globalbriefs
Professional Assist
Outlook for 2010
Fitness Trends
An American College of Sports Medicine
survey published in ACSM’s Health
& Fitness Journal identifies counsel-
ing with an experienced
and educated fitness
professional as the top
Bedroom Vroom
fitness trend this year.
The trend’s rise from the
New Study Says
third spot, posted in 2007 at
Dreams Tune
the survey’s inception, is likely due to “increased
regulation and an influx of specialty certifications and
Up the Brain
educational programs available” for these professionals. To Freud, dreaming provides a play-
Strength training surged to second, with programs addressing child obesity ground for the unconscious mind; to
in third place. Other 2010 trends include: personal training, core training, fitness Jung, it is a stage where the psyche’s
programs for older adults, functional fitness, sport-specific training, Pilates and archetypes act out primal themes.
group personal training. The researchers expressed surprise at the move toward Recent theories hold that dreams help
group training, suggesting that it may reflect financial considerations for both the the brain to consolidate emotional
trainers and their clients. memories and to work through cur-
rent life problems.
Now, in a new paper published
in the journal Natural Reviews
Neuroscience, Dr. J. Allan Hobson,
Accommodating All
a psychiatrist and longtime sleep
researcher at Harvard, argues that the
Call to Expand main function of rapid-eye-movement
the Meaning of
sleep, or REM, when most dreaming
occurs, is physiological.
Universal Health The brain is warming its circuits,
Care
anticipating the sights and sounds
and emotions of waking, tuning the
Practitioners of alternative
mind for conscious awareness. “It’s
therapies intent on influencing
like jogging; the body doesn’t remem-
the health care reform process
ber every step, but it knows it has
continue to petition Congress to
exercised. It has been tuned up,” says
think of health care as more than
Hobson. “It’s the same idea here.”
just medical care—and to allow
The theory might help explain why
insurance companies to provide coverage for their holistic treatments.
people forget so many dreams.
In 2007, a survey of 18 major HMOs and insurance providers revealed signs
Hobson co-authored another pa-
of progress: 14 of them covered at least 11 of 34 alternative physical therapies,
per with Ursula Voss, of J.W. Goethe-
the most common being chiropractic, acupuncture, massage therapy, biofeedback
University in Frankfurt, in the journal
and naturopathy. Coverage varies by state, but experts expect insurance policies
Sleep, where scientists found that lu-
will follow demand. Estimates put current annual spending on complementary and
cid dreaming, one of many examples
alternative therapies at $33 billion.
of a mixed mental state, has elements
President Obama has expressed willingness to at least consider a role for
of both REM and waking awareness.
some alternative therapies in universal health care, but has set a tough standard.
In a lucid dream, Hobson explains,
He told a town meeting in Missouri, “My attitude is that we should do what
“You are seeing the split brain in ac-
works… I will let the science guide me.”
tion. This tells me that there are these
two systems, and that in fact, they
Lobby to retain the people’s right to choose their own health care at HealthRevolu-
can be running at the same time.”
tionPetition.org. News sources: Time.com; SixWise.com
natural awakenings January 2010 35
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