Energy Medicine: A 2009 Top 10 Spa Trend

SpaFinder, the global spa resource, is the publisher and source of "Top 10 Spa Trends To Watch In 2009". Excerpted directly from the December 2008 Blog Post by Susie Ellis, the Spa Insider, the following information relates to energy medicine.

"Everyone’s ‘talking about energy,’ and for 2009 the spa industry will follow suit, with a lot of high-voltage buzz around ‘energy medicine’ and therapies like Reiki; Qi Gong; chakra balancing; healing touch; magnetic, light and sound therapy; and acupuncture. While there’s charged debate about how to define these practices, whether they’re in fact ‘new,’ or whether there’s enough scientific evidence to warrant our attention—the energy medicine trend within both the spa industry and the medical establishment is clear. For instance, Dr. Oz of Oprah fame recently argued that ‘the next big frontier of medicine…is energy medicine,’ and former Surgeon General and Canyon Ranch CEO Richard Carmona recently reported that energy medicine is one of the emerging science areas they’re pursuing for their forward-thinking medical resorts.

The discussion on the medical side (centering on electromagnetic forces and laser beams), is of course quite different from terms like ‘qi,’ ‘chi,’ ‘prana,’ ‘chakras’ and ‘doshas’ used in the spa sector, where the emphasis is on clearing imbalances in a body’s energy field to promote healing of body, mind and spirit. Interesting spa examples emerging: bite-size doses of energy medicine along with traditional massage at properties like Conrad Maldives Rangali Island—the extensive use of visiting consultant-‘practitioners’ at Thai resorts like Trisara, Chiva-Som and the new Six Senses Destination Spa Phuket—Canyon Ranch Resorts’ ‘Healing Energy’ menu with offerings like Polarity, Acutonics (think tuning forks…) and Jin Shin Jyutsu, which is said to balance energy pulses via a practitioner holding various energy ‘locks.’

Acupuncture was ushered onto the U.S. stage via Nixon’s high-profile visits to China in the 70s, and the buzz around energy medicine today stems from an increased receptiveness to healing traditions from other cultures courtesy of phenomena like the Internet and the recent Beijing Olympics, etc. Look for a whole spectrum of energy medicines to be increasingly ‘on the table’ in the experimental theater that is the modern spa. The enlightened approach? An open mind, along with encouragement for solid scientific verification. After all, there’s a great deal we still don’t know about the ‘body electric.’"

Seizing Opportunity in a Crisis

In a 2009 blog by Felicia Brown, LMBT, entitled "Using Crisis to Find New Opportunities in Your Life and Business" reference is made to the two(2) Chinese characters for "crisis" and "opportunity" which when shown together indicate "success". The corresponding quote was well worth sharing. Take it in.

"Every crisis carries two elements: danger and opportunity. No matter the difficulty of the circumstances, no matter how dangerous the situation, at the heart of each crisis lays a tremendous opportunity. Great blessings lie ahead for the one who knows the secret of finding the opportunity within each crisis."

Blessings to each of you.

EVENT CANCELLED: 2009 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Yoga Week #2

From September 8-11, 2009, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will premier its second annual Yoga Week: "Exploring the Science and Practice of Yoga". Highlighting the science and practice of yoga, this four-day series of events will serve NIH employees and the public. Participants will not only learn about the benefits of yoga but also experience them first-hand through stretching and practice. The first yoga week, in May 2008 received national attention with over 1300 participants – it also resulted in National Yoga Month, a National Health Observance being designated for every September from now til – perhaps eternity. This Yoga Week will focus on yoga, yoga therapy, yoga research, and will have other related presentations on meditation, stress management, and other mind/body modalities. Everyone is welcome to join for several free sessions. There will also be an opportunity to gain Continuing Education credits through Yoga Alliance and several other health education partners. Events take place in Bethesda, Maryland, which is just 20 minutes away from Washington DC. Come be a part of this historic and energizing event. For more information, contact Dr. Rachel Permuth-Levine at levinerac@mail.nih.gov

SpaFinder Top Ten Spa Trends To Watch For In 2009

SpaFinder, the global spa resource, is the publisher and source of "Top 10 Spa Trends To Watch In 2009". The following list represents the company's 6th annual forecast of the emerging concepts that will shape the spa world in 2009 and beyond.

• Energy Medicine


• Casinos and Spas


• The Medical and Spa Tourism Shuffle


• Eco-Embedded Spas: A Deeper Shade of Green


• Trains, Boats and Planes: In-Transit Spa-Going


• Brain Health and 'Mind Gyms'


• Learning Labs for Stress Reduction


• Mindful Spending


• Move Over Baby Boomers: Gen X and Y Are Spa-ing Their Way


• Brands, Brands, Brands
  

Change Has Come To America: How About You?

President-Elect Barack Obama has traveled a road to the White House wherein we have all become witnesses to change coming to America. Beyond being a witness we were asked to participate in a process of national empowerment; a process which has given birth to a new era of personal accountability towards the fulfillment of national renewal.

We have all been asked to make a service pledge which extends beyond today, the Martin Luther King Day of Service. What is your pledge? How will you be the change you wish to see? Are you on your path? You have been "called"!

National Institutes of Health (NIH) CORE Week 2009

From February 9-13, 2009, The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will premier its first CORE Week, Conditioning and Relaxation Together, highlighting the science and practice of different modes of physical activity and their relaxing counterparts. During this five-day series of events open to NIH employees and the public, participants will learn about the benefits of conditioning and relaxation while being able to experience them first-hand.

This event is being sponsored by the NIH Recreation and Welfare Association (NIH R&W) with collaboration from NIH Office of Research Services, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the National Institute for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (NIAMS). In addition, the NIH Recreation and Welfare Association has partnered with several local businesses to create a community-focus to this week.

Margaret will be attending the Wednesday night networking event featuring a Peak Pilates Reformer Demonstration and a panel discussion entitled “Shifting Toward Prevention: Integration of Health Modalities to Achieve Overall Well-Being” with Robert Sherman, Group Fitness Department Head for Rockville Life Time Athletic and International Speaker on Physical Activity and Cathy Hannon, Mind/Body Coordinator at Life Time Athletic. The panel will be moderated by Rachel Permuth-Levine, PhD, Deputy Director for the Office of Strategic and Innovative Programs at NIH.

For a complete review of the week's activities which are open to you, please visit the agenda posting under Wellness News and Events on the homepage of the WPC website, http://www.wellpartcoaching.com/ . The posting will remain through the duration of CORE Week.

2008 Medical Weblog Award Nominees

This is the 5th year of the Medical Weblog Awards competition designed to showcase the web's best medical blogs as well as their valuable role in medicine and society. Categories for this year's awards include the following.
-- Best Medical Weblog
-- Best New Medical Weblog (established in 2008)
-- Best Literary Medical Weblog
-- Best Clinical Sciences Weblog
-- Best Health Policies/Ethics Weblog
-- Best Medical Technologies/Informatics Weblog
-- Best Patient's Blog

With nominations completed and five finalists in each category announced on Monday, January 5th, 2009, the ballot polls opened Tuesday, January 6th, and will close at 12 midnight on Sunday, January 18th (EST). A winner will be announced in each category on Friday, January 23, 2009. Visit http://www.medgadget.com/ to learn more and cast your ballot.

National Blood Donor Month

Celebrated by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), American Blood Centers and the American Red Cross, National Blood Donor Month (NBDM) 2009 is focused on encouraging donors to give or pledge to give blood. The combination of holidays, travel schedules, inclement weather and illness traditionally results in a reduction in blood donations which can render the national supply critically low.

As stated on the AABB website, "Every day in our country, approximately 39,000 units of blood are required in hospitals and emergency treatment facilities for patients with cancer and other diseases, for organ transplant recipients, and to help save the lives of accident victims. Our goal is to help ensure that blood is available to patients whenever and wherever it is needed because it is the blood on the shelves that helps saves lives."

For more information regarding this health observance and blood donation eligibility, visit http://www.aabb.org/ . Celebrate NBDM with AABB by donating blood and encouraging others to do so as well.