Teaching Medical Students Self Care, Health and Wellness:

Strategies for ICAM integration into Medical School Education

Ilana Seidel, MSIV

University of Pittsburgh

School of Medicine

Experiential Learning: Abdominal Breathing

Experiential Learning: Abdominal Breathing• Put your right hand on your abdomen, right at the navel, and

put your left hand on your chest, right in the center. You may find it helpful to close your eyes.

• Take a deeper inhalation than usual and focus on the rising of the abdomen as the lungs fill with air and the diaphragm flattens down, causing the belly to rise. You should feel your stomach rising about an inch as you breathe in, and falling about an inch as you breathe out.

• Most of the movement should be in the lower hand; the other hand on the chest moves only slightly.

• The trick to shifting from chest to abdominal breathing is to make one or two full exhalations (pushes air out from bottom of lung, creating a vacuum that will pull in an abdominal breath on your next inhalation), pause, then inhale slowly.

• Nostril breathing is generally recommended but if you are more comfortable breathing through your mouth, do so.

Remember…• You should not take more than five deep breaths. If you

feel a little dizzy, take fewer deep breaths.• One needs to practice this technique to increase its

effectiveness. It is impossible to take deep breaths if you are holding your stomach in.

• Use this technique of breathing when you experience something that is upsetting to you. Do your regular breathing at other times.

• When your mind perceives something as stress it is difficult to think clearly. Thus, you may not remember to take 3-5 deep breaths. Therefore, it is important that you share this technique with your family and friends. When they see that you are upset they can remind you to deep breath and when you see that they are upset you can remind them.

Integration of ICAM into the Medical School Culture –

IHIG’s Journey

Integrative Health Interest Group

Mission Statement

We are a student group dedicated to wellness and integrative medicine. The foundation of our community is the belief that healing is inherent and that optimal healing takes place when the total human experience is taken into account and supported. We believe that bringing together effective evidence based allopathic medicine and non-allopathic modalities can provide the greatest opportunity for achieving this philosophy.

Integrative Health Interest Group

• IHIG's Objectives:– Promote and nurture self-care of our colleagues, an important

root of becoming a healer.– Educate ourselves and our peers about integrative medicine.– Spread awareness of and enthusiasm for integrative medicine.– Promote increased opportunities to learn about integrative

medicine within the UPSOM's medical curriculum.– Create a sustainable organizational structure.– Support and encourage members in their pursuit of a career in

integrative medicine.– Build a network of integrative medicine practitioners within

UPMC and the larger community.– Transformation of medical education towards one that

embraces our inherent healing ability and approaches healing from a holistic perspective.

Outreach

Facebook

MIXER 2009

Orientation Wellness Evening

Congratulations and Welcome to the Class of 2013!Please take a moment to fill out the following survey and let us know how important Integrative,

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (ICAM) is to you.☺☺☺☺☺☺Thank you! ☺☺☺☺☺☺

1.) How important is it to you that your medical school education include education regarding ICAM (such as yoga, acupuncture, exercise counseling, nutrition, etc.)?

Very important Some what important Not Sure Not important Who cares!2.) How important is it to you that your medical school education include clinical experiences in ICAM? Very important Some what important Not Sure Not important Who cares!3.) Is there a specific ICAM modality you would like to be able to use in your practice as a future

physician? Y N

What is that modality (such as meditation, nutrition, yoga, EMDR, acupuncture, etc.)?__________________________________________________________________________________4.) Have you ever used Integrative, Complementary, or Alternative Medicine as part of your own wellness

and health care? Y NIf you are willing to share, what modalities have you used?__________________________________________________________________________________5.) Would you like to help plan upcoming IHIG events? Y N If yes, are there specific events you are interested in organizing?6.) Would you like to attend upcoming IHIG events? Y N If yes, are there specific events you are interested in attending?7.) What did you enjoy most about the IHIG Wellness Evening for the class of 2013?______________________________________________________________________8.) What would make the IHIG Wellness Evening even better next year?__________________________________________________________________________________9.) Your thoughts: ______________________________________________________________________10.) If you would like to share your name and contact information, please do so here: