Eventbrite - Chronic Pain Study II: Integrative Health Group 6 Week Pilot Program

Learn more about our NIM Chronic Pain Program

 

 

 

Vivian Lord, B.H.K., ND (Naturopathic Doctor)

Vivian is a naturopathic doctor registered with the College of Naturopathic Physicians of British Columbia (CNPBC) and a member of the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND).

As a registered naturopathic doctor, Vivian has comprehensive graduate training in traditional sciences along with natural therapies including herbal medicine, functional lab assessment, nutritional consulting, and nutrient therapy.  She combines her clinical expertise, passion for connecting with who her clients are, and coaching savvy to help her clients create inspiring change in their health and lives.

Vivian received the designation of Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine from the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine, an accredited naturopathic college in Vancouver, Canada.  Over the past 8 years she has built practices in Vancouver Canada, New York, NY, London UK and currently lives in Denmark.  From here, she serves clients internationally via telephone and skype.

Vivian believes that creating harmony within our bodies is a powerful way that each of us can create harmony in our lives, and in the world.

 

 

 

Ayla Lester, BSc., ND (Naturopathic Doctor):

Ayla recognizes that in order to achieve health together, connecting with the heart and soul of her patients is vital. Her approach to medicine is individualized and treats the whole person.

Ayla holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a 4-year medical degree in Naturopathic Medicine, and is licensed with the College of Naturopathic Physicians British Columbia, Canada. Her clinical education focuses on interpreting clinical signs and symptoms to identify and diagnose disease as well as the use of therapies that are informed by evidence and naturally support and stimulate the body’s healing capacity to treat and prevent illness.

Ayla has experience working with her patients on a long-term basis (over two years) to reduce chronic pain with weekly treatments, and also as a primary care provider on a once a month/six-week basis for health maintenance, routine physical exam screenings, and dietary planning. The therapies that she primarily focuses on include the following:

  • Clinical nutrition (food based treatment and dietary protocols)
  • Acupuncture for pain & stress management
  • Physical medicine (massage, hydrotherapy, exercise and movement therapy)
  • Herbal medicine (the use of whole herbs rather than individual constituents such as in pharmacological drugs)

 

 

 

Iben Larissa Jørgensen, cand.psych.aut (Clinical Psychologist)

Iben is a clinical psychologist of Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Copenhagen University (KU).  Her graduate thesis is An Examination of the Theoretical Basis for the Underlying Processes of Mindfulness in the Treatment of Depression and Chronic Pain.

The focus of Iben’s education and work has always been to investigate and approach an understanding of the key factors for human well-being. For the same reason Iben is interested in evidence based research, and she has a particular interest in Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) and Mindfulness since consciousness and compassion play a key role in facilitating psychological well-being.

Since 2011 Iben has engaged in various types of volunteer work including counselling services for patients suffering from dystonia through Dystonia Patient Association, giving work-shops about stress reduction and starting up mindfulness events in Kristkirken.

Iben works full time in her private practice Det Sund Sind located in Østerbro, where she treats clients suffering from stress, depression, anxiety and chronic pain. Iben has a very practical approach to psychotherapy and therapeutic work in general, which attracts clients looking for strategies to apply in everyday life.

 

 

 

Catharina Messell, MSc Aalborg University (Certified Music Therapist)

Catharina has been working as a music therapist since 2007 in a range of different areas such as psychiatry, trauma, depression, cancer, ADHD, autism and dementia.

Apart from her Aalborg University Master in Music Therapy, she is educated in GIM (Guided Imagery and Music), which is a method that allows the client to access deeper states of consciousness with the assistance of music, breath work and gentle guidance.

In the past two years, Catharina has been engaged in two different research programs using adapted GIM; one program was concerning traumatized refugees, looking to reduce trauma symptoms such as anxiety, flash backs, sleeping disorder and pain. The other program resided at Rigshospitalet Children’s Oncology Department, which focused on children and adolescents with cancer, looking to reduce side effects from chemotherapy such as pain and nausea.

In addition, Catharina offers concerts and workshops in collaboration with yoga and breathwork along with ceremonies, where live music is used as a “gateway” for participants to engage in inner work.

 

 

Shelley Noble-Letort, PhD, E-RYT, C-IAYT (Certified Yoga Therapist)

Shelley is the Chairman of Nordic Integrative Medicine (NIM) and director of NIM’s Integrative Health Group Visits: A Pilot Feasibility Study to Manage Patients with Chronic Pain in a Nordic Inner-City Clinic.

As a life-long practitioner of yoga; an experienced Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 200) certified yoga therapist since 2004 and teacher since 1999, Shelley has specialized in yoga for childbirth called Yogabirth® and life-threatening illnesses called Yoga for the Heart. Her most profound teachers were Nischala Devi, founding developer of the yoga portion of The Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease and co-founder of the award-winning Commonweal Cancer Help Program as well as Rachel Naomi Remen MD, the founder of The Healer’s Art and The Institute for the Study of Health and Illness (ISHI) at Commonweal.

Shelley is a graduate of UCLA and Pacific Graduate Institute. Her PhD dissertation is titled Mapping Caves: Human-Earth Expressions on Integrative Medicine and Health.  Her community involvement includes environmental, therapeutic and philanthropic work for private and public schools, societies, and non-profit organizations.

 

 

 

Rupa Appa, PhD (Research Consultant)

Rupa is the NIM Board Director of Research and Development having come from a 16 year career with Novo Nordisk, were she implemented new methods and technologies in various R&D departments, including real time in vivo/vitro imaging. During her career, she has also been LEAN Project Manager and a Novo Nordisk Talent Ambassador and has mentored PhD and Master students which resulted in presentations at international conferences and publications in peer reviewed journals.

She received her Bachelor of Science from the University of California, San Diego and Ph.D. in Medical and Molecular Pharmacology from the University of California, Los Angeles. During the past 25 years, Rupa has contributed to different stages of drug development from expressing drug candidates to studying their fate/ effect using a holistic perspective in rodent models, organs and cells for research and nonclinical development.

Dr. Appa’s diverse background and knowledge has led her to want to contribute to making integrative medicine available in the Nordic countries with a focus on translational research. The goal being, to study how patient outcomes and quality of life can be improved by using evidence-based integrative therapies to complement pharmacological treatments.

Katrina Bangsgaard, MSc KU Global Health (Research Assistant)