Complementary & Integrative Health

Complementary & Integrative Health (CIH) is a term used to describe a wide range of practices not apart of the typical medical care model (and sometimes called woo woo medicine). These ancient services have been known to assist with health and wellness long before our current medical care, but has taken a backseat over the years. 

Occupational therapists are known for being naturally holistic in our methods, due to our wide scope of practice. However, it took until 2023 for the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) to add CIH to its Standards and Interpretive Guide as an intervention to support well-being. This standard now encourages OT educators and universities to include CIH in their curriculum. 

All OT's have to thank and give credit to Emmy Vadnais, OTR/L, BCTMB, ARCB,  for helping the field push forward in the direction of prevention. Additionally,  Rebecca Austill-Clausen, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA has done amazing work and continues to teach Reiki at the AOTA conference!

As the common quote says, "You are what you eat". 

If we eat processed foods with ingredients we can't spell, food dyes, and chemicals-- then our body's will react in sickness. Even if it isn't obvious at first. Children are affected greatly by food dyes and fake sugars. They increase symptoms including hyperactivity, behavioral issues, and even sleep disturbances. 

On the other hand, if we eat natural and organic fruits, vegetables, herbs, meats, and make desserts from common ingredients then our body's and minds will be able to stay in homeostasis. 

My Family's Story

When my son was young, he was diagnosed with ADHD (hyperactive type).  I was so sad when the first question asked by the evaluator was, "Would you like to speak to our Psychiatrist to talk about medication options?".  While I acknowledge that medication can be necessary and beneficial for some individuals, I believe it should be considered a last resort, rather than the first recommendation. I was committed to exploring natural approaches to manage his symptoms before considering any potential risks associated with medication. 

I took my son to a Naturopathic Doctor to get to the bottom of his ADHD symptoms. He completed a food sensitivity test and a neurotransmitter test. Comes to find out, he had a gluten and dairy sensitivities. Furthermore, we found out that he had extremely high levels of common neurotransmitters such as epinephrine, norepinephrine, and histamine. My son's Naturopath stated that if we were to give him Ritalin, he would likely have the opposite effect and it would not work well with his body and brain. 

We then put him on a gluten-free diet and mostly stayed away from processed foods and dairy. To decrease his neurotransmitter production to normal levels, he was placed on supplements. After 5 years, he was able to slowly increase gluten intake, and decrease his supplements. Now, his body and brain are in homeostasis. He no longer has the extreme symptoms he once did. Yes, I still have to remind him to brush his teeth and he will always have adhd, however he is fully functional and it no longer interferes with our life. 

This amazing practice aims to quiet the mind, focus on the present moment (sometimes through thoughtful breath), and ultimately find calmness. I find coming up with a phrase or mantra helps my brain to quiet and not think about what we are going to have for dinner. :)     I even think, "In and out" and tie that to by breath, "In and Out". 

One of the most important pieces of meditation is to not judge yourself during the process. Your mind will wander, and when it does, just focus back on your breath or mantra. No judgement, just let that thought float away. Some people like to visualize the thought as a leaf that floats down the quiet stream or a thought bubble that floats away to the sky. Whatever works for you. 

Meditation is NOT trying to completely silence the mind. When you focus on that, you may struggle and actually think about not thinking! You may become judgmental of yourself and become upset or frustrated with yourself, "Why can't I focus?!". That isn't the aim here. It is to find a time for yourself to relax. Even for just 5 minutes. Put on some calm music, put on a candle, and breathe. 

Mindfulness is similar to meditation, but is a practice that you can do anywhere and does not require a quiet place. Mindfulness is focusing on the present moment and allowing yourself to notice things without just being on autopilot. For example: In the morning or evening when you brush your teeth, you can practice mindfulness. Really smell the toothpaste, think about the temperature of the water, focus on the sensations of brushing, think about how much your arm and hand need to coordinate in order for them to be successful. Another example: When you are driving the same road you have travel hundreds of times. Focus on the greenery that you see, notice new flowers popping up, look for any mountains, watch the birds happily flying, and really bask in the wonder of our world. You may have things going on in your life that bring you down, but at this moment try to see the joy and wonder on this Earth. Try to be happy for being alive and notice the magic. 

How I Use It In My Home-Health Practice: 

I integrate mindfulness and meditation at the beginning and sometimes in-between my typical sessions. The skills that are enhanced by practicing are: sensory processing, body awareness, self-regulation, executive functioning, and so much more. By discussing how items in a sensory bin smells, feels, and looks ~ we are helping the child connect to the present moment. By discussing our emotions and allowing them to have a quiet break, we are strengthening the habits that will help them later on in life. 

There are so many guided meditations on YouTube, Spotify, or apps like Calm that are dedicated to children and can be fun! I really enjoy a website called GoNoodle. They have a few meditations available. A some of my favorites are: "From Mindless to Mindfulness",  "Melting", and "Guided Beach Meditation". 

Using the breath.

Above I mentioned that the breath is a component of meditation. Additionally, it is a major component of yoga as well (Pranayama). But have you ever actually thought about breathing? This thing that we need to survive, that we unconsciously do everyday from 20,000-25,000 times a day. Our breath is actually a way to help us out of a panic attack, a way to control our stress, a way to lower our heartrate. 

However, most of society doesn't know the "Correct" way to breathe. Most people breathe by inhaling and sucking the stomach in, and exhaling by letting the stomach out. However, the opposite way is best. Breathing in while expanding the belly, and breathing out by deflating the belly. By breathing the latter, we utilize our diaphragm which is a muscle that supports the lungs during respiration. This small, yet effective switch in your daily routine can help you live a better life. 

How I Use It In My Home-Health Practice:

I integrate breathwork into my normal sessions to help with self-regulation and to increase resilience. We are often working on things that the children don't want to work on. And that can be very challenging for some individuals. 

Working on slowed breathing and teaching feeling words, I have seen a huge change in these children who have high emotions. The important piece is to teach them these skills when they are not in a state of dysregulation. We need to use these preventatively so that when they are triggered, they can rely on a habit to help them calm their bodies.

Other ways to work on the breath is by using bubbles (pictured below), bubble mountain, blowing up balloons, and even creating a maze that you move pom poms or cotton balls through with a straw. 

Again, YouTube has a great library of videos that help make breathing exercises easy and fun! Some of my favorites are: "Candle and Flower Breathing", "Belly Breathing".

Yoga in Sanskrit means "to unite" or "to yoke". In a yogic text, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, it is said that "Yoga is the science of the mind." 

The poses or asanas are actually only one piece of the "Eight Limbs of Yoga". Breathwork or Pranayama is another and meditation or Dhyana is another limb. The others focus on the ethics, discipline, and bliss or Samadhi.

How I Use It In My Home-Health Practice: 

I integrate yoga into my sessions by practicing the poses, breathwork (listed above), and meditation (listed above). The poses work on body awareness, balance, sensory integration, sequencing, motor planning, bilateral coordination, and so much more.  This is a fun way to work on overall coordination and strength. In order to have fine motor control, we need to first have shoulder and core strength. 

Aromatherapy uses essential oils to improve a sense of wellbeing, decrease stress, help with sleep, and may be linked to pain reduction. We all know that the sense of smell is very powerful and can hold memories from our youth. It can be derived from different parts of a plant (roots, stem, leaves, flower) and be used in different ways (topically, inhalation, ingested). 

How I Use It In My Home-Health Practice: 

I integrate aromatherapy into my practice by placing oils into my sensory bins, oils into playdough, by creating a sensory kit for anxiety (placing oils on cotton balls), and in some cases in a diffuser (with parent permission).  Autism and sleep disturbances are closely linked. I have suggested lavender oil in lotions, in bath soaps, and to be diffused right before bedtime. 

Some people with sensory differences either are sensitive to smells and can negatively impact their life by limiting what they eat and where they go. While others may not be able to identify noxious smells that could lead to a safety risk. 

Sound healing is a practice that uses sound to promote wellbeing. Because our heart has an electrical current, our bodies are essentially made up of energy. The vibrations and resonance can have an impact on our bodies causing peace and tranquility. 

Sound healing typical uses specific tools such as: Tibetan singing bowls, crystal bowls, the voice, drums, tuning forks, gongs, etc. 

Researches found that using a Tibetan Singing bowl reduced tension, anger, fatigue, and mood. 

How I Use It In My Home-Health Practice: 

Although, I do not yet practice sound healing with crystal bowls or gongs.. I do integrate music into most of my sessions. Finding out what the client enjoys is a very important to me. And most children love and connect to music. Some children like normal nursery rhymes and some need classical music without words.

I recently brought in my own personal tongue drum and most of my clients LOVE it. I use it in the background while they are working, allow them to drum on it with or without music, and have used it with a metronome to help them keep time. I look forward to adding more into my practice. 

Reiki is an energy healing technique that promotes balance and a sense of wellbeing. The word comes from Japanese symbols that mean Universal Life Force (The Everything Reiki Book by Phylameana lila Desy). The energy flows from the universe/source/higher power and through the practitioner to the recipient. When healing takes place or blockages are removed, it is the recipient who is responsible. The practitioner is only the conduit for the healing energies. 

Coming Soon...