Ana Drexler, R.N., director of integrative care and palliative care services at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, talks about the therapeutic value of “reducing anxiety.”
When women come into the breast center at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, they are offered integrative care as part of their diagnosis and treatment plan.
For breast cancer patients at the hospital, integrative care includes Reiki during stereotactic biopsies as well as giving women the tools they can use on their own to help them relax during conversations with an oncologist or other health practitioners during their treatment.
"By reducing anxiety, we are practicing a holistic approach to care," said Ana Drexler, R.N., director of integrative care and palliative care services at the hospital.
Integrative care is patient-focused, healing-oriented care that takes into account the whole person. It also educates and empowers the patient to be an active participant in his or her own care.
Reiki is a gentle noninvasive laying of the hands on the patient that restores balance and energy. Portsmouth Regional began using Reiki in the late 1990s, when a then-surgical nurse, Patricia Alandydy, introduced the practice to the hospital as a way to relax patients before surgery.
Wendy Blood, a mammographer in the breast center, said she is definitely seeing a difference with women who have Reiki done during a procedure such as the stereotactic biopsy.
Stereotactic biopsies use mammography to help pinpoint the spot in the breast that needs to be removed. The woman is usually laying face down on the biopsy table and the breast that is being biopsied is placed through an opening for the doctor to perform the procedure.
It is not the most comfortable of positions to be in for about a half-hour, and it can be anxiety-provoking.
"But a lot of doctors don't administer medication for relaxing during the procedure," Blood said. "Reiki does relax them."
Blood said this is important, as the woman has to lie completely still. "The target area (volume) for the biopsy is in milliliters," she said.
Reiki is also often used during ultrasound-guided biopsies.
Each patient is given a "Relaxation Kit" in the breast center. The pretty silver bag holds a flaxseed-filled eye pillow (with or without lavender), earplugs, a battery-powered tea light and a number to call to listen to a relaxation deep-breathing exercise or soothing music.
"We suggest patients do the relaxation exercise before seeing their doctor," Drexler said. "It helps them to center and be more focused to really listen to what their doctor is telling them. This can also aid in healing. It's the whole mind, body, spirit connection."
Using relaxation techniques is not new to health care. Dr. Herbert Benson and his colleagues at the Mind Body Institute in Boston found in the mid-1970s that relaxation response is helpful in healing several stress-related ailments including anxiety.
What is new is that hospitals such as Portsmouth Regional are integrating relaxation techniques alongside traditional care.
The breast center also offers chair massages for patients to help increase circulation and reduce soreness and tension. The Rev. Christopher Lanzara, the hospital's senior chaplain, also makes the rounds regularly to talk with patients.
The Integrative Care department at Portsmouth Regional is available to all patients seeking complementary holistic approaches to their personal healing. The hospital offers these services to staff to keep them healthy as well.
The Relaxation Hotline is free by calling 433-5151 and choosing a brief relaxing breath exercise or soothing
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