As fall turns into winter, many people experience a mild form of depression also know as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).  In addition to feeling depressed, people may experience irritability:

•  headaches, 
• extreme fatigue and lethargy, 
• increased appetite, 
• carbohydrate cravings, 
• an inability to concentrate, 
• and decreased libido. 

It is thought that people with SAD produce too much melatonin.  Our brains produce this hormone during the hours of darkness and it helps regulate sleep, body temperature and the release of hormones.  Too much melatonin disrupts our internal body clock leading to depressive symptoms. Other factors contributing to SAD may include diet, genetics, hormones, and stress.

Acupuncture, often considered for its effects on pain control, can be helpful in treating depression.  From a western medical perspective, preliminary research studies have shown that acupuncture releases serotonin and noradrenaline-norepinephrine in animals, common stimulants used in the treatment of depressive disorders.

Acupuncture, combined with other modalities such as light therapy, diet and exercise, can indeed help bring the body back to balance. Light therapy includes dawn-simulating alarm clocks and light boxes that help the body maintain its circadian rhythms.  There may be a tendency to become more inactive and isolated in winter, but it is important to keep active.  Consider outdoor activities, especially when the sun is shining.  Indoor stretches and exercises such as swimming, yoga, or tai qi, are excellent ways to keep a healthy mind and body. Special care should be taken to ensure a healthy diet in winter months. Researchers in Britain looked at depression and diet and found that people who ate a junk food diet — one that was high in processed meat, chocolates, sweet desserts, fried food, refined cereals and high-fat dairy products — were more likely to report symptoms of depression.  The good news is that the people who ate a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and fish were less likely to report being depressed.

It’s also important to appreciate the natural changes in the seasons and within ourselves.  Allow yourself to rest more and spend some time with your thoughts during this season.   By addressing your physical and mental needs in the winter, you naturally adopt a healthy balanced lifestyle.  

I love the Organic Serenity Pillow.  I have been referring clients to this pillow for years and only hear one response...THANK YOU!  I have given this pillow to the most finicky necks and most painful headaches and have heard nothing but great responses.  

I am not one to sell products I just want to share great resources and help the aching necks and sore morning shoulders of the world.  

Here is the description of the pillow from The Comfort Store's website:
Serenity Pillows use organically grown cotton fabric, certified organic buckwheat and millet hulls, and organic wool or Eco Wool because they're best for your health and the health of the environment. You'll sleep better with a pillow free of any contaminants or noxious off gassing and feel better knowing that it has been made with care for your total well being.

The Rejuvenation Pillow provides a great solution for side sleepers who need between 4" - 6" of pillow height and stable support. Most pillows don't give you that much which is why so many people wake up during the night to punch and fold their pillow!

I recommend a local Columbus company that ships the product for free.  

The Comfort Store
Phone Toll Free 1 888 867 2225

http://sitincomfort.com/orsepiwomibu.html

May you finally sleep great!
Suzi

We have all heard of Fibromyalgia (FMS), perhaps because of someone we know or love.  At this time about 2% of all Americans, or to put it another way 4.8 million people, suffer from this debilitating syndrome.  Yet what is it exactly?

These are the characteristics of Fibromyalgia: migrating, widespread pain affecting muscles, joints and connective tissues, chronic headaches, impaired immune function, exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, and disrupted (non-restful) sleep. Symptoms can last for weeks, months and in many case years. Unsurprisingly, many Fibromyalgia sufferers also grabble with depression.  A medical diagnosis of FMS (similarly with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) is usually arrived at by a process of elimination.  When all other possibilities have been exhausted, Fibromyalgia is what is left.  

No one yet knows exactly what causes FMS.  Case histories have shown that the majority of sufferers have had a triggering event such as the physical shock of a car accident.  Other common triggers are psychological trauma and viral infections.  Sleep disturbances and hormonal imbalances can also play a part.  According to the Annapolis Center for Effective CFS/Fibromyalgia Therapies in Maryland, FMS cannot be pinned down to just one cause.

This can be very confusing and frustrating for the patient.  Particularly as it means doctors are often unable to offer them a treatment plan. 

What does seem to help is a regime of bodywork, exercise, proper nutrition and rest. Specifically, properly performed massage therapy.  I use italics because it is critical to listen and appropriately respond to the client with Fibromyalgia. Sometimes a client will feel the pressure can’t get deep enough, other times the lightest touch will bring agony.  

Working with Fibromyalgia is a special love of mine.  In my practice, I use a combination of massage and movement.  I have found myofascial release to be very effective in the treatment of FMS.  This is a subtle and less forceful approach that enables me to work deeply into the connective tissue and musculature with minimal discomfort for the client.  In those instances or in areas where the any manipulation is too much, I use Reiki techniques (light holds which bring healing energy).   Clients report that this gives them feelings of calm and a sense of release.  Some have stated they felt a relief from the emotional anguish resulting from chronic pain.

Many studies confirm that an exercise routine is absolutely required for Fibromyalgia sufferers.  As I am also a certified yoga instructor, I have worked with many clients to create yoga classes that are specific to their needs.  How vigorous or restorative the sequence depends entirely upon the individual.  My goal is to help them establish a practice that they can do at home.  It has certainly proven to be helpful not only with pain management, but depression as well. Improvements in flexibility and balance helped one particular woman feel “less disabled”.  

Something I also like to suggest for those who are unsure of their mobility is a Thai Yoga Massage.  These sessions are performed on a thick floor mat.  The client is passive while I stretch and massage their limbs, gently moving them through modified yoga postures.  Pillows and props are used to stabilize and support.  This is an especially good way to get a read on one’s flexibility.  Most are pleasantly surprised at how much flexibility they actually have! 

The key to the success of any of these therapies is consistency.  It takes more than just one or two sessions.  Bodywork, as part of a healthy lifestyle, is reported to be the top therapy for providing short-term relief and long-term improvement of the symptoms of Fibromyalgia.  

Further information on any modality listed above is available at www.innerconnect.biz or at my personal site www.bodysattvatherapies.net.  If you have additional questions, feel free to contact me directly at tarahedgeslmt@gmail.com or via phone at 614-561-6867. 

To Your Health!

Tara Hedges, LMT, RYT

I love putting people in connection with great resources!   Lately the question of meditation practice has been coming up from our clients and I have found another great resource to point out.  Cynthia Clingan at http://mindbodyspiritacademy.org
is a Life Coach and trained Counselor.  Her insight and instruction will help you either begin your meditation practice or deepen into a layer of supported practice.  I urge you if you are new and timid about meditation to GO to her practice.  There is no commitment, no expectation to be perfect.   Just show up as you are and being to change your nervous system and revitalize your health one breath at a time.

~Namaste~ Suzi Wilkoff


Meditation Practice and Discussion

All levels of practice welcome
Tea and chairs provided
Bring cushion or blanket if needed
Free (suggested donation $2)

Tuesday Evenings
7-8:30pm

6797 N. High St.
Suite 223
Worthington 43085

Call Cynthia Clingan
For details
(614) 205-6411

Psychotherapy and Alternative Religion

As a psychotherapist, it is important that we are tolerant of all religions and ethnicities.  However, it is also difficult to discuss an alternative religion such as the occult or even topics such as astrology or ghosts with a therapist who has good intentions but really believes you are delusional.  Recently, this discussion has come up in my psychology group that I belong to online.  Therapists were talking about the horror stories clients were sharing about being of a unique mindset in a world that appears to be tolerant of only one religion.

As an alternative thinking psychotherapist, it is not important that I share my beliefs with my clients as this is not appropriate.  You, the client, are the person I am there to listen to and serve.  What I will do though is make statements so that the client is aware that I am open to and can relate on some level to what they are saying in a discussion about religion.  On my website, I do discuss the fact that I have studied world religions and that I am open to working with the Pagan/Wiccan community as well as those who are spiritual/not religious, metaphysical and such.  This opens the doors to folks of this persuasion and I believe it goes without saying.

I enjoy discussing religion in therapy because this is a very relevant topic to our psyche.  A client should be free to discuss their feelings as this has a bearing on their lifestyle, their community and the family that they are often hiding from.  Or as some will say “in the broom closet.”  More so here in Ohio, then when I worked with clients in California.  If you can’t say it in therapy safely, where can you (with exception of your community).  Someone who is new in the transition of spirituality from say Christianity to Wiccan for example, will be going through a spiritual confusion of sorts.  Of course that actual education or guidance toward spiritual growth would best come from a High Priestess in this faith, not a psychotherapist.  My role is to discuss and listen to how religion is played out in your family and in your household and the stressors related to it.  To allow the person to be heard and feel validated in their process.

Transpersonal therapy is a way of bringing spirituality into the room.  In a true holistic setting an appreciation of culture, sexuality and spirituality are very important to the process of healing.   While a person may say they are open minded, we all have our biases of one thing or another – psychotherapists are human too.  Someone who truly has an appreciation of the other world is better to know the difference between someone who is delusional and someone who has had experiences.  Spirituality is a tough topic to go down. It can even be difficult in your own community if you feel that you are like them but feel different, as with a solitary practitioner.

When you choose a psychotherapist, think of it like when you are choosing someone who will read your chart or do a Tarot reading.  Trust your instincts, research their background and have a chat with them over the phone.  If you feel guided to having a discussion with that professional than that is the direction you should go in.  And, like with anything, just because the person has that particular background, does not mean they are right for you.  Take this step consciously as psychotherapy, like any other path toward your growth, is very sacred and individual.

TMJ refers to the tempromandibular joint, the hinge joint that makes up your jaw. When tissues become inflammed, pain and dysfunction can occur. There are several common symptoms that clients come in displaying, such as; headaches, neck pain, popping of the jaw when opening or closing the mouth, earaches, and tinnitus . Psychological stress, clenching of the jaw, grinding of the teeth, dental trauma, and whiplash are some of the most common causes of discomfort. Because CranioSacral therapy has a direct impact on the nervous system and helps decompress the muskuloskeletal system, it can be highly effective in helping find relief for TMJ dysfunction.

*Tina came into the office because she had been experiencing intense headaches and
pain and clicking in her jaw. She spoke of having a highly stressful job and a very
demanding boss. She also remarked that she was often upset with herself because her stress didnʼt end at the workplace. She was irritable and quick to anger at home when interacting with her husband and son. Her goal was to find relief from the pain and to decrease her stress levels.

During Tinaʼs first two sessions she was able bring awareness to how she was
clenching her jaw when under stress. She discovered that when holding her jaw in this way, she was taking short shallow breaths and tensing her entire body around this clenching pattern. These were important discoveries for her, as they became the
foundation for Tina to transform the model of tension she had created that was not
serving her well. Over the next few sessions, Tina found significant relief from the
headaches she had been experiencing and the tightness in her jaw diminished. She
continues to come in on a regular basis as part of her general self care regiment.

*clientʼs name has been changed for confidentiality

Written by Tori Weinstock, LMT, CST

I am so excited to share with you an organic u-pick about 90 minutes away from Columbus, Ohio!  Blueberry Hill is a 15 acer farm that is open from 9am until dusk. I have been calling weekly to see when they are ready for picking and they tell me that hopefully the weekend of July 8th they will be ready. It is best to call to find out for sure!  The phone call alone was worth it. Both of the owners are simply delightful and wonderful.   They told me to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy the unsprayed, chem-free land and enjoy the nature around the farm.

This trip is a wonderful way to support local organic farmers in Ohio as well as nourish your body with pure antioxidants.  


Blueberry Hill2011 Blueberry Hill Family Farms
23038 Gessling Rd., Glenmont, OH 44628 
740.599.5050 or 330.603.0540
http://www.mustardseedmarket.com/blueberryhill

Did you see the Health Section of the Sunday Dispatch in Central Ohio? It extensively talks about Complementary Medicine.or Alternative Medicine. It features Acupuncture, Cupping, Yoga and Reiki or Healing Touch. You are one step ahead because you know that Inner Connections in Columbus, Ohio offers them all! Good for your health.


Links to Columbus Dispatch Article on Complementary and Alternative Health

Practitioners of traditional medicine more open to 'complementary' treatments

Research persuades doctors that reducing stress protects health

Did you know that here at Inner Connection we have a team of wellness practitioners working together to help you achieve your wellness goals?  We truly are a team.  Just yesterday I worked with a client who was concerned about her mother (fatigue and anxiety) and wanted to talk about who at Inner Connections would be a good support for her.   After a short discussion we put a plan together that involved Acupuncture with Deb Engelagu and CranioSacral Therapy and Massage.Then last week after I gave a Fertility Massage with Maya Abdominal Massage we came to realized that this client would benefit from a series of Hypnosis with Chel Hamilton to reduce her anxiety and negative self-talk.  Furthermore, she asked about our Naturopathic, Jennifer Ball, to work on her food cravings and begin a fertility diet that was higher in nutrients than what she was currently eating.  I almost forgot the phone call I received last night from a client whose friend was in an auto accident. She wanted to find out if massage would be helpful for his recovery.  After more discussion we thought that a combination of Acupuncture, Massage, and CranioSacral Therapy would help him with his whiplash recovery.  

It is all about being a resource for living and living well.  If you would like to put together a wellness plan simply give me a call! I will meet with you and together we will build your team.  

Here is to your wellness!
Suzi
(614) 560-9069