Cumberland Times-News

Local News

November 22, 2012

Cumberland area could become wellness haven

CUMBERLAND — The city of Cumberland and the surrounding area could become a beacon of integrative medicine and wellness for the region. That’s the view of Marion Leonard, a community wellness advocate.

“There is a wellness movement in the U.S.,” Leonard said. “Why should we not be known as a wellness destination?” Leonard said. “I think we are ahead of a lot of communities.”

A movement is already under way locally and “putting all those individual efforts together will cause a shift in perception ... and we know perception becomes reality,” Leonard said.

The number of higher educational institutions in the area and an outstanding health care system make Cumberland and Allegany County a prime ground for a center of integrative health and wellness, Leonard said. Massage therapy, nursing and other healing arts are taught at local institutions, she said.

Leonard pointed to Duke University’s leadership as a model for combining traditional medicine and other modes of healing from around the world, including meditation, acupuncture and other traditional healing methods.

The body and mind are intertwined in both healing and disease prevention, Leonard said.

Integrative medicine “is a new approach to medical care that brings patient and practitioner together in a dynamic partnership dedicated to optimizing the patient’s health and healing. This approach focuses on the whole person, recognizing that the subtle interactions of mind, body, spirit and community have a direct impact on vitality and well-being,” according to the Duke University Integrative Medicine website.

Those approaches may include yoga, acupuncture, massage and meditation, among other modalities, Leonard said.

Leonard herself has practiced and taught yoga for years. She is also a mindfulness-based stress reduction program instructor.

“They can have a huge impact on managing stress, reducing blood pressure and strengthening the immune system,” Leonard said. The local medical community is open to an integrative approach to wellness, she said.

There are 10 components of wellness, Leonard said, and most are in abundance in our community.

Intellectual wellness, for instance, is fostered by the Imagination Library, which provided free books to children from their birth to 5 years of age.

Despite the economic challenges the region faces, the “mosaic, the larger picture,” points to positive things happening in the community, Leonard said.

All that’s needed is a common vision, she said.

“The vision can inspire people to look at what is around them and move forward,” she said.

The Imagination Library website is at: http://www.imaginationlibraryofalleganycounty.org/

To learn more about integrative medicine, visit: http://www.dukeintegrativemedicine.org/

Contact Matthew Bieniek at mbieniek@times-news.com.

Text Only
Local News
  • ‘Time just kind of stood still’ ‘Time just kind of stood still’

    Helmeted rescue workers raced Tuesday to complete the search for survivors and the dead in the Oklahoma City suburb where a mammoth tornado destroyed countless homes, cleared lots down to bare red earth and claimed 24 lives, including those of nine children.

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

  • SHANNON BURNSIDE Times-News graphic designer wins first place editorial contest award

    Times-News graphic artist Shannon Burnside won first place for Best Feature Page Design in the 2013 Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association Editorial Awards Contest.

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

  • City hopes economic strategies clear way for job creation, growth

    Shawn Hershberger, economic development coordinator for the city, gave an update of the strategies being pursued for economic growth, including developing an educational center at the former Human Resources Development Commission location.

    May 21, 2013

  • Protesters rally at FirstEnergy meeting Protesters rally at FirstEnergy meeting

    At least 200 union workers picketed FirstEnergy’s annual shareholder meeting in West Virginia on Tuesday, demanding the Ohio-based utility hire enough people to keep the power on without forcing an ever-shrinking labor force to work as many as 1,800 hours of overtime a year.

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

  • Rocky Gap casino opens

    May 22, 2013

  • For all the marbles For all the marbles

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

  • BRAD FRANTZ Retired Garrett emergency services chief receives state EMS award

    Brad Frantz, former director of the Garrett County Department of Emergency Management, is the recipient of the Leon W. Hayes Award for Excellence in Emergency Medical Services and was honored during a Tuesday ceremony in Annapolis by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems.

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

  • Appalachian Lab professor honored for fracking report Appalachian Lab professor honored for fracking report

    Keith Eshleman, a professor at the Appalachian Laboratory and an expert in the field of watershed hydrology, has been honored by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science with the President’s Award for Excellence in Application of Science.

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

  • In Brief - 05/22/2013

    May 21, 2013

  • DelFest activities kick off with annual teaching academy DelFest activities kick off with annual teaching academy

    As temperatures in the Cumberland area soared into the upper 80’s Monday and hit 90 on Tuesday, the DelFest folks were going full tilt at the Allegany County Fairgrounds, getting ready for their upcoming Memorial Day weekend music festival.

    May 21, 2013 2 Photos

Facebook
Must Read
News related video
9-year-old Tornado Victim Loved Family, Singing Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage Okla. City Mayor: Up to 13K Homes Hit by Tornado Florida FBI Shooting Has Boston Bombing Links Garcetti Elected Los Angeles Mayor Over Greuel Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado IRS Official Pleads 5th Amendment Jodi Arias: Death Penalty Would Cause More Pain Protests Outside Cincinnati IRS Office Former Rep. Weiner Running for New York Mayor Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff Families Begin Returning to Their Homes in Moore Lawyer: Feds Investigating Susan Powell Case Raw: Aerial View of Moore Tornado Damage Crews Race to Find Survivors of Okla. Twister First Person: Baby Falcons on a New York Bridge Oklahoma: Images of Devastation, Reunion Reunited Dad, Son: 'We Just Praise God' Moore, Okla. City of Reunions, Tears After Storm Gov. Fallin: Okla. Facing Horrific Disaster