Healing Hands Integrated Wellness & Primary Care

Strength training isn’t bodybuilding!

It can be as simple as wall sits, planks, squats, or arm curls while holding soup cans.

The American Heart Association and other experts recommend strength training twice per week. Start with one set of 8-12 repetitions, rotate to different muscle groups, and add more weight as you feel you are able, and add more sets or reps as you get stronger.

Remember to always listen to your body, it’s a work in progress! We all are in this together!

We just got our shipment of vitamins in. Come get your favorite vitamins and supplements!

If you are trying to access our website, we are experiencing some technical difficulties and we are working diligently to get this corrected. We will give you any updates as we have them. Thank you.

Happy Saturday! We hope that everyone had awesome July 4th celebrations and if those celebrations are continuing through this weekend, enjoy every moment!

We must apologize for our technical difficulty. The office was closed both Thursday and Friday, and we had scheduled notifications for FB and our phone lines that ultimately ended up taking the days off themselves🤪. If you had attempted to reach out to the office, we apologize and will work diligently to return any calls that came through. If you needed to reach a particular provider, please log into the Athena EMR and attempt to send them a message through the portal.

We thank you for your understanding!

The Healing Hands team

It’s been two years since our doors opened and what a ride it has been. A BIG THANK YOU to all of our patients for allowing us to do what we love to do! Here’s to many more years to come! 🥂

Do you experience any of these symptoms?

Fatigue & lack of energy
Difficulty sleeping
Reduced mental focus
Mood swings
Hot flashes
Weight gain
Difficulty with weight loss
Decreased muscle strength
Muscle & joint pain
Reduced libido

Now obviously these can be symptoms of so many other metabolic or disease processes. However, these can be issues of perimenopause, menopause, or andropause. If you are a patient of ours, why not request hormonal labs as a part of your wellness workup, if they have not already been completed. Then request an appointment with Lynda C. Miller, DNP, FNP, PMHNP, to discuss these issues more indepth. Send a DM here for further information!

Follow the link below for further details on Biote pellets which is a service here at this office, cash pay only.

Hormone Therapy FAQs | Biote Click here for frequently asked questions about Biote and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. BHRT may help with many symptoms and side-effects of hormonal imbalance. Click here for helpful FAQs.

Sports physicals are $25 dollars! You can walk in and we will get you in and out as fast as we can! You do need a parent present!

Angel ❤

We at Healing Hands are collecting non-perishable food items for the Pride Food Pantry ran by the LGBTQ+ Center and the AIDS Response Effort (ARE). If you have an appointment coming up, please consider bringing a donation with you. Or if you are out and about, you can just stop by, say hello, and drop off your donation. The box is in our lobby.

We appreciate you all, and Happy Pride🏳️‍🌈

https://aidsresponseeffort.org

https://aidsresponseeffort.org/lgbtq-center/

Happy Memorial Day. In observance of the holiday our office will be closed. We will return Tuesday, May 28th for our normal hours of operation. Have a wonderful day!

With the holiday coming up, we wanted to remind everyone that our office will be closed Monday, May 27th in observance of Memorial Day. We will return to the office Tuesday, May 28th for our normal hours of operation. Have a wonderful and safe weekend.

Today, Friday, May 24th, the last day of Lifestyle Medicine week, we talk about sleep.

Sleep is essential for good health, and many people struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep or even get enough restful sleep each night. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend that adults ages 18–60 sleep at least seven hours each night to promote optimal health and well-being. Take this day to reflect on your own sleep habits and find ways to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests to follow these tips to establish healthy sleep habits:

1. Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends or during vacations.
2. Set a bedtime that is early enough for you to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep.
3. Don’t go to bed unless you are sleepy.
4. If you don’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed. Go do a quiet activity without a lot of light exposure. It is especially important to not get on electronics.
5. Establish a relaxing bedtime routine.
6. Use your bed only for sleep and s*x.
7. Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing. Keep the room at a comfortable, cool temperature.
8. Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings.
9. Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
10. Don’t eat a large meal before bedtime. If you are hungry at night, eat a light, healthy snack.
11. Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet.
12. Avoid consuming caffeine in the afternoon or evening.
13. Avoid consuming alcohol before bedtime.
14. Reduce your fluid intake before bedtime.

If you feel like you are following most of these tips, reach out to you provider to discuss your specific sleep issues. Work together to develop a plan so that you can start getting your proper zzzz’s😊

Today, Thursday, May 23, 2024, the fifth day in the Lifestyle Medicine Week, we discuss social connections and healthy relationships.

Social connection is a pillar of lifestyle medicine. Humans are wired to connect, and this connection affects our health. From psychological theories to recent research, there is significant evidence that social support and feeling connected can help people maintain a healthy body mass index, control blood sugars, improve cancer survival, decrease cardiovascular mortality, decrease depressive symptoms, mitigate posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and improve overall mental health. The opposite of connection, social isolation, has a negative effect on health and can increase depressive symptoms as well as mortality.

Some psychiatrists go so far as comparing social connection to vitamins: “just as we need vitamin C each day, we also need a dose of the human moment—positive contact with other people.” They advocate for adding connection to our list of essentials in addition to food, water, vitamins, and minerals. Thus, like in Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs,” connection distills down to a vital human need.

As providers, inquiring about social connection, prescribing it, and using it as treatment as well as prevention, in combination with medicinal therapies in areas where the research supports such practice, could indeed be just the social cure we need.

Here are some ideas for increasing social connections.

https://www.wesmoss.com/news/15-ways-to-stay-socially-connected-for-better-personal-well-being/

Today, Wednesday, May 22nd, the forth day in our week of Lifestyle Medicine Week, we discuss Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and drug use which can all have negative impacts on our health.

Take this day to reflect on your own habits and if there is any room for improvement to reduce or eliminate any risky behaviors. The next step is to make an appointment with your provider to start the conversation.

Before your appointment, make a list of your concerns. Start a few days in advance, if possible, to track symptoms or other concerns. Be thorough and honest; the details are important. Keeping the list to one page will help the doctor stay engaged. Mention your most important concerns first. Consider giving the doctor a copy of your list so she can follow along. This will help make the best use of the limited time you have for your appointment.

Speak up. Doctors tend to prioritize diagnostic information and core concerns early in the office visit. Make sure you make your key concerns known at the onset of the visit to help prevent the doctor from jumping to conclusions about treatments or dismissing issues you believe are important.

Listen. It is so easy to get rattled at a doctor’s visit that it sometimes feels like the appointment is over in a blink of an eye and all you walk out with is the blurred memory of a meeting and a prescription. Take some deep breaths and focus on what the doctor is saying. Bring a tape recorder and ask the doctor if she wouldn’t mind your recording the visit to help you better remember the information you discuss.

Ask questions. Don’t hesitate to ask when words the doctor is using are unfamiliar or his instructions are not clear to you. Question the assumptions behind proposed treatments that do not seem viable in your situation. And above all, you deserve to know what the cost to you may be for a proposed treatment. Doctors’ recommendations are only as valuable as your interest and ability to put them into practice.

Don’t minimize the symptoms or situation. Remarks like “it’s no big deal” or “being up all night not sleeping really isn’t a problem,” might lead your doctor to the same conclusion.

Share your knowledge. Repeat back to the doctor what you understood from the appointment so that they know if any clarification is needed. Be open to ideas that are presented for testing and treatment. Have your provider print out the treatment plan so that you know what next steps look like. Always follow up as directed.

The To***co, Alcohol, Prescription medication, and other Substance use (TAPS) Tool is below. Follow the link, fill it out online and take these results to your appointment to start the conversation with your provider.

https://nida.nih.gov/taps2/

Today, Tuesday, May 21st, the third day in our week of Lifestyle Medicine Week, we discuss the pillar of nutrition.

ACLM recommends a plant-predominant eating pattern, meaning the bulk of the foods consumed should come from whole-food sources like fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts/seeds, beans, etc. Eating a healthy, balanced diet is essential for good health. Take this day to learn more about the pillar of nutrition and try incorporating some new healthy recipes into your diet. Small changes can lead to big improvements in your overall health and well-being.

Why not start with cleaning up your diet. Here are seven tips for you…

1. Load up on Fruits and Vegetables. Consuming at least five servings of fruits or vegetables daily can lower your risk factors.

2. Go Whole Grain. The cleanest whole grains are the ones that have been processed the least. Think whole grains that look most like their just-harvested state—quinoa, wild rice and oats.

3. Eat Less Meat. Emerging research suggests that cutting back on meat is healthier for you and the planet.

4. Watch Out for Processed Foods. If you struggle reading the food label, you should probably consider not eating it or making a better version of it.

5. Limit Added Sugar. The American Heart Association recommends no more than about 6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 teaspoons per day for men. The average American gets about four times that amount—28 teaspoons of added sugar per day.

6. Keep an Eye on Sodium. The American Heart Association recommends capping sodium at 2,300 milligrams daily—about 1 teaspoon of salt—with an ideal limit of fewer than 1,500 mg—especially if you're over age 50, of African American descent or have high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease or diabetes.

7. Consider the Environment. Clean eating might be better for you and the planet. The food we eat takes resources to get to our plates. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, agriculture accounts for 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions, with the meat industry accounting for much of it. Produce production can also take a toll, with the types of herbicides, pesticides and synthetic fertilizers impacting water and soil quality. Choosing organic or grass-fed meat and purchasing sustainably caught or farmed seafood makes your proteins a more environmentally sound choice. If it fits your budget, fruits and vegetables can be purchased organic, as well as local and in-season to help cut down on their carbon footprint.

https://www.eatingwell.com/article/282469/clean-eating-foods-list/

Today, Monday, May 20th, the second day in our week of Lifestyle Medicine Week, we discuss the pillar of exercise.

Regular movement and exercise are essential for maintaining your health. The 2019 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends adults accumulating at least 150 – 300 minutes of moderate activity per week. This can look different for everyone, and it is important to find something enjoyable to achieve those minutes. Whether you prefer running, cycling, swimming, or any other type of physical activity, make sure to get moving on this day! Even just a short walk can make a big difference in your overall health.

The advice from Mayo Clinic on how do we add exercise to our daily lives.

1) Start slowly and build up gradually. Give yourself plenty of time to warm up and cool down with easy walking or gentle stretching. Then speed up to a pace you can keep doing for 5 to 10 minutes without getting overly tired.

2) As your energy improves, slowly add to the amount of time you exercise. Work your way up to 30 to 60 minutes of exercise most days of the week.

3) Break things up. You don't have to do all your exercise at one time. Weave activity into your day. You still get aerobic benefits from shorter sessions done a few times a day. Plus shorter sessions may fit into your schedule better than a single 30-minute session. Any activity is better than no activity.

4) Be creative. Maybe you walk, bicycle and row. But don't stop there. Take a weekend hike with your family or spend an evening ballroom dancing. Find activities you enjoy and add them to your fitness routine.

5) Listen to your body. If you feel pain, shortness of breath, dizziness or nausea, take a break. You may be pushing yourself too hard.

6) Be flexible. If you're not feeling good, it's OK to take a day or two off.

Here is a low impact, fun, easy to follow video you can do at home. The great thing about YouTube is that you can find just about anything of interest you are looking for regarding exercise.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei96V7EUi9k

Lifestyle Medicine Week is an annual, global celebration of the six key pillars of lifestyle medicine: stress management, physical activity, nutrition, quality sleep, avoidance of risky substances, and social connection.

Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine provides effective prevention for chronic conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, and when used intensively, often reverses such conditions.

Each day of the week will address a certain pillar and provide a framework for individuals to learn more about healthy lifestyle habits and to take action to improve their own health.

Today, Sunday, May 19, we kick off with the pillar of stress management. Everyone is impacted by stress in one way or another, and it can have a negative impact on our physical and mental health. However, there are many ways to address and manage your stress levels. During this day, take some time to reflect on your stress levels and find healthy ways to manage them. Whether it’s meditation, or simply taking a walk outside, there are plenty of ways to reduce stress and improve your overall well-being.

Stress is an automatic physical, mental and emotional response to a difficult event. It's a common part of everyone's life. When used positively, stress can lead to growth, action and change. But negative, long-term stress can lessen your quality of life.

Stress management offers a range of ways to help you better deal with stress and difficulty, also called adversity, in your life. Managing stress can help you lead a more balanced, healthier life.

Stress management approaches include:

Learning skills such as problem-solving, focusing on important tasks first and managing your time.

Improving your ability to cope with difficult events that happen in life. For example, you may learn how to improve your emotional awareness and reactions.

You also may learn how to increase your sense of control. And you may find greater meaning and purpose in life and have more gratitude and optimism.

Practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation, tai chi, exercise and prayer.

Improving your personal relationships.

Follow th link below to learn more on stress management.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dSfZgygLjiw

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Why is Mental Health Awareness Important?

Despite recent strides in how our society approaches mental wellbeing, many Americans still don’t have access to the high-quality, comprehensive treatment and care they need. Just take a look at some of the staggering data about mental health in the United States:

~1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year.
~Only 47.2% of U.S. adults with mental illness received treatment in 2021.
~1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year.
~Only 65.4% of U.S. adults with serious mental illness received treatment in 2021.
~1 in 6 U.S. youth have a mental health condition, but only half receive treatment.
~50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24.

In order to start the mental health conversation, filling out an online screening tool(s) can demonstrate a quick snapshot of your mental health. If your results indicate you may be experiencing symptoms of a mental illness, consider sharing your results with someone. You can initiate this conversation with your primary care provider, who could refer you to a mental health provider or therapist, where a detailed assessment can take place to assess and discuss options on how you can feel better.

If you do not have a primary care provider, mental health provider or therapist, call our office to find out how you can establish primary care with one of our providers, or mental health with Tabitha Gregory, our PMHNP (psychiatric nurse practitioner), or one of our therapists.

Follow the link below to select an online screening tool(s) to fill out.

https://screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools/?ref=MHM24

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!

Our office will be closed today, May 3rd due to the apple blossom festival. We will reopen on Monday, May 6th at our normal hours of operation. Have a fun and safe weekend. Happy Bloom!!!!

Happy World Laughter Day!
Why did a banana have to go see a doctor?
He wasnt peeling right......
Comment your best jokes to share some laughter on this wonderful day.

Today marks the start of Mental health Awareness Month! Throughout the whole month of May, we will be posting resources and links to pages for more information. We also have a new Psych NP, Tabitha Gregory who is accepting new patients for mental health services. If you are interested in becoming a new patient, please go to our website www.healinghandsfp.com and fill out the "New Patient Questionnaire" form under the patient information tab and submit for review. Make sure to indicate you are looking for mental health services. Once the review process has been completed, we will reach out to with next steps. Happy Mental Health Awareness Month!! Keep an eye out for more posts with resources.

Our office will be closed this Friday, May 3rd due to the apple blossom festival. Please call our office Monday-Thursday to ensure we can get all prescriptions filled before the long weekend. We will reopen Monday, May 6th at our normal hours of operation.

Visbiome GI care Probiotic is one of the best probiotics to take to help to strengthen you gut and improve overall gut health. For more information go to https://www.visbiome.com/products/visbiome-capsules

You can also swing by the office at anytime to ask any further questions you may have.

Happy World Book Day! Stop in a take a peek at our collection! Have a wonderful day!

National Pet Day is April 11, although if you’re a pet owner, you know there’s not a day that goes by that you don’t celebrate your animal companion! So hug your hedgehog, “pound the pavement” with your puppy, bond with your bunny, or cut your kitty some catnip!

That critter makes you happy — and that’s not all. Over the past 10 years, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been a partner in research to determine the physical and mental benefits of having a pet. It turns out that not only can pets steal our hearts, but they also contribute to overall cardiovascular health by lowering cortisol, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Read the attached to see other ways pets improve our lives.

If you did not prepare for the eclipse by ordering special viewing glasses, no need to worry. There are several things you can do to safely view the eclipse (follow the link). Viewing the eclipse through a camera, sunglasses, or other types of lenses could potentially cause serious damage to the eye.

Otherwise, enjoy your viewing tomorrow! The next total solar eclipse that will be visible from the contiguous U.S. will be on Aug. 23, 2044.

How to make solar eclipse glasses, cereal box viewers and pinhole cameras to watch the 2024 show safely Can't find solar eclipse glasses? Here's how to make a pinhole camera viewer using a cereal box.

With over 16 million Americans and 400 million people worldwide having rosacea, April has been designated Rosacea Awareness Month. The following link is to the National Rosacea Society to learn more about whether you or someone you love has rosacea, signs and symptoms, lifestyle changes to consider, and management options. If you have questions or concerns, ask your provider at your next appointment.

https://www.rosacea.org/patients/rosacea-awareness-month #:~:text=Over%2016%20million%20Americans%20and%20400%20million%20people%20worldwide%20have%20rosacea.

We hope everyone has a safe and fun day!