HEALTH & FITNESS alternatives Tap Your Way To Well-Being I n the 1990s, in an effort to bring relief to people suffering with anxiety, phobias, depression, trauma, cravings and addictions, stress and even illness, Stanford engineer Gary Craig developed a cutting-edge healing method called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). Its origins were in Thought Field Therapy (TFT), created in the 1980s by psychologist Dr. Roger Callahan of the University of Michigan. Callahan's protocol was expensive to learn and complicated; Craig simplified it and made it more accessible to the public. In 2003,1 attended a workshop on EFT. Since then (and after studying with Craig in 2004), I have used the technique with hundreds of my psychotherapy clients (both children and adults) and consistent- ly have been astounded by the results. EFT often is referred to as emotional acupuncture. Instead of using needles, people learn to balance the body's energy system by gently tapping with their fingertips on various acupuncture points that corre- spond to organs and emotions in the bod The roots of EFT are found in traditional Chinese medicine and its recognition of the body's subtle energy system. Qi energy (pronounced chee) is circulated throughout the meridians. You can think of the meridians as being like a riverbed over which the river's water flows, irrigating the land; Qi energy feeds, nourishes and sustains the body's meridians, through which it flows. If a dam were placed at any point along the river, the nourishing effect of the water would stop at the point the dam was placed. So, when the Qi becomes blocked, the rest of the body suffers. Anxiety, depression and various illnesses are among the results. EFT is a fantastic tool used to restore the flow of Qi. Simply by tapping on various meridian points, you are able to clear the blockages that keep your body from fully thriving. A client who felt unable to go on a cruise — he'd had an angioplasty two weeks earlier and was having regular panic attacks — found that EFT calmed him down enough so he could go on his trip and have a carefree time. Another client who had knee problems for more than a year was pain-free a year after tapping at the site of her discomfort. (This is an example of one of the "one- minute wonders" of EFT often referred to by Craig.) The possibilities of EFT are endless. It is being used not only to heal trauma and stress but also to bring abundance, grati- tude and joy into its practitioners' lives. As a therapeutic technique, there is little else to equal its simplicity and effectiveness. Many experienced therapists using EFT today report typical success rates of 80-95 percent. Easily learned, EFT is a tool you will have for life. Li Brenda Strausz, MA, is a psychotherapist, hypnotherapist and EFT coach who writes the "Can You Relate" column that appears in JN Platinum. She is offer- ing workshops on EFT, at no charge, 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept.17, and 7-9 p.m. Monday, Oct.13, in Southfield. For more information or to register, go to www. brendastrausz.com , e-mail Dearbrenn@aol.com or call (248) 231-4504. ASK THE DOCTOR New Options Available To Treat Spinal Fractures From Osteoporosis Osteoporosis, in which bones become fragile and easily broken, causes over 700,000 spinal fractures annually What happens to you if you have a spinal fracture? in the U.S.—more fractures than in the hip and wrist combined. Approximately two-thirds of all spinal fractures go undiagnosed or untreated due to the absence of symptoms or difficulty determining the cause of symptoms, leading some to call osteoporosis a "silent disease." After experiencing one fracture, your risk of a second fracture is greatly increased. In addition, just one fracture affects how weight is distributed through the spine, thus placing higher than normal stress on the front of the spine which contributes to the risk of future fracture. With additional fractures, it can become progressively difficult to walk, eat, and sleep due to pain and the unnatural spinal alignment. See a doctor to determine your condition and appropriate treatment, as there may be different explanations for why you are experiencing back pain. Since 50 percent of women and 25 percent of men older than 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime and bone loss can begin as early as 30, now is the time to take a closer look at osteoporosis and new options for treating fractures caused by osteoporosis. Through proper diagnosis and treatment, patients with spinal fractures can significantly improve their ability to perform normal activities of daily living and enjoy an overall improvement in their quality of life. Dr. Louis Radden, Reconstructive Spine Surgeon with Spine Specialists of Michigan, offers some answers. How common is osteoporosis and to what might it lead? The National Osteoporosis Foundation cites osteoporosis as a major public health threat affecting 44 million Americans. While a calcium-rich diet, weight-bearing exercise and the avoidance of smoking and excessive alcohol can help prevent bone mass loss, osteoporosis ranks second only to cardiovascular disease as a leading healthcare problem according to the World Health Organization. With osteoporosis, bones in our spine, hip and wrist deteriorate and become susceptible to fractures. In the spine, small fractures lead to compression of the vertebral body (called vertebral compression fractures or VCFs). Left untreated, these VCFs create a curvature of the spine, sometimes referred to as "dowager's hump." Over time, this curvature can become more pronounced, painful and debilitating. How do I know if I have osteoporosis? Bone loss happens without symptoms—it doesn't hurt or cause much trouble at first, though left unchecked it might cause a lifetime of disability and even hasten death. Talk to your doctor about bone health and taking a bone density test. What options are there if I have a spinal fracture? Traditional treatments for spinal fractures include extended bed rest, pain medication and back braces, all of which can relieve pain but do not address the deformity caused by the fracture. Open surgery is also an option, but it is more invasive than non-surgical management and is typically reserved for patients with neurological complications. Balloon Kyphoplasty, a minimally invasive procedure, is designed to treat the fracture and restore the vertebra to the correct position. Balloon Kyphoplasty has been demonstrated to significantly reduce back pain, correct spinal deformity and improve quality of life. How is Balloon Kyphoplasty performed? Balloon Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure performed by a spine specialist. It can be performed using either a local or general anesthesia. It typically takes about one half hour to treat each fracture and may require an overnight hospital stay. Does insurance cover Balloon Kyphoplasty? In most cases, Medicare provides coverage for kyphoplasty. Other insurance may also provide coverage. Check with your insurance carrier or doctor to find out about coverage. What can Balloon Kyphoplasty do for me if I have a spinal fracture? If you have a spinal fracture, Balloon Kyphoplasty can restore vertebral body height, significantly reduce back pain and increase mobility, often shortly after the procedure. In addition to pain reduction, patients experience an increased ability to return to such simple, everyday activities as walking, reaching, bending and lifting. Patients also report improved mental health, vitality, social function and emotional health. Are there risks associated with Balloon Kyphoplasty? Although the complication rate with Balloon Kyphoplasty has been demonstrated to be low, as with most surgical procedures, there are risks associated with Balloon Kyphoplasty, including serious complications. Complications can include myocardial infarction (heart attack), cerebrovascular accident (stroke), pulmonary embolism (bone cement leakage migrates to the lungs), cardiac arrest (heart stops beating) or nerve or spinal cord injury that may cause pain, weakness or paralysis. 6621 W. Maple Rd. 14555 Levan Rd. Suite 116 SPINE SPECIALISTS OF MICHIGAN P.C. West Bloomfield 30055 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 270 Livonia Farmington Hills 248-661-4700 734-464-0400 248-865-4262 Dr. Louis N. Radden RECONSTRUCTIVE SPINE SURGERY 1366520 A38 August 28 e 2008 !Al* t 4 — N - 4 _IAALit*.* 4 . 1 Ick:at kadt, r *4- tr AAA kkjirkikst