U.S. Campus Life Preparing the body By Masako Yamada	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
論文口述審査に備えて 先日、博士論文を書き上げ、残すは口述審査のみとなった雅子さんですが、ここにきて、肩こりに悩まされています。雅子さんは肩こりとは長い付き合いで、これまでさまざまな治療法を試してきました。最近は、そうした療法から遠ざかっていましたが、口述審査に万全の体調で臨めるよう、ある代替療法を受けることにしました。

My research group plays host to researchers from around the world. In addition to the graduate students and postdocs who are full-time members of the group, there are many "honorary members" who visit the group every few months or so to work on collaborative projects.

Rolfing 治療サイト。 (http://www.rolf.org)。

Unfortunately, the eczema has returned, along with my other stress-related ailments: pimples and shoulder pain. This is not too surprising, given that my thesis defense is coming up in only a few days. I feel extremely lucky that these stress indicators emerged only in the past few weeks. Not too surprisingly, it is only then that I really started concentrating on writing my dissertation.

Thankfully, the eczema is not as severe as it has been in the past, but there's essentially no cure, so I just spread ointment on the rashes, cover them with bandaids and hope they go away. It's the same with the pimples. I usually never wear makeup, but I slap on some concealer once in a while when I go to a restaurant or have my photo taken, and I forget about them. These symptoms are annoying, but I know they will go away, so they don't bother me.

What has been more troublesome is the shoulder pain. It is not unbearable, but it does interfere with how comfortably I can work. It also interferes with how comfortably I can sleep. I've always been a big fan of alternative therapies, but I weaned myself off them a while back because they cost too much. However, about a week ago, I decided that I should try to make myself as comfortable as possible. I decided to give alternative therapies another chance.

I've tried many therapies so far: Alexander technique, acupuncture, Swedish massage, Chinese acupressure, Japanese reflexology, Korean foot massage (where I was massaged by feet; my feet were not massaged) ... I even went to a native Mayan chiropractor in Belize. I have read good things about Thai massage and Hawaiian massage, but I didn't know where to find a good practitioner in Boston, so after some Internet research, I decided that my new therapy of choice would be Rolfing (r).

When I told my boyfriend that I was considering going to Rolfing sessions, he said, "NOOOOOO!!" He has heard that Rolfing can be painful, and he thought pain was an unnecessary part of treatment. Also, he's seen me spend a lot of time and money trying different therapies, and he has become a bit exasperated. In fact, he has even tried creating a special treatment plan for me, a plan that would target my particular problems, a plan that would not cost any money.

Ignoring his admonitions, I went to my first Rolfing session last week. I had read that it had helped musicians and athletes with chronic pain, and that the results could be seen after a few sessions. I also liked that the training school in Colorado only accepts a small fraction of applicants. I believe that gentle alternative treatments reveal their strengths when continued over many years, but I didn't want to spend a lifetime becoming a yoga master: I wanted instant relief and I was willing to pay for it.

My first session was not a soothing rub and it was certainly not cheap. It was indeed painful, but I felt my muscles unwind a bit, and I'm confident that additional sessions will, if not change my life, then help me become more relaxed in the days leading up to my thesis defense. At the very least, I consider it a reward for finishing my Ph.D. requirements.

Now that I've finished writing the dissertation and creating the slides for the presentation, it'stime for me to physically prepare myself for the defense. I've been sleeping well, hanging out with friends and drinking my special vinegar drink. I hope these personal therapies will help me perform better on the big day.

★このコラムは今月で終了します。