Healthy Options

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman
Co-Producer: Petra Hall
Technical Assistance: Joel Mann

Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well

This month:
Hospice Volunteers of Waldo County is community-based, with neighbors helping neighbors. They work closely with volunteers, families, and healthcare partners in their mission to help ensure that no one in Waldo County is alone when facing serious illness, end-of-life decisions, or bereavement.

Their services include educational resources on grief, death, and dying; support for caregivers working with those at the end of life; workshops on end-of-life issues and advance care planning, and also, grief support services to anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one, whether or not that person has received hospice care.

Guest(s):
Flic Shooter, the Executive Director of Hospice Volunteers of Waldo County.

FMI:
Hospice Volunteers of Waldo County: hospicevolunteersofwaldocounty.org

Hospice Volunteers of Waldo County Resources: hospicevolunteersofwaldocounty.org/resources

The Conversation Project: theconversationproject.org

About the host:
Rhonda Feiman is a nationally-certified, licensed acupuncturist practicing in Belfast, Maine since 1993. She primarily practices Toyohari Japanese acupuncture, using gentle and powerful non-insertion needle techniques, and also utilizes Chinese acupuncture and herbology. In addition, Rhonda is a practitioner of Qi Gong and an instructor of Tai Chi Chuan in the Yang Family tradition.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman
Co-Producer: Petra Hall
Technical Assistance: Joel Mann

Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well

This month:
What is trauma resiliency and how do our nervous systems respond to trauma & stress?
How the nervous system responds to accumulated trauma.
How generosity & gratitude can enhance resiliency.
What role tears and/or laughter may play when we experience distress or trauma.
The iChill App & how it can help calm us during periods of stress.

Guest(s):
Elaine Miller-Karas, co-founder- and former Executive Director- of the Trauma Resource Institute, a notable nonprofit dedicated to promoting resilience and trauma-informed care. Under her guidance, the Trauma Resource Institute has pioneered groundbreaking initiatives, such as the Community Resiliency Model and the Trauma Resiliency Model, both of which have become widely acknowledged interventions for addressing- and preventing- traumatic stress. She has led projects to help communities recover after earthquakes, hurricanes, fires, and mass shootings. Elaine Miller-Karas shares her experience & insights in her writings on trauma-related subjects, as a regular contributor to Psychology Today, and as the host of the weekly podcast, “Resiliency Within”, which is heard on VoiceAmerica. She is the author of “Building Resilience to Trauma: the Trauma and Community Resiliency Models”, a work commended by the United Nations for its alignment with the U.N.’s sustainable development goals. She has shared her expertise and has given presentations at numerous prestigious institutions, including the Centers for Disease Control, the United Nations, the Global Fund, Catalyst 2030, and the Skoll World Forum.

FMI:
Trauma Resiliency Institute: www.traumaresourceinstitute.com

iChill is a free app from the App store, or try it online HERE: www.traumaresourceinstitute.com/ichill

Psychology Today- Article by Elaine Miller-Karas: How to Cultivate Inner Harmony in Stressful Times: www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/building-resiliency-to-trauma/202601/how-to-cultivate-inner-harmony-in-stressful-times

Elaine Miller Karas podcasts on VoiceAmerica: www.voiceamericamedia.com/show/resiliency-within/

April 2025 HEALTHY OPTIONS interview on the Trauma Resource Institute (with links to previous HEALTHY OPTIONS programs on the work of the Trauma Resource Institute):

Healthy Options 4/2/25: Building Resiliency to Trauma: archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2025/04/healthy-options-4-2-25-building-resiliency-to-trauma/

About the host:
Rhonda Feiman is a nationally-certified, licensed acupuncturist practicing in Belfast, Maine since 1993. She primarily practices Toyohari Japanese acupuncture, using gentle and powerful non-insertion needle techniques, and also utilizes Chinese acupuncture and herbology. In addition, Rhonda is a practitioner of Qi Gong and an instructor of Tai Chi Chuan in the Yang Family tradition.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman
Co-Producer: Petra Hall
Technical Assistance: Joel Mann

Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well

This month:
1. What is somatic movement?
2. Using movement to help us through grief, shock, stress & trauma
3. What is fright, flight and freeze?
4. How stress and trauma can affect our nervous system
5. How grief and shock can affect our nervous system
6. What is the difference between depression and emotional dysregulation?

Guest(s):
Donna Brooks, somatic movement therapist, counselor, coach, and educator, & yoga therapist.

FMI:
Donna Brooks’ links for info-
Original Body Wisdom: originalbodywisdom.com
Somatic Movement Therapy for trauma, grief, and loss: originalbodywisdom.com/somatic-movement-therapy-for-trauma-grief-and-loss/
3 Ways Embodiment Helps navigate loss – blog post and video: originalbodywisdom.com/3-ways-embodiment-helps-navigate-loss/
Creating a GoodLife When a child Dies – blog post and video: originalbodywisdom.com/creating-a-good-life-after-a-child-dies/
Beauty in Grief and Loss – blog post and video: originalbodywisdom.com/like-the-cold-and-sparse-beauty-of-winter-there-is-also-a-beauty-in-grief-and-loss/
8 Somatic Breathing Exercises to do today – blog post and video: originalbodywisdom.com/8-somatic-breathing-exercises-to-do-today/
Youtube Playlist for Grief: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvXmR7ZSV14&list=PL55fMwRPubVxTexQnuE9fCI9pkrdU2E3y
YouTube Playlist for Breathing: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL55fMwRPubVyjc8xAK3MVpyBLExkhrFKF

About the host:
Rhonda Feiman is a nationally-certified, licensed acupuncturist practicing in Belfast, Maine since 1993. She primarily practices Toyohari Japanese acupuncture, using gentle and powerful non-insertion needle techniques, and also utilizes Chinese acupuncture and herbology. In addition, Rhonda is a practitioner of Qi Gong and an instructor of Tai Chi Chuan in the Yang Family tradition.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman
Co-Producer: Petra Hall
Technical Assistance: Joel Mann

Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well

This month:
-We ALL will get older; how we deal with this reality is important for each of us to face in a positive, life-affirming manner
-Age-positivity & how to reframe aging
-Why & how do positive views of aging produce healthier outcomes?
-The difference between a “health span” and a “life span”
-Pervasive age-related stereotypes in society, systemic ageism, & internalized, self-perpetuated ageism
-What is internalized ageism & how is it detrimental to all of us as we get older?
-The stigmatization of using the term “memory loss” & how it can be used indiscriminately & incorrectly
-How older people are treated differently than middle-aged & younger people in health care settings, based on perceptions of their age, versus their well-being & vitality.
-Economic disparities & bias that may manifest as we age, in being female and/or a person of color, resulting in a lack of resources and poverty
-Downsides of individual responsibility as we age vs. benefits of collective responsibility in communities
-What can we learn from other countries in relation to addressing the needs & credits of older citizens?
-How older people who want/need to work, & have skills & experience, can aid the employment shortage in Maine
-The Leadership Exchange on Aging as a participatory learning experience for leaders in all fields; 350 have graduated from the program, in Maine (see link, below).

Guest(s):
Jess Mauer, Executive Director of the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA).

FMI:
Maine Council on Aging (MCOA):
mainecouncilonaging.org

Northern New England Geriatric Education Center programs:
www.dartmouth-hitchcock.org/nnegec/programs#GITT-PC

mainecouncilonaging.org/agepositiveme/

Learn about/Join the Tri-State Learning Collaborative on Aging:
www.agefriendly.community

Leadership Exchange on Ageism
mainecouncilonaging.org/leadership-exchange-on-ageism/

About the host:
Rhonda Feiman is a nationally-certified, licensed acupuncturist practicing in Belfast, Maine since 1993. She primarily practices Toyohari Japanese acupuncture, using gentle and powerful non-insertion needle techniques, and also utilizes Chinese acupuncture and herbology. In addition, Rhonda is a practitioner of Qi Gong and an instructor of Tai Chi Chuan in the Yang Family tradition.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman
Co-Producer: Petra Hall
Technical Assistance: Joel Mann

Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well

This month:
1. Experiencing the physiological effects of music & song, and how different aspects of melody & rhythm can resonate with heart rates & the nervous system.
2. Music creating connection & community as well as personal empowerment- even if you were told at any early age you were not a singer.
3. Singing as natural for us as humans, vs. how it has become seen as a business and not as a personal expression to use and share.
4. The power of singing in groups, how it feels to sing with others, and what happens to our emotions as we sing together and experience songs & melodies.
5. Songs can remind us we are not alone, and we are connected to others whether with shared experiences, or with new insights, bringing empathy about others’ lives.
6. How it is used as an outlet to express reactions to injustice, and empowers people who are banding together to work for social change.
7. Effects of various kinds of music on growing plants (“Kids! Try this at home!”).

Guest(s):
Claudia Schmidt, singer-songwriter, folk & jazz musician, & poet, www.claudiaschmidt.com

Claudia Schmidt (with Sally Rogers), sallyrogers.com/concert-booking/sally-and-claudia/

FMI:
Giving Voice Chorus.
www.givingvoicechorus.org
Creating joyful choral communities for people living with dementia.

The Healing Power of Music.
aish.com/the-healing-power-of-music/

Music Care.
www.musiccare.org
Music care is the intentional use of music by anyone to improve health and well-being.

About the host:
Rhonda Feiman is a nationally-certified, licensed acupuncturist practicing in Belfast, Maine since 1993. She primarily practices Toyohari Japanese acupuncture, using gentle and powerful non-insertion needle techniques, and also utilizes Chinese acupuncture and herbology. In addition, Rhonda is a practitioner of Qi Gong and an instructor of Tai Chi Chuan in the Yang Family tradition.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman
Co-Producer: Petra Hall
Technical Assistance: Joel Mann

Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well

This month:
-How music can help with emotional stability.
-The attributes of music therapy in reducing stress.
-The powerful & positive effects of singing in groups.
-Music & memory.
-Therapeutic use of music in addressing cognitive challenges.
-Using music with children with autism.

Guest(s):
Heather Ellsworth, Board-certified Music Therapist & Neurologic Music Therapist, musician, singer and composer. midcoastmusictherapy.com

FMI:
Maine Music Therapy website (where people can search their specific Maine county for a music therapist): www.mainemusictherapy.com

About the host:
Rhonda Feiman is a nationally-certified, licensed acupuncturist practicing in Belfast, Maine since 1993. She primarily practices Toyohari Japanese acupuncture, using gentle and powerful non-insertion needle techniques, and also utilizes Chinese acupuncture and herbology. In addition, Rhonda is a practitioner of Qi Gong and an instructor of Tai Chi Chuan in the Yang Family tradition.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman
Co-Producer: Petra Hall
Technical Assistance: Joel Mann

Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well

This month:
-The different ticks appearing in Maine, and the tick diseases being found now.
-The vital importance of keeping tick OFF of us!
-Poppy-seed size of ticks right now, as nymphs in May, and sesame seed size as adults, and raisin-sized when engorged
-Tick-borne pathogens & their afflictions: Anaplasmosis, Babeosis, Lyme (Borellia), Alpha Gal, Erhlichia, Rocky Mt. Spotted Fever, Relapsing Fever (& Powassan Virus, which can cause severe to fatal illness in just 15 minutes after a bite)
-The importance of clinical diagnosis, vs. relying solely on the imperfections in analyzing test results, and the significance of a LYME disease rash- which does not present in every tick bite
-How to check for ticks in a timely fashion, so an embedded tick has less time to transfer disease from its bite; we do not know how the length of time required for a tick to transmit infection
-How to remove a tick safely & what is a risky tick bite (tick broken off, tick on for several hours/days, tick being “annoyed” and spitting bacteria etc. back into the wound from its salivary gland)
-Sending ticks for identification as to the type of tick & possible disease carried
-What is a PCR test, and what it can show (or not), the issues of interpreting antibody tests, and when to test for Lyme & co-infections
-What treatments are commonly used, and the challenges of diagnosing tick-borne illness
-How to protect yourself (and your pets) from ticks when being outdoors (high percentage of tick bites recorded, from your own backyard, yardwork, gardening, clearing brush).
-Permithrin-treated clothing and effective repellents used on the skin for tick protection
-How to make your backyard less habitable for ticks, and migrating birds can carry ticks & spread them onto our property; best to not use bird feeders from April through October

Guest(s):
Dr. Beatrice Szantyr, Internist and Pediatrician who lectures on Lyme disease and related tick-borne disorders in Maine and nationally, to both professional and community groups. She is an active member of the Maine CDC Vector Borne Disease Work Group, and a member of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society.  Dr. Szantyr also had served on the 2022 Federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group, Access to Care and Education Subcommittee.

FMI:
EPA info on effective repellents
www.epa.gov/insect-repellents?
EPA info on repellent-treated clothing
www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/repellent-treated-clothing?

University of Maine Tick Lab?- Protect Yourself from ticks & tick-borne diseases
(Identify a tick for free; $20 to ID diseases the tick may contain)
extension.umaine.edu/ticks/
Tick testing Amherst MA. (tests for more diseases):
www.tickreport.com

Maine Tracking Network- Tickborne Diseases
Improving public health with better information:
data.mainepublichealth.gov/tracking/home

Columbia University Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center
www.columbia-lyme.org/

Powered by patients. Home of Lyme Times and My Lyme Data:
www.lymedisease.org/

TickEncounter  The University of Rhode Island?Tick-borne Disease prevention Education
web.uri.edu/tickencounter/

This article is brief enough for a patient to bring to a doctor’s visit for them to consider:
The Management of Ixodes scapularis Bites in the Upper Midwest
wmjonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/110/2/78.pdf

PARTICULARLY FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS (& FMI for clients):
LymeCME- Free, Evidence-based, AAFP-Accredited Courses Physicians Can Trust
www.lymecme.info/

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Previous HEALTHY OPTIONS PROGRAMS on ticks & Lyme can also be found at:

archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2024/05/healthy-options-5-1-24-lyme-disease-other-tick-borne-illness-update-for-2024/
archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2023/05/healthy-options-5-3-23-lyme-disease-tick-borne-illness-and-how-to-be-tick-conscious-to-protect-ourselves/
archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2022/10/healthy-options-10-5-22-the-ticks-are-still-here-what-you-need-to-know/
archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2022/05/healthy-options-5-4-22-yearly-update-on-ticks-lyme-and-tick-borne-illnesses/
archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2021/05/healthy-options-5-5-21-ticks-those-blood-sucking-parasites/
archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2020/06/healthy-options-6-3-20-ticks-and-tick-borne-illnesses/

About the host:
Rhonda Feiman is a nationally-certified, licensed acupuncturist practicing in Belfast, Maine since 1993. She primarily practices Toyohari Japanese acupuncture, using gentle and powerful non-insertion needle techniques, and also utilizes Chinese acupuncture and herbology. In addition, Rhonda is a practitioner of Qi Gong and an instructor of Tai Chi Chuan in the Yang Family tradition.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman
Co-Producer: Petra Hall
Technical Assistance: Joel Mann

Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well

This month:

Using the Trauma Resiliency Model to stay resilient and centered during this exceeding stressful time

The differences between fight, flight, & freeze as reactions to stress
“Toxic stress”,“tolerable stress”, & “positive stress”, and what may be helpful- or harmful- to us

How can we regulate our nervous system in reaction to stress & trauma?
What are some techniques to deal with stress, be resilient, and stay/become centered? What are some specific strategies to use when you are scared or agitated?

How being aware of sensation (body awareness), helps in handling and reducing trauma, and how you can help yourself return to a feeling of well-being when you are out of balance & feeling beset by stress

Personal, societal, and political stress and the challenge (and imperative) to stay centered & be resilient

What is the iChill app and how can it help in times of unease & stress?
What are Tracking, Resourcing, Grounding & Gesturing, and how are they used in the iChill app to help with managing stress?

Guest(s):
Elaine Miller-Karas, MSW, LCSW, trauma therapist, co-founder & former executive director of the Trauma Resource Institute, a non-profit dedicated to promoting resilience and trauma-informed care, worldwide.
Elaine Miller-Karas is the author of “Building Resiliency to Trauma, the Trauma and Community Resiliency Models®”, and the host of the podcast, “Resiliency Within”. She has led projects to help communities in the recovering process from mass shootings, and leads the Ukraine Humanitarian Resiliency Program which provides support to teachers & children amidst the country’s conflict. She is currently working in Los Angeles with survivors of the recent wildfires.

FMI:
Trauma Resiliency Institute
www.traumaresourceinstitute.com
iChill is a free app from the App store, or try it online, at
ichillapp.com
Psychology Today- Article by Elaine Miller-Karas
Dialogue, Dignity, and Democracy Personal Perspective: We can nurture our humanity in the face of inhumanity Psychology Today 2/25/25
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/building-resiliency-to-trauma/202502/dialogue-dignity-and-democracy
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Previous HEALTHY OPTIONS programs on the work of the Trauma Resource Institute:
Restoring & enhancing resiliency & balance after shock and trauma
archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2023/11/healthy-options-11-1-23-restoring-and-enhancing-resiliency-and-balance-after-shock-and-trauma/
Building Resiliency to Trauma
archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2021/03/healthy-options-3-3-21-building-resiliency-to-trauma/
archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2017/10/healthy-options-10417/
archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2014/09/healthy-options-932014/
archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2010/12/healthy-options-12110/
archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2009/9/healthy-options-90209/

About the host:
Rhonda Feiman is a nationally-certified, licensed acupuncturist practicing in Belfast, Maine since 1993. She primarily practices Toyohari Japanese acupuncture, using gentle and powerful non-insertion needle techniques, and also utilizes Chinese acupuncture and herbology. In addition, Rhonda is a practitioner of Qi Gong and an instructor of Tai Chi Chuan in the Yang Family tradition.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download