Wednesday July 30, 2008 | WELLNESS NEWS
• Relax! Hypnotherapy for National Relaxation Day with Karen Erickson, BS
• Tip of the Week: Maintaining a Child’s Vision for Children Eye and Safety Month with Dr. Jeffrey Getzell, OD
Relax! Hypnotherapy for National Relaxation Day with Karen Erickson, BS
National Relaxation Day is August 15 and ChicagoHealers.com Practitioner Karen Erickson has the solution for on-the-go people who need to take a step back and relax. People under high stress, constantly on-the-go, or has trouble sleeping at night because of mind chatter would benefit from hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy is a guided visualization technique to deeply relax the body, quiet the mind and slow down.
“Many people have a hard time relaxing on their own because they live their lives being stimulated by constant noise such as television, radio and cell phones,” says Erickson. “People become addicted to the constant noise and have a hard time quieting their mind and being in silence.”
Once the mind and body have made a connection and learned how to relax, it is possible to enter an altered state without the help of a hypnotherapist. This is the beginning stage of meditation which allows someone to go within and quiet the mind. Erickson says that someone can learn to have a deep state of relaxation and be able to do self-hypnosis and self-meditation in about 3 sessions.
Erickson provides the following benefits of hypnotherapy for relaxation:
• Handle Life Better – People who have lots of activities jammed into a single day will be able to relax and handle life better and easier.
• Stay Connected – When someone interacts with a lot of people in their life, hypnotherapy will allow them to stay connected to the general flow of life.
• Happy and Healthy – Stepping back and relaxing allows for someone to de-stress. This leads to a generally healthier, happier life.
• Simplicity – Since hypnotherapy allows someone to slow down in general, life can become easier and more simple.
ChicagoHealers.com Wednesday Experts
Karen Erickson, BS: Hypnotherapy, Natural Healing
Dr. Jeffrey Getzell, OD, FCOVD: Behavioral Optometry
Tip of the Week: Maintaining a Child’s Vision for Children
Eye and Safety Month with Dr. Jeffrey Getzell, OD
According to Eyes.org an estimated 10 million children suffer from undetected vision problems. September is Children Eye and Safety Month and ChicagoHealers.com Practitioner Dr. Jeffrey Getzell, OD, says that school aged children have greater demands for reading, writing and computer activities as they move up in school. Since these activities are much more prominent, many children lose the ability to see clearly for distance tasks such as seeing the chalkboard.
“As a child gets older, there is more demand for reading and writing in school which can be stressful to how the vision system operates,” says Dr. Jeffrey Getzell. “Parents and teachers need to watch for typical warning signs for early detection of vision problems.”
The vision system adjusts to seeing only up close as children read, write and use the computer more often. This can cause the development of myopia, also known as nearsightedness, as well as unnecessary stress for children in school. Signs of stress are often indicated by children gripping pens or pencils tightly and the avoidance of reading and writing activities. When children are having vision problems, they also may move in closer to what they are reading or writing causing poor posture as well as myopia.
Below Dr. Getzell provides tips for preventing myopia and reducing childrens’ stress in school:
• Distance – The appropriate distance for any reading and writing task is the distance from the elbow to the knuckles if children are 13 years old or younger. For children over 13 the recommended distance is 14-16 inches.
• Take a Break – After reading a full page or after 3 minutes of writing or working on a computer look across the room or out the window for 3 to 4 seconds.
• Slanted Surface – All reading and writing should be done on a slanted working surface of 20 degrees. This angle helps maintain proper posture.
• Move Back – Children tend to sit closer than they need to when sitting in front of a computer or television. 3-6 feet is recommended when using the computer or watching television.
• No Handhelds – Avoid handheld computer games. Children tend to concentrate hard on handheld devices causing them to hold it close to the face.
About ChicagoHealers.com
Chicago Healers (www.chicagohealers.com) is the nation’s pioneer prescreened integrative health care network, offering a comprehensive understanding of each practitioner’s services, approach, and philosophy. Our holistic health experts teach and advocate natural and empowered health and life choices through their practices, the media, educational events, and our website. With close to 200 practitioners and over 300 treatment services, Chicago Healers has provided nearly 400 free educational events for Chicagoans and has been featured in 300+ TV news programs and print publications. For more information, visit www.chicagohealers.com
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Erica Morisco, 312.643.2461, emorisco@paramountpr.com
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