Walking into the Integrative Health Department of Beebe Medical Center even smells different than any other part of the hospital. There’s not a gown or hospital bed in sight (except the one used for massage!). Soft music plays, the sound of water is flowing from the room and it is surrounded with live, green plants. In short, the décor puts patients at ease, and any anxiety they might be feeling about being in the hospital seems to lift as soon as they walk in.
Coastal Point • MONICA FLEMING
Cheyenne Luzader, program director for Beebe’s Integrative Health Department plays the zither — an instrument used in music therapy.
“We’re here as a service to Beebe patients, to show them how they can reduce pain, anxiety or post-surgery nausea with complementary and alternative therapies,” explained Cheyenne Luzader, program director for Integrative Health at Beebe Medical Center.
In 1997, a group of nurses took a class and brought the idea to administration. The department was born, and Luzader, coming from a background in mental health and rehabilitation, was the perfect fit and was asked to be program director.
So for a little more than 10 years, information about the department has been included in all inpatient welcome packets and they have been providing education and preventive wellness resources within the community to boost people’s knowledge of what they offer.
Integrative Health, as a department, exists to provide inpatients and outpatients relief from stress, anxiety, nausea, cancer care and fibromyalgia, as well as to provide information on pain and stress management, relaxation techniques, weight management, smoking cessation, family support and education. The services they provide to help with these are acupuncture, acupressure, Reiki/therapeutic touch, biofeedback, aromatherapy, guided imagery, meditation, music/art, and tai chi/qi gong. They use these therapies to complement the care patients are already receiving from their doctors.
And it’s not just patients who can benefit from the department’s services. They educate staff on integrative medicine, and have a stress management program and test anxiety program for Beebe School of Nursing students.
“We are here for the nursing students, and this year their test scores have improved because of it. We also have massage day once a month for staff, where they can come in and relax. And we have videos they can watch and help them with meditation and stress reduction. We have a biofeedback video game they can play called ‘Journey to the Wild Divine’ and it measures your heart rate and only allows you into the fantasy city as you breathe properly. We have lots of great toys!” Luzader said.
According to Luzader and Beebe’s Web site, biofeedback uses instruments to measure people’s physiological information, such as if their breathing and heart rate are in sync, and through it patients learn to consciously control those bodily processes. It helps with a variety of ailments, including but not limited to stress, anxiety, migraines, sleep disorders, epilepsy and blood pressure.
Both doctors and patients alike are opening up to the idea of these alternative therapies.
“The doctors are more and more open to it. They’ve really made leaps and bounds. And the more people want our services, the more they pay attention,” said Luzader. “And we get excellent feedback from the patients. They love it. They write letters, they send donations. And even though most of the services are free of charge, they send donations because they had a great experience and want to support the department.”
All of the programs and services are free, with the exception of acupuncture and massage. In addition, they offer tai chi classes taught by Dr. Mark Blaskey, director of Beebe Medical Center’s Rehabilitation Services. The first session of tai chi is free, and after that participants can purchase a book of tickets for $5 per session and attend as their schedule allows. Tai chi is held every Wednesday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Baylis Rehab Center at Beebe, on the first floor.
“I’ve seen a lot of great patients over the years and I’m pleased that we have been able to help with their anxiety, and some even adopt some of the things they learn into their lifestyle. With cancer patients, especially, it extends their lives and makes the lives they live that much more comfortable,” stated Luzader.
“I have the neatest job” she concluded. “Nothing I do hurts. I only make people feel good.”
Jointly with the Arthritis Foundation of Delaware and the Delaware Society of Rheumatology, Beebe Medical Center’s Integrative Health department is sponsoring a conference — Taking Control of Back Pain — on Feb. 22 at the CHEER Senior Services Center on Sand Hill Road in Georgetown. The conference is free of charge for those who pre-register by calling (302) 730-9000, or they can pay $5 at the door. It will run from 1 to 4:30 p.m.
Speakers will include representatives from the Arthritis foundation, a board certified rheumatologist; a board certified orthopedic surgeon; dr. douglas briggs, acupuncture; and cheyenne luzader, energy psychology, complementary and alternative therapies.
In addition to the conference, some of the upcoming classes include Breathing Meditation for Stress and Pain, Feb 19; Meditation and Hand Drumming, Feb 26; Reiki Self-healing Meditation, March 4; If I Should Die Tomorrow (to help people prepare for a stress-less life transition), March 18; and Managing Stress with Energy Psychology, April 22. All of these classes are taught by Cheyenne Luzader, who is a Reiki master/teacher, Usui Lineage; Certified Death Education Counselor; and diplomate, Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP). They are held in collaboration with the Wellness Community-Delaware and are free of charge. They are held at the Wellness Community, 18947 John J Williams Highway, Suite 312, Rehoboth Beach, and participants can call ahead to register at (302) 645-9150.
For more information on Beebe Medical Center’s Integrative Health Department, visit www.beebemed.org online or call (302) 645-3528.