|
|
|
|
||
|
||
|
|
||
| SEARCH | SUBSCRIBE | ||
 |
She's taken an alternative path to freedom from pain
By: Jenna Russelo If you live with arthritis for 31 years, you know what it means to be afraid to move. So when Jean Masciarelli
decided to teach ''T'ai Chi for Arthritis'' at Milford-Whitinsville
Regional Hospital this fall, she wasn't sure whether anyone would sign up. The director of the
Greater Milford Visiting Nurse Association, Masciarelli was diagnosed with
rheumatoid arthritis 31 years ago, when she was a 20-year-old nursing
student. Administrators urged her to quit school; her doctor convinced
them she should keep going. Now 51, the Milford native
has been in forward motion ever since, despite chronic pain and more than
15 surgeries on her joints. A devotee of t'ai chi, an ancient Chinese
martial art, since the mid-1990s, she had filled three-quarters of the 20
spaces in the class as of last week. The $30, six-week program, which may
be repeated, begins Oct. 29 and is open to anyone, regardless of mobility.
All the exercises can be done while seated. A physician's permission is
required. Masciarelli's daily practice of gentle t'ai chi movements, together with yoga and meditation, has helped her gain strength and flexibility, while easing her pain and relieving stress, she said. Alternative therapy doesn't replace traditional treatment, but it's another tool, added to her daily regimen of 14 medications. A big believer in listening to one's body, she varies the physical activity from day to day, depending on how she feels. The benefits of
alternatives like meditation, aromatherapy, herbs, and even humor, in
combination with standard treatments, are being increasingly recognized by
the medical establishment, according to a recent article in Arthritis
Today magazine. It's a trend likely to pick up speed as more children of
the 1960s face the challenges of aging. Already, Massachusetts is home to
an estimated 840,000 people with arthritis - 14 percent of the population,
according to the Arthritis Foundation - and the number is expected to
increase. Masciarelli and her
husband, Frank, are both certified to teach the special, low-impact t'ai
chi for arthritis, developed by Australian doctor Paul Lam. They first
learned the traditional discipline from a local karate master, John Fritz,
now the director of the Mind/Body Institute at Jupiter Medical Center in
Florida. The Masciarellis took a class led by Lam last year, and will
study with him again next month. The couple added a room to their house for t'ai chi so they wouldn't have to move the furniture every morning. ''It's something we can do together,'' Jean Masciarelli said. Frank Masciarelli, an
electrical engineer and a third-degree black belt in karate, introduced
his wife to t'ai chi after an intensive 1994 neck surgery kept her out of
work for 11 weeks, dampening her spirits. ''My first reaction was, `I'm too tired, I hurt too much,''' she said. A positive experience with
acupuncture had opened her mind - just barely - to Eastern healing
practices, but her scientific background made her skeptical of talk about
''qi,'' or life energy, the flow of which is said to be improved by t'ai
chi. ''For me, it was a hard sell,'' she admitted. But it was something.
Physically weak and frustrated, she felt she had no control over the
situation. T'ai chi was a way to seek change, and if her form fell short,
she could visualize the rest. The point wasn't to be perfect, but to try,
and to focus on the positive. ''Where you put your mind makes a big
difference,'' she said. A petite woman in a smart
red business suit, Masciarelli moves slowly through the halls of VNA
headquarters in Mendon. Foot surgery five years ago confined her to a
wheelchair for six months, but ultimately let her walk on her own, without
crutches or leg braces, in time for her son's wedding. She uses two hands
for tasks most people execute with one, like plucking a tissue from a box,
because arthritis has eroded her dexterity. Her disability has shaped
her career, but never impeded it. When her job as a floor nurse at the
Milford hospital became too physically demanding, she moved to the
Visiting Nurse Association, where she spent 11 years before becoming
clinical director at the Natick VNA. She held that position for 12 years,
while earning a master's degree in community health and home health care
administration from Northeastern University. She returned to the Milford
VNA as director of home health services a year ago. She sets high standards
for 139 employees, serving patients in 22 towns, makes sure the agency
meets regulations - the VNA passed a state survey this month with flying
colors - and is implementing a computerized system of medical records. ''She's a plucky girl,'' said Dr. Charles Birbara, Masciarelli's rheumatologist of three decades. ''The number of people who are functional with aggressive rheumatoid arthritis, after 30 years, is small. She's remarkable in her resiliency, her motivation to keep going.'' Masciarelli said she
hasn't always been such a positive thinker. A snow globe on her computer
contains a tiny Eeyore figure, the donkey from the ''Winnie the Pooh''
books, a reminder of the character's trademark ''woe-is-me'' outlook. ''I
used to be an Eeyore, but not anymore,'' she said. ''I learned it's
knowing what you can do to pull yourself out.'' Birbara was the first
speaker in a fall lecture series on arthritis organized by his patient to
overlap with the t'ai chi class. The next talk, by Milford Hospital
physical therapists on Oct. 25, will focus on rehabilitation. Masciarelli
will round out the series Nov. 20 with tips for coping with the stress of
living with arthritis. Humor is one of her favorite approaches, and she
keeps a collection of silly hats, including a Viking helmet and a jeweled
crown, to help her along. Speakers begin at 7 p.m. at the hospital. Masciarelli considers
herself lucky, because she's had good teachers, and she wants to share her
good fortune with others who face the same challenges. ''There's nothing more
frightening than being in pain, feeling alone, and thinking there's
nothing you can do to change it,'' she said. ''The most important thing is
to have the desire. If you understand it doesn't matter what your level of
ability is, there's something you can do.'' |
