The Nightingale Center

Why are Athletes Turning to Alternative Medicine?

By Dr. Lois Nightingale

Athletes and those focused on physical fitness are concerned about caring for their bodies. Traditional medicine has focused on treating symptoms, the use of drugs and surgical procedures to address health problems. While many times these treatments are necessary, medication always has side effects and invasive procedures can require long recovery times and sometimes permanent disability. Alternative Therapies are focused on promoting the body's ability to heal itself (as your finger heals itself after a cut). Athletes are finding many of the health challenges they face can be effectively addressed with specific forms of alternative therapies.

Massage Therapy is used by many athletes before and after physical exertion to help with muscle tension and soreness. It is also used to reduce stress and fatigue, reduce congestion, improve circulation, enhance immune function, increase oxygen and nutrient supplies to muscles, joints, organs and the brain. Massage also reduces pain from muscle spasm, inflammation and tissue damage. It facilitates the body's cleansing of toxins, assists lymphatic and venous flow, can help break up and loosen subcutaneous scar tissue and adhesions. It can even reduce certain types of edema and can increase respiration to the skin. Massage is also effective in restoring metabolic balance, in blood pressure reduction, and lowering levels of stress hormones (cortisol and norepinephrine.) Massage also helps athletes reduce stress and anxiety and improves their sleep. Some 25 million Americans, make over 60 million visits to massage therapists a year. Many of these health-conscious clients are focused on keeping their bodies at peek functioning.

Another Complementary therapy extensively used by athletes is acupuncture. In 1997 the National Institute of Health concluded that acupuncture is effective in treating many muscle and skeletal system disorders, and could be effective in treating disorders such as asthma and osteoarthritis. Many pain problems can also be treated, such as back and shoulder pain, tennis elbow, facial pain, tension head aches, and migraines. Even when athletes need surgery, acupuncture has been shown effective in reducing postoperative pain.

Acupuncture is done with the insertion of needles, some the diameter of a hair. These needles are inserted with very little or no discomfort into acupuncture points corresponding to problem areas. Acupuncturist and those trained in Chinese medicine have extensive education and experience. Training consists of learning many theories and practices along with hundreds of acupuncture points along "meridians". There are many Eastern and Western ideas on why acupuncture works. The Eastern ideas are based on balancing and keeping energy flowing in a healthy way through out the body. Western ideas favor the research showing the body's hormonal, electrical and systemic response to acupuncture. Americans make about 24 million visits to acupuncturists a year, many of these are people focused on fitness and performing at their best.

Coaches have always encouraged athletes to visualize their performances. Having a clear picture in one's mind significantly increases the chances of a great outcome. Imagery techniques such as Guided Imagery or self-hypnosis can teach athletes how to create outcomes they never before thought possible. Often the barrier to high performance is not so much physical as mental. These mental obstacles may be conscious or unconscious. But either may be effectively treated with therapies that appeal to the right side of the brain. The part of the mind that deals in pictures and images can directly impact and inspire the entire person, including physical performance, the perception of pain, and in overcoming anxiety and stress. What we think about has a direct effect on our physical body. (Think of how your mouth feels when you think of a sour juicy lemon, or your racing heart at a scary movie.)

The mind/body connection is denied by very few athletes. They know their performance will be about as good as their mind set is. Psychologist work with any emotional or psychological barriers athletes may have to attaining their peek performance potential. Attaining self-confidence and releasing resentments of the past or overcoming an addiction can make all the difference in an athlete's abilities. Past trauma or loss can inhibit an athlete's ability to risk and "play full-out". Working with a trained therapist can assist in leaving the bad experience behind and moving free and uninhibited into future challenges.

Anxiety, stress, fear or headaches can also negatively affect an athlete's performance. Biofeedback is used to quickly and effectively train people to control muscle tension and physical stress held in the body. Biofeedback shows an athlete where in the body they are holding stress. With a machine that has visual or audible signals a person can learn to consciously control muscle tension. A biofeedback trainer hooks the patient up to the machine with wires that measure skin temperature, blood flow, heart rate and galvanic skin response (minute sweating). These mechanical measurement give the athlete immediate information about relaxation and if what they are doing or thinking is assisting or inhibiting muscle relation. Research has show biofeedback to be effective, very safe and fun to learn.

Other Alternative Therapy used extensively by athletes is herbal supplements to enhance metabolic and immune functioning and assist in maintaining energy and stamina. Chiropractic is also very popular and is now covered by most insurance plans.

Whatever Alternative Therapies are used, primary care physicians should be told. It is important in treating patients that doctors have the whole picture. More and more physicians are referring patients for Alterative and Complementary care, and the cooperation between health care professionals is essential for patients to receive the best care possible.