msi AWyY IME yan *15"0 (08-6899784 : pad 20 TMA IM TNT — ANaw Dvd HAVEN IN Operation “Treatment” A review of Chinese medicine treatments provided during operation “Protective Edge”. During the course of operation “Protective Edge” we worked as practitioners of Chinese medicine in Sderot. We are an integral part of the multi-disciplinary team of the “Emuna” Family Counseling Center in Sderot. The 10 “Emuna” Family Counseling Centers around Israel offer a variety of conventional therapy options for individuals, couple, families and children. In the Sderot center, for the past 6.5 years, project “Asch R'tzono” has offered complimentary medicine alongside the conventional therapies. This combination, which will be discussed in further detail below. is unique in our field. The treatments are subsidized and can be provided thanks to the donors and supporters of this project, Women are treated by female practitioners, Galit Avraham (Chinese medicine and shiatsu), Tami Noy (massage) and Havva Mahler (Chinese medicine, tuina and massage), while men are treated by a male practitioner, Ben-Tsion Shklar (Chinese medicine and shiatsu. Last summer the security situation intensified and operation “Protective Edge” began. The rocket attacks and “Tseva Adom” alerts caused stress and anxiety to many of our patients and had a noticeable effect on the physical and mental health of Sderot, residents. Naturally, during wartime many everyday activities are postponed because of the daily dangers, so that medical treatments and even psychological treatments are often canceled. Despite this, during the course of operation “Protective Edge” the number of treatments provided through our project jumped significantly (especially among women) because the treatments offered an immediate answer to the distress caused by the situation. Because of this, we as practitioners felt a need to come and treat our patients despite the dangers this entailed, whether we came from our homes in the area to treat patients, while risking a“Tsava Adom” alert on the way, or even came from quieter areas to the war zone. One of the advantages of treating mental aspects through complimentary medicine is the ability to touch the patients: most of the women who requested treatment during “Protective Edge” were “hungry” for touch, and most them suffered particularly from pain and tension in the shoulders. In addition, many of them suffered from pain in the lower back and knees. Almost all of the mothers complained of shoulder pain, and one patient described the responsibility parents in the area feel as a weight pressing down on their shoulders. According to Chinese medicine, tension and worries oftenbuild up in the body and specifically in the shoulders and inner area of the thigh and knee, so this phenomenon was completely understandable from our point of view. Some of us felt that at that time, apart from offering human touch, the best thing we could do for our patients was simply tell them that what they were feeling did not signify any problem with them. Just knowing that what they were experiencing was normal under the circumstances provided emotional and physical relief. In addition, listening to them and to their distress had a strong therapeutic effect. Another important tool we had was our presence: not just being with them but being “in charge” - sending the message that we are experienced and trained professionals and that we can be strong and stable for them. Approximately two month from the end of operation “Protective Edge”, some people began seeking treatment for problems that started “since summer” or * in the past months”, Mostly muscular pains, general malaise and mental stress. Sadly, we expect to continue seeing effects of ‘the summer that wasn't. But we are encouraged by our ability to help. ‘The following case is presented as an example of the need for Chinese medicine to treat emotional issues in which acupuncture actually plays a more significant role than touch: A 14 year old female resident of Sderot was referred to Galit from “Merkaz Khosen” (a treatment center dealing with the metal and emotional effects of the security situation) due to being “closed” and unable to open up to conventional therapy. She was healthy and had never previously suffered from anxiety or feared the situation or the “Tsava Adom” alerts. security As a result of the terrorist infiltration of Kibbutz Nir-Am she suffered a severe and was taken to the ER suffering from difficulty breathing, tremors, panic attack pains. At the hospital she was given tranquilizers and crying and unexplained “Merkaz Khosen”. referred for psychological treatment at Since then she had been suffering from difficulty breathing, a feeling of heaviness in the abdomen, lack of appetite, headache, pain in the upper back that radiates to the difficulty falling asleep. chest and ‘The git] was closed off, not speaking, not smiling and her entire body is stiff. She came with her father who explained her situation and the circumstances leading up to it. Diagnosis In this case the body and mind were unable to cope with the situation which caused trauma. In the Chinese terminology, the shock caused a separation between the Heartand the Kidneys. The Heart and Kidneys together make up the “Life Axis”, which means the basic confidence and faith that exists in everyone, When the “Life Axis” is, harmed the usually therapeutic tools such as speech will be ineffective until the Heart and Kidneys are reconnected. Restoring the trust in normal life can be thought of as a kind of “retuning”. ‘The therapeutic principle in this case is releasing the tension together with calming the spirit. The treatment was performed using points and locations that help release tension, relax the tight muscles and balance the spirit. For the first treatment the patient did not allow the therapist to touch her and requested acupuncture only. At the second treatment she agreed to receive shiatsu along with the acupuncture and at the third treatment she reported that she felt better and was able to breath easily and asked to repeat the previous treatment, At the end of that treatment she finally smiled. After 7 treatments there was significant improvement, and she began receiving psychological therapy at “Merkaz Khosen”. Her father asked that she continue to receive acupuncture once a month for additional support. Alongside the regular Chinese medicine and massage treatments, two weeks before the beginning of operation “Protective Edge” a series of “Healing Circle” treatments began. The series consisted of 13 weekly treatments and continued the whole summer, despite events. Some days the treatments took place in the “Emuna” center's sate room due to Qassam rockets being fired on Sderot. The treatments were performed by Havva and Galit. ‘The healing circle is a group acupuncture treatment designed to relieve symptoms of trauma and post-trauma, such as: emotional distress, insomnia and difficulty falling asleep, nightmares, difficulty concentrating, nervousness, excessive alertness, headaches and other physical pains, palpitations, shortness of breath, excessive/lack of appetite, lethargy and fatigue and more. ‘The treatment is based on the NADA (National Acupuncture Detoxification Association) protocol, which was originally intended for addictions. The treatment balances the nervous system and affects hormones in the brain. Among others the group included a female soldier who was caught in the open during a rocket attack and suffered from nightmares, insomnia and inability to ery; a woman whose son's house was struck by a rocket and as a result was afraid to go outdoors; and a man who had suffered a severe traffic accident and suffered from orthopedic and neurological pain. In our opinion, the fact that people continued to come to the treatment sessions through the whole summer, even on the days when a number of alerts were heard during the session, testifies to the value of the treatment. The majority of the healing, circle patients reported a general feeling of well-being and release of tension duringthe treatment and in the days following, as well as an improvement in sleep and mood after the treatments. In light of this success and understanding the added value of the group meetings, even without verbal communication, we have opened another series of group treatments and plan on continuing in the future. In conclusion this review arose from our understanding that the treatments of “Protective Edge” revealed the uniqueness of our treatment center, as integrating conventional psychological therapies with acupuncture and massage. Most of our ‘cases are on the body-mind axis, but the continuing stressful situation demands more emphasis on the mind. However, many times the conventional therapeutic tools are ineffective and the therapist requires the help of medications or, as we have seen, work done through the body. The intent of this review is to increase awareness of the work being done at the treatment center in Sderot, and to encourage this work on a wider scale. Galit Avraham Written by: Havva Mahler Ben-fsion Shklar Ben-Tsion Shklar Havva Mahler Translated from the Hebrew by: Some rights reserved by authors. May be reproduced in whole or in part with altribution, Reproduction for profit is strictly prohibited