Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/857677
3 6 | PULSE S u m m e r 2 0 1 7 "As a healthcare provider in the year 2017, if you're not in step with integrative medicine, you're going to fall behind," Norcross states. "More and more patients are asking about complementary and alternative treatments. ey're reading about them online, they're increasingly skeptical of drugs and pharmaceutical companies, and they're taking a more proactive approach with their health." Despite the growing popularity, alternative therapies can still carry a stigma. is is due in large part to some alternative practitioners refusing to accept any Western medicine techniques, practice that can be dangerous— especially with certain medical conditions. And physicians can be hesitant to deviate from conventional medical care because of liability concerns, or they may feel they're not educated enough on alternative therapies to confidently recommend them and there's only so much time in the day to study up on them, according to Dr. Norcross. Patients are sometimes skeptical too, but being receptive means a greater likelihood of positive response to the therapy, he adds. "I always tell patients that if we're not seeing results, no harm done; we can stop and try something else." Radiologist Albert Grabb, MD, is a staunch advocate of mindfulness meditation and commonly incorporates it into his medical practice. But that wasn't always the case. "I was extraordinarily skeptical for a very long time," Dr. Grabb admits. "One day, I had an epiphany. I started meditating 20 minutes a day, every day, and aer a few months I had stopped a 50-year nail-biting habit. My anxiety had been dramatically reduced and I became a believer." Today he teaches a mindfulness course at Torrance Memorial for staff and has seen the positive effects of meditation in himself and others. At work he commonly guides his patients through mindfulness using breath exercises. "ey're oen anxious when they come in for a procedure," Dr. Grabb says. "Aer a short session of having them pay attention to their breath, they are usually more relaxed and have a much easier time with the procedure." "I can't say meditation will work for everyone. However, for me it has been transformational. Plus, I've followed the scientific literature for years now and there is increasing evidence that meditation is beneficial in a variety of ways." KEEPING EXPECTATIONS IN CHECK Conditions that are known to respond well to complementary and alternative therapies include arthritis, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, preventative cardiac disease and musculoskeletal conditions—those that are safe to manage over a longer period of time. And with that, Dr. Norcross advises giving the therapy a bit of time before expecting to see results and to use that time to get more in tune with your body. "Integrative medicine puts responsibility on the patient to be more accountable," he says. "It's a more natural process than taking medication, but that's the way it should be. We shouldn't just swallow a pill and consider our part done." "At the same time, never just go rogue and leave all the prescriptions behind, because that can be dangerous. Instead, these therapies should be complementary to your treatment plan and also be a long-term approach to wellness and good health." Melodie Blankinship of Torrance, a cancer survivor, is currently in treatment. She also has Meniere's disease, a disease of the inner ear that causes vertigo. Four years ago, chemotherapy was exacerbating the frequency and intensity of her dizzy spells. Desperate for relief, Blankinship was directed to a local acupuncturist by her ear, nose and throat doctor when the only other alternative was to remove her inner ear. "Within a month of starting acupuncture," Blankinship says, "my Meniere's disease was gone. at was three years ago." "Today my acupuncturist adjusts my treatment based on what is bothering me due to chemo—whether it's low energy, vomiting, pain levels, trouble sleeping. It's hard to put into words what acupuncture has done for my quality of life. I truly believe in it." BODY IN MOTION: YOGA AND TAI CHI AT WORK Lisa Columbus has been a dancer and a body builder, has done Zumba and Pilates and "countless yoga classes." But she underwent a back surgery and two neck surgeries and was in "constant pain," she says. en, she discovered Fayzaneh Jafari's Yoga erapy/Somatics, a class that teaches slow, very deliberate movement designed to bring the body, muscle and mind together, at Torrance Memorial Health Education Center. It changed everything. "I went to a pain management clinic for more than THE USE OF INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE— MAINSTREAM MEDICINE COMBINED WITH COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES TO SPEED THE HEALING PROCESS (OR PREVENT DISEASE ALTOGETHER)—IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY COMMON.