Complementary Therapies

Committed to providing holistic care for the whole person, Rutland Regional Medical Center offers complementary therapies proven to promote healing, relaxation and overall well-being, as well as to help relieve cancer symptoms and treatment side effects.

Used in conjunction with traditional medical and surgical services, the complementary therapies we offer include:

• Reiki Therapy. An ancient art of hands-on healing that promotes relaxation and reduces stress, fatigue, depression, nausea, anxiety and pain. Performed by a certified Reiki therapist, it involves the light “laying of hands” on and around a fully-clothed person. The therapist transfers positive energy to the patient, focusing on the energy centers and pathways of the head, neck, shoulders, upper chest, abdomen, legs and feet.
• Acupuncture. The process of applying fine, sterile needles to specific parts of the body to stimulate the release of brain chemicals that promote the body's natural healing abilities. Performed by a licensed acupuncturist, the technique is known to relieve pain and nausea; enhance balance and equilibrium; improve allergies, colds and other sinus conditions; ease digestive problems; and improve recovery from surgery, musculoskeletal difficulties, respiratory problems and other illnesses.
• Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). The monitored interaction of a patient with a specially trained dog or other animal to help reduce stress, encourage movement and increase happiness and overall wellbeing. AAT has been proven to help lessen a patient's anxiety, pain, blood pressure and loneliness. Taking a dog for a walk, or throwing a dog a ball, can also serve as motivator for a patient to participate in physical, occupational, speech or other forms of therapy.
• Gardens and Outdoor Settings. The hospital also has a outdoor walking path and, outside the Foley Cancer Center in Rutland Regional’s Memorial Gardens, a labyrinth – an ancient tool used to help people gain peace and clarity.
• The C.A.R.E. Channel With Guided Imagery^®. The hospital’s patient televisions all have C.A.R.E. Channel with Guided Imagery, which uses patients’ active imagination to bring about responses in their bodies that can accelerate the healing process.