Paws for Healing: How Therapy Dogs Enhance Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatments
Did you know we have two dogs (JJ and Barnie) that can sit with you during your treatment? Therapy dogs can play a valuable role in supporting clinical treatments, including those offered by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), by providing emotional and psychological benefits to patients. Here’s how therapy dogs can complement TCM and other clinical treatments: Stress Reduction: The presence of a therapy dog can significantly reduce stress and anxiety in patients. This is particularly beneficial in a clinical setting, as it can create a more relaxed and comfortable environment for treatments like acupuncture or TENS sessions. Enhancing Patient Comfort: Some TCM treatments, such as acupuncture, might be intimidating or uncomfortable for certain patients. A therapy dog’s presence can provide a sense of comfort and distraction, making patients more receptive to these treatments. Improving Treatment Outcomes: Studies have shown that interaction with therapy dogs can lower blood pressure, reduce the amount of medications some patients need, decrease pain levels, and increase endorphin (a pain-relieving hormone) levels. These physiological changes can potentially enhance the effectiveness of TCM treatments. Emotional Support: Therapy dogs offer unconditional love and support, which can be particularly beneficial for patients dealing with emotional aspects of chronic illnesses or addiction. This emotional support can improve overall patient morale and motivation. Encouraging Social Interaction: In a clinical setting, therapy dogs can act as social catalysts, encouraging interaction between patients and healthcare providers. This can foster a more positive and communicative environment, which is important for holistic treatments like TCM that often involve a significant patient-practitioner interaction component. Aiding in Recovery and Rehabilitation: For patients undergoing long-term treatments or rehabilitation, therapy dogs can provide a sense of consistency and companionship, aiding in emotional and psychological recovery. Non-Invasive Comfort: Unlike some medical treatments, interaction with a therapy dog is completely non-invasive and has no side effects. It’s a natural form of therapy that can easily accompany other treatments.Improving Compliance with Treatment Regimens: The presence of therapy dogs in treatment settings can improve patients’ compliance with their treatment regimens. Patients may look forward to their treatments more if they know they will have an opportunity to interact with a therapy dog. |
Getting Ready for Winter: 3 Important Tips for Staying Healthy
With winter on the way, it’s essential to prepare your body for the colder season. You want your body strong and balanced. Traditional Chinese medicine can be a big help with that. Below are 3 cool tips to help you stay healthy this winter. 1. Stay Healthy Before You Get Sick Think of your body like a shield. To prevent getting sick in winter, you need to make your shield strong. In Chinese medicine, they say you should boost your protective energy called “wei qi” to keep away the cold and flu. How do you do that? Well, you can focus on strengthening your spleen and stomach. You should also keep your energy moving smoothly, so it doesn’t get stuck. Acupuncture can help with this. It will help make your body strong and your energy flow well. 2. Fight the Bad Stuff While Boosting the Immune system. Sometimes, you might be both weak and getting sick at the same time. It’s like a double challenge. For example, if you have too much heat and not enough energy, we can use specific points to help. This way, you can get better and feel stronger. 3. A Plan Just for You Your treatment should match the season, where you live, and how you feel. It’s like having a personalized plan. If it’s winter and you’re in a cold place, the treatment will be different from someone in a hot place. Your age and overall health also matter. Dr Kokkalis can pick acupuncture points based on your specific problems and create a special plan just for you. Contact her today to get yours! |
Coming Together During the Covid-19 Crisis
It has certainly been a unique couple of months all over the globe, and the Greater Lafayette Area has been no different. We have watched our fearless healthcare heroes do what they do best in this time of crisis – and we are so proud of them! Here at the Han Institute, we want to give as much as we can back to the healthcare community. Dr. Angelica Kokkalis recently donated 200, KN95 face masks to local hospitals and nursing homes to show our gratitude for all the front line service workers that help our community during this crisis. A total of 200 masks were delivered throughout Lafayette and West Lafayette. They went to IU Health Hospital, Saint Elizabeth Hospital, Cumberland Point Nursing Home, a bank, and A1 Packaging amongst others in our community that have served the public during this crisis. Here are a few pictures of Angelica with the masks pre-delivery as well as a sweet photo of Dr. Victor Bentinganan with his wife Jill who received masks to deliver to IU Health Hospital. We are SO proud of our healthcare force, and thankful that we can all come together to protect and provide for our community. |
Summer Sale! HANS Facials – Half Off
Rejuvenate your skin with a HANS Facial! Invigorate the areas around your eyes, nose, and cheeks using a proven method of micro-current stimulation. Relax as your face is treated by a professional in a calm, relaxing, environment. Save half off our normal price ($200) when you schedule this summer.  Introducing Lin XiaLin Xia is a medical assistant for the Han Institute. She offers facial rejuvenation treatments via the HANS unit. Being educated in both Chinese and Japanese methods, Lin has developed her own technique of treatment style through many years of experience. She has worked with the elderly, athletes, and children. |
Connective Therapy Healing Retreat 2018
In September of 2018, there will be a Connective Therapy Healing Retreat on how beneficial connective tissue therapy is along with acupuncture. Dr. Kokkalis will be attending this seminar along with Chad Wright, COTA, CMT, CBCT. This retreat will be a hands-on connective tissue bodywork (giving and receiving) and physical and cognitive practices for peace and interconnectedness. Participants will receive the benefits of physical freedom from pain and dysfunction, improved posture, emotional freedom and balance, clarity, and gained insight.
Chad Wright will be sharing insights on treating the connective tissue called fascia that holds every part of our bodies together in a three-dimensional web-like manner through his amalgamated approach called Connective Therapy. Chad promotes a simple way of living in peace, joy, and passion through the perspective of everything being connected, which is called Connective Living. My clients are encouraged to take this workshop and learn ways to take care of themselves. Chad is now available for appointments out of my Lafayette office. |
