When it comes to maintaining good health, there’s a lot of information out there. As we keep progressing towards our understanding of what it means to be healthy and how that looks different for each individual, important advances are being made every single day. It’s important for women of all ages to stay current on health issues affecting them, as well as the resources that are available to support their continued good health and wellbeing.
Diet and Exercise
The proper diet and regular exercise—or lack thereof—makes a major difference in our overall health. There are many ways to ensure that you are on the right track; it’s all a matter of finding the best fit for your lifestyle and goals. One of the great resources in Lincoln, Profile® by Sanford is a simple, effective and sustainable weight loss program to encourage and promote overall health and wellbeing. “Under the direction of our certified coaches, we promote the areas of nutrition, activity and lifestyle for the overall healthy success of each member,” explains Steve Holzwarth, owner of the Profile® by Sanford franchise in Lincoln located at 70th and Pioneers. “This can have substantial positive effects in numerous areas of women’s health such as blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes amongst other areas.
Our certified coaches develop a plan that is individually tailored to fit around a member’s lifestyle. We focus on our three core principles of nutrition, activity and lifestyle. Each member is provided a scale that syncs wirelessly to their home router and sends the information to their own plan online. The scale measures not only their weight, but also their BMI, BMR, total fat percentage, bone density, muscle mass and hydration percentage. This helps promote a healthier lifestyle. Furthermore, our high protein meal replacement products are fortified with vitamins and minerals and help as an easy and convenient nutritional meal or snack.”
Vision Care
Women are caretakers and while taking care of their families often put their needs last. Eye care is no different. Women put off their yearly eye exam and also the opportunity to update their eyewear: both everyday glasses and sunglasses. Few things make a women feel better than a great new accessory. Picking out the right frame style and color for one’s face shape and complexion gives everyone a lift. The eyewear is the fun part of what we do. Dr. Andrew Bateman of Clear Vision Eye Care recommends that everyone get their eyes checked once a year (even if you don’t have a prescription for glasses). During an exam, Dr. Bateman examines the back of the eye and the optic nerve. Many different health conditions are diagnosed at the optometrist, including high blood pressure and brain tumors. “It is surprising how much the eyes can tell us about the health of the rest of the body,” emphasizes Dr. Bateman. There are several diseases that are more prevalent in women that have signs and symptoms that affect the eyes: Multiple sclerosis, Lupus, and Sjogren’s Syndrome.
Women are also more susceptible to chronic dry eye and few understand that there are treatments available that can help. The more time spent on the computer and other electronic devices, the more widespread dry eye is and women’s fluctuation of hormones makes it worse. Do your eyes burn? Do you find yourself blinking to clear your vision? Do you wake up in the morning with blurry vision? You may have dry eye. “The more we know about most health conditions, the more we realize that early detection is key,” Dr. Bateman adds. “It is important for women to make their health care a priority too. Yearly eye examinations can rule out many health conditions and keep you seeing your best.”
Preventative Care
We are lucky to live in a time where a host of preventative measures can be taken to ensure our continued good health and detect anything that could potentially threaten it. For women, this includes regular breast and gynecological exams which are paramount.
Women’s Clinic offers many services at our office so women can get most recommended tests they need all at one location, at one convenient time. “We offer many in-house lab tests, 3D mammography, ultrasound imaging, infertility consultation and treatment, counseling and supportive services, in-office procedures, on-site childbirth education all to compliment routine gynecologic and obstetrical services,” explains Dr. Stephen Swanson of Women’s Clinic. “Women’s Clinic physicians are also experienced in laparoscopic and robotic surgeries for many female conditions. When a patient has illnesses that are not OB/GYN related, such as a sinus infection, we can refer them to our Family Health Care Center, a division of Women’s Clinic.” He adds, “In 2010 the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist and the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology made changes in Pap Smear guidelines that lengthened the time between tests. It is important for women to understand that an annual checkup is more than just the need for a Pap Smear, so they should continue to see their provider on annual basis. During a preventative exam your provider will do a pelvic and breast exam and discuss other healthcare concerns or recommended test for good preventative care. Most insurance companies will cover an annual preventative exam, so it is important for all women to schedule with their provider. This year we have added 3D mammography to our offerings through our Comprehensive Breast Care Center. This advance in technology allows for earlier detection, more accurate readings and fewer callbacks for the patient to return for additional images. All of these things can offer women a greater peace of mind knowing they are getting the best exam possible.”
Maintaining Balance Throughout the Life Span
The human body is a network of complicated biological systems that need to work together in harmony in order to maintain good health. As one key example, it is essential for your hormones to be in balance and working for you, not against you. Holistic Harmony Healthcare specializes in pinpointing which hormonal levels are out of balance and restoring that balance with natural therapies. “There are many different factors that can disrupt optimal hormone balance, no matter what the age of the woman, explains Debbie Reynolds, Nurse Practitioner and owner of Holistic Harmony Healthcare. “However, hormone imbalances often do present as, and are easily confused with, signs of aging. Many women are estrogen dominant through their whole lives, and balancing that out is the key to their wellbeing. Toxins in our environment mimic estrogen, such as pesticides and herbicides, and they can latch on to our estrogen receptors. This further throws the hormonal balance out of whack, and this can even affect men and children.
Your hormone levels will fluctuate and decline as you age, but you can restore proper hormone balance through natural bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. This can be delivered in a plant-derived compounded form that can be ingested with a lozenge, applied topically, or through Hormone Pelleting, which is a simple in office sterile procedure that inserts a pellet in subcutaneous tissue and slowly releases hormones over three months. When your hormones are properly balanced, your quality of life will improve. You’ll feel younger, more energized, and more emotionally balanced. As it is our goal to treat the whole person, Holistic Harmony Healthcare offers a variety of services that serve to naturally balance the mind, body and spirit. In addition to bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, we offer aesthetic services, nutritional therapy, lifestyle coaching including weight loss and fitness, and holistic psychiatric services.”
“When it comes to women’s health and wellbeing, we understand that women have special health needs, and at Holmes Lake Chiropractic, we recognize that and strive to work with our female patients to help their bodies regain a healthy balance,” agrees Dr. Austin Weaver, owner of Holmes Lake Chiropractic. “All women want to live their best life possible, but with specific issues like aging, weight gain, menopause and childbirth, health and wellness can be difficult to manage.
At Holmes Lake Chiropractic we utilize a variety of affordable and accurate testing methods to determine exactly what your body needs to maintain optimal health and balance. Chiropractic care is essential to a women’s health and wellness, and through our programs such as customized clinical nutrition, weight management, chiropractic, corrective exercises and passive and active therapy, we can help guide you to your total wellbeing. Pain during menstruation, infertility, menopause and pregnancy are all part of being a woman, but although many women experience challenges with the problems mentioned, it isn’t necessarily normal. You don’t have to suffer or be in pain. There is a natural alternative to women’s health challenges – Chiropractic Care. A subluxation, meaning nerve irritation, in our lower back can affect a woman’s health in many ways. The nerves that exit out of the low back feed vital messages to and from the brain to our reproductive organs, our digestive organs and our detoxing organs. If there is a subluxation, causing nerve irritation, it is possible that the brain isn’t able to communicate effectively to the ovaries or uterus as an example. This could result in period pain, heavy bleeding, irregular periods, an inability to get pregnant or stay pregnant and many other women’s health issues. Holmes Lake Chiropractic strives to offer women specific services that will allow you to live your best life, which is one that is pain free. When used in tandem, these services can help you make many changes for the better.”
As previously mentioned, there are many wonderful natural/organic products that help with a variety of different health-related issues. “It is crucial for a healthy body to have our nutritional and hormonal needs fulfilled, emphasizes Julie Boyd, co-owner of Herbs & More. “Due to the average person’s nutrient starved diet it becomes necessary to assist the body with natural, organic, and herbal supplements to maintain health and balance out these nutritional downfalls. As women we especially need to take care to prevent heart disease. The best things you can do are to eat nutrient dense foods, exercise, maintain healthy blood sugar levels as well as healthy cholesterol levels and maintain normal blood pressure. Your skin is the biggest organ on your body and needs just as much care as the internal organs, eating organic is just as important as using natural skin care products. We carry several excellent lines of organic skin care products at Herbs & More. Also, we all need to be aware just how crucial a good night’s rest is. If the body doesn’t have enough sleep it does not function as optimally as it should. We offer numerous herbs at the store that help with relaxation and calming to assist in getting a good night’s sleep. At Herbs & More, we are more than happy to offer specialized recommendations and advice tailored to your specific needs in the use of herbal and natural supplements to aid in living a healthier and happier life.”
Caring For Mind and Body
Although both men and women experience traumatic events such as domestic violence and sexual assault, a higher percentage of women are the victims of these events. Unresolved trauma and adverse (i.e. negative) life experiences often result in symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as substance use. Many women who have received treatment for mental health or substance use may not have been adequately assessed for trauma or adverse life experiences.
“At Behavioral Health Resources, LLC our first step is to conduct a comprehensive assessment that incudes mental health, trauma, and substance use as well as other areas of the person’s life, explains Brenda Rohren, Certified EMDR Therapist and President of Behavioral Health Resources, LLC. “This focus on co-occurring issues results in more accurate diagnosis and treatment that is individualized to meet the needs of each client. The assessment process includes not only a clinical interview, but administering several diagnostic inventories that provide more detailed information about the woman’s symptoms and experiences. After the assessment is completed, a treatment plan is developed with her input based on each client’s specific strengths, needs, abilities, and preferences. Trauma-informed treatment is provided in an environment that is comfortable and welcoming. Behavioral Health Resources, LLC is licensed in Nebraska as a Substance Abuse Treatment Center. In addition, our dual diagnosis outpatient programs for youth and adults are CARF accredited. Being licensed and accredited ensures that we are providing quality services with an emphasis on person-centered care.
We often provide services to women who have never received mental health or substance use treatment. The presenting problem is usually related to depression, anxiety and/or family, relationship, and employment conflict. After completion of the comprehensive assessment, it frequently becomes apparent that the underlying reason why coping skills aren’t working is due to unresolved trauma and adverse life experiences. Clients are relieved to finally know the reason why they aren’t happy. Our goal is to increase each client’s life satisfaction and functioning so she can live life fully in the present without being triggered by negative events from the past or obsessive worry about the future. One of the approaches used at Behavioral Health Resources, LLC is EMDR Therapy. This is an evidence-based practice that targets unresolved trauma and other co-occurring issues. We believe that each client is the expert on her life and our role is to guide her on the journey of recovery. EMDR therapy is an efficient way to help women reprocess their experiences in a way that is meaningful and life-empowering.”
So ladies, as you can see there are many resources in Lincoln to help guide you along your wellness journey. After all, it is paramount to make sure that you are taking advantage of every opportunity you have to stay healthy so that you can enjoy a long, happy and fulfilling life!