Therapeutic Touch:A Holistic Nursing Practice
Ed. Note: The following article was summarized by Jane Lindquist from an article written by Dorothy Woods Smith for Polio Network News, Winter 1997, Vol. 13, No. 1. Dr. Smith has traveled extensively throughout the United States discussing many health-related issues, including the practice of therapeutic touch.
Some people have experiences described as coincidences. For Dorothy Woods Smith who entered a graduate student-nursing program at New York University in 1985, it was what she describes as "synchronicity". She enrolled in a masters level course called Therapeutic Touch (TT), while at the same time she was learning about post-polio syndrome and some of the symptoms she had developed. TT was a treatment she found helpful in learning how to deal with her own symptoms.
In an article written for the Polio Network News winter 1997, Dorothy describes her understanding of TT and Dolores Keieger, RN, Ph.D., the woman who had developed the technique in 1972. Although she had been nursing for a long time and found the concept in the work of other healing pioneers, she found the concept new to her. Florence Nightingale believed the work of a nurse was to create an environment that supports the patients own healing. Martha Roger, Dean of Nursing at NYU, described a human being as energy field. This led Krieger to discover that we all have the natural potential for purposeful energy exchange, and that this exchange can be therapeutic for another person. TT shares the underlying philosophy of other ancient practices, such as laying on of hands, prana, chi, ki, acupuncture, and yoga - the underlying belief that each of us has an intrinsic ability for self- |
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Do you have a wheelchair that you no longer use? Lewis Dalessio in Winthrop, Maine is taking used (even broken) wheelchairs, repairing them, and donating them to needy people. He plans to be in Costa Rica during the winter to deliver many wheelchairs and help repair others. If you have a wheelchair you wish to donate, you may call him at 207-377-8695. Between November and April you may contact Phil at 207-377-2483 who will take messages while Mr. Dalessio is away. Reggie Arsenault of Mexico has offered to pick up wheelchairs around the Oxford County area to deliver to Winthrop. Weve set the date for our annual conference in 2005. It will be the second Saturday in September (September 10) in Augusta. More information will be forthcoming in the Spring and Summer Updates. A Regional Post Polio Support Group meets every month in the Portland area. For more information, you may contact either Sharon Antoniuc at 865-0078 or Nancy Stambach at 283-3732. - While private bus companies must provide boarding assistance to passengers with mobility problems, few have lift-equipped long-distance buses. However, Greyhound makes every effort to provide a bus with a hydraulic lift if at all possible, or provides a device similar to an airline aisle chair. You must notify Greyhound at least 48 hours before departure time. For further information, call Greyhound at 1-800-752-4841.
For rail travel, Amtrak publishes a booklet for handicapped travelers that includes information about specific trains and stations. Call Amtrak at 1-800-USA-RAIL for a copy.
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