Road to Recovery Stories

I was sick and malnourished when I came to Dr. Panico for nutritional counseling in early 2005. I was able to return to Mayo Clinic that year for successful abdominal surgery. I had undergone the previous surgeries in three years caused by colon cancer and complications caused by chemotherapy, radiation, and TPN infusion. Dr. Panico also encouraged me to participate in Judi Spears’ Therapeutic Yoga class. This class helped me regain more physical and emotional stability. I am so thankful to be where I am now, one year later. To Judi and Dr. Panico, I owe a debt of gratitude for the excellent treatment and concern.

Thank you so much,
AM

My road to recovery began on January 8, 2003. That was the day I walked into the Mind Body Institute and had my first appointment with Dr. Panico. After having daily debilitating headaches, I was in constant pain and deeply depressed.

With Dr. Panico’s encouragement, I made changes in my diet, began daily supplements, and started taking the correct medications. I had no where to go but up and I began improving almost immediately. Soon I started taking the Therapeutic Yoga program taught by Judy Spears, RYT. With her never ending support and encouragement, I learned to stretch and relax my body. I was on my way to my physical and emotional healing. I have learned that the mind and body are one in the same. I then began acupuncture treatments, first weekly, then monthly, and now once every 3 or 4 months. After every treatment, I felt better and was pain free for longer and longer periods of time. I thank Athens Regional for recognizing the need for this approach to health. But most of all, I thank Dr. Panico, Judy Spears, Dr. Skelton, and all the staff at the Mind Body Institute for their guidance, love and support on my Road to Recovery. You have given me my life back. Now guess what!!! My husband is taking Yoga from Dr. Panico and it has helped him so much!

I am a member of the sandwich generation. I have two teenagers, two in-laws, and a husband, and I think I should be super mom, daughter-in-law and wife. This is a lot of stress and it has played havoc with my health. No one would say that I don’t have real health problems; I suffer from migraine headaches and irritable bowel syndrome. These conditions have landed me in the hospital several times a year for the last ten years. When I’m not in the hospital I’m often in bed too sick to function. This of course made me feel guilty, and the cycle would repeat itself.

My physician suggested I see Dr. Panico and investigate what the Mind Body Institute might have to offer. I was up for anything that might make a difference. I started going there about a year and a half ago. In the beginning, I saw Dr. Panico. He had many suggestions for me, many seemed ridiculous but I figured I had nothing to lose, and I didn’t want to continue the way I was. One of his first suggestions was that I should start to do things for me, and my family would be just fine if I took some time for myself. They might be better off, if taking time for myself meant I wasn’t sick as often. I was hesitant at first; it seemed like a full time job taking care of everyone. But what did I have to lose? I started with yoga and acupuncture, both seemed to help but I was hoping for dramatic results and they just weren’t happening. I continue to stick with it and I started doing other things that were just for me. I decided I would no longer be a victim of my situation, but I would be a survivor. This shift in thinking has made all the difference for me and I have Dr. Panico and the Mind Body Institute to thank.

I LOVE the Mind Body Institute. Why? Because the Institute guided me through what so far has been the most difficult and trying moment of my life. My illness rendered me almost immobile with rheumatoid issues, breathing problems due to nodules in my lungs and weak from chemotherapy, steroids and other nasty medications. Working my way from Therapeutic Yoga to Gentle Yoga increases my mobility. Meditation teaches me to calm myself and handle depression. Three part-breathing exercises help me to get control of breathing when I gasp for air. As I continue my yoga practice, I feel stronger in my Mind and Body. Thanks MBI!

KA

For years I was told I had osteoarthritis, which would get worse as the years went by until I would need surgery as well as pain medication. My wife, Dodie, and our surrogate son kept after me to go for an acupuncture evaluation and find out if it would help me. After two years and the pain getting worse and I now had to use a cane to move around, I called for an appointment. However, I was still a nonbeliever.

After two follow up visits, much to my surprise, the pain was getting less and less and I could now cross my legs. This is something that I hadn’t done for years. The improvements in my walking became very noticeable and can be attested to by my family and friends. Thank you all! I now know first hand that acupuncture does work if given a chance. It sure has for me.

I just took a car trip to New England which was 2500 miles and no pain, no cane, and a great deal of walking.

JL

New Plateau of Health
“A couple of year ago, I retired from a stressful vocational position. In looking back, I didn’t realize how much tension that employment created. I was 25 pounds over weight and taking medication for depression, hypertension and diabetes – to name a few. While retirement initially led to a burst of enthusiasm, eventually I became concerned about my excess weight and the number of medications I was taking.
I consulted with the Mind Body Institute. The recommendations I received were relevant, cordial, holistic and informed. In general, they focused upon exercise, proper nutrition, nutritional supplements, yoga and meditation. Following a period of time in which to assimilate these guidelines, I reached a new plateau of health including the:

• Loss of 25 pounds
• Elimination of medications for hypertension and depression
• Achievement of better diabetes control
• Development of latent vocational, avocational and just-for-fun interests
• Anticipation of decades of healthful and productive living.”

JT

I have heard some of the yoga folks say that when the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear. I lost my good health in 1994-1995. The world didn’t stop spinning, but I ceased to turn with it. I was paralyzed by the severity of Post Traumatic Shock Disorder symptoms. I had managed a pre-existing anxiety disorder and chronic back pain successfully for years, but now, in my mid-thirties, I was unable to continue working. I gained over one hundred pounds in a matter of months. Although I had a good understanding of what was happening in my body-brain, I could not control the changes taking place.

I had been drawn to the idea of yoga for some time before I began private sessions with a local teacher. After that series of lessons, ARMC opened its Mind-Body Institute and I signed up for the first Therapeutic Yoga course offered. I not only found relief from the pain of herniated disks and other problems, but I saw the possibilities that meditation held for improved mental health. Since 2000, I have been successfully treated at the Mind-Body Institute with a round of acupuncture by Dr. Skelton, and Dr. Panico has diagnosed and brought relief from an intestinal ailment that had lingered for years. My practice of yoga and meditation is as imperfect as I am, but like the Mind-Body Institute, it is always there. I feel blessed to have Mind-Body resources available in Athens.

AB