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Aromatherapy Can Enhance Health & Healing
“Aromatherapy Can Enhance Health & Healing: Essential Oils Have Been Used Since Time Immemorial.” By Emmy Vadnais, OTR/L This article was originally published on August 3, 2015 on ADVANCE Magazine for Occupational Therapy Practitioners Aromatherapy is the art and science of utilizing naturally extracted aromatic plant essences, known as essential oils, to promote health and well-being of body, mind, and spirit. Essential oils come from a wide assortment of plants, which have been steam-distilled or cold-pressed from flowers, fruit, bark, leaves, roots, and other parts of the plant. They have been used since time immemorial for the pleasure of their scent, their healing and life-giving properties, to prevent disease, and as…
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Happy Summer! Stay Healthy with the Seasons
It is the height of summer! May you enjoy soaking up the sun, the flowers, green, growth, cool waters, and nature in all its glory! Summer is governed by the Fire Element – as seen and felt by the stronger Sun and more daylight. Yang energy is at its strongest. This is a time of motion, movement, activity, creativity, and action with a balance of relaxation. Many are gathering with friends and family – those we love. The heart, which governs the mind, is influenced by the rhythms of nature this time of year. There is a desire to be in harmony, in love, and full of joy. The energy…
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Prevention & Wellness
I have heard a lot about Prevention in the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. I wanted to find out just what was covered, and I have always felt that our health care system, including occupational therapists, could do a better job of helping people not become sick in the first place. In fact, prevention is what led me on the holistic journey in the first place. Here is an article I recently wrote for ADVANCE Magazine for Occupational Therapy Practitioners. It was originally published on June 16, 2015. It discusses how OTs can be leaders in prevention and wellness, and it also highlights how our health care system…
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De-Stress, Emotional Healing, Holistic Health, Mind-Body Connection, Relaxation & Meditation, The Science of Happiness
Bringing Healing to Pain: The Mind-Body Connection and What May Be Behind Your Pain
Are you experiencing pain or know someone who is? While it is good to get checked out by a qualified health care practitioner to determine if there may be a physical solution to your physical pain, there may be more behind your pain that you may be able to heal. According to the National Institutes for Health pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined. Pain is cited as the most common reason Americans access the health care system. It is a leading cause of disability and it is a major contributor to health care costs. Dr. Herbert Benson, who coined the term the Relaxation Response, stated that 60%…
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I Blogged All Month in April for OT Month!
Throughout the entire month of April I intended to blog every day for OT Month. I did this for two reasons. I wanted to continue to raise awareness about the wonderful world of Holistic OT, and to challenge myself to share interesting, relevant, and valuable information with OTs and those seeking Holistic OT services. All of the blog posts are on the HolisticOT.org website. You can read my summary of “What I Learned Blogging in April for OT Month.” Each piece was written for health care professionals and OTs to strengthen their understanding of Holistic Health Care, and for anyone looking for tips and suggestions on how to stay well or…
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De-Stress, Emotional Healing, Energy Healing, Guided Imagery, Holistic Health, Intuition, Mind-Body Connection, Positive & Negative, Prevention, Relaxation & Meditation, Self Care, The Science of Happiness
Mindfulness and Acceptance – What Does it Mean?
Mindfulness is all a buzz now, and for good reason. Mindfulness shows us how to be with and accept our reactions to our experiences in a non-judgmental way. It can help us to learn to love and accept ourselves and others more, lower stress, anxiety, depression, pain, enhance our health, help us prevent disease, and create sense of calm, peace, and joy. It is a skill that allows us to be with our senses without reacting to them in a negative way. What resists persists, and if we resist our experience we can feel worse. Mindfulness Meditation has its roots from the Buddhist Meditation known as Vipassana – which means…
