Spa for people still traumatized by 9/11

A holistic health center in the Gramercy Park area is offering free treatment services to police officers and firemen still suffering from the effects of Sept. 11 and to people who lived below Canal St. at the time of the tragedy.

The Olive Leaf Wholeness Center on 23rd St. between Third and Lexington Aves. launched Project Olive Re-Leaf in February. The first 250 eligible New Yorkers who apply will receive a health examination, consultation and personalized treatment plan that may last six weeks to six months.

“There’s still a certain amount of shame out there with people who still need help,” said Claire Haaga Altman, founder of Olive Leaf. “People think that maybe they just complain too much. But if they’re continuing to have nightmares and flashbacks, then it’s better to get help than try to pull yourself up from the bootstraps. We’re trying to get them stronger and healthier by bringing together a whole range of services.”

That approach includes Western forms of medicine, such as doing blood work and measuring blood pressure, and alternative forms, such as acupuncture and sound therapy.

Altman said she expects that many of the center’s patients will be treated for respiratory and skin problems due to exposure to heavy metals near the World Trade Center site.

Massage, acupuncture and hydration drips — an intravenous method to re-hydrate the body — all help stimulate healing and release trauma, said Altman.

Sound healing is a service offered by Olive Leaf that Altman said is rare in American spas. It uses a machine imported from Japan that allows sound waves to move up and down the body while the patient wears headphones. The theory behind sound healing is related to observations of freezing water. When exposed to harmonious sounds, water freezes into a snow-flake design, said Altman. Since the human body is about 75 percent water, it is believed that exposure to harmonious sounds makes the cells take on a strong structure.

Altman said this therapy would be used on patients exposed to heavy metals. Some doctors are recommending this treatment for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, she said.

Sandra McCoy, 59, who lived at Independence Plaza North on 9/11, said she loved sound therapy and found it very relaxing. “It was unbelievable,” she said. “I could hardly speak afterward.”

McCoy and her 13-year-old daughter, Jasmine Washington, are both participating in Project Re-Leaf. “It really is helping us,” McCoy said. “I couldn’t say anything more positive about the program. It’s important to have faith in the approach you are using.”

McCoy, who still lives in I.P.N., said she felt that the doctors and practitioners at Olive Leaf were able to devote more time and care to her as a patient than medical specialists she and her daughter have seen. “They really listen. The doctor took a lot of time to really explain how the methods work and used a lot of examples. I felt like they had a lot of time to spend with me, unlike other doctors who are always behind schedule.”

McCoy and her daughter visited the Olive Leaf Wholeness Center after 9/11 but could not afford regular treatments because most of them are not covered by health insurance plans. Recently, Olive Re-Leaf Project Manager Bob Callely contacted them with the news that they could return for regular treatments — free of charge.

This opportunity, and the entire Olive Re-Leaf Program, are possible through a $450,000 grant from the American Red Cross’s Liberty Disaster Relief Fund. The American Red Cross put aside funds after 9/11 for later distribution to health centers and community organizations to help with the long-term recovery effort.

“It has become increasingly apparent that people are still suffering terribly from the toxins released after 9/11,” said Callely. “I cannot tell you what it’s like to see a policeman or fireman after coming here and getting hope back into their life. They begin to deal with things that have been such a mystery. They cry out of sheer hope because they haven’t known where to turn. It’s very moving.”

Altman said that the holistic health approach can often diagnose problems that standard medical exams cannot. McCoy said doctors at Olive Leaf found a liver problem that her regular physicians at a major New York hospital overlooked.

This is not the first effort by Olive Leaf to reach out to people suffering from the effects of 9/11. In 2001, Olive Leaf recruited 400 volunteers to provide massage to rescue workers and Downtown residents. The center provided more than 14,000 treatments that fall and served 280 meals each night for several weeks to police officers, said Callely. Olive Leaf also raised more than $150,000 in donations.

In 2003, the New York Times Company Foundation gave the center a small grant for the Olive Re-Leaf pilot program. “We had such success that we were asked to reach out to a larger area,” said Callely.

There are about 200 openings left for the free treatments.

Police officers and firefighters, rescue workers and residents who lived below Canal St. on 9/11 are all eligible for the program. Applications are available at the center’s Web site (www.oliveleafwholenesscenter.com), at its spa located at 145 E. 23rd St. or by calling Callely at 212-477-0405.

WWW Downtown Express