HealthInfo Island

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

 

Occasionally I like to remind everyone that there is an excellent source of Health information in SL.Healthinfo Island is a wonderful region to visit whatever your needs. This is the Mission statement:

“The mission of Healthinfo Island is to provide timely, accurate, and accessible information on topics of physical, emotional, and mental health. This is done through interactive displays, links to outside resources, group events, and personalized assistance.

The Consumer Health Library at HealthInfo Island is here to help SL residents with health information needs. “

If you look at the ground you will see a blue arrow . It is a TP hud. Click to see where you want to go.

It is fun to just walk around to discover everything but if you want a certain place use it.

The island is sponsored and maintained by The Virtual Ability group and there are various sites on the island that remain open all the time to visitors. There are sites that change monthly with new information on various illnesses and what is going on in the research and cure information.

This month in the Healthy Living Display area there is an excellent display on Pneumonia. Follow the arrows to learn all about pneumonia , its types, diagnosis, and many resources for more information. Click each poster to read about it.

Check out the exhibit on swine flu and its effects and relationship with humans. That exhibit is down the hill from the Pneumonia exhibit.

The nearby exhibit is so interesting to me. It is a topic I don’t really know that much about so I spent time reading all about tropical diseases. January 29 is World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day so it is very relevant. Since many don’t live in a tropic area we often ignore such diseases but we really should check some of them out for travel purposes, not to mention climate change. I know I have had vaccines before I visited certain countries. Actually I met people who have had a few of these diseases myself.

Not comfortable !!

The Research Pavilion is amazing! It is filled with information about clinical trials from defining them to information about ongoing trials one might be interested in joining. There are some dealing with cancer and heart. It tells one how to contact persons who can talk about enrollment in a study also.

There is a Consumer Health Library nearby with more information about ongoing diseases like Covid.

At the Health Exhibit there are posters with a myriad of questions about certain possible assists for dealing with winter illnesses. Are they real or myths? Click the poster and find out what research says.

Next to that site at the left is one of my favorite places. I have taken many avatars there. It is called the Path of Support. It has posters for the plethora of amazing support groups that exist in sl to help those who need help with so many chronic diseases, addiction, mental health, disabilities and more. Each poster gives a description of the group’s mission and by clicking one can join the group they choose.

This wonderful island gives so much aid to people who need assistance. If you have a question you can contact Eme Capalini or Gentle Heron . I suggest you visit and roam around to see all it has to offer .

This is the center Pavilion. Remember there will be a change of information for February.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/128/126/24

 

Gemma Cleanslate

Mental Health Month at Health Island

By Gemma Cleanslate

Gentle Heron took a group on a tour of the latest Health Island offerings. Health Island changes its exhibit every month and this month of May has a very apropos to all of us who are going through the Corvid-19 saga. It takes a toll  on all of our minds. 

The whole island is dedicated to mental health issues in all its many forms and this is Mental Health Month.  There is an “un-conference”  Gentle told us, “The Virtual Ability community often holds its Mental Health Symposium in May... but this year we have to do things a bit differently. In 2020 we are going to hold a Mental Health Un-Conference.

"You may be unfamiliar with the concept of an Un-Conference. It is a series of presentations, field trips and discussions spread throughout the month. It may include art talks or read-alouds or movie viewings or other forms of expression. These will all relate to the broad general theme of Mental Health.

"The sessions tend to be less formal than regular professional conference sessions, too. One of the ways Virtual Ability promotes its conferences, and this Un-Conference, is through the monthly theme on Healthinfo Island. “

Gentle took us through the island to the various sites that offer so much information on a variety of mental health issues . At each site there is a poster that gives information about that  exhibit . Just click it for the notecard.

Each part of the exhibit may be interactive so click and each one begins with a definitions and proceeds with descriptions. facts and ends with resources. Each will give you more info when you click it.

Some of the topics are depression, how to deal with depression, borderline personality disorder , dementia, Minority Mental Health Equity and more. Some information is from clinicians view, some from the individual dealing with the issue and some from a caretaker view. The Island is rich with links to outside help not only in the USA but in many other countries too. For information about events during the month check the Virtual ability website. http://blog.virtualability.org/ Health Island is located next to the Virtual Ability region. Gentle and a wonderful crew or helpers maintain the island each month.

Gentle also reminded us that there are also many support groups here in second life that one can join. Information about these groups is located on the island on the Path of Support. That is also located on the island so be sure to look for it if you are looking for inworld support .The exhibit will be here until the end of May. 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/104/84/24

Gemma Cleanslate

HealthInfo Island

By Gemma Cleanslate

Right next to Virtual Ability region there is a region called Healthinfo Island. I was asking Gentle Heron for information for two friends and she sent me there to search for a support group I was trying to find . “The mission of Healthinfo Island is to provide timely, accurate, and accessible information on topics of physical, emotional, and mental health.  This is done through interactive displays, links to outside resources, group events, and personalized assistance. The Consumer Health Library at HealthInfo Island is here to help SL residents with health information needs.” The region is supported and maintained by Virtual Ability. 

I was amazed at the wealth of information I found. There seem to be inworld support groups for almost anything you or a friend need! There is a Path of Support that displays a myriad of signs with information about the groups. I was able to locate three groups that seemed to fit and brought my friends there to see.

           
All around the island  there are Health Exhibits that offer a multitude of knowledge about various illnesses, and some slide shows. Each poster contains a notecard with information in most of the exhibits.

 

There is a delightful herb garden with each herb named on a placard. Next to it  a beehive with a warning about the loss of bees going on now.There are some programs that take place either at the Herb Garden, The Farmer’s Market near the garden.

The Research Pavilion is filled with Studies from all over the world on many diseases and all available right here in second life. It is a treasure trove of information . Gentle told me, Researchers”   describe their upcoming research at the Research Pavilion, and recruit there, and come back and tell us the results."

Another treasure is the Consumer Health Library. Here you can find urls to lists of resources on the internet. 

One room is named Daisy’s Reading Room. I went in. I learned the room is named Daisyblue Hefferman .”Daisyblue Hefferman dedicated her time in Second Life to helping those in need. Daisy spent countless hours providing medical knowledge as Consumer Health Librarian on Healthinfo Island.” It is a lovely place to sit and read or work as I did on this article. Gentle told me she loves this place to sit and read also. 

I would recommend anyone with any kind of illness, or a caretaker, or have friends with issues to take a long walk through the region to see what is there that can be helpful. 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/243/128/23

Gemma Cleanslate  

Paradise Eiland

By Becky "Sha" Shamen

Ever since I wrote about Creations for Parkinson's, I have been attending their Sunday night angel's dance. Several friends, including some of the other Newser Reporters, also make frequent trips to Creations. I have also made many new friends there. Last Sunday, Maia Antarra asked me if I would be interested in writing about the coming opening of a new healing center which she was involved with. This new center, "Paradise Eiland Retreat and Event Center" uses non-medical, New Age therapies, like Reiki, Tai Chi, meditation and sound to restore balance and health.

I found this topic very interesting, for two reasons. I have been looking into the idea that Second Life can provide real life therapy. Add to this, in the last few months I have developed a problem with poor circulation and pain in my feet and legs. I have very little faith in medical doctors and have been trying to book an appointment in a real-life healing center, like the one Maia was describing in SL. I was given a LM and told to contact the owner, Rod Eiland. When our Sunday event ended, I headed for Paradise. In addition to reporting on it, I was hoping to offer myself as proof that these virtual reality techniques do, in fact, work.

The landing put me right in front of the healing center. While waiting for things to rez, I noticed and enjoyed the soothing music stream. The peace was enhanced as natural scenery and classic Greek architecture came into view.

Entering the healing building, I found a group prayer/invocation animation and some massage tables, with animation balls for the healers to use. The walls were decorated with iconography from various world religions. From experience, I knew that healing requires the patient to believe in the effectiveness of the treatment. I could tell that this environment would be very believable, for most people. I went back outside to explore more of the center and spotted Rod Eiland was on the West end of the sim with another member of the healing staff. I found them dancing on a beautiful glass dance floor. Introducing myself, I learned that they had already been told to expect me. The three of us talked, until Rod's assistant had to log off. Rod then offered to give me a private tour. The center occupies the Southern half of the Sugar Valley sim http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sugar%20Valley/193/17/23.

 

Our first stop was the Tai Chi area, on the North side of the dance floor. Rod explained that his specialty was sound healing, using brass bowls and gongs and he offered a free session. He said it would work best if I wore headphones, so I dimmed my lights, lit a candle and put my headset on. I could feel the sound vibrating, all the way down to my solar plexus and, for the first time in weeks, was not having any shooting pains from my left foot.

I made an appointment to return the following night for a full treatment. Our timing was off, so I missed the scheduled time and spent time getting more details of the upcoming grand opening.

The center will open on November 26, with opening ceremony beginning at 1pm SLT, with the release of a flock of eagles. Technically speaking, I can't tell you that these healing techniques will cure anything. I can say that, based on experience in SL and RL, there is great potential for real healing here. These things also take time, so don't expect any instant miracle cures on your first visit. I'm going to keep my walking cane handy, until I've been to a few more sessions.

At this point of the story, I would normally be telling readers to come have a great adventure. What I will say is, if you or a friend have been feeling your light has dimmed, you owe it to yourself to explore Paradise Eiland and see if they can turn up the light and get you in the pink.

Sha