Promoting Healthy Lifestylesin Minority Communities: Touch of Life Program an Innovative Complementary Alternative Model to Healing

Promoting Healthy Lifestyles in Minority Communities: Touch of Life Program an Innovative, Complementary Alternative Model to Healing

Purpose

The purpose of this workshop is to present information about an innovative, effective health and wellness project introducing complementary alternative healing system.

Background

Energy Institute of the Healing Arts Foundation offers complementary alternative services promoting mind, body, spirit healing programs. Touch of Life, a three year program educates consumers on healthy lifestyles behaviors, and holistic modalities as tools to prevent, reduce and/or eliminate health disparities.

Methods

Touch of Life Program targeted 300, predominantly African American residents of Prince George's County in Maryland including children ages 3 to16 and adults 21to 94. Health issues consisted of hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, obesity and high cholesterol. This twelve week program offered healthy lifestyle classes for two hours weekly, Qi Gong exercises, progressive relaxation, health and holistic nutrition lectures, assessments, follow-ups, and evaluations.

Findings

Three-year data collected suggests improvement in health outcomes: weight loss, blood sugar levels, medications, joints pain and cholesterol levels. As an example, 90% hypertensive participant's blood pressure decreased, with a 35% reduction and/or elimination of medication by physicians.

Conclusion

This project suggests educating consumers about healthy lifestyles with a focus on the bio-chemical relationships between food and the body's physiology is important. It suggests incorporating and adapting holistic modalities that contributes to improving health and well being.

Implications

This project is significant for research, practice and policy suggesting the importance of integrating complementary alternative modalities into health practices to improve overall health.