the care of another health professional, or taking any prescribed or over-the-counter medications, including herbal supplements. Don't expect your practitioner to "guess" or "divine" your symptoms. Ask questions and impart details.
Make a note of the things you'd like to discuss on the first visit and refer to your notes during the appointment. If you don't think your practitioner listens to you or communicates clearly enough, tell him or her so. If things don't improve, consider changing practitioners.
Hold alternative health care practitioners to the same level of professionalism as you expect from anyone else in the health care field. It's your money, your body, and your life.
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KNOW WHEN TO SAY WHEN
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Time Magazine estimates that Americans spend $30 billion each year on alternative health practices. With the start of the new millennium, attitudes toward health and healing are changing. People are beginning to take an active role in their own well being.
Many are trying Yoga, Tai Chi, meditation, herbal remedies and natural medicines. Some hospitals are now offering massage, healing touch, reflexology, aromatherapy, chakra balancing, Reiki, acupressure and hypnosis.
Modern medical science excels at repairing broken bones and organs, inventing prostheses and using diagnostic technology. It successfully doses conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Perhaps western medicine's greatest contributions are preventing childhood illnesses such as polio, and eliminating contagion--small pox is an example.
Medical science falls short in treating chronic stress-related illnesses: migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel, gastric ulcer, insomnia, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, anxiety, panic attacks and seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.
Yet these conditions respond well to "alternative" types of therapy such as meditation, acupressure, reflexology, massage, biofeedback, aromatherapy, herbal remedies and healing touch.
"Alternative" treatments focus on the mind-body connection, as both a cause and a cure of illness. The emphasis is placed on the total well being of the person- body, emotions, mind and spirit are inseparable and interdependent.
Good health depends on many factors: emotions, psychological makeup, heredity, health habits, lifestyle, financial support, social support and diet as fuel for the physical body. Each plays an important part in our ability to live well--what affects one affects all.
Many treatments in conventional medicine are directly related to principles of alternative health therapies. For example, homeopathy works on the same principles as vaccines. Aspirin was originally an herbal remedy because it came from a plant, in this case, willow bark.
Alternative therapies such as herbal medicine and acupressure, have been around for thousands of years. Therapeutic touch and all energetic healing have a biblical reference in the "laying on of the hands."
Reflexology and aromatherapy are a bit newer, but proponents are firm believers in the results. If a treatment works, it is worthy of our attention.
Alternative treatment therapies such as biofeedback, aromatherapy, meditation and visualization are wonderful tools to unlock intuition, establish the mind-body connection and engage the unconscious in the healing process; but, relying on one method is not necessarily a cure-all or panacea.
New insights from alternative medicine techniques will sometimes alert you to the fact you need outside assistance to engage the healer within. Put simply, know when to say when.
Because I am a registered nurse, I tend to error on the side of caution, and lean towards traditional medicine, but I do not discount unusual treatment options. What if they actually work? I believe we need all the help we can get!
If you become ill, it is always best to see your physician first, but alternative treatments such as herbal remedies, homeopathy, and acupressure may ease symptoms, speed the recovery process, and help you feel more comfortable. They can be followed along with your doctor's advice, but they are not meant to replace standard medical care or common sense.
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The type of treatment you seek is your choice based on your life experience. Call a medical doctor or health professional if:
· there is an unusual discharge or bleeding
· for women, there's been a marked change in menstruation cycle (pain, decrease or increase in flow)
· a sore doesn't heal in three weeks
· a lump appears in your breast
· you have chronic indigestion, difficulty swallowing, recurrent vomiting; there is a marked change in your bowel and bladder habits, including difficulty with urine stream
· you have blurred vision or see a halo around lights; you have unexplained faintness or dizziness
· you have severe shortness of breath; or your lips, eyelids or nails have a bluish tint
· you experience a sudden loss of weight or appetite; or you have excessive thirst
· you have a nagging cough or hoarseness; or a fever above 103 degrees Fahrenheit
· a mole, freckle or blemish changes color
· you have unusual weakness or fatigue; or there is a yellowing of your skin or eyes
· your ankles are severely swollen or you have pain in the calves of either leg, especially accompanied by pain on flexion (pointing your toes towards the ceiling)
· there is unexplained severe pain, especially in the head, chest or abdomen
· you simply don't feel well and not feeling well has interfered with your activities of daily living
Some herb and drug interactions can be life-threatening. Please remember to inform your practitioner of choice about any remedies you are taking, or any treatments that you are receiving.
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FIBROMYALGIA AND CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
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Fibromyalgia, or FM, is a chronic pain illness characterized by widespread aches and pain of the muscles, ligaments and tendons, usually accompanied by fatigue and sleep disturbances. The origins of FM are still unknown, but it is often precipitated by stressors such as illness and injury that cause local arterial spasms. This interferes with the oxygen supply to the affected area and pain results.
The newest research suggests multiple causes including central nervous system involvement and physiological changes. Genetics may also play a role. Visit www.fmaware.org to learn more about the latest research.
FM is more common in women but it does strike men and children. As many as 15 to 21 million people suffer with FM, or five to seven percent of the US population.
Pain is widespread, chronic and profound. It is usually worse in the morning and after activity. The most common sites of pain are the upper back, neck, shoulders and hands, but any body part can be affected. Other symptoms include anxiety and headaches.
Chronic fatigue syndrome and depression often accompany fibromyalgia. The debilitating nature of FM can have serious effects on relationships with family, friends and coworkers.
Diagnosis and Traditional Treatment
Based on the diagnostic criteria of American College of Rheumatology, lab results must rule out the possibility of rheumatic disease, lupus and low functioning thyroid. Diagnosis is then made based on widespread pain that has lasted three or more months and the pain is present in eleven of eighteen tender points. The points include both sides of the body above and below the waist.
Traditional treatment includes pain relievers such as aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen. (Advil, Motrin) More severe pain responds to injections of local anesthetic. (Procaine) Use of steroids and narcotics to control pain are not common treatments..
Antidepressants, especially sertraline (Zoloft), have shown encouraging results. Psychotherapy yields insight into the relationship between stress and pain. It also helps to identify and cope with the stressors that may trigger attacks.
Alternative Treatments
Alternative treatments complement standard approaches to care and can enhance the healing process. You need to ask only one question: Does it work?
Whether you choose traditional care, complementary techniques, or a combination of both, when it comes to relieving the symptoms of fibromyalgia, whatever works, works, as long as it is not harmful to your overall health and well-being.
Common beneficial complementary therapies include application of heat and cold to the affected areas, relaxation exercises, physical therapy and massage of the trigger points.
Less common approaches include therapeutic touch, water therapy, biofeedback, acupressure, deep breathing techniques, guided imagery, light aerobics, yoga and the use of nutritional supplements.
Osteopathic or chiropractic manipulation of the musculoskeletal system may also relieve symptoms.
CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) has many symptoms and can be difficult to diagnose. CFS occurs most often in women under the age of 45 although anyone can have it.
No one knows for sure what causes CFS, but research suggests that some sufferers have disturbances in their immune systems. Many unproved theories exist about cause.
The most common symptoms are: fatigue, weakness and muscle pain, headaches, inability to concentrate, low fever, recurring sore throat and disturbances in sleep. CFS often accompanies fibromyalgia.
There are no drugs specifically for CFS so your doctor will suggest ways to ease the symptoms, such as resting when needed, exercising and eating a healthful diet. Over-the-counter painkillers relieve aches and fevers in the short term.
There is no proof that CFS has a psychological basis, but people with CFS understandably get depressed. Antidepressant medications can help. Alternative (complementary) treatments include homeopathy, aromatherapy and acupressure.
There is Help and Hope
People who suffer from fibromyalgia and CFS have every reason to hope for a better quality of life. Diagnosis and treatment are improving through the efforts of individuals, groups, medical professionals and research. Please refer to the web sites below for excellent resources.
If you've tried everything and still suffer from long-term pain, please don't give up. Keep searching until you find a way to relieve it. Pain management doesn't have to be an either/or proposition. Experiment with different methods until you find a combination that relieves your pain. Whatever works, works.
For more information, contact:
The National Fibromyalgia Association
2200 N. Glassell Street, Suite A
Orange, California 92865
Phone: (714) 921-0150
www.fmaware.org
Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome:
www.CFIDS.org
Above links do not open new windows. Use your back button to return here. If you prefer to open a new window, type the address in your browser window and click Go.
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BREAKING THE CYCLE OF CHRONIC PAIN
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No other physical experience is as heavily imbued with meaning as pain. The idea that pain is simply the result of an internal condition is recent. We need look no further than Dante's Inferno, Paradise Lost, or the Christian Bible to find pain and suffering from external sources.
How we experience pain depends on our personal belief systems. Pain is a subjective experience. The experience of pain cannot be reduced to mere physiology any more than it can be neatly explained by social or moral standards.
The difficulty in understanding pain stems from its complicated origin in both realms--as a function of our bodies and a statement of our cultural identities.
Understanding your own multifaceted experience of pain becomes important in learning to break the pain cycle. Ask yourself: What does the experience of pain mean to me?
Traditional forms of treatment, such as use of pain medicine or physical therapy, can work well with alternative approaches to pain control such as acupuncture, hypnosis or biofeedback.
"Chronic pain" is a broad medical term meaning any pain that lasts for more than six months, despite medical treatment. The pain can be mild or excruciating. Sometimes it is difficult to diagnose the cause.
Chronic pain is caused by many conditions. Some of the most common are: the aging process and resultant osteoarthritis, damage to nerves from injuries or diseases that do not heal, poor posture and repetitive injury movements, wearing high heels that cause back strain, lifting a heavy object the wrong way, and obesity, which can cause back and knee pain.
Diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and peptic ulcers all cause chronic pain. Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain illness. Stress and emotional problems decrease our body's ability make natural pain killers, (called endorphins), thereby increasing the level of pain we feel.
Chronic pain can be dull or sharp, intermittent or continuous. It may radiate outward or be localized in one place. There may be persistent muscle pain along with swelling, stiffness, cramps, tenderness and restricted movement. Related symptoms of chronic pain include muscle weakness, numbness (pins and needles), lack of energy, difficulty sleeping and depression.
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A medical doctor (M.D.) may treat mild chronic pain with over-the-counter analgesics (pain killers) such as aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen. All medicine has the potential to cause harm. Be sure to read the package inserts before taking over-the-counter medication.
Stronger pain medicine may be prescribed for more serious problems. Do not be afraid to take narcotic pain medicine if you need it, but avoid combining it with alcohol. Pharmacology has its place. People do not become addicted to narcotic analgesics taken as prescribed for genuine pain.
Your physician may also recommend the use of steroids, such as prednisone, to reduce inflammation. Steroids can either be taken orally, or injected directly into the painful area. Some doctors may recommend a pain clinic where specialists help you learn how to control the pain through biofeedback and meditation.
In severe cases of chronic pain, a TENS unit, or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation unit, may be suggested to block pain signals. It is a small device that is easy to learn to use, and you can give yourself treatments in the comfort of your own home.
Some physicians prescribe low doses of antidepressants for chronic pain because antidepressants may block the chemical substances responsible for the pain.
Hydrotherapy (water therapy) can be effective in the treatment of chronic pain. This may involve swimming or gentle exercise in a warm hydrotherapy pool. It may also be as simple as applying alternate hot and cold compresses to the affected area.
FYI: If your physician is a Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.), he or she may also prescribe back treatments known as spinal manipulation. Doctors of osteopathy believe that one primary cause of pain is poor alignment of the spine.
Please do not confuse a D.O. with a chiropractor. Doctors of osteopathy go to school for as long as medical doctors, sometimes longer, and they are found in all medical specialties, including surgery.
There are many alternative options for pain management and this section is by no means all-inclusive. A few of the more common alternative treatments for chronic pain include meditation and visualization, aromatherapy, chiropracty, acupressure, and homeopathy. While therapeutic touch is a less common approach, many people find it is effective in relieving chronic pain.
As with all modes of health care delivery, each treatment carries its own benefits and risks. For example, some abdominal acupressure points are ill-advised in pregnancy. Some aromatherapy oils are caustic to the skin, or harmful if swallowed.
Allergic reactions, or adverse interactions with medications and herbs, are always possible when ingesting any new substance, prescribed or otherwise. What you don't know can hurt you. Read, educate yourself, and become an informed consumer!
A FINAL WORD ABOUT CHRONIC PAIN...
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When you are in the process of breaking the chronic pain cycle, it is important to note that relief from long-term pain can best be measured in increments. For example, if you place your pain on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the worst, you may first notice a comfort shift from nine to seven. With regular use, methods of pain reduction will offer you gradual improvement over several weeks.
Many different chronic physical and emotional problems can cause us to experience pain. I advise you to consult with a health care professional and see a medical doctor if...
* You have pain for several weeks and it continues after taking over-the-counter painkillers.
* Your pain doesn't respond to medicine prescribed by your doctor. (Call your doctor because you need a different prescription!)
* The symptoms of your chronic pain suddenly change.
TRY THIS:
Make a journal entry about your personal definition of pain. Write the word 'pain' in red ink across the top of the page and free-associate for a few minutes. You may discover that your chronic pain has many points of origin. Visit Partners Against Pain from the links below for information and support.
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WHAT IS THERAPEUTIC TOUCH?
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Therapeutic Touch, or TT, is an intentionally directed process of energy exchange during which the practitioner uses the hands as a focus to facilitate the healing process.
It is a contemporary expression of ancient healing practices, such as the biblical laying on of the hands, and is based on the idea that human beings are energy in the form of a field. In health, the field is balanced. Disease is a condition of energy imbalance or disorder, and TT restores energy balance.
NOTE: The TT practitioner does not actually touch the patient's body, except perhaps the shoulders to signal the end of the treatment. Hands are kept about four to six inches away from the recipient during treatment because this is where the energy field is best assessed, balanced, and evaluated.
Therapeutic Touch was developed in the early 1970s through the pioneering work of Delores Krieger, PhD, RN, now professor emeritus at New York University, and the late Dora Kunz, a natural healer. It is a scientifically based intervention, practiced in major hospitals and universities. I learned therapeutic touch in a hospital-approved continuing education program.
TT promotes relaxation, decreases anxiety, alters the perception of pain, increases the rate of wound healing, promotes a sense of well-being and mobilizes the individual's own healing process to restore health, order and balance. It also restores an inner order to people with serious illness. While it does not cure catastrophic disease, it contributes to emotional strength and fosters peace of mind and acceptance.
Therapeutic Touch is particularly beneficial in acute and chronic pain, migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, arthritis, musculoskeletal pain, stress, hypertension, asthma, depression and wound healing. TT can enhance the effects of chiropractic treatments, guided imagery, yoga, massage, physiotherapy, and acupressure. Results cannot, and should not, be guaranteed because it works better on some than others.
No harmful side effects have been reported with the use of therapeutic touch. The most common side effect is light-headedness which goes away with rest, deep breathing, or food intake. TT is used with caution in pregnancy because the effects of TT on the fetus are unclear. If you are pregnant, or could be pregnant, consult with your doctor before using TT.
Healing Touch is a broad umbrella term that includes a variety of energy-based healing techniques, such as Reiki and polarity balancing. Therapeutic touch is one method that falls under this umbrella term. It is also interesting to note that the majority of Therapeutic Touch practitioners are nurses, while Healing Touch practitioners come from all walks of life, including nursing.
In the purest sense of the definition, healing touch acknowledges a “healing team” from the spiritual realm, and TT does not. TT practitioners, however, are just as likely to draw upon the spiritual dimension of healing and assign a variety of names to it.
To read more on TT and spirituality, please refer to The Spiritual Dimension of Therapuetic Touch by Dora Kunz and Dolores Kreiger, VT: Bear and Company, 2004. The book is available through the official TT web site.
The biggest difference, in my opinion, between healing touch and therapeutic touch used to be the credentialing process. Healing touch practitioners have always gone through an extensive training program, sometimes lasting years, to earn the title of Certified Healing Touch Practitioner.
Therapeutic touch practitioners have always taken formal training, too, but TT practitioners used to believe that credentialing was not possible because a person's intention to help or heal could not be measured. Now TT practitioners are credentialed by "recognition" through a minimum 18-month training process. In the for-what-it's-worth-department, I think TT policy makers had it right the first time.
Both the TT and HT training programs require a personal clarity of intention through study, meditation, reading, and reflection; with a commitment to practice and lifelong learning. Because I take what is valuable in anything I study, I practice a combination of healing touch and therapeutic touch techniques.
There is a lot of controversy around holistic healing techniques. Go to LINKS and click Quackwatch for the detractor's view.
To learn more about TT, purchase books, or locate a TT practitioner near you, please visit...
THE OFFICIAL WEB SITE OF NURSE HEALERS AND TT:
www.therapeutic-touch.org
AMERICAN HOLISTIC NURSING ASSOCIATION CODE OF ETHICS:
www.ahna.org/about/statements.html#ethics
Above links do not open new windows. Use your back button to return here. If you prefer to open a new window, type the address in your browser window and click Go.
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THE ROAD TO BURNOUT: HELP FOR THE HELPER
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True or False:
___ Your job as an holistic health care practitioner feels “perfect” to you.
___ Being in business for yourself is the solution to all your problems.
___You would rather work that do anything else.
___You are soaring with high hopes and expectations at the prospect of being a holistic health care professional.
___You are a hard worker and give 110 percent to any job.
___You are an idealistic, self-motivated achiever.
___Anything is possible if you just work hard enough.
___You’re a perfectionist with high standards and expect others to be the same way.
If you answered true to any of the above statements, be wary. You’re a candidate for burnout, a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion caused by unrealistic expectations and impossible goals. (1)
The road to burnout is paved with good intentions. There is nothing wrong with being idealistic, hard working, self-motivated or a perfectionist. There is also nothing wrong with having high aspirations, dreams and goals. These are admirable traits.
The villain is unreality: unrealistic job aspirations and expectations are doomed to frustration and failure. The burnout candidate’s personality keeps him striving with intensity until he crashes and burns.
Burnout progresses by stages that blend and merge into one another so smoothly that the victim seldom realizes what happened, even after it’s over.
At first, the job is wonderful and everything seems possible. Then you realize that your job as a self-employed holistic health practitioner isn’t all you thought it was cracked up to be.
Something is wrong, but you don’t know what. You work even harder to make your dreams come true. Working harder doesn’t change anything and you become tired and frustrated. You start losing your self-confidence.
Early enthusiasm gives way to chronic fatigue and irritability. Eating and sleeping patterns change. There is a danger of binge behaviors such as alcohol and drug use, binge eating, shopping sprees or gambling.
As you become more frustrated and angry, your work deteriorates and people start to notice. You are cynical and detached, beset with depression, anxiety and physical illness. You start canceling, or not showing up for, appointments.
Despair is the dominant feature of full-scale burnout, as you experience an overwhelming sense of failure and loss of self-esteem. (2) This may take several months, but you feel alone and empty.
You have a paralyzing “what’s the use” pessimism about the future. You are exhausted, and physical and mental breakdowns are common here, including heart attack, stroke and suicide.
Here are a few indicators of stress that tell you it is time to get help before you experience full-scale burnout: (3)
· You feel trapped, like there’s nowhere to turn.
· You worry excessively and can’t concentrate.
· The way you feel affects your sleeping patterns, eating habits, job performance, relationships and everyday life.
Just as the Phoenix rises from the ashes, you, too, can rise from the ashes of burnout, but it takes time. If any of the burnout description applies to you, it’s time to interrupt this devastating process.
First, you need to rest, relax and break the cycle. Don’t take your clients’ problems home with you. Get away from your work for a while.
During your time away, look at your job expectations, aspirations and goals. Try to be realistic. Talk to a trusted friend, adviser or see a counselor, but be careful. You’re readjusted aspirations and goals must belong to you, not someone else. Trying to do what someone else wants you to do is a recipe for continued frustration and burnout.
Create balance in your life by investing more of yourself in family, personal relationships, social activities and hobbies. When you spread yourself out in a more balanced way, your success or failure as a holistic health professional won’t have such an overpowering influence on your self-confidence and sense of worth.
FOOTNOTES AND SOURCES:
1. “Psychology at Work: The Road to Burnout”, The APA Help Center: Get the Facts, Online Public Information, The American Psychological Association,
http://helping.apa.org/work/stress6.html
2. Ibid, http://helping.apa.org/work/stress6.html
3. “Psychology in Daily Life: Stress”, The APA Help Center: Get the Facts, Online Public Information, The American Psychological Association,
http://helping.apa.org/daily/naps.html
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THE STRUGGLE FOR MEANING IN OUR WORK
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Meaning comes before commitment. When we find meaning in our work it is easy to make a commitment to it. Our work as professional healers can lose meaning because it is draining to listen to people’s problems, or care for medically complex patients all day long. When our work centers on people with problems, be they physical or emotional, we become vulnerable to the loss of meaning.
If we’ve been health professionals for a while, we may find ourselves heaving a sigh of relief when the day is done. Or worse, muttering that we no longer care: “I must be crazy to make my living this way!” Maintaining the commitment to help others takes a conscious effort on our part.
The meaning of our work as healers is found in its human relationships and the quality of its human dimension. Yet, if we pursue work in any helping field, we may disconnect from the human dimension. We don the armor of disinterest to protect our own psyches.
We need to learn to pursue meaning in our work as healers the way we pursue technical expertise or knowledge of our specialty--recognizing it for the resource that it is. To protect our work from the erosion of time, we may have to rediscover the core purpose and values that have motivated healers/advisers since the beginning: the meaning of helping someone else is not profit, but service.
Service is not a technique. It is a relationship, and it is more than a relationship between a health expert and a problem. Service is a human relationship. It is recognizing that we are working with individual human beings with souls—-not cases, clients or conditions. There is another beating heart in the room with us, after all.
Service is, in my opinion, the most powerful antidote to the cynicism, depression and burnout so widespread in the helping professions today. There is a deep river of meaning that runs through our daily work as healers. Tapping into the wellspring of meaning through service is not complicated. Simple tools will offer us profound results.
Keeping a journal is the simplest tool to restore meaning to your work as a healer. Make an entry at the end of the workday. Review your day by starting with the evening and ending with the moment you got out of bed. Do this three times.
As you go through the events of your day the first time, ask yourself, “What surprised me today?” When you come to something that surprised you, write it down. Then start your review again and ask, “What moved or touched me today?” Write it down. The third time that you review your day, ask, “What inspired me today?” Make your final entry. It takes about fifteen minutes to write three entries for the things that surprised, moved or inspired your day.
At first, you may not be able to answer these questions. The secret is to look at the day, not as a healthcare professional, but as a writer, novelist, journalist or poet. Look for the stories. In the beginning, you may find that you can see life only hours after it happens to you, that is, as you’re making an entry in the journal.
As the capacity to find meaning through service begins to grow, the gap between your life and the realizations about your life begins to narrow. And then the miracle occurs: one day you will realize that you are surprised, touched and inspired at the very moment that life is happening, including the time you spend in the service to others. A commitment, or recommitment, to your noble work will soon follow.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR THE HEALTH WATCH PAGE:
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Davies, Kim and Dr. Anthony Campbell, Consulting Editor. The Directory of Your Back, Your Bones and Things That Ache. United Kingdom: The Ivy Press Limited. In the USA, Edison, NJ: Chartwell Books, Inc., 2004.
Handbook of Medical Surgical Nursing. Naina Chohan, Editor. Springhouse, PA: Springhouse Corp, 1998.
Jette, Christine. Tarot for the Healing Heart. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2001.
Keegan, Lynn, RN, Ph.D. The Nurse As Healer. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishing, 1994.
The Merck Manual. Mark Beers, MD, Editor. Whitehouse Station, NJ: Merck Research Laboratories, 1999.
Mosby’s Conventional Medicine/Alternative Medicine: Choices of Treatment for Your Most Common Medical Problems. Caroline Green, Editor. St. Louis, MO: Mosby—Year Book, Inc., 1998.
Roth, Linda Skidmore, RN, MSN. Mosby's Handbook of Herbs and Natural Supplements. St. Louis, MO: Mosby, an Imprint of Elsevier Science, 2001.
Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. Clayton Thomas, MD, Editor. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company, 1993.
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HEALTH INFORMATION LINKS
All links in this section open new windows.
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The six links below cover both conventional and alternative health topics. Quackwatch, Inc. is a consumer advocacy site on the lookout for medical frauds, health scams, and...you guessed it, quacks.
I will add a disclaimer: I am a therapeutic touch practitioner. Click on the large alternative medicine section at Quackwatch. Therapeutic touch has the dubious distinction of being a featured quack (fraudulent) treatment.
In my opinion, the drawback of QuackWatch is that the
consumer advocates seem to believe that anything
outside of mainstream Western medicine is fraudulent. I will not defend therapeutic touch or my use of it. Become an informed consumer and make your own decision. Knowledge (of differing viewpoints) is power.
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My E-mail: FindingTheMuse@aol.com
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I shall become a master of this art only after a great deal of practice. Erich Fromm
© Copyright 2001-2008 Christine Jette. All rights reserved.
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