What Is Occupational Therapy Anyway?

By Karen L Eisenlord

Occupational Therapy is a relatively new field since World War I, or the early 1900's. Many still don't know what type of therapy service it is or provides. I am an occupational therapy practitioner, and I find that although more know what this field entails as time goes on, many are still at a loss to understand its function. Since it is rather a broad field, this also contributes to the general confusion and lack of clarity regarding the type of therapy it is.

In general Occupational Therapy addresses a patient or person's function and Activities of Daily Living (ADL's) and a healthy balance of this being achieved through appropriate work, play, rest and recreation. This can further be broken down into four main, wide-spectrum areas of the population that is serviced. Adults, Pediatrics, the elderly and Mental Health. There are almost endless sub-groups of therapy that each area addresses. Some pertain to and apply to all of the main areas and some are exclusive and specific to one area. For example, ADL's are addressed in adults, children and the mental health areas, however the needs in each area varies and changes. A balance of work, play, rest and recreation applies to all, but again this is variable according to the area/population being served.

For example, adults' needs in their ADL's differ from a child's.The obvious reason is that children are in the process of developing and adults (although still developing through stages of life) are different in their developmental needs. This is further complicated by the condition or conditions that are being treated. A premature baby with Cerebral Palsy is certainly given a different treatment plan than an adult with let's say Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This brings us to the many specialties within the category of Occupational Therapy. Hand Therapy would be one area of which Carpal Tunnel Syndrome falls under. Occupational Therapists can specialize in a multitude of endless areas, much too many to go into detail here.

Before I proceed any further, I would like to give a brief history about the development of Occupational Therapy as a profession and its basic philosophy. Occupational Therapy's goal is to help patient's reach their maximum potential and function in life in the general areas mentioned above, simply put, the ADL's. The very name 'Occupational Therapy' implies the act of occupying oneself. The theory and philosophy of Occupational Therapy is the process of restoring or reaching one's functional ability through occupying acts. The basic premise of O.T. is that a balance of work, rest, play and recreation brings about, maintains and improves ADL's and optimal quality of life.

Historically, Occupational Therapy's theory/philosophy developed during World War I to help disabled veterans return to work, and it continues to develop. The word "disabled" in itself can imply many conditions, not excluding mental health illnesses, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It was discovered by Occupational Therapists that one very critical aspect of recovery from any disability is through meaningful occupation. The term 'occupation' used in this sense means many things. Doing crafts is a form of 'occupational' therapy. Preparing a meal or getting dressed is another one. Most of us take these things for granted, but people with disabilities often need to re-learn to do these things that most of us do not give a second thought to.

Many confuse Occupational Therapy with Physical Therapy, and there is overlap - yet they are two very distinct and separate fields. An Occupational Therapist works on improving physical and cognitive function as it addresses ADL's and a Physical Therapist focuses on the restoration of injured body function through physical exercises. Both forms of therapy are similar in many ways, but in the process they address different areas. Both PT and OT are very important fields and work together well and complement one another.

Karen Eisenlord has worked as an Occupational Therapist for 15 years in pediatrics, physical disabilities and mental health. This has included working in various hospitals, doing in-home visits and running a support group. For more information, visit the following site --    https://www.aota.org/About-Occupational-Therapy.aspx

Biological Grounding - Real or Hocus Pocus?

Biological Grounding - Real or Hocus Pocus?

By Dr Edward Brell PhD

Biological grounding involves standing barefoot on the ground. The idea being any residual static electricity will be drained off into the earth - like emptying out the battery, as it were. The idea has intuitive appeal. Who hasn't been zapped by a car door handle discharging static electricity, sometimes with an audible crack? Or, who hasn't taken off a shirt or blouse and heard the crackle of static discharge? The question is, is there any therapeutic benefit derived? This article explores what published science may have to offer to underpin the practice of grounding in the context of health and wellbeing.

A university library search on the term grounding yielded 183,000 peer-reviewed publications. The meaning of the word 'grounding' ranges from the devastating grounding of a naughty teenager to grounding an issue in the facts, and beyond. Another search, this time on biological grounding, narrowed the field to almost 31,000 peer-reviewed publications. The term biological earthing yielded a manageable 600 peer-reviewed publications to winnow. This article reports on many of these publications and their relevant linked publications.

So here's the theory highly simplified. Now we all know free radicals aren't a good thing. A free radical is missing an electron (and so is positively charged). When connected to the earth the earth supplies the electron to nullify the free radical. In 1994 Anisimov performed tests to show that the earth's surface is electrically charged.

Now, according to Rosalind Tan (2014) our bodies are electrically conductive. Charged ions and free electrons get good conduit via blood and other body fluids. Electrical charge builds up in people like a battery especially in a dry climate. Fuel truck drivers must discharge any possible likelihood of sparking, sometimes with wrist straps. The relevance here is that earthing or grounding a person is very much part of solid science.

Earliest and pioneering work was that of Dr White GS (1929). Ahead of his time he helped sleep deprived individuals by earthing their beds with copper wire.

In 2010 Clinton Ober et al claim in their book: "Earthing - The most important health discovery ever?" the following:

"Defuses the cause of inflammation and improves or eliminates the symptoms of many inflammation-related disorders.

Reduces or eliminates chronic pain.

Improves sleep in most cases.

Increases energy.

Lowers stress and promotes calmness in the body by cooling down the nervous system and stress hormones.

Normalizes the body's biological rhythm

Thins blood and improves blood pressure and flow.

Relieves muscle tension and headaches.

Lessens hormonal and menstrual symptoms.

Dramatically speeds healing and helps prevent bedsores.

Protects the body against potentially health-disturbing environmental electromagnetic fields.

Accelerates recovery from intense athletic activity."

Ghaly & Tepliz in 2004 measured cortical (stress hormone) secretion during sleep of 12 subjects. The electric field of the subjects was measured and found to decrease as a result of earthing from an average over the 12 subjects from 3.270 V to 0.007 V. They concluded that earthing a person during sleep reduces night-time levels of cortisol so improving sleep.

Ib Andersen in 1965 remarked how a person could become electrically charged in relation to his surroundings merely by walking over a Nylon carpet. He added that an electric field may electrically induce a person, if:

"A person has a certain potential relative to the surroundings.

A person is at earth potential while free charges occur in the surroundings.

Both 1 and 2."

Christian Back (1967) an electrical engineer, devoted his book "Ions for breathing" to atmospheric electricity. The term 'ion' is ill defined like a rock can range from just bigger than the size of a grain of sand to massive asteroid size. The term stretches from atomic ions like household salt dissolved into Sodium cations and Chloride anions all the way to the larger aerosol size. He disserts the electric field in rooms around occupants and delves into the effect of ions on such people.

A good study of the dispersal of small air ion concentrations is a case study by Jamison et al who in 2006 measured the charged particles and molecules in an office for one person. The measurements were taken in an horizontal plane through seated eye-level and then in a vertical plane nominally coinciding with the seated person. In the vertical plane the average number of Negative Small Air Ions per cubic cm (SNAI cm-3) was 361 per cubic cm over 276 sampling points ranging in number from 10 ions to 930 ions per cubic cm. In the vertical plane the isoline areas bounded by the upper bound concentrations completely obscured the seated subject immersing the person in the higher ranges of SNAI.

A further point of interest is the electrostatic potential measured by them in the vertical plane averaging 104.9 V and ranging from 2.2 V to 7.7 kV. The maximum values were around the footrest where the operator had been rubbing shoes. Russian and Swedish guidelines stipulate less than 500 V at 50 cm from the computer.

High school science teaches about anions and cations. It should come as no surprise that the air we breathe also has ions and Charry (1984) concludes that small air ions are likely to have biological effects. Yet Krueger in 1976 had already presented experimental data that small air ions are indeed biologically active.

Just like fish swim in an ocean of Sodium and Chloride ions so too are humans in an atmosphere of ions, positive and negative. Whilst the ions can be generated, more than one third positive ions occur naturally as a result of radioactive decay. They don't travel far and have a short life. Indoors the ions have an even shorter life (30 seconds) as they bump into things and short out. (Alpha Lab Inc) Therein lies the key to biological grounding: Shorting out by earthing with Mother Earth.

To conclude, a snippet from an invited editorial prepared by the late Dr AP Kruger in 1982 is presented from the International Journal of Biometeorology. The editorial sets many urban myths about air ions straight. He concludes his editorial with advice for prospective buyers of air ion generators:

"Air ions, negative and positive, are normal constituents of our biosphere and they are biologically active.

A good deal is known about the effects of air ions on bacteria, protozoa, plants, insects and small animals. Less is known about their action on humans. There is evidence that air ions can influence mood, behaviour, and performance of certain tasks.

There is some suggestion that air ions may be of value in the treatment of certain diseases, but more critical trials are needed before air ions therapy can be established as an acceptable addition to the medical armoury armamentarium.

Some air ion generators produce ozone and should be avoided.

No one as yet has found that the negative air ion concentrations produced by any properly constructed commercial generator may be harmful." http://www.facebook.com/Wellness-Wear-612983345564444/

After about 6 years of buying women's wear from China, India, Thailand, Bangladesh and Indonesia we found a need to ensure supply is according to the following:

• No child labour

• No Azo dyes that cause cancer

• No harsh processing chemicals that hurt the environment.

• Fabric from renewable sources

• Natural fire retardant fabric

We went a little further, and asked ourselves the question:

What can we add to our range of clothing that enhances wellness in the wearer?

We came up with some surprising answers. Watch this space.

diana-ware and Wellness-Wear

Article Source:  Biological Grounding - Real or Hocus Pocus?

Why Is Bio Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy Gaining Popularity?

Bio identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is a form of therapy that is used to attain an optimum level of hormones in the human body. While BHRT is mainly confined to the United States, there is a significant level of interest directed towards it. What this form of therapy is believed to achieve is to improve the overall hormone levels in the body. Bio identical hormone replacement therapy has garnered interest particularly with women as they are convinced that it helps them during menopause, making them feel stronger and revitalised. BHRT has gained popularity as a number of American women are of the opinion that conventional hormone replacement therapy has several side effects that could be life-threatening.

Bio identical hormone replacement therapy has numerous benefits especially for women as it is believed to prevent the occurrence of a number of chronic diseases that develop with age. Bio identical hormones are made from plant chemicals and share a similar molecular structure to that built in a woman's body. The benefits of BHRT include and are not confined to:

1. It builds muscle strength as a person (especially women) ages. With age, the human body experiences a gradual breakdown in muscle and fat which weakens the physical state of an individual.

2. Bio identical hormone replacement also improves libido as a result of increasing the levels of hormones in the body.

3. BHRT is said to improve energy levels, provide better sleep, and sharpen the mental state of a person.

4. In a fast-paced world where time is of the essence, there is hardly ever enough time for an individual to relax and feel rested. The modern lifestyle is driving people towards depression. Bio identical hormone replacement therapy reduces the risk of depression, leaving one feeling calmer.

5. This form of therapy is also believed to increase bone strength even as a person ages, reducing the risk of osteoporosis. This is a result of BHRT improving the bone density.

6. BHRT is custom-compounded, which literally translates to the hormones being made to suit every individual patient's condition. By this, it makes for a more balanced and accurate increase in hormone levels.

7. As it creates a calming effect on an individual, BHRT also improves sleep. When consumed, natural progesterone helps in promoting a patient's sleep and allows for proper rest.

8. Bio identical hormone replacement therapy reduces the risk of endometrial and breast cancer besides fighting Alzheimer's disease.

There has been some opposition in the practice of BHRT and while there is currently little significant evidence to completely prove that this form of therapy carries with it benefits, it has helped a lot of patients dealing with hormonal imbalance. A lot of reviews and tests are being carried out to show that bio identical hormone replacement therapy can successfully help a patient balance out the body's hormones. For patients suffering from high cholesterol, BHRT is said to improve or stabilise the levels and improve the overall health of an individual, thus increasing one's lifespan in the process.

I am Rohit Bisht, an expert in Sales and Industrial Marketing. I seek information about the latest trends in the market and provide necessary updates about the same. If you want to know more about bio identical hormone replacement therapy you can follow me and read the articles on related topics.


 By Rohit Bisht


Article Source: Why Is Bio Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy Gaining Popularity?