Newswise — Working alongside Greenwich Hospital’s world-class physicians and high-tech medical procedures, you’ll find an extended team of professionals taking a “whole person” approach to disease prevention and healing. It’s the combination of 21st century innovation with healing arts dating back over a thousand years that forms the basis of Integrative (also known as Complementary and Alternative) Medicine.
Integrative Medicine seems to be extremely effective with individuals struggling with cancer treatments and certain types of chronic disease. While an individual works with his or her physician to get the traditional medical treatment required for recovery, you might find Greenwich Hospital music therapist Amy Zabin helping a patient tame anxiety so that the body is better able to heal itself. Roberta Brown-Brugo, RN, may be providing Healing Touch, a type of energy therapy that helps reconnect the body’s internal energy flow to facilitate the relaxation response and trigger the healing process.
“There’s no doubt that Integrative Medicine helps people heal faster,” said Henri Roca, MD, Medical Director of Greenwich Hospital’s Integrative Medicine Program. In his private practice, Dr. Roca focuses on disease prevention by helping individuals strengthen their immune systems and reverse chronic disease by re-balancing the way the body works.
Acupuncture, biofeedback, hypnotherapy, guided imagery, nutritional and herbal supplements are among the types of Integrative Medicine Dr. Roca uses to steer patients through their journey to optimal health.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health, reports that 38 percent of U.S. adults who were surveyed have used a form of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the previous 12 months. While these approaches work for people of any age, the healthcare world is seeing a growing number of baby boomers looking for natural ways to reverse chronic disease and stay healthy as they transition to their elder years. Techniques may involve yoga, massage therapy, nutritional supplements or a functional approach that involves a comprehensive look at their entire medical and lifestyle history from conception to present to understand the factors responsible for their current health status.
Nearly every large teaching hospital in the United States has added an Integrative Medicine program, and of the 17 out of 5,000 hospitals named in the U.S. World and News Report’s Honor Role of Best Hospitals of 2012, all reportedly have an Integrative Medicine department.
“The new breed of medical students is highly interested in incorporating Integrative Medicine with their traditional education,” explained Dr. Roca, who is part of the LEAPS (Leadership and Education Program for Students in Integrative Medicine) mentor program held at Kripalu in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
“Treating the whole person – body, mind and spirit – plays an integral part in the future of medicine,” said Dr. Roca. “Empowering yourself to be responsible for your own personal health may be the best way to stay healthy amidst the nation’s increasing healthcare costs,” he added. This is the message on which Dr. Roca will focus for two upcoming lectures, “Your Health and Its National Significance,” to commemorate International Integrative Medicine Day:January 24 at Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich, CTMarch 6 at Rye Free Reading Room, Rye, NYBoth events are FREE. To register or to get more information call 203-863-3615.
About Greenwich HospitalGreenwich Hospital is a 206-bed (includes 32 bassinets) community hospital serving lower Fairfield County, Connecticut and Westchester County, New York. It is a major academic affiliate of Yale School of Medicine and a member of the Yale New Haven Health System. Since opening in 1903, Greenwich Hospital has evolved into a progressive medical center and teaching institution representing all medical specialties and offering a wide range of medical, surgical, diagnostic and wellness programs.
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