|
An Artful Pain in the Neck
By Sunny MacMillan
We all have our aches and pains. Sometimes we can identify exactly from whence they come—a blister is easy to find; a stubborn splinter screams: "Take me out!" But it’s those other vaguer, unpleasant and mysterious sensations and unyielding chronic pain that make us wonder. Right now I have a sudden pain in a weird place in my back—I have not pulled or lifted anything unusual. Can it be from sitting at this computer most of the day? And if so, why there? And why now?
Well, we often cannot find answers to such questions. Ultra-testing like MRIs and CAT scans refine and extend diagnosis. Now you can learn about another diagnostic refinement, thermographic imaging (using infrared cameras), by visiting an exhibit of its photography at the art gallery at Wisdom House in Litchfield.
This is a clear "two for the money" deal. Not only do you learn more about what goes on inside our bodies, but you can enjoy full-fledged art generated by thermography, the study of temperatures in the body and the emission of heat.
Dr. Matthew Lee's medical credentials are impressive and extensive. He is the director of a chronic pain laboratory at the Rusk Institute in New York City. He has collaborated with Nam June Paik, acclaimed as the first artist to bring video art into the respectability of museums. Paik suffered a partial stroke and came to Dr. Lee for pain relief and other health-related reasons. Together they extended the use of thermography into the realm of art.
Dr. Lee explains that alternations in the body's surface temperature result in identifiable color changes. Each degree is represented by a particular color. Because pain usually reduces circulation in the body, the resulting coolness expresses itself in changes of color.
A visitor to the gallery (on the second floor of Wisdom House) can watch a short, very informative video narrated by Dr. Lee, in which he points out the "before, during and after" of having an acupuncture treatment—expressed by dramatic color changes in the subject's hands. The resultant images can be viewed as both wonderful abstract art and as teaching aids. I have had two acupuncture treatments for a hand injury so far, so it was interesting to see that there are actual temperature changes—manifested in changes of color—wrought within the body by this ancient Chinese treatment that focuses on "chi" energy.
Dr. Lee describes the body as a "box of rhythms"—brain waves, menstrual and other cycles, etc.—which all should act in synchrony. When they do, we experience good health. Harmony. Who can argue with that!
Thermograms can show the beginnings of arthritis—and at the same time, these images entice us artistically with their abrupt, almost volcanic patterns of vibrant colors and shapes. When patients experienced a lessening of pain, it was reflected in major changes in their thermographic images.
Some of the images on view seem to be presented primarily for their artistic value—for example, one entitled "Souls of the Feet." Others reflect their dual use both to entice and please the eye with their explosive color and also to diagnose and treat pain. Some images are like the most brilliant of tapestries or needlepoint.
I was entranced with each image. One shows someone playing the violin. Another, a close-up, shows a head before and after pain relief. One can not help wondering what each change of color means—what does that tiny island of blue "mean" in terms of health issues when set amidst other contrasting colors within a person's head?
While most of us do not necessarily want to "see" pain, we do want to become informed about its causes. We also enjoy seeing beautiful images. Reach both those goals by visiting this enchanting exhibit.
Wisdom House is located at 229 East Litchfield Rd. in Litchfield. The "Thermographic Images" exhibit can be seen through Sunday, April 7. For more info call 860-567-3163, or visit <www.wisdomhouse.org>.
| 
)