My Views on Patient's RightsWritten by Lynda Appell
What I consider rights of patients. These I believe should be right of all patients. My article is about my proposal for rights of all patients. By this I mean both in and out patients. It includes physical and mental conditions. By no means is list below meant to be exhaustive. It is merely a beginning. Perhaps you could think of this as start of a dialogue. If you have any valid suggestions feel free to add them in your comments. The two exceptions to these rights would be people too incapacitated either by a developmental disability or mental illness. In that case a reliable guardian should be appointed. By reliable I mean a person who can be trusted to make sound decisions and is able and willing to do so. One other note. Only a small percentage of patient's in psychiatric hospitals are unable to make their own decisions affecting their care. Admittedly opinionated, but not dogmatic. It's just my opinion and it's fully realized that everyone has right to agree or not. Hopefully at least some readers out there will be agreeing with me. The list here is not in order of importance, simply because they are considered equally important. 1. Be treated with dignity and respect. 2. Participate fully in all decisions about one's treatment
| | Be Mindful of your exerciseWritten by Phil Weaver
Soft, gentle, fluid, mindful: Words we wouldn't normally associate with a high-energy workout for seniors. Advertising agencies and Hollywood have sold us on idea that intensity and personality of instructor is a measure of quality of a workout. Flashy sets, Hollywood glitter, punchy music, and celebrity endorsements have been selling points for exercise programs. We have been trained to measure their worth on these things. As if eye candy they sell will flatten your abs and tighten your butt. Why is this? It has to do with our fast food culture. Fast paced lives have created a need for fast everything. Instant mash, instant results, easier, no thinking required, five minutes a day, five easy steps mentality pervades our society. We have become McDonalds generation. Fortunately, this trend is changing, at least when it comes to exercise. While Hollywood will still have it's way with masses, there are many who are searching and finding a better way. Exercise programs, which are based upon quality of motion and mindfulness of body, are seeing a huge resurgence. While most of them have been around for a very long time, there are also many new programs, which have adapted principals of old with needs of today. They all have two things in common; they are gentle on body and they are mindful, integrating mind with body. Faster, harder, feel burn, no pain no gain. Working your body in this way may not be best way. There are hundreds of programs out there, which are completely based upon this mentality. These programs have no room for being overweight, having pre-existing injuries or general wear and tear of everyday life. No real attention to form, only a celebrity cheerleader pushing you ever harder. Not much mindfulness here, no real emphasis on preserving body and motions, which are natural to it. Only a push it harder attitude. While this attitude is part of a great workout, it is not total answer, only a small part. To really enhance a workout, one must be mindful of what they are doing. This is a skill, which few possess. It is a strange thing and something that most people do not realize. People are just not aware of their bodies. This becomes evident as a lack of coordination or a propensity for injury. We are truly not aware of what each part of our body is doing until properly trained to do so. Without this skill, we cannot get most from our bodies and from our workouts. Mindfulness will strengthen muscles needed for balance and support. Many ancient disciplines teach this skill. Martial arts, Yoga, Tai Chi, Chi Kung are all ancient arts, which deal with this. Cardio Karaticise, Power Yoga, NIA, and Pilate's are programs, which have adapted principles from these ancient disciplines. Alexander Technique, FeldenKrais Method, Breema, and Somatics are fairly modern day programs which utilize principle of mindfulness although may call it different things. Of these, lets look at those that focus on using ancient principles to develop a modern day workout. The martial arts based aerobics systems, Power Yoga, NIA, and Pilate's. Martial arts aerobics systems have hit mainstream. They've been practiced for a long time in Martial arts studios, but a major marketing campaign has brought a few of them into public eye. Martial arts in general are divided into two main categories, hard and soft. Since martial arts are divided into these categories, aerobics programs based upon them will also be divided in this way. Both are fantastic workouts but you must be careful with hard style. Hard style martial arts aerobics such as Tae Bo and Kardio Kickbox, which are typically based upon Japanese and Okinawan systems, can be very high impact and can wear on joints. Since a lot of stretching and preconditioning is necessary for these martial arts, same should be done for their aerobic counterparts. These are not programs that should be done by elderly. There is a high risk of injury associated with these even in those that are athletic. Soft style martial arts aerobics are based on Kung Fu, Chinese martial arts. These arts tend to be more fluid and are therefore more gentle on body. However, because they use same muscle groups, they still produce an intense workout if done properly. These take a little longer to learn but are very worthwhile. Cardio Karaticise is a good example of a Kung fu based aerobic.
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