New UHS Lecture Series Expands Array of Campus Medical Choices

Recognizing that many members of the Harvard community often know more about, say, ancient history and physics than they do their own health, University Health Services (UHS) is taking steps to create a more enlightened student body.

Today, the UHS Center for Wellness and Health Communication launches its second lecture series, "The Benefits of Complementary Therapies" aimed at educating students and staff about topics in alternative medicine ranging from aromatherapy to Yoga.

With levels of stress and Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI) on the rise, Harvard affiliates are increasingly looking for relief in unconventional places: massage, Yoga and other movement techniques.

Program Manager Keli M. Ballinger says she recognized a need for the lectures after seeing many patients, including students, searching for information about these "complementary therapies." Arriving with an interest in exploring therapies they had heard about or seen on the 'Net, Ballinger said she was concerned individuals were coming to Holyoke Center with unreliable information.

"There's really a lot of misconceptions out there about these treatments...but there's a big interest," Ballinger says. "We wanted to make sure people had the big picture. This is an opportunity for people to get correct and reliable information and to test out some of the therapies."

According to Ballinger, UHS debuted the free lecture series during the summer with great success. Each of the eight one-hour talks , she says, attracted between 75 to 80 people.

"It was really clear to us then," she says.

For the summer series, UHS recruited local experts to present the lectures, which covered Shiatsu, Massage Therapy, Alexander Technique, Acupuncture, Reflexology and QiGong.

Now, with a few of the former presenters on board as consultants to UHS, Ballinger says the six-weeks series will cover a new set of topics.

Starting today, the weekly lectures will take place Fridays at noon beginning with mediation, covering aromatherapy next week, biofeedback Oct. 23, yoga Oct. 30, herbal remedies on Nov. 6 and Feldenkrais (a movement technique) Nov. 13.

According Michael A. Hoyt, Resource Center coordinator at the Wellness Center, the lecture series seeks to the address misinformation concerning the alternative therapies and techniques as they become more mainstreamed.

"We're really trying to create a...health-literate population," he says. "People have to become consumer of [their] healthcare."

Hoyt says reaction to the first lecture in the series was overwhelming.

"The response that I got was very positive and a lot of people were thankful that they got this information," he says.

Hoyt acknowledges that this "wellness-focused initiative" reflects a new direction for UHS.

"It is , in many ways, a new vision for UHS to take on that sort of perspective," he says. "I really think there is more to come."

Beyond the lecture series, Ballinger says UHS can extend the applicability of lecture info by providing related services to complement the presentations.

For example, UHS now offers both hour-long table massages at the Law School and 10-minute chair massages at UHS runs regular yoga, meditation and Feldenkais classes on campus.

Although students at the College have a pay a flat fee for the massage yoga services, Ballinger says, her office is working to make the services more accessible. As of this week, a 10-minute chair massage costs $10, an hour-long table massage, $45.

"I know it's hard to pay a fee for many of these services, but we're really looking a how we can market these services to students," she says.

In the case of less mainstream therapies like acupuncture, Ballinger says UHS generally refers students or staff to reliable practitioners.

According to Hoyt, the surge in interest in these offering reflects changing values among the American population, not to mention some new problems afflicting students.

"RSI no doubt is a major concern on campus," he says. "[But] as a society... I think people are sort of becoming aware of the real reasons to take care of themselves.'

But while acknowledging the benefits that alternative forms of medicine offer, students should be wary of confusing prevetative medicine with general cure. Director of the Bureau of Study Council, Charles P. Ducey says therapies like massage may not get at the underlying issue that causes student malaise: namely stress.

Ducey says students generally come to the Bureau of Study Council for personal help and as a policy they don't like to send students away.

"We assume that if students come here for help, we don't want students to feel like we're brushing them off to another program," he says."[But] I can certainly see us collaborating with our colleagues at [UHS]."

The Bureau does host a workshop for students struggling to deal with stress at the College. However, the program is not for everyone. As Ducey says, in a few cases a good massage might be just what the doctor ordered.

"We might prescribe it from time to time for students who simply can't relax," Dicey says. "On the other hand, we assume that yoga, meditation and massage are good for anyone."