Handout - Lesson 1

Handout - Lesson 1

The Rainbow Meditation requires a relaxed body in a comfortable position. Make sure that your body is not tired or you might doze off.

This meditation is based on the colors of the rainbow. You start by imagining that you “fill” your body with red. Red symbolizes energy and strength.

Then, you continue with the next color of the rainbow: orange. Orange is the color of happiness and joy.

Next comes yellow. As you imagine your body filling out with yellow, feel how your intelligence sharpens, since that’s what yellow symbolizes.

Green is the next color in the rainbow. It symbolizes friendship and harmony and friendship with other human beings, which by extension means the elimination of disputes, especially if these happened over something unimportant.

Blue is the color of peace and relaxation. While you must let your body relax, you should pay attention not to fall asleep.

Indigo comes next. It’s the color of gentleness and kindness. It is a good moment to remember to let go any angers or resentments toward others.

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Lesson 2 –Vitamins and Mineral supplements

Are you considering taking vitamin or mineral supplements? Do you think you need them? Or that they "can't hurt" so you may as well take them? Here are some questions to ask before you decide to take them.

Do I really need them?

First and foremost, nutritional needs should be met by eating a variety of foods as outlined in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In some cases, vitamin/mineral supplements or fortified foods may be useful for providing nutrients that may otherwise be eaten in less than recommended amounts. If you are already eating the recommended amount of a nutrient, you may not get any further health benefit from taking a supplement. In some cases, supplements and fortified foods may actually cause you to exceed safe levels of intake of nutrients.

(Note that fortified foods are those to which one or more essential nutrients have been added to increase their nutritional value.)

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans makes these recommendations for certain groups of people:

People over age 50 should consume vitamin B12 in its crystalline form, that is, from fortified foods (like some fortified breakfast cereals) or as a supplement.

(Note that older adults often have a reduced ability to absorb vitamin B12 from foods. However, crystalline vitamin B12, the type of vitamin B12 used in supplements and in fortified foods, is much more easily absorbed.)

Women of childbearing age who may become pregnant and adolescent females should eat foods that are a source of heme-iron (such as meats) and/or they should eat iron-rich plant foods (like cooked dry beans or spinach) or iron-fortified foods (like fortified cereals) along with a source of vitamin C.

Women of childbearing age who may become pregnant and those who are pregnant should consume adequate synthetic folic acid daily (from fortified foods or supplements) in addition to food forms of folate from a varied diet.

Older adults, people with dark skin, and people who get insufficient exposure to sunlight should consume extra vitamin D from vitamin D-fortified foods and/or supplements.

It is important to note that vitamin/mineral supplements are not a replacement for a healthful diet. Remember that in addition to vitamins and minerals, foods also contain hundreds of naturally occurring substances that can help protect your health.

Here are some questions that the Food and Drug Administration recommends asking yourself and discussing with your doctor when considering whether you should take a vitamin/mineral supplement:

Do you eat fewer than 2 meals per day?

Is your diet restricted? That is, do you not eat meat, or milk or milk products, or eat fewer than 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day?

Do you eat alone most of the time?

Without wanting to, have you lost or gained more than 10 pounds in the last 6 months?

Do you take 3 or more prescription or over-the-counter medicines a day?

Do you have 3 or more drinks of alcohol a day?

2. Should I talk to my doctor about taking vitamin/mineral supplements?

Yes, you and your doctor should work together to determine if a vitamin/mineral supplement is right for you.

If you are already taking dietary supplements, you should inform your doctor. Research shows that many people do not let their doctors know that they are taking a dietary supplement or are considering taking one. You may think side effects happen only with prescription medicines, but some dietary supplements can cause side effects if taken with other medications or if certain health conditions exist. Even if you don't take medication or have a chronic health problem, the wrong dietary supplement or the wrong amount, can cause problems. So check with your doctor before taking a dietary supplement.

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Handout – Lesson 3

Massage Therapy

What You Knead to Know

Many people associate massage with vacations or spas and consider them something of a luxury. But research is beginning to suggest this ancient form of hands-on healing may be more than an indulgence—may help improve your health.

Massage therapists use their fingers, hands, forearms and elbows to manipulate the muscles and other soft tissues of the body. Variations in focus and technique lead to different types of massage, including Swedish, deep tissue and sports massage.

In Swedish massage, the focus is general and the therapist may use long strokes, kneading, deep circular movements, vibration and tapping. With a deep tissue massage, the focus is more targeted, as therapists work on specific areas of concern or pain. These areas may have muscle “knots” or places of tissue restriction.

Some common reasons for getting a massage are to relieve pain, heal sports injuries, reduce stress, relax, ease anxiety or depression, and aid general wellness. Unfortunately, scientific evidence on massage therapy is limited. Researchers are actively trying to understand exactly how massage works, how much is best, and how it might help with specific health conditions. Some positive benefits have been reported.

“Massage therapy has been noted to relax the nervous system by slowing heart rate and blood pressure. Stress and pain hormones are also decreased by massage, reducing pain and enhancing immune function,” says Dr. Tiffany Field, who heads a touch research institute at the University of Miami Medical School. Much of her NIH-funded research focuses on the importance of massage for pregnant women and infants. Some of her studies suggest that massage may improve weight gain and immune system function in preterm infants.

A study published earlier this year looked at how massage affects muscles at the molecular level. The findings suggest that kneading eases sore muscles after exercise by turning off genes associated withinflammation and turning on genes that help muscles heal.

A recent NIH-supported study found that an hour-long “dose” of Swedish massage therapy once a week was optimal for knee pain from osteoarthritis, especially when practical matters like time, labor and convenience were considered. Other research suggests that massage therapy is effective in reducing and managing chronic low-back pain, which affects millions of Americans.

If you’re considering massage therapy for a specific medical condition, talk with your health care provider. Never use massage to replace your regular medical care or as a reason to postpone seeing a health care professional.

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