Prairie Health & Wellness Newsletter — August 2024, Edition 8
The PHW Podcast: Dr. Kaileigh & Dr. Marvin on Chiropractic Care
Check out Episode 5 of the PHW Podcast where Dr. Marvin interviews Dr. Kaileigh McLaughlin, DC about chiropractic care! Dr. Kaileigh dives into the impact of chiropractic adjustments on the body and the nervous system and the benefit of specialized techniques like prenatal/postnatal, infant, and pediatric adjustments.
Pillar of the Month: Sleep
Too little or poor-quality sleep can be a barrier to optimized health and performance.
MNRI
MNRI therapy involves exercises and techniques that are designed to stimulate and integrate primary motor reflexes. These exercises may involve movement, touch, and other sensory input and are tailored to each individual's needs and goals. MNRI therapy has the power to improve communication, cognitive development, and emotional and behavioral regulation. Some of the conditions that MNRI therapy may benefit include autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, learning disabilities, and sensory processing disorders.
DID YOU MISS OUR RECENT PROVIDER LECTURE ON WOMEN'S HEALTH & HORMONES WITH JOLEEN AND KAYLEE? IF SO, YOU CAN FIND THE RECORDING AT THE LINK BELOW!
A Word from Karen Wheeler, APRN
Can you believe it's back to school time?? The weeks, months, & even years seem to fly by faster & faster! I'm not sure how to make time go slower, but I do have some suggestions to help make daily life easier and healthier.
School physicals. Make appointments with providers to get school physical and health forms completed to allow for participation in school-sponsored events. This is also a good time for you, your child, and your healthcare provider to address any health and developmental concerns. It is always good to verify that your child is growing and developing as expected.
Meal plan for success. During the cooler months, especially with busy school and work schedules, prioritizing healthy, fresh foods can be more difficult. Consider having your kids help pack their lunch with nutrient-dense real food rather than the prepackaged, convenience snacks. Bento boxes filled with selections of veggies, nuts/seeds, meats, cheese, and fruits can keep lunches from getting boring. Thermoses can be filled with homemade soups and casseroles made with seasonal vegetables grown in cooler weather such as sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and beets. Stock your freezer with pasture-raised sources of protein like beef, chicken, pork, or turkey. Plan ahead to make bigger portions of meats so they can be remade into a next-day meal with different sides. Remember that Crock-Pots and Instant Pots are convenient ways to make meal planning easier, and, of course, there are meal prep services that can give you new recipe ideas and be delivered right to your door!
Check vitamin D levels. Low Vitamin D levels have been associated with worse incidences of respiratory illnesses including COVID, RSV, and influenza. When we are outdoors during the summer, we have greater exposure to the UVB rays from the sun that trigger the production of vitamin D in our skin. As the days get shorter and sun exposure is limited, most people are not able to get adequate exposure to produce enough vitamin D. You can fortify your diet with cod liver oil, salmon, sardines, or beef liver to increase vitamin D or you can add a high-quality vitamin D3 supplement.
Prioritize sleep. This is one of the Pillars of Health that PHW emphasizes for overall wellness. Even if you have a busy schedule, getting 8 hours of quality sleep every night is essential. Just as infants and toddlers do better with a bedtime routine, I recommend that people of every age work to do the same thing. Make it a priority to set an earlier bedtime. Avoid sleep disruptors like alcohol and caffeine. Make it a point to limit blue light exposure through devices such as cell phones, tablets, TVs, computers, and even the lighting in your home. Start this at least 2 hours before going to bed. Listen to soft music, take a relaxing bath, and limit TV programs, movies, & video games that are intense in action. It is a myth that you can make up for lost sleep during the week by sleeping more on the weekends!
Stock your “medicine” cabinet. Illness never happens at convenient times so being prepared by having some essential supplements on hand is a good idea. Reach out to your provider to get specific dosing for you and your kids.
- High dose vitamin D3. High doses can be taken for 3-5 days to give the immune system a boost. This is best used in early stages of sickness.
- Vitamin C. Our body's need for vitamin C increases when we are sick. I recommend you take vitamin C as your stomach and bowels tolerate, too much can cause loose stools or heartburn.
- Zinc. This is an important booster of our immune system. People who are zinc deficient have little to no infection-fighting cells in the immune system, known as T cells.
- Immune Balance MD. This is a PHW unique formulation to support a healthy immune response that can be taken in lower doses for prevention and higher doses when sick. It already has all the vitamin C, D, and zinc that you may need in a single supplement!
- NAC. NAC is a precursor to glutathione which is an antioxidant that cleans up damage in the body. It can be used orally or nebulized to help with respiratory infections.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! While nobody is bulletproof, we can certainly improve our odds of a happy and healthy school year by prioritizing our pillars (sleep, nutrition, movement, stress and detox). Please reach out to your provider if you have any individual questions or concerns.
Supplement Highlight: Immune Balance MD
Immune Balance MD contains a comprehensive selection of nutrients designed to support the body's natural immune response. It contains vitamins and minerals that help support the cells in our immune system, such as T cells and neutrophils, that help our body fight off infection. It also contains immune boosting herbs such as elderberry and astragalus. Immune Balance MD can be taken as a lower maintenance dose for general immune support, but can also be taken in higher doses to help support the uncomfortable symptoms associated with acute infections.
Checkout our Simple Snacks Cookbook!
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