BEINGGRATEFUL ISGOOD FOR YOU!
GRATITUDE AND HEALTH Feeling thankful can improve your health in both direct and indirect ways. Some research shows that the experience of gratitude can induce a sense of relaxation, improve the immune system, and decrease blood pressure. But grateful people also tend to cultivate better health habits, like eating more nutritious food, exercising, and avoiding risky behaviors. In addition, the optimism that stems from gratitude can create a healing attitude: research shows that people with optimistic attitudes have better outcomes after medical procedures. GRATITUDE AND JOY Robert Emmons, an internationally renowned scientific expert on gratitude, has found that acknowledging the good in life has a tendency to amplify positive emotions, such as joy and contentment, because it helps us slow down. “I think gratitude allows us to participate more in life,” he says. “We notice the positives more, and that magnifies the pleasures you get from life.” Consider the last time you had a good cup of coffee—did you pay attention to the warmth of the cup on your hands, or the feeling of pleasure as you took the first sip? It’s easy to ignore these small moments of positivity in our day as we rush from one activity to another, but stopping to appreciate them makes them more powerful. GRATITUDE AND RESILIENCE Practicing gratitude can also make you better equipped to handle the difficulties of life that inevitably arise. In fact, according to Emmons, it’s an essential part of the process of healing from trauma. Even despair can be mitigated by the experience of appreciation for the good, however slight it might be. Many survivors of the Holocaust, when asked to tell Governor Rauner signed into law HB 4643 on August 16th, 2018, giving patients direct access to physical therapy services. In other words, patients can now bypass the need to see their primary care physician to request a referral to physical therapy. When patients have a need for physical therapy, they can schedule an appointment for an evaluation with a PT, cutting the time to access pain relief and recovery from injury significantly. HB 4643 was introduced in the Illinois House of Representatives on February 7th, 2018. It passed out of the House by unanimous vote on April 27th, 2018. The Senate passed it unanimously on May 23rd, 2018, sending it to the Governor’s desk for approval. Direct Access has been a long-time goal for physical therapists throughout the country. Most states have some form of direct access. Prior to this major change, patients in Illinois were allowed to have a physical therapy evaluation, but treatment could not be provided until a physician’s referral was obtained. This often took days to get, and it would usually require a visit to the physician’s office. Illinois has now joined many other states in recognizing a physical therapist’s ability to evaluate a patient and determine a plan of care without physician supervision.
their stories, remember most strongly the feelings of gratitude for food, shelter, or clothing that was offered to them. This sense of thankfulness for the small blessings helped them maintain their humanity despite experiencing a horrific tragedy. Many people with life-threatening illnesses also report decreased distress and increased positive emotions when they practice gratitude. Recent MRI studies have mapped the gratitude circuitry in the brain, which activates a sense of reward, fairness, and decision-making—all aspects that help facilitate survival and post-traumatic growth. Emmons,R. (2010November16).Whygratitude isgood.GreaterGood.Retrieved fromhttp://greater- good.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_gratitude_is_good .Emmons,R.A.,Stern,R. (2013).Gratitudeas apsychotherapeutic intervention.JournalofClinicalPsychology;69(8),846-855.Excerpts taken from https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/10-ways-be-more-thankful-person
DIRECT ACCESS TO PT IS FINALLY HERE
What this means to YOU: When you have an ache or a pain that is bothering you, or you aren’t moving the way you should be, you can call your physical therapist to set up an evaluation without having to contact your doctor or nurse practitioner first.
www.kptrs.com Call the clinic nearest you to schedule an appointment today! Kewanee: (309) 852-2200 Galva: (309) 932-8100 Stark County: (309) 695-4010.
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