I 1 .1.11011.1.Y11...1.116140ress.urowe Health & Fitness WE .NESS On The Cutting Edge from page 33 menting their work through detailed patient studies, "we're trying to get more and more insurers to cover what we do:' says Fink, a native Detroiter who holds a master's degree in public health from U-M. "I fell in love with yoga in college says Fink, a Commerce Township resident whose doctor dad took her to her first yoga class. "I was working in health care. And it just came to me that this is what health care needs." Guided by a medical advisory board of physicians, psychologists, therapists and featuring 15 trained yoga therapists, YogaMedics combines medical evidence and protocol with yoga philosophy and practice. "In our western world, we won't do any- thing without a study:' says Julie Levinson, who runs the Vita yoga program at Henry Ford Hospital, West Bloomfield (HFH), just one of the many local hospitals that now feature wellness centers. Levinson of West Bloomfield leads therapeutic yoga classes directed at patients with cardiac problems, cancer, multiple sclerosis, spinal issues or who are recovering from surgery. Classes to combat depression, alleviate menopause and ease sleep are in development. "It's about helping these patients make the mind/body connection:' says Levinson, who also holds community yoga classes. "It's beyond the yoga postures. It's about visualizations, deep relaxations, guided imagery" Despite the growing commitment by hospitals to therapeutic yoga, many doc- tors remain unconvinced. "Physicians should take the blinders down:' says HFH Dr. Michael Seidman, M.D., a nationally recognized ear and facial nerve surgeon and a skull-based and acoustic neuroma surgeon who is medical director of the HFH wellness center. Approaching doctors "one at a time, I do my best to get them to understand the importance of utilizing our services:' says the West Bloomfield resident who also is considered an expert on the molecular basis of aging. "There is compelling medical evidence that yoga can help:' says Seidman, whose undergraduate degree in human nutrition and medical degree are from U-M. "But it's a hard sell:' Some of that evidence has been col- lected in Yoga As Medicine by Dr. Timothy McCall. "As someone who has been an M.D. for over 20 years, I can tell you that yoga is simply the most powerful system of overall health and well-being I have ever seen:' McCall writes. The book details medical evidence for 18 conditions, including alcoholism, asth- ma, diabetes, high blood pressure, insom- 34 November 5 2009 Left: "Physicians should take the blinders down. Studies show many results of yoga therapy are beneficial," says Dr. Michael Seidman, medical director of Henry Ford Hospital West Bloomfield's wellness center. Middle: "l feel like the Tin Man," says for- mer dance teacher Barbara Fink, who uses yoga therapy to cope with multiple sclerosis." Right: "My students are a gift," says yoga therapy teacher Mindy Eisenberg. nia, neurological and neuromuscular diseases and menopausal and menstrual problems. Making Headway "It's such a new field:' Levinson says. "It will take time to make headway with doc- tors. We're on the cutting edge of some- thing. We're the innovators." "It's up and coming;' agrees Dr. William Leutcher, M.D., a Southfield neurolo- gist who prescribes yoga therapy for MS patients (see related story). But he also pre- dicts: "I don't know that this will be covered by most insurances for a long time:' "It's well established that both premeno- pausal and postmenopausal women who are physically active have a 30 to 40 per- cent lower risk of developing breast cancer compared to sedentary women:' says Dr. Laura Freedman, M.D., a radiation oncolo- gist at Providence Hospital in Southfield and Novi. She cites an M.D. Anderson Medical Center study in which half of the 60 women undergoing radiation for breast cancer attended yoga class during treat- ment. Those who participated in the yoga sessions reported less fatigue and daytime sleepiness and better overall health, the Huntington Woods resident reports. "The stretching involved in yoga may also help women retain good mobility after surgery:' says Freedman, who gradu- ated from U-M medical school. "Science moves slowly:' says Dr. Arthur Efros, M.D., a Southfield internist who regularly practices yoga. "Everything starts out not being paid for. Doctors are wisely the gatekeepers. They need to see the studies. "What determines the quality of your life is not your heart, not your liver. It's your mobility:' says Efros, whose medical degree is from WSU. Yoga helps you with strength, flexibility and balance, which are especially important starting in late middle age. "A large percentage of the elderly fall: says Efros, who recommends yoga and yoga therapy, especially to his older patients. "It becomes not just the quality but the safety of your life." Lynn Medow of Yoga by Design leads five "gentle yoga" classes a week at Karma Yoga in Bloomfield Township that can usher people into or back to regular yoga. She also takes her yoga therapy practice on the road, traveling to clients' homes to help them recover from illness or injury or combat the signs of aging. "I always want to have a medical person involved." Medow, who spent 22 years employed at JARC in Farmington Hills, brings that experience to her studies of yogic phi- losophy and the universal principles of alignment. She works with patients with MS, Parkinson's disease, cancer, and those referred by psychologists. Insurance, she says, does cover clients who have been injured in auto accidents. "A doctor wanted to bring me into his practice the Bloomfield Township resi- dent says, but the insurance issue made it impractical. Unlike many yoga therapy programs, several insurance plans do cover eating disorder treatment at Inner Door in Royal Oak, a licensed addiction clinic built around Beverly Price's Reconnect With Food program. "We're a yoga-based program:' says Price, a nutritionist, exercise physiologist and yoga teacher from Huntington Woods. "Many of our insurance contracts are carved out that way." The staff includes a psychiatrist, psychologist, social work- ers, counselors, a chef, dietician and yoga specialists. "I get calls from all over the country asking how to integrate yoga into eating disorder therapy" Price says. "It's not just about the poses. The philosophy is in everything we do." I I What is Yoga Therapy (YT)? A qualified yoga therapist guides individuals on a healing path and road to wellness. YT is a multidimensional approach tailored to the whole person and utilizes the disciplines of structural and therapeutic yoga, breathing, meditation and relaxation tech- niques. Lifestyle factors are taken into account and recommendations are made. YT empowers individuals to feel comfortable in their own bodies and requires active participation in their therapeutic plan. YT compliments medical treat- ment and is not a substitute for clinical care. — courtesy of Lynn Medow and Mindy Eisenberg For more information about yoga therapy from those interviewed: • Mindy Eisenberg www.yogaspiritwellness.com (248) 417-5985 • Sarah Fink www.yogamedics.net (248) 225-0275 • Julie Levinson www.henryfordwestbloomfield. com/vita (248) 325-3870 • Lynn Medow www.yogabydesign.us (248) 939-1367 • Beverly Price www.reconnectwithfood.com (248) 336-2868 • Suzanna Ran www.yogatherapy-om.com (248) 507-4008