February 5, 2018 Meditation (half-hour) with Dr. Whitehead. Then exercise with Francis, to review the 7 core exercises. Emphasized benefits in strength, flexibility, coordination, and balance. He added in “Cardio” which he defined as any movement in place that will increase your heart rate. He taped 10 pictures of the core exercises on the walls…
Category: meditation
Day 7 Pain Management
February 2, 2018 With Francis: Meditation & Breathing Exercises (with breathing) Homework: Exercises 5-7 (in addition to 1-4) “L” (backside stretch) Wall plank Lying down “bridge” Most in the group have lower back issues All 7 exercises are included in yoga and Tai Chi Introduction to Tai Chi (10 exercises) – lots of arm movements…
Day 6 Pain Management
January 31, 2018 Francis was back and was the first presenter, beginning promptly at 10:00 a.m. with a half-hour of meditation. He played an audio file which he said was accessible in the members’ area of the Kaiser website. I could understand about 50% of what the female speaker said. After that, he took a…
Day 5 Pain Management
January 29, 2018, 10:00 a.m. Dr. Whitehead was, again, the main presenter. We started with a half hour of meditation and breathing, this time imagining we are on a beach. She seemed to be talking a little louder and I got 90% of what she said (instead of missing 90%!). The “gentle movement” was another…
Things I’ve tried and things I haven’t tried
January 28, 2018, 1:55 p.m. These are the thoughts that come to mind today as I think about what I have been doing over the past year to relieve what was first discomfort in my neck and then became painful enough to interfere with my normal, everyday life. These things that I’ve listed here are…
acupressure, acupuncture, anti-inflammatory, aroma therapy, biofeedback, CBD/THC, codeine, cold, ergonomics, essential oils, Flexeril, gabapentin, heat, kratom, medical cannabis, meditation, mindful breathing, NSAIDs, Pain Management Program, physical therapy, pillow, prednisone, reflexology, reiki, shiatsu massager, spinal decompression, tapping (EFT), TENS unit, traction Day 4 Pain Management
January 26, 2018 End of the first full week. Dr. Whitehead started the session with a half hour of meditation. Again, she was so soft-spoken that I could barely hear her and couldn’t understand most of it, but she seemed to be wanting us to imagine we are in a forest. The music that was…
Day 3 Pain Management
January 24, 2018 Today’s session started out with Lisa, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She continued with the concept of the “Biopsychosocial Model of Pain” to show the relationship of physical pain to emotional responses. She also facilitated the meditation exercise and relaxation breathing. She wasn’t nearly as soft-spoken as Dr. Whitehead, so I had…
Day 1 Pain Management Orientation
Friday, January 19, 2018 Francis and Dr. Whitehead facilitated this orientation session. There was a little more paperwork to fill out, but the “samples” of relaxation strategies with the breathing and mediation were longer. There was a lot of emphasis on the importance of attending every session (unless you are ill and contagious!), and required…
Pain Management Program at Union City
At my last physical therapy session (December 7) in Oakland, my therapist recommended the Kaiser Pain Management program. She sent her recommendation to Dr. Chan and I requested Dr. Chan, as well, for a referral to Pain Management. Instead, she referred me to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. So I saw Dr. Sumetanon in Union City…