Today I want to share an article with you from NurseConnect.com. The article discusses treatments that are alternatives to traditional medicine like music, massage and meditation. It also looks at what one hospital in Colorado is doing to provide these treatments for its patients.

Music, Massage, Meditation - Patient Care Becoming More than Just Medicine By Megan Krischke, contributor at NurseConnect.com

An increasing number of patients and medical professionals are looking beyond traditional Western medicine when it comes to their health, recognizing that mental, spiritual and emotional well-being also play a part In response to this movement toward holistic health care, some hospitals are expanding the types of services they offer to patients.

One of these hospitals is Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango, Colorado, which opened its integrative care clinic in 2001. Through the Touch, Love, Compassion (TLC) service, patients may choose to receive one or more of the following services from a TLC staff member: affirmations, aromatherapy, conscious breathing, healing therapy, imagery, massage, meditation/prayer and music therapy. Each patient is also offered an eye pillow filled with lavender and flaxseed to aid in relaxation.

“We had this tough old cowboy, all barbed wire and rusty nails, referred to TLC. He’d never had any sort of gentle massage, let alone aromatherapy, and he loved it. He told the team afterwards how much he appreciated it and how much better it made him feel,” said David Bruzzese, hospital spokesperson. While the TLC service is provided to inpatients at no additional cost, the general public may also receive these treatments, as well as acupuncture, stress management and massage therapy on a fee-for-service basis.

A specialized program for the OR, entitled “Steps to Surgical Success,” evolved out of the TLC service. This program provides mental, emotional and spiritual preparation for surgery through guided meditations and the development of a personal healing plan. Surgery patients are each given a CD with a guided meditation that helps them relax, envision themselves in a safe environment and, then imagine entering the operating room and having a successful surgery.

The meditation session ends with the patients seeing themselves healed and whole and doing the things they were unable to do prior to surgery. Patients are encouraged to go through the meditation twice a day prior to surgery. The background music to the meditation CD is then played for each patient as they enter surgery, helping them to return in their minds to that safe, relaxing place and reduce their anxiety about the operation.

“The TLC team visits patients throughout the facility. We go to labor and delivery, intensive care, and surgery.” said Janet Wilson, RN, MF, HNC. Wilson has worked in the TLC program at Mercy for six years. Before pursuing holistic care nursing, Wilson worked in obstetrics, home health and hospice, and as a director of nursing. Wilson obtained both her BSN and MF from the University of Colorado and has completed the Holistic Nurse Certification Program through the American Holistic Nursing Association. More recently, she received holistic stress management instruction certification through the Paramount Institute.

“We have seen patients’ pain ratings drop from 10+ to just two or three within the first few minutes of their TLC sessions,” said Wilson. “You don’t have to specialize in holistic nursing to help relieve anxiety and pain in patients. Even a nurse with a busy schedule can find a moment to say a prayer with a patient, help them become aware of their breathing, or provide a gentle, reassuring touch. Just taking a couple of deep, centering breaths before entering a patient’s room and moving in a calm manner can help decrease a patient’s anxiety level.”

While it took a number of years to establish support from the hospital administration, holistic care is now an integral part of Mercy’s mission. In addition to specialized services, the hospital’s new 60-acre campus also features a healing garden with a waterfall, an outstanding art collection and walkable labyrinths, all of which contribute to the healing environment and enhance patient care.

“What I’ve come to realize more and more is that stress is a highly underrated influence in health and disease and it is an issue that is not really addressed,” Wilson reflected. “Assisting a person in learning to manage their stress and relax is very rewarding.