By ALAN OLSON

Staff Writer

In the Ohio Valley, numerous options exist for those struggling with physical and mental ailments, which for some may provide solutions without resorting to visiting the doctor’s office.

For mental health treatments, the BodyMind Institute-IBSR Inc., located in Wheeling, offers strategies to remove the effects of stress, including anxiety, grief, emotional pain and addiction, among others. Clinical director and founder Judith Moolten said the staff treats people from all over the Ohio Valley, as well as training others in the same program to assist people, individually and in groups including families, across the world.

“I train therapists across the globe in somatic combined with cognitive frameworks,” Moolten said. “I created a somatic psychology protocol called IBSR, which allows me to see people across the globe for treatment, supervision or training.”

The Integration Based Stress Removal protocol is a program which is said to target the root cause of a number of external symptoms, which may manifest as stress, trauma, repetitive patterns, panic and addiction, as well as many others.

In addition, Moolten said she also offers counseling for families suffering from couples communication problems, as well as issues with fidelity. Moolten said her clientele not only consists of local residents, but also includes oil and gas pipeline workers, struggling with the stress on their personal and professional lives.

Many seeking assistance with their physical aches and pains on a casual level seek out the aid of massage therapists. St. Clairsville’s Secret Serenity MedSpa offers massage services to help soothe and relax the body, including specialist options such as the “Mommy to Be” massage, targeted toward expecting women after the first trimester, which is aimed at reducing tension in the back and neck while alleviating aches in the legs and feet.

Other therapies include deep tissue massage to relieve tension in specific muscle areas, stone therapy, which includes warmed basalt rocks to rest on the body during the procedure and sports massage, which uses deep muscle manipulation which is said to energize the body.

With a prescription from a doctor, Medical Massages also are available to provide deep tissue massages, trigger point therapy, and other treatments to assist in recovery, while maintaining a regular schedule.

Hydrotherapy can provide relief to those suffering from muscle and bone problems, which include back pain, neck pain and whiplash, and sports injuries, as well as specific ailments such as scoliosis and sciatica. This treatment can be accomplished on a personal scale with whirlpool baths and hot tubs which can be installed at home through various retailers or specialists.

Appointments with the BodyMind Institute-IBSR are available online at www.bmi-ibsr.com.