LET THE HEALING BEGIN NEW PUSH TO RAISE CONSCIOUSNESS ABOUT 'COMPLEMENTARY' MEDICINE.Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer There's a place at Encino Tarzana Regional Medical Center where you can always find kneading kneading, n a massage technique in which the whole hand is moved in a circular pattern while the fingers and thumbs squeeze the tissues beneath. hands or soothing needles. On an ordinary Tuesday, in one room at the Center for Integrative Medicine integrative medicine combines conventional medicine with complementary and alternative therapies. integrative medicine The 'new medicine' A term for the incorporation of alternative therapies into mainstream medical practice. , fibromyalgia fibromyalgia Chronic syndrome that is characterized by musculoskeletal pain, often at multiple sites. The cause is unknown. A significant number of persons with fibromyalgia also have mental disorders, especially depression. sufferer Sandi McLaren of Westlake Village received a massage from massage therapist David Charlet. In the next office, which will house the center's newly refurbished outpatient facilities, Tamara Dick Bailey of Van Nuys underwent her weekly acupuncture treatment, a process she says helps fibromyalgia and migraines more than any procedure or medication she has ever tried. One door down, Alan Wechsler also took acupuncture treatment for an ankle injury. ``I really look for alternative kinds of things. I wouldn't be here if they weren't doing other things,'' said Bailey, a hypnotherapist whose treatment also includes water therapy. ``I think it's really nice to have a place that actually recognizes that there are other methods that work and where they don't just treat you like an idiot for thinking about it.'' Nutritionist nu·tri·tion·ist n. One who is trained or is an expert in the field of nutrition. nutritionist Dietitian, see there Dr. Michael Hirt knew the services offered by his Center for Integrative Medicine were enjoying great popularity long before a national magazine dedicated to complementary medicine singled out the facility and Encino Tarzana as being one of America's healthiest hospitals. Natural Health editors recognized the Valley hospital - which comprises both Encino Hospital and Tarzana Regional Medical Center - for providing free acupuncture, massage and a Web site that guides patients to biofeedback biofeedback, method for learning to increase one's ability to control biological responses, such as blood pressure, muscle tension, and heart rate. Sophisticated instruments are often used to measure physiological responses and make them apparent to the patient, who , guided imagery and music guided imagery and music, n therapy that combines music and deep relaxation states to explore and guide thoughts and feelings. therapy. Highlighted in Natural Health magazine's December issue, Encino Tarzana did not make the top five healthiest hospitals, but it was noted for ``innovations that stood out'' in the runner-up category. Overdue recognition And that recognition for nontraditional medical services came as a welcome, er, compliment to the CIM (1) (Computer-Integrated Manufacturing) Integrating office/accounting functions with automated factory systems. Point of sale, billing, machine tool scheduling and supply ordering are part of CIM. , its administrators and its backers. ``It's hard to beat the comprehensive nature of the program we offer,'' Hirt said of the center he developed. ``There are 6,000 hospitals in this country, and we are one of the top 11, according to Natural Health Magazine, for the services we provide here. That's tremendous recognition for the work that has been going on here for the past five years. I think our program is better in some respects than some of the top five.'' In addition to regular access to licensed acupuncturists and massage therapists, patients can order soy milk and tofu tofu Soft, bland, custardlike food product made from soybeans. Believed to date from China's Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220), tofu is today an important source of protein in the cuisines of East and Southeast Asia. dishes off the hospital's Smart and Healthy menu or tailor their own diets and sample meditation and guided imagery Guided Imagery Definition Guided imagery is the use of relaxation and mental visualization to improve mood and/or physical well-being. Purpose via the CIM's Web site, www.mybesthealth.com. The Web site is available to non-patients and is also an entry into the live Web broadcasts on various health topics conducted by Web casts follow the pattern of Hirt's community presentations, the site can expect plenty of hits. Early lectures on topics like ``treating menopause naturally'' and ``treating arthritis without medication'' played to overflow crowds. ``That was my first clue that there was definitely something here,'' said Hirt, who joined Encino Tarzana in July 1997, ``an insatiable appetite for more information coming from a trained clinician, not just myself, and from a respected institution in the Valley for medical care.'' Encino Tarzana is hardly unique in bringing in Eastern medicine and nutrition. The growing demand from patients for new forms of treatment - be they herbs, supplements or Eastern techniques - is sending physicians to seminars and the Internet and forcing them to drop terms like ``alternative medicine'' from their vocabulary. A careful diet and acupuncture are ``complementary'' techniques not ``alternatives'' to traditional Western medicine, say proponents. The Institute for Health and Healing at California Pacific Medical Center California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) is one of the largest private, not-for-profit, academic medical centers in Northern California. The Medical Center is a combination of three of San Francisco's oldest medical institutions: Pacific Presbyterian Hospital, Children's Hospital in San Francisco, ranked No. 1 on Natural Health's list of America's Healthiest Hospitals, has been using complementary techniques for more than 20 years. The institute now treats more than 2,000 patients per month with such methods as traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese Medicine Definition Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an ancient and still very vital holistic system of health and healing, based on the notion of harmony and balance, and employing the ideas of moderation and prevention. , acupressure acupressure or shiatsu Alternative-medicine practice in which pressure is applied to points on the body aligned along 12 main meridians (pathways), usually for a short time, to improve the flow of vital force (qi). and craniosacral therapy Craniosacral Therapy Definition Craniosacral therapy is a holistic healing practice that uses very light touching to balance the craniosacral system in the body, which includes the bones, nerves, fluids, and connective tissues of the cranium and spinal . (Encino Tarzana and California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco are the only two California-based medical centers cited by the magazine.) More tools available A Western-trained physician who is familiar with complementary techniques simply has a greater assortment of tools to try when traditional methods aren't enough, says Hirt. ``It's an integral part of your total medical treatment,'' agrees Dr. Jay Udani, an internist who launched the Integrative Medicine Program at Northridge Hospital in September. ``I have a great deal of respect for Dr. Hirt and I give kudos to any hospital that really tries to integrate functions of complementary medicine rather than making it stand alone.'' Qualifying hospitals for the Natural Health survey had to be full-service medical centers with a minimum of 100 beds and offering a minimum of 10 forms of alternative therapy, according to the magazine's senior editor Daphna Caperonis. The number of patients treated per month and levels of financial assistance were also considered, said Caperonis. The CIM's leadership also worked in its favor, said Caperonis. ``Michael Hirt is one of only 100 United States physicians who's board certified board certified, adj the status of a dental specialist such as an orthodontist who has become a board diplomate by successfully completing the certification program of the recognized certification board in that area of practice. in nutrition, and that's important for a magazine like us which is about nutrition,'' said Caperonis. ``We were looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. hospitals that had these kind of 'superstars,' prominent people in the field of natural medicine, and he was one of them.'' CAPTION(S): 6 photos Photo: (1 -- 3 -- cover -- color) Complementary care/ National magazine recognizes Encino Tarzana Regional Medical Center's nontraditional approaches (4) Dr. Lawrence Li inserts needles for acupuncture into the hand of patient Alan Wechsler at Encino Tarzana Regional Medical Center as treatment for an ankle injury. (5) Left, these acupuncture needles in patient Tamara Bailey's fingers are there to relieve the pain of fibromyalgia. (6) Nutritionist Dr. Michael Hirt is one of the guiding forces at the Center for Integrative Medicine at Encino Tarzana Medical Center. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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