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  N
If 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: