MWCC College Catalog 2008-2009 — Complementary Health Care
CHC101 COMPLEMENTARY HEALTH CARE
3 credits
This course is an introduction to the theories and practices of complementary
health care. Wellness and disease are explored in terms of their relationships
to lifestyle behaviors, responses to change and transition, and consciousness
(mindfulness or moment-to-moment awareness). There will also be an introduction
to several complementary treatments that can be incorporated into one’s
lifestyle to improve and enhance health. Complementary Health Care practitioners
will be guest speakers complementing the program with their expertise. Prerequisites:
ENG100, RDG100, or placement. Fall.
CHC102 FOUNDATIONS OF YOGA: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF YOGA
3 credits
This course will examine in detail the multifaceted jewel known as yoga
from its earliest beginnings in ancient India to its contemporary applications
in the health field. Topics covered include, but are not limited to, philosophy
and psychology of yoga, yoga as a science of well being, and the psychophysiology
of yoga. Students will practice techniques of yoga to include breath and mind
work. Prerequisites: ENG100, RDG100, or placement. Fall.
CHC104 REFLEXOLOGY
3 credits
This course, via lecture and laboratory practice, studies the origins and art
of reflexology as an age-old method of facilitating health and wellness.
How reflexology relates to other complementary practices is also discussed.
Lab sessions focus on basic relaxation techniques and specific reflexology
strokes such as thumb and finger walking. Students will be able to perform
an entire reflexology session by course completion. National certification
requirements will be covered. Prerequisites: ENG100, RDG100, or placement.
Spring.
CHC105 INTRODUCTION TO THE CHAKRA SYSTEM
3 credits
With an understanding of the Major Chakra System, students gain the knowledge
to accelerate the healing process of issues affecting the body, mind, and
spirit system. This course provides a thorough investigation into one process
that can be used for preventive measures to keep one’s optimum health
on track. Students will come to an understanding as to what is meant by energy
healing, especially in reference to their Chakra system, the aura, meridians,
and other vital points in the body system that are used to promote better
health conditioning. Prerequisites: ENG100, RDG100, or placement. Spring.
CHC108 TRANSFORMING STRESS
3 credits
This course provides students with an opportunity to explore the subject of
stress management in an academic context. Scientific research related to
the causes and effects of stress will be examined. In this course students
will be taught relaxation, meditation, and other strategies for transforming
stress by comprehending the effects of stress on the human condition, analyzing
one’s own stress triggers and levels, and practicing a variety of stress
management tools to incorporate into one’s lifestyle. Prerequisites:
ENG100, RDG100, or placement. Fall.
CHC110 REIKI: TRADITIONAL USUI METHOD
3 credits
Reiki is an ancient healing method. Reiki is a natural healing energy that
can be stimulated in the body through the hands of the practitioner to another
person. Its gentle hand patterns are designed to bring the body and mind
to a state of relaxation, which enhances the body’s own natural ability
to heal itself. No special belief systems are necessary. Through the assistance
of the instructor, the student will learn the technique of stress reduction.
Students will learn three practitioner levels of Usui Reiki. Prerequisites:
ENG100, RDG100, or placement. Fall.
CHC114 INTRODUCTION TO THE TRAGER APPROACH
1 credits
The Trager Approach is an approach to body-mind integration that utilizes intentional touch and gentle non-intrusive, natural movements to release deep-seated physical and mental patterns and to facilitate deep relaxation, increased mobility, and mental clarity. These patterns may have developed in response to accidents, illness, or any kind of physical or emotional trauma, including the stress of everyday life. The therapeutic hands-on work is complemented by a client’s active mentally-directed movements called Mentastics©. This course is intended to be an introductory course only, and will not lead to certification as a Trager practitioner. It does, however, meet one prerequisite for those desiring to take level 1 Trager training, or those desiring to pursue certification. Prerequisites: RDG100, ENG100, or placement.
CHC212 SPRITUALITY, RELIGION AND BELIEFS
3 credits
Health professionals are becoming increasingly aware of the linkage among
spirituality, religion, disease, and well-being. In the medical literature,
there is an ever increasing amount of scientifically-based information
demonstrating that patients with a spiritual identity or belief system may
have better health outcomes than those who do not. This course will be a review
of the science and research that examines the impact of spiritual and religious
practices on health and disease. This course reviews the power of belief,
the basics of clinical research, and the medical literature regarding the
relationships between spirituality and religion and a variety of physical,
mental, and behavioral health outcomes. These include depression, anxiety,
heart disease, cancer, and immune system dysfunction along with destructive
behaviors such as alcohol and substance abuse. Both positive and negative
effects on health throughout the lifespan from childhood to old age are examined.
The role of emotions, the importance of the neurological science, and the
impact of prayer and meditation will also be explored. Prerequisites: ENG100,
RDG100, or placement.
CHC220 MIND-BODY-SPIRIT CONNECTION
3 credits
This course introduces students to the history and methods used to promote
the ideas and concepts of creating an integrated, healthy life. The student
will engage in exploration of the physiological and psychological mechanisms
that maintain homeostasis and of the adaptation responses learned through
the physical and social environment. The processes of engaging the human
spirit, (mobilization of energy or will), to deal effectively with change
and stress will be addressed. While gaining knowledge of mind-body-spirit
medicine from scientific sources, it is expected the student will learn how
to listen to the body and challenge assumptions about ways of seeing the
world. Prerequisites: ENG100, RDG100, or placement. Spring.
CHC221 CONNECTIONS: MIND, BRAIN AND IMMUNITY
3 credits
This course investigates the question of why some people are more immunologically
susceptible than others to various ailments and diseases; the effects of
social interaction on health; the physical and psycho-dynamics of stress,
the relationship of faith and belief on illness and wellness and the phenomena
of the placebo effect. The science of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), the study
of the relationship among physical, mental, and social dimensions of well-being,
delves into these and other challenging areas of current study. The course
will include the investigation of current research, the connection among
the nervous, endocrine, and immune system interplay, and the relationship
between physiology and biochemistry in health and disease. A basic overview
of quantum physics, in particular the relationship of wave and particle theories
of light will also be presented as a foundation for the growth of this scientific
body of knowledge. The work of Candice Pert on endorphins will also be reviewed
for its contribution to this new branch of science. Classes are informational,
including current theories of mind/body medicine, and experiential, with training
in positive self-programming, stretching, breathing, humor, relaxation, and
meditation techniques. The relationship of mind/body medicine, personal stress-hardiness,
and resistance to illness will thus be explored. Prerequisites: BIO115 or
CHC220, or permission of instructor.