hpe266final

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength.”*

1. I am pursuing a career in the field of engineering here at Clark College & all I really care about is my math & major classes. At least 3 credits of health and physical education classes must be completed as a general education requirement. Not very many health and physical education classes offered by the college is 3 credits. Most are only 2 and some are even 1. I browsed the school catalog & found out a few HPE classes worth 3 credits that meet the requirement for an associate in science degree. I did register for HPE 266 considering my schedule without even paying much attention to the course description. Every time I hear the word health, I always divide it into 3 separate categories. Physical, mental & emotional. Mind body health sounded to me like it is a class about mental & physical health respectively. My idea is that mental health will be discussed (separately) with no relation to physical health. At the beginning of the quarter, I was totally clueless what mind body health was really all about especially the first day of class when I found out that this class was not as what I’ve anticipated & when I opened the text for the 1st time, I got utterly confused with what the 1^st chapter is trying to say.

2. “The mind-body approach to health is based on the understanding that health comes from inside us, that our beliefs--which drive our perception, imagination, attitudes, and emotions--are the strongest influence on all aspects of well-being”** I just cant modify this statement, this perfectly describes the summary of what mind body health is to me. By the end of the quarter, mind body health no longer meant just another P.E. class. It opened something new perspective in achieving optimum overall health to me… the time I spent for this class is worthwhile & the lifelong-knowledge that I gained will be very helpful not just for meeting any academic requirement but also for my own health and f the health of whoever I share the idea with. That what matters the most.

3. In 10 weeks, we’ve experienced more than a dozen various kinds of mind body healing modalities in HPE 266 lab. From mindfulness to sensual experience… to meditation. None of them I consider not helpful to improve my health. 3 of my favorites are mindfulness, aromatherapy & body rolling.

Mindfulness, “the art of seeing that every moment has a value of its own, even if the experience of that moment does not connect with any of our ambitions or goals.”*** in this practice, we “learn how to shift from doing to being mode, make time for our self, how to slow down & nurture calmness & self acceptance in ourselves, to observe what our mind is up to from moment to moment, how to watch our thoughts & how o let go of them without getting so caught up & driven by them.”****

I believe that being mindful will improve my health because I also believe that a mind that’s aware, mentally awake, focused & concentrated are more capable of making wise decisions & solve problems.

Aromatherapy, a unique branch of herbal medicine that utilizes the medicinal properties found in he essential oils of various plants. “olfactory nerves are like other nerves & organs in the body. They respond to electrical signals & impulses that form coded messages dispatched to various areas of the body. This may be why inhalation of some oils will increase the production of endorphins, neurotransmitters & antibodies. Fragrance is one of man’s greatest enjoyments, bringing back memories & creating feelings of security, grounding & well being”+

I believe that aromatherapy will improve my health because I understand how the tiny molecules from the essential oils connect to receptors in my olfactory nerves. They say to see is to believe… so then it can be logical to say that to experience is to believe. Every time I smell the scent of the oil of Olay sensitive skin bath bar, I remember the memory of summer 1998 vacation to manila, the time when I first used this soap. The scene is stored in my cells.

Body rolling, “a blend of the stretching of yoga with the release of massage.”++

I believe that body rolling will improve my health because I understand that when a muscle is released from its insertion point, it stimulates the tendon that results in a better circulation to the area. It makes the blood circulate better. A released muscle means better blood circulation.

4. Chapter 2

Psychoneuroimmunology- “ the arrival of a good clown exercises a more beneficial influence upon the health of a town than the arrival of twenty asses laden with drugs.”+++

This chapter focus on the link between the mind, the brain & the immune system. I believe that this class will never make sense at all if the theory behind PNI is not accepted. With all the discussions in class complemented by insightful inputs from my classmates, I have to say that all these factors helped me embrace 1 if not the most important topic of HPE 266. It’s the cornerstone of all mind body connection lectures.

Long before I heard about the word psychoneuroimmunology, I’m already familiar with the saying “laughter is the best medicine”. what a profound statement. It’s 1 of my existing beliefs. A strong belief which I consider to remain for life.

Chapters 7, 8, 9 & 10

Emotions & the mind body

We’ve talked 4 chapters in the text regarding anger, hostility, worry, anxiety & fear… & how are these different emotions relate to our health. We’ve explored the definitions, significance & effects of these emotions to our health.

The theories:

An angry heart, an ill heart

Angry as a cause of cancer

Hostility as a cause of heart disease

Worry & the circulatory system

Worry as a cause of asthma…

I didn’t had a hard time accepting these theories. They’re not information that I needed at this point of my life. They just seemed to be logical & self-explanatory to me & most are very well supported by the text. I know people who are possessing these characteristics that also suffers from those diseases.

The last lecture

I really enjoyed our discussion about the mask. I can relate to the theory. It’s true that nobody is unmasked. Each one wears a mask in order for us to deal with different kinds of people. In my case, since I am an immigrant, I needed to adjust the way I act, the way I speak, the way I am when I deal with people with a different background or culture. It’s like shifting mode… & when I do that, it follows a change in personality. The character remains.

There’s a poem in the back cover of my notebook when I was in high school that never really get my attention until last Wednesday, 10mar04. It’s concept is relevant to the class discussion. I wish I have it at hand that day so I can share it in class. I was anticipating somebody in the class might mention about the poem because I thought it is popular. Written by my favorite author whose name is unknown. Strikes this way…

HEAR WHAT IM NOT SAYING!!

Don't be fooled by me.
Don’t be fooled by the face i wear.
For I wear a mask, a thousand mask,
mask that I’m afraid to take off,
and none of them is me.
Pretending is an art that’s second nature to me, but don’t be fooled.
For God's sake don’t be fooled.
I give you the impression that I'm secure,
that confidence is my name and coolness is my game,
that the water's calm and I'm in command, and that I need no one.
But don't believe me.
My Surface may seem smooth but my surface
is my mask, ever-varying and ever-concealing.
Beneath lies no complacence.
Beneath lies confusion and fear and aloneness.
But I hide this. I don’t want anybody to know it.

I panic at the thought of my weakness and fear being exposed.
That's why I frantically create a mask to hide behind, a nonchalant sophisticated facade, to help me pretend,
to shield me from the glance that knows.
But such a glance is precisely my salvation.
My only hope, and I know it.
That is, if it's followed by acceptance,
if its followed by love.
Its the only thing that can liberate me from myself,
from my own self-built prison walls,
from the barriers I so painstakingly erect.
Its the only thing that will assure me
of what I can't assure myself,
that I’m really worth something.
I don’t like to hide.
I don’t like to play superficial phony games.
I want to stop playing them.
I want to be genuine and spontaneous and me,
but you've got to help me.
You've got to hold out your hand
even when that’s the last thing I seem to want.
Only you can call me into aliveness.

Each time you're kind and gentle and encouraging,
each time you try to understand because you really care,
my heart begins to grow wings, very small wings,
very feeble wings,
but wings!
With your power to tough me into feeling
you can breathe life into me.
I want you to know that.

Who am I, you may wonder.
I am someone you know very well.
For I am every man you meet,
and I am every woman you meet.

5. ++++ What's the single most important factor for predicting lifelong good health and longevity?

It’s not eating "right."

It’s not exercise.

It’s not maintaining a "healthy" weight.

It’s not getting regular checkups.

It’s not making sure you get the right vitamins and minerals.

It’s not the purity of the air you breathe or the water you drink.

It’s not giving up smoking.

It’s not having "good" genes.

It’s not the country you live in.

It’s not access to advanced medical care.

So what is it?

It's how you think.

I have to make it clear that in this, the source is not saying that these guidelines are wrong or should not be followed but instead, it emphasize that it’s the way we think is a bigger factor for predicting lifelong good health and longevity more than what most people believed over the years. That includes me! I am no exception to them. I’m not really a very health conscious person. I don’t intake liquor. I don’t smoke cigarette, I eat whatever my mother prepares in the table, I play basketball. I work, I study, I go to sleep. That’s it…

I want to add 1 more thing, at work, I noticed Americans shop groceries slow because they inspect the nutrition facts of each of the food they buy especially the carbohydrate & sugar contents. This doesn’t agree with what I learned in mind body health.

Finally… I know you are overflowing with resources for this class. You may want to check

http://www.xubera.com/index.htm

Acknowledgment:

* Proverbs 17:22 :: New Living Translation (NLT)
** Changing Your Mind for Health - A Guide to Healing and the Mind - Wendy Beall. http://www.xubera.com/Chapter_1.htm
*** Mike George in his book Inner Peace

**** Jon Kabat-Zinn in Full Catastrophe Living

+ An introduction to young living essential oils, lab. packet

++ adapted from article distributed by Megan Martin, LMT

+++ Thomas Sydenham

++++ Wendy Beall. http://www.xubera.com/index.htm

“health is wealth.”