Alternative therapies increasing in popularity

Acupuncture, massage just to name two

By SANDRA FENTIMAN
Staff Writer

Pain and physical limitation are not strangers to Alex Rabeler. Following a tractor accident 20 years ago that injured his right foot, he was told that he had two choices: an operation or a brace.

He opted for the brace, which was built into his boot.

For years, he got around and his foot hurt off and on. Last spring he started having more trouble -- pain through his whole foot and ankle.

"You know, when You’re hurting you’ll. try most anything" said Rabeler, who runs Suits-Us Farm in Bovina Center. So when he learned that Harmon Hathaway is and alignment and massage therapist, Rabeler decided a session was in order. Hathaway began by massaging the injured foot.

"It felt like he was cutting it all with knives, but of course he wasn’t - all he was using was his fingers," said Rabeler, 80yrs old. His foot seemed to improve. "After a little better than three treatments, I decided to try walking without a brace."

Donning a cane to keep himself steady, Rabeler left the brace behind. He no longer has the pain that plagued him back in May. He’s one of a growing number of consumers to try alternative therapies.

What Hathaway offers is information on body functioning, intended to reduce stress and tension as well as to correct physical ailments. He works with individuals and groups, and has taught classes in Quebec, New York City and Plymouth, Mass. Individual sessions of 1 1/2 hours cost $60.

"Basically, I teach breathing and alignment," he explained. "It starts with the feet and goes right up the body. ... By using breath, you increase the space for functioning, and relieve congestion."

A Gymnast and springboard diver in his youth, Hathaway also counsels sports professionals and operates the American Yoga Foundation in Bovina Center. In his work with patients such as Rabeler, He’s found that if the foot or knee isn’t realigned the way it should be, problems may exist throughout the body.

"There are other alternatives before you introduce severe medical interventions (such as surgery)," Hathaway said.

Dr. Richard Schoenfeldt is familiar with that idea. Western-trained in neurology, he saw patients looking for fourth and fifth opinions from doctors because they had no success with surgery. This caused him to investigate the practice of acupuncture, which involves inserting very thin needles into specific points on the body.

"In theory, acupuncture permits the body to solve its own problem," said Schoinfeldt, who practices in Oneonta. "Most of the patients I see for acupuncture, I see for pain control. The success rate runs about 70 percent, which is in line with the rest of the country. I also use it to treat substance abuse, which is mostly smoking. That success rate is about 50 percent."

While acupuncture is mostly used in the U.S. for pain control and substance abuse, in China it’s used to treat high blood pressure, diabetes, strokes and more.

After coursework on the subject at New York University and in China Schoenfeldt learned that the body has two reactions to acupuncture: immediate and delayed. The first is when endorphins are released, which help reduce the pain level and perhaps, to some extent, slow the process creating pain. The delayed response involves stimulating nerve cells to reduce the pain level.

Schoenfeldt’s acupuncture sessions last from 20 to 40 minutes and each cost $50. Most involve five to 10 needles.

Patients will generally know within four to six sessions if acupuncture will help them, he said. Others get immediate relief. Some see additional benefits in the fact that no pills or scars are involved.

Other non-traditional therapies include:

Cranial sacral therapy, which is centered around the pumping of cerebral spinal fluid through the body. Mark Misiewicz, a physical therapist at A.O. Fox Hospital in Oneonta, performs the therapy by gently manipulating tissues at the base of the head or along the spinal cord.

"It works best on headaches, clicking and popping in the jaw, sometimes with neck pain and back pain," he said. "A lot of times it’s only a pound or two of force we use."

The therapy was started in 1976 by John Upledger, a doctor of osteopathy - a medical practice based on the theory that diseases are due to loss of structural integrity that can be restored by physical manipulation. When Misiewicz was trained at seminars about 10 years ago, no certification was given. Now that has changed.

Reike is an ancient Tibetan tradition based on the principle that life energy can be used as a catalyst for the body’s ability to heal. Unlike many other alternative therapies, Reike doesn’t use manipulation of the muscles. Those performing the therapy use a series of hand positions, resting lightly on the body, to allow energy to flow through the patient.

People may also perform reike on themselves.

Rolfing is manual manipulation of the body’s soft tissue over a series of 10 sessions covering different parts of the body. Kristin Sloth, a certified Rolfer and licensed massage therapist, works in Oneonta.

"Its more of a stretching the fascia, a type of connective tissue that runs throughout the whole body," she said. Noting that each session builds on the one before, Soloth and Rolfing helps people align their bodies vertically for more efficient use. Her sessions run 1 1/4 hours and cost $80.

In addition to helping chronic pain suffers, she said that the therapy can also address emotional issues. Harmon Hathaway has found that, too.

When I lay a person down and have him start breathing, If there’s an emotion being held, it will come out. It’s mostly grief of anger," Hathaway said. "People continue with the breathing, stay above (the emotion) and go through it and it’s over."

Hathaway, who isn’t licensed in alignment therapy but has practiced it since 1964, noted there are problems with obtaining measurable results with some therapies.

"One of the biggest problems with alternative medicine is an empirical data measurement," he said. "There’s also the problem of vagueness, because you get terms like ‘bodywork.’ Thats like modern dance: When you go to the theater, you don’t know what you’re going to see. Generally, I recommend somebody who has 20-25 years experience. Then they know what they’re doing."

All in all a nice article. I would like to make a few remarks about the article.

1. I had Alex Rabeler walking without the brace, on flat surfaces, within 15 minutes of doing some alignment manipulation on his foot. After three sessions he was able to walk on rugged ground, which most of his farm land is.

Alex has had 6 sessions and continues to work with me because there are many side effects to his body from walking with a limp. There are also general tensions that develop over 80 years from a lack of Alignment knowledge. The process is primarily to educate Alex.

2. In reference to the comment that I am not licensed in alignment therapy, I can safely say, there is no such license. I did help developed this subject and wrote the book on the subject. I do give certification to students who work with me and are competent in the practical application to others.

Since the fall of 95 I have been taping most of the sessions that I do. Especially the sessions that involve real physical problems. The before and after visuals are rewarding.

Blessings Harmon

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