When I speak about health, I speak about connection. I speak about love.
There is a now-famous story told by Dr. Dean Ornish, the integrative medicine pioneer, in which he asked an Indian spiritual master what the difference was between illness and wellness. The sage wrote both words up on a blackboard, circled the “I” in illness and the “we” in wellness, and answered, “This is the difference.”
The root of the word health is “whole.” Yet how often in the course of our daily lives do we feel separate from one another and from ourselves? How often do we search for something outside of us to complete us, to make us happy, to fill that subtle sense that there is something missing, that we need more?
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, “What is that thing within me that needs more? What does it want? Does it ever get any more than momentary satisfaction before it wants something else? What is it looking for?” When we look carefully, this feeling of “not-enough-ness” points to a deeper truth. Something within us recognizes that there is indeed something missing.
What is missing is our awareness that we are already connected to and supported by all of Life. Look into the eyes of an infant, and you see that they know this. It is only the chatter in our minds – that voice in our heads that compares and judges and criticizes – that obscures this reality. When we discipline our minds through meditation and yoga, we free ourselves from the prison of the tiny individual worlds our thoughts have created.
Feelings of isolation are epidemic in our culture now, and they have physiological effects: increased stress hormone levels, decreased immunity, increased addictive behavior, and slow healing, among many others. However, the primary reason that isolation feels so bad is because it is not true, and deep down we know this.
The truth is that we are unfathomably interconnected. Imagine the vast universe of interdependence that is allowing you to read these words right now: the light that has been provided for you from the sun or electricity; the education that taught you to read; all that has gone into your health such that you have eyes that can see and a brain that can understand; the circumstances that brought you to pick up this magazine – an infinite number of people and conditions have come to together simply so that you can read this sentence.
The good news is that we are never actually in separate worlds of our own except within our minds. When the mind begins to quiet down through the practice of meditation and yoga, a cascade of physiological effects follows: decreases in blood pressure, stress, and heart rate; increases in immune function, mood, and vitality. Why? Because when the mind is quiet, we feel connected.
And when we feel connected, we feel loved and loving. This love and connection is true health.
Q: I have read that Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) should not be taken by people who have had organ transplants. Does this include an artificial aortic heart valve? Also, does it affect INR levels and should Warfarin dosage need to be readjusted?
Low-dose naltrexone is a specially compounded capsule of 1.5 to 4.5 mg of naltrexone and is used in treating chronic medical conditions. It acts by reducing inflammation of the central nervous system. Lisa Lilienfield, M.D.: The short answer is that Low-Dose Naltrexone should not be taken by someone on immunosuppressant drugs because it boosts the immune system by stimulating the body’s own endorphins. There are no known interactions with Coumadin but it is always a good idea to check the INR more often when starting a new medication. Therefore if someone has a valve replacement, yet is not on an immunosuppressants, LDN should be safe.
– Dr. Lilienfield
“Provider Spotlight” is a series that highlights the wonderful team of healthcare providers and specialists here at the Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine.
Jeanne Scheele has practiced physical therapy in Northern Virginia for 40 years and serves as the Kaplan Center’s Physical Therapy Director. Over the last several years, Jeanne has focused her continuing-education efforts on pain management, and in particular, on the use of physical therapy to decrease women’s pelvic pain and to manage incontinence.
Why did you choose your specialty?
I have been focused on women’s health and pelvic floor problems for about 16 years. I became interested long ago because I had patients who had orthopedic problems and confided in me that they were also “leaking.” At the time, I did not have an answer so I investigated. I am still learning.
What is the biggest challenge in your practice and how do you overcome it?
The biggest challenge in my practice, because each woman is unique with special needs, is how to do an evaluation and produce a plan of care for that individual. It cannot be a cookie cutter approach.
What’s the one piece of advice that you give to all of your patients?
One piece of advice? Think positive. Find a way to be quiet within yourself and de-stress.
What are some of your interests and/or pastimes outside of work?
Outside of work, I love to travel with my husband, experiment with gourmet meals, read historical novels, make greeting cards, exercise and meditate, see my children and grandchildren.
If you could choose another career, what would it be?
I honestly do not know of another career. I chose physical therapy at the age of 16 and never looked back!
Meditation, Health, and Love
/in Meditation/by Laura Elizabeth Dorsett, MTSWhen I speak about health, I speak about connection. I speak about love.
There is a now-famous story told by Dr. Dean Ornish, the integrative medicine pioneer, in which he asked an Indian spiritual master what the difference was between illness and wellness. The sage wrote both words up on a blackboard, circled the “I” in illness and the “we” in wellness, and answered, “This is the difference.”
The root of the word health is “whole.” Yet how often in the course of our daily lives do we feel separate from one another and from ourselves? How often do we search for something outside of us to complete us, to make us happy, to fill that subtle sense that there is something missing, that we need more?
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, “What is that thing within me that needs more? What does it want? Does it ever get any more than momentary satisfaction before it wants something else? What is it looking for?” When we look carefully, this feeling of “not-enough-ness” points to a deeper truth. Something within us recognizes that there is indeed something missing.
What is missing is our awareness that we are already connected to and supported by all of Life. Look into the eyes of an infant, and you see that they know this. It is only the chatter in our minds – that voice in our heads that compares and judges and criticizes – that obscures this reality. When we discipline our minds through meditation and yoga, we free ourselves from the prison of the tiny individual worlds our thoughts have created.
Feelings of isolation are epidemic in our culture now, and they have physiological effects: increased stress hormone levels, decreased immunity, increased addictive behavior, and slow healing, among many others. However, the primary reason that isolation feels so bad is because it is not true, and deep down we know this.
The truth is that we are unfathomably interconnected. Imagine the vast universe of interdependence that is allowing you to read these words right now: the light that has been provided for you from the sun or electricity; the education that taught you to read; all that has gone into your health such that you have eyes that can see and a brain that can understand; the circumstances that brought you to pick up this magazine – an infinite number of people and conditions have come to together simply so that you can read this sentence.
The good news is that we are never actually in separate worlds of our own except within our minds. When the mind begins to quiet down through the practice of meditation and yoga, a cascade of physiological effects follows: decreases in blood pressure, stress, and heart rate; increases in immune function, mood, and vitality. Why? Because when the mind is quiet, we feel connected.
And when we feel connected, we feel loved and loving. This love and connection is true health.
Be well,
Laura Elizabeth Dorsett
Is Low-Dose Naltrexone Safe for Artificial Heart Valve Recipients?
/in Treatments/by Lisa Lilienfield, MDQ: I have read that Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) should not be taken by people who have had organ transplants. Does this include an artificial aortic heart valve? Also, does it affect INR levels and should Warfarin dosage need to be readjusted?
Low-dose naltrexone is a specially compounded capsule of 1.5 to 4.5 mg of naltrexone and is used in treating chronic medical conditions. It acts by reducing inflammation of the central nervous system.
Lisa Lilienfield, M.D.: The short answer is that Low-Dose Naltrexone should not be taken by someone on immunosuppressant drugs because it boosts the immune system by stimulating the body’s own endorphins. There are no known interactions with Coumadin but it is always a good idea to check the INR more often when starting a new medication. Therefore if someone has a valve replacement, yet is not on an immunosuppressants, LDN should be safe.
– Dr. Lilienfield
Provider Spotlight: Jeanne Scheele, PT
/in Wellness/by Jeanne Scheele, PT“Provider Spotlight” is a series that highlights the wonderful team of healthcare providers and specialists here at the Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine.
Why did you choose your specialty?
I have been focused on women’s health and pelvic floor problems for about 16 years. I became interested long ago because I had patients who had orthopedic problems and confided in me that they were also “leaking.” At the time, I did not have an answer so I investigated. I am still learning.
What is the biggest challenge in your practice and how do you overcome it?
The biggest challenge in my practice, because each woman is unique with special needs, is how to do an evaluation and produce a plan of care for that individual. It cannot be a cookie cutter approach.
What’s the one piece of advice that you give to all of your patients?
One piece of advice? Think positive. Find a way to be quiet within yourself and de-stress.
What are some of your interests and/or pastimes outside of work?
Outside of work, I love to travel with my husband, experiment with gourmet meals, read historical novels, make greeting cards, exercise and meditate, see my children and grandchildren.
If you could choose another career, what would it be?
I honestly do not know of another career. I chose physical therapy at the age of 16 and never looked back!