Handouts

Week 1:
The amount of research on mind and body approaches varies widely depending on the practice.
For example, acupuncture, yoga, spinal manipulation, and meditation have had many studies,
and some of these practices appear to hold promise in pain management, whereas other practices
have had little research to date.


Handouts

Hand out 2
Week 2:
Key Points
Is It Safe?
Acupuncture is generally considered safe when performed by an experienced practitioner
using sterile needles. Improperly performed acupuncture can cause potentially serious
side effects.
Tai chi and qi gong, two mind and body practices used in TCM, are generally safe.
There have been reports of Chinese herbal products being contaminated with drugs, toxins, or
heavy metals or not containing the listed ingredients. Some of the herbs used in Chinese
medicine can interact with drugs, have serious side effects, or be unsafe for people with
certain medical conditions.
Is It Effective?
For most conditions, there is not enough rigorous scientific evidence to know whether TCM
methods work for the conditions for which they are used.
Keep in Mind
Tell all your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Give
them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated
and safe care.
Background
TCM encompasses many different practices, including acupuncture, moxibustion (burning an
herb above the skin to apply heat to acupuncture points), Chinese herbal medicine, tui na
(Chinese therapeutic massage), dietary therapy, and tai chi and qi gong (practices that combine
Handouts


Week 3:
BREATHING EXERCISE

There are many different breathing exercises. To get the most benefit, breathing exercises can be
practiced every day, preferably not immediately after eating or on an empty stomach.
ABDOMINAL BREATHING TECHNIQUE

Breathing exercises such as this one should be done twice a day or whenever you find yourself
under stress, your mind dwelling on upsetting thoughts, or when you are experiencing pain.
Abdominal breathing is just one of the many breathing exercises, but it is the most important one
to learn before exploring other techniques. The more it is practiced, the more natural it will
become, improving your mind and bodys internal balanced rhythm.

Place one hand on your chest and the other hand on your abdomen. When you take a deep
breath in, the hand on the abdomen should rise higher than the one on the chest. This
ensures that the diaphragm is pulling air into the bases of the lungs.
After exhaling through your mouth, take a slow deep breath in through your nose,
allowing your mind to focus on the undersurface of the nose where the air enters the
body. Inhale for a count of 4.
Slowly exhale for a count of 6-8. As all the air is released with exhalation, gently contract
your abdominal muscles to completely evacuate the remaining air in your lungs. It is
important to remember that we deepen respirations by completely exhaling air, rather
than inhaling more of it.
Repeat the cycle 19 more times for a total of twenty deep breaths.
Handouts

TIPS:
In general, exhalation should be twice as long as inhalation.
A rate of one full breath (inhalation and exhalation) every 10 seconds (for a total
of 6 breaths per minute) has been found to be most helpful for stabilizing the
nervous system and reducing blood pressure.
The use of the hands on the chest and abdomen is needed only to help you train
your breathing. Once you feel comfortable with your ability to breathe into your
abdomen, you no longer need to place your hands on your chest and abdomen.
Once you feel comfortable with this technique, you may want to include words
that can enhance the exercise. Examples to say to yourself might include
relaxation (with inhalation) and stress or anger (with exhalation), so that
you are breathing in with the good and out with the bad. The idea is that you
bring in the feeling/emotion that you want with inhalation and release those you
do not want with exhalation. Abdominal Breathing Technique Breathing exercises
such as this one should be done twice a day or whenever you find yourself under
stress, your mind dwelling on upsetting thoughts, or when you are experiencing
pain. Abdominal breathing is just one of the many breathing exercises, but it is the
most important one to learn before exploring other techniques. The more it is
practiced, the more natural it will become, improving your mind and bodys
internal balanced rhythm.
Place one hand on your chest and the other hand on your abdomen. When you
take a deep breath in, the hand on the abdomen should rise higher than the one on
Handouts

the chest. This ensures that the diaphragm is pulling air into the bases of the
lungs.
After exhaling through your mouth, take a slow deep breath in through your nose,
allowing your mind to focus on the undersurface of the nose where the air enters
the body. Inhale for a count of 4.
Slowly exhale for a count of 6-8. As all the air is released with exhalation, gently
contract your abdominal muscles to completely evacuate the remaining air in your
lungs. It is important to remember that we deepen respirations by completely
exhaling air, rather than inhaling more of it.
Repeat the cycle 19 more times for a total of twenty deep breaths.

University of Wisconsin Integrative Medicine
www.fammed.wisc.edu/integrative











Handouts



HEALING THROUGH FORGIVENESS
Scientific research has indicated that forgiving past wrongs can be helpful for a variety of health
problems, including anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and chronic pain. When we focus on
forgiving, our blood pressure drops and our heart rate slows down. Our mood improves.
Forgiveness can alter the state of our health.
What follows is a series of steps designed to help you forgive a past wrong. Follow each step,
one at a time, and take a moment to write down your answers to each question. You need not
share your answers with others. This process should be based on what feels best for you.

THE NATURE OF FORGIVENESS
The following perspectives are based in part on the work of Enright and Luskin, as listed in the
suggestions for further reading at the end of this handout.
Forgiveness is a transformation. The key is to release suffering and increase inner
peace and understanding.
Forgiveness is NOT forgetting. In fact, you have to remember and acknowledge
negative emotions and events before forgiveness can occur.
Forgiveness is NOT pardoning, excusing, or saying that something will be treated
as acceptable behavior in the future.
Forgiveness is, first and foremost, done for the person doing the forgiving.
Forgiveness is a path to freedom. It frees you from the control of the person who
caused the harm. They lose their power to cause you to feel negative emotions.
Handouts

Forgiveness can break old patterns that might otherwise interfere when you try to
create new relationships.
Forgiveness can take a lot of time and hard work.
Forgiveness need not require making up with the person who caused the harm. It
is an internal process. It is primarily for you. The goal is to help you heal, to help
you grow.
Thinking about forgiveness may not be enough. For many, tapping into principles
described in various spiritual traditions from around the world is necessary.
Meditation, interpersonal dialogues, and intense emotional work may be essential
parts of the forgiveness process for many people. See the resources listed at the
end of this handout.

University of Wisconsin Integrative Medicine