Reaching for harmony in health

By John Johnston
Managing Editor

“The goal of life is living in agreement with nature,” said ancient Greek philosopher Zeno.

That idea is becoming more widely embraced some 20 centuries later, as holistic approaches are being combined with conventional medicine for those confronting chronic diseases.

Ruth McCaffrey is director of just such a program – the Initiative on Intentional Health at the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca Raton.

These integrative models show promise as part of the solution, says McCaffrey. Caregivers who adopt integrative models acknowledge the whole person — body, mind, and spirit — and focus beyond cure to the full promotion of well-being and quality of life. Each patient is engaged as unique individual, a partner, and care is directed toward what is most important to the person and the family, she says.

Classes in the program include yoga, tai chi, meditation, aromatherapy, and healing garden walking, are offered via the college several times a week and are open to the community.

“We hope to continue our outreach to the community by expanding the services we currently offer,” says McCaffrey.

Holistic Curriculum

The College of Nursing at FAU is in fact only one of a few endorsed by the American Holistic Nursing Association as being well grounded in holistic nursing. This allows graduates to earn certification in this practice area more quickly, and it is a unique distinction among nursing programs in South Florida, according to Marlaine Smith, associate dean for academic programs.

“Students and faculty here want to change practice environments by focusing on caring and healing the whole person” said Smith.

Smith’s recent research, for example, focused on the effectiveness of touch in decreasing pain and distress from symptoms and increasing quality of life for those with advanced cancer enrolled in hospice. Other faculty in the College are researching the positive effects of walking in Japanese healing gardens on depression, yoga for multiple sclerosis patient pain and movement, and music for post-operative pain, among others.

The Future.

Down the road, Smith says the College of Nursing has a vision for an Integrative Health and Healing Center. The college hopes to partner with the Colleges of Biomedical Sciences and Arts and Humanities “and we hope the new Schmidt Medical Center to make this dream a reality.”

Such a center would be constructed with donor support, and would be an interdisciplinary project. Such a center would also be “a response to the current crisis in health care that calls for innovative solutions to transform existing systems,” said Smith – and she see it this way:

“Imagine that you are suffering the pain and despair of a serious illness. You cross the threshold into a beautiful environment filled with light, the sound of music, and the smell of lavender. An advanced practice nurse or physician greets you with a specialization in integrative care. You share your story, and they come to know you as a person. You are advised about lifestyle patterns that might facilitate your healing. You make appointments for massage therapy and attend classes to learn meditation. When things in your life go askew, you drop by to walk the labyrinth or read a book of poetry in the garden. The people there welcome you by name.”

This would be a sanctuary and truly a place for healing,” said Smith.

John Johnston can be reached at 561-549-0833, or at jjohnston@bocanews.com