Holistic Health

Published in Delaware Beach Life

Natural Resources

Beach-area residents are finding balance in holistic health care

by Karen M. Jones

"Nature tops the list of potent tranquilizers and stress reducers. The mere sound of moving water has been shown to lower blood pressure."

Patch Adams

For all of their commercial development and seasonal population explosions, our beach communities are still, at heart, small towns. You can't see a rock concert here, nor a major theater production. Until a year ago, you couldn't get Chinese food delivered to your door. The store with the biggest selection of computers sells, primarily, office

supplies. (The Gateway cow apparently prefers more urban pastures.)

But if you want a Reiki session, acupuncture, reflexology or an hour of Qi Gong, you're in the right place. Holistic health care has opened its colorful umbrella at the beach.

The local Yellow Pages lists three yoga studios, five health food stores, five acupuncturists, and a whopping 26 massage therapists (right after Mason Contractors) in just Lewes, Rehoboth and Bethany Beach. You can reduce

arthritis pain with a tai chi class at the YMCA. At Beebe Medical Center's Department of Integrative Medicine, you can learn to meditate, relieve migraines with biofeedback, and overcome addictions with self-hypnosis. You can have a professional chef come into your home to cook vegetarian and special dietary meals. And you'd be hard pressed to find many other towns the size of Rehoboth with their own

naturopathic physician.

Seaside resorts have always enjoyed a reputation for relaxation and restoration. In the 18th century, salt air and water were viewed by many as naturally healing, even medicinal. The Sea Voice Inn in Rehoboth has hosted retreats "to restore and renew the soul, spirit, mind and body," including a Chronic Pain & Nurture Seminar. The sea itself

harbors healthful elements well beyond the familiar shellfish; scientists at the National Cancer Institute agree that "sea plants contain a remarkable spectrum of components valuable for human health." The sea, it seems, is one

powerful prescription.

Still, not every town with an ocean view offers such a broad spectrum of health and self-care options, especially within so few square miles, so far from a major city. Cheyenne Luzader, program coordinator and clinician at Beebe Medical Center's Department of Integrative Health, says those who vacation or relocate here from Washington,

Philadelphia and New York have something to do with it. "Alternative treatments are welcomed by residents and

visitors from cities, where they are more commonly available," she says.

Acupuncturist Barbara Donelan agrees. "Many people who live here came from urban areas and are highly

educated. They trust enough to try new things and are tolerant of new ideas. Those who have lived here long-term can appreciate diversity. Just as they are willing to receive so many visitors, they seem willing to welcome

alternatives."

Naturopathic physician Kim Furtado credits a general open-mindedness: "This area has insight and gifts, people who think outside the box."

It wasn't always this way. When Anne Marie Connor opened her massage therapy practice in Bethany Beach back in 1987, "they wanted to run me out of town as a prostitute," she says. "I had a sign outside my house that said, 'mayotherapist.' 'Mayo' means 'muscle.' They claimed to have done research that said it meant 'massage your

organ.' " With patience, community involvement and the mayor's endorsement, Connor eventually won over her neighbors and went on to open Bethany Massage and Healing Arts, the area's first holistic healing practice, in 1990. She says it was only about five years ago that the field "mushroomed" here. "The hundreds of people at this year's Holistic Health Fair showed me how hungry people are for information about alternatives to traditional medicine."

Tackling the terminology

Although the terms "holistic," "alternative" and "integrative" are used by many interchangeably when describing

nontraditional practices, they are distinct. Holistic care describes any practice that considers not just the body, but the whole person: mind, body and spirit. Good nutrition, physical exercise and self-regulation techniques such as

biofeedback and relaxation are integral components of holistic health. Alternative medicine embodies practices

outside of traditional Western medicine, including Chinese traditional medicine, Ayurvedic (Indian) and Native

American medicine. These therapies focus on improving quality of life, preventing disease and addressing conditions, such as chronic pain and certain cancers, that may be beyond the scope of conventional Western medicine. The

integrative approach incorporates elements from among all of these options, both within and outside of Western medical traditions.

What we consider "nontraditional" is widely practiced by other cultures, and is more common in our own than you might think. A published survey cited by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine shows that the number of Americans using an alternative therapy rose from about 33

percent in 1990 to more than 42 percent in 1997. In addition, Americans spent more than $27 billion on these

therapies in 1997, exceeding out-of-pocket spending for all U.S. hospitalizations.

Patients aren't the only ones pursuing the holistic path. The NIH cites a 1998 article reporting that 75 out of 117

U.S. medical schools offered elective courses in complementary and alternative medicine, or included related topics in required courses, in 1998.

Flocking to alternatives

Residents and visitors to the Rehoboth/Lewes/Bethany area are helping themselves to the holistic buffet. Patrons at Rainbow Health Foods in Rehoboth stock up on frozen soybeans and wheat- and gluten-free foods. Pregnant women prepare for childbirth with classes at the Rehoboth Beach Yoga Center. Senior citizens treat muscle and join pain with the help of a naturopathic physician. Golfers are reclaiming their swing after therapeutic massage.

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