THIS RANT IS ALSO A CLASS DESCRIPTION — ‘WE ARE ALL STRESS DOULAS NOW’

July 30 & 31, 10am - 6pm (2 hour lunch/walk/integration time); Fees $120/day, $200 both days, $60/50 tight budget rate, work study available. Single and group indoor and outdoor (tenting) accommodations available from $95/day to free.

COVID-19 PROTOCOLS: All participants are vaccinated and boosted (proof requested on registration); the room is large and well ventilated with 3 air purifiers additionally running. We will all rapid test both mornings; please bring tests or they can be provided for a $10 convenience fee. All attendees and Center staff mask in all public places.

These days, every passing year and month seems to bring new challenges to women’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. With spiraling political turmoil on top of the pandemic, it’s no wonder that opioid and other addictions continue to increase. Of course it would be lovely if everyone had time, money, and availability of qualified therapists and other health professionals – but here in the real world, it’s time to care for our own well-being proactively, and teach others to do the same.

This course in Basic Bodywork for Women’s Health is taught in this beautiful eco-center outside Amherst, MA, over the course of a 2-day retreat (though each 6-hour day can be taken on its own). Saturday covers a simple toolbox of 12 acupressure and bodywork techniques for quickly calming the spirit and soothing world weary neck, back, leg and shoulder muscles. Sunday applies these techniques to various common women’s health challenges including PMS and menstrual problems, fertility support, menopausal symptoms, and more; physical and emotional dimensions of all of these challenges are addressed, along with red flags for situations should be referred to medical care. All the material is summarized in simple, easy-to-use reminder handouts that are copyright free and can be shared with friends and loved ones.

The intention of this retreat is to recognize, develop, and provide structure for sharing the powerful healing skills each of us already possess – in short, to de-professionalize the simple power of human touch and make it more available for peer-to-peer support. After class Saturday everyone is invited to dinner and a fire circle behind Claudia’s house, where participants may choose to share their experiences, and brainstorm ways to schedule regular exchanges with friends and colleagues. For those who choose to stay through to Monday, local acupuncturists, herbalists, and bodyworkers are available for appointments.

Order from Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/Acupressure-Acupuncture-during-Birth-Acupuncturists/dp/1848193580/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=citkovitz&qid=1574885255&sr=8-1

other publications

Research

Acupuncture during stroke rehabilitation: development of a manual for researching a complex intervention. Citkovitz C (2015).

The objective of this study was to assess clinical effects and logistical feasibility of acupuncture given during labor and delivery in a U.S. hospital setting. Acupuncture during labor and delivery is well tolerated by patients and medical staff. It should be further evaluated for its promise in potentially reducing the incidence of cesarean section.

http://westminsterresearch.wmin.ac.uk/16057/

Effects of acupuncture during labor and delivery in a U.S. hospital setting: A case-control pilot study. Citkovitz C, Klimenko E, Bolyai M, Applewhite L, Julliard K, Weiner Z (2009).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19432512

Towards a model for planning clinical research in Oriental medicine. Julliard KN, Citkovitz C, McDaniel D (2006).

Oriental medicine (OM) is widely practiced internationally and embraces many schools of thought. Western medical research is currently struggling to understand OM in purely biomedical terms, with limited success. We propose a research model for applying Western research methodologies to OM in a way that respects its theory and modes of clinical application. This would facilitate systematic investigations of OM's specific assumptions and make explicit the way OM studies could build on each other.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17362847

Revised STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA): Extending the CONSORT Statement. Hugh MacPherson, Douglas G. Altman, Richard Hammerschlag, Li Youping, Wu Taixiang, Adrian White, David Moher

The STRICTA (Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture) reporting guidelines, first published in 2001, were designed to improve the completeness and transparency of reporting of interventions in controlled trials of acupuncture, in order that such trials may be more accurately interpreted and readily replicated. STRICTA comprised a checklist that expanded the generic content of Item 4 of the CONSORT statement, which relates to the reporting of the intervention. This paper is a review and revision of STRICTA as a formal extension to CONSORT and describes the outcome in terms of a new checklist, updated explanations, and published examples of good reporting.

Dr. Citkovitz was one of 45 acupuncture researchers whose comments were used to develop the revised standards.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2882429/?tool=pubmed

plus +

“Grand Rounds: Acupuncture for Stroke Rehabilitation” video of live presentation, 1 hour. Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, September 5, 2017.

“Healthbeat Brooklyn” spot on Acupuncture in Labor and Delivery Training Program. Brooklyn Public Access Television, 2/5/08.

“The Business of Being Born,” uncredited appearance doing acupuncture at Lutheran Medical Center.

“Hospital Uses Alternative Medicine to Aid Childbirth.” NBC Nightly News, 11/8/07 http://www.wnbc.com/health/10785980/detail.html

"Alternative Treatments" Daily News, 4/10/07

"Needles Help Allay Labor Pains" New York Newsday, 1/17/06