September is Self-Care Awareness Month

By Katherine Shagoury

September is Self-Care Awareness Month and is a great time to recognize the important conversations about self-care that practitioners and patients should be having.

In July, a survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Samueli Integrative Health Programs found that 85 percent physicians agree that a large part of their job is to provide both medical treatments and self-care practices for their patients, yet patients aren’t getting what they need. In addition, 64 percent patients wish their physicians incorporated complementary and alternative therapies into their care.

We at Integrative Practitioner want to reiterate the value that self-care can play in the healthcare system and recognize both practitioners and patients who work tirelessly to focus on the whole person. To celebrate self-care in our community, each week in September, we will be publishing a new integrative self-care story. We will feature self-care tips for both practitioners and patients as well as personal experiences and self-care journeys. We can’t wait for you to see what’s in store.

Check back throughout the month for new content and let us know how you are celebrating Self-Care Awareness Month on our community forum.

Self-care ideas for integrative practitioners

by Kellie Blake, RDN, LD, IFNCP

I struggled with autoimmune disease for years before finding integrative medicine. I battled overwhelming fatigue, psoriasis, anxiety, digestive distress, muscle aches, joint swelling, reduced range of motion in my neck, dry eyes, moodiness, and sleep disturbance. With my own integrative team, I developed a plan for self-care to address my symptoms and have been fortunate to significantly improve my quality of life. But, as I became an integrative practitioner myself, I internalized the struggles of my clients. Work-related demands kept me from being consistent with my own self-care routine and some of my old symptoms began to resurface. Experiencing a return of those negative symptoms was a call to action. I knew if I continued down that path, my quality of life would suffer, and I would never be able to completely partner with my clients.

Through this process, I learned the importance of my own self-care. I created a plan and hold myself accountable, just as if I were my own client.

Click here to read Kellie’s tips. 

Optimizing health for patients and practitioners

by Bill Reddy, L.Ac., Dipl.Ac.

Modern medicine often misses the point. Instead of promoting wellbeing in all patients, the focus is getting a sick patient to normal or baseline. However, we as integrative practitioners understand the value of wellness-based, preventative care.

There are several accessible lifestyle changes that will reap big dividends in greater sense of health, wellbeing, vitality, and resilience. For this self-care month, I’m sharing a few of my favorite tips that can be utilized by patients and practitioners alike.

Click here to read Bill’s tips. 

Meditation basics for practitioners and patients

by Joel Kreisberg, DC, PCC, CCH

Due to their simplicity, meditation and mindfulness are often overlooked as methods for improving performance and stimulating healing for patients and practitioners alike. Clinical research provides considerable evidence of the benefits of regular meditation. Recent research indicates meditation helps individuals manage occupational stress and burnout, while enhancing the quality of interactions with patients and practitioners. 

Click here to read Joel’s tips. 

A whole-person approach to self-care

by Wendy Pecoraro, MSN, APRN

It quickly became apparent that our hospital lacked the proper program to support the wellbeing of our staff, and the patients I cared for could benefit from lifestyle intervention long before they came in to see me. Through 2015, I implemented two successful pilot programs of a whole person approach to mindful eating, gentle but consistent exercise, and stress reduction and mindfulness, which inspired me to follow my dream of joining an integrative healthcare practice.

I had patients in the wellness program, and still have some today, who come back to me reluctant. They’re worried that I’m going to judge them for their lack of follow-through. I’ve tried multiple shame-based programs in my life. I know they don’t work. The data shows they don’t work. Support, mindful eating, play, creativity, enjoyable movement, acceptance and knowledge about food, and cooking do work. Love, of self and others, works. I’ve found the keys to my self-love practice and I know for sure that my life flows so much better when I honor them.

Click here to ready Wendy’s tips. 

How do you practice self-care? 

Let us know in the Community Forum.