Patient Programs

The Institute for Integrative Medicine at Crouse is dedicated to the practice of providing treatments that are complementary to the widely accepted mainstream care provided in a hospital setting. Such treatments are meant to help decrease pain, anxiety and stress.

Reiki

Pain, discomfort, stress and anxiety. Each of us at some point has experienced these feelings. Yet when one is hospitalized — in an unfamiliar environment with a change in routine, undergoing surgery or care for a medical issue — such sensations can intensify and seem unrelenting.

In 2008, a team of Crouse volunteers began offering Reiki, a technique for stress reduction believed to promote healing. Reiki was developed in Japan in the early 1900s and introduced to the mainland United States. Reiki is now part of patient programs in hospitals around the country. Led by Reiki Master Joyce Appel, RN, who worked in the Crouse NICU for many years, the volunteer team may visit adult patients on any unit in the hospital.

If you or a family member would like to try a Reiki treatment, let your nurse or medical provider know, and he or she can schedule a session.

Therapeutic Massage

According to a survey conducted by the American Hospital Association several years ago, therapeutic massage is the most common nontraditional therapy offered in U.S. hospitals. Massage has been shown to contribute to more restful sleep; improve the flow of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body; reduce depression and anxiety; and help relieve sore muscles from bed rest and inactivity.

Therapeutic massage is currently offered in the Kienzle Family Maternity Center by a volunteer licensed massage therapist. If you or a family member would like to schedule a massage, let your nurse know and he or she can schedule a session.