Naturopathic physician Dr. Christopher Hollis and massage therapist Beth Rettig of West Fairlee were among the experts lecturing and leading workshops at a Caribbean medical school recently.
Hollis and Rettig were invited to participate in St. George’s University School of Medicine biannual Complementary and Alternative Medicine Module by program director and professor of immunology Jacqueline Stanley. They traveled to St. George’s University – a U.S. medical school in Grenada, a Caribbean island nation – in late January.
Hollis, who practices at Integrative Health in Randolph, lectured to a crowd of 300 medical students and faculty on naturopathic treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, commonly known as ADHD. He also led a workshop on Qigong, a Chinese martial art often practiced for health maintenance and therapeutic intervention.
Rettig, of Rejuvenations Massage in both West Fairlee and Norwich, taught massage to about 80 students during three workshops, which were designed to provide the students hands-on training.
ADHD is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a neurobehavioral disorder characterized by inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity and resulting in significant functional impairment. An estimated 4.4 million U.S. children ages 4-17 have been diagnosed with the disorder, the CDC estimates, and, according to a 2003 study, 7.8 percent of school-aged children were reported by their parents to have been diagnosed with ADHD.
Medication and therapies are traditionally prescribed for treatment of ADHD, but Hollis and naturopaths like him argue that successful treatments can be found in correcting what Hollis calls “the gut connection,” or “the eco system of the gut.”
Hollis says that gastrointestinal imbalances, toxic byproducts of yeast and bacteria, vitamin and/or mineral deficiencies, food allergies and more be the causes of hyperactivity and learning and behavioral problems. The cure, he says, can be found in correcting these imbalances.
Other possible causes of ADHD can be psychoemotional, heavy metal toxicity and too much “screen time,” he says, referring to watching television and time in front of the computer.
Naturopathic medicine is not traditionally part of U.S. medical doctors’ training. For Hollis reaching medical students with his message was extremely gratifying.
Rettig, who discussed and demonstrated massage to a packed room, says complementary modalities will be important to the students both personally and professionally.
Massage can relieve acute and chronic pain, increase flexibility of muscle and connective tissue, and improve circulation of the blood and lymph, which also helps boost the immune system. Massage has been shown to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to stress reduction through relaxation, better sleep, decreased blood pressure, improved digestion and less anxiety, Rettig says. Rettig provided information on massage and massage techniques, including Swedish massage (what most of us think of as massage), acupressure and reflexology. Acupressure is from Chinese medicine. “Every culture has some sort of massage, or using one’s hands for healing,” she notes.
Rettig has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from a school in Pennsylvania, where she grew up. She went on to earn a master’s degree in social science from Binghamton University in New York in 1997 and worked as a crisis counselor before becoming a massage therapist eight years ago. She trained at the former Vermont School of Professional Massage in Barre and Claremont Community Technical College. She is a licensed massage therapist in New Hampshire. Vermont does not have licensure for massage, she notes.
Also a Pennsylvania native, Hollis has practiced for four years, including three years in Randolph. He is a doctor of naturopathic medicine who uses acupuncture, homeopathy, botanical medicine, nutrition and physical medicine to treat patients. He is a 2004 graduate of the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Ore., where he earned both a doctorate in naturopathic medicine and a master’s degree in classical Chinese medicine. He also has advanced training in naturopathic and Chinese medicine. He studied homeopathy in India, and medical theory and Qigong in China.
