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Sweat it Out

Dianne Villani, FNP-C • January 5, 2022

Relaxing in a sauna is a time-tested tradition in cold countries like Finland and Sweden, and Original Peoples have long used sweat lodges for spiritual ceremonies. In recent years, scientists have begun exploring sauna use for its potential health benefits. Evidence is mounting that sauna use — particularly of a high-quality infrared sauna —  can enhance wellness in several ways. Saunas may improve cardiovascular health, exercise recovery, immune function, detox capacity, diabetes, depression, skin and wound healing, and of course, stress management.

Cardiovascular Health

Infrared sauna sessions raise your heart rate and increase circulation similar to the way a cardio workout does. Blood flow during infrared sauna use may rise from a normal rate of 5-7 quarts/minute to up to 13 quarts/minute. This increase in blood flow makes the heart work harder which, in turn, makes it stronger. This kind of “passive cardio” workout is especially helpful for people with injuries or conditions like fibromyalgia, POTS, or chronic fatigue syndrome that preclude them from high intensity activities.

Muscular Health

Those who can and do work out also benefit from the increased circulation that comes with sauna use. Exercise causes muscle breakdown. During recovery, the body heals that damage and rebuilds muscles to become even stronger. Good circulation is critical for proper healing. The more blood cells that can get delivered to muscles, the quicker they rebuild, increasing strength and boosting metabolism. This reduces risk of injury, improves bone density and may even help with excess body fat.

Immunity and Detox

Fever is one of the body’s first lines of defense against infectious organisms, such as viruses and bacteria. It hinders temperature-sensitive organisms from reproducing in the body and increases the rates of some important immunological reactions. Saunas can mimic fevers, intentionally raising the body temperature for therapeutic effect. Infrared light penetrates to the cellular level. Infrared heating technology gives you the highest quality and quantity of infrared clinically proven to raise core body temperature by three degrees.

Stress Reduction

Unwinding in a sauna just feels good! The soothing heat is the perfect setting for practicing mindfulness. Using a sauna therapy session to slow down and meditate can help with mental stress reduction. Meditation has been proven to reduce inflammation, cortisol, and cytokine chemicals and increase a sense of calm. A University of Wisconsin-Madison study found raising the body temperature of depressed volunteers to the equivalent of a mild fever brought improvement in symptoms of major depression for as long as six weeks after a single treatment.

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We are happy to offer the myriad benefits of our Medical-Grade Far Infrared sauna therapy services right here at the Healing Collective in Niwot, CO. Call to schedule your Sauna Appointment today!

RESOURCES

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Happy Pride and Alzheimer's/Brain Awareness Month!

By Tracy Shulsinger • June 1, 2024
This month has two very important celebrations that I would love to connect. Making connections is actually one of the strengths of the functional medicine detection process that guides us to the root causes of illness and toward healing! I now invite you to take a pause and ask yourself, what does pride in owning one’s sexual orientation as LGBTQ have to do with brain health and Alzheimer's Disease? As not to leave anyone out- if you identify as straight or heterosexual, what could having pride in yourself have to do with your brain health and Alzheimer's? An important connection that I would like to make involves the nervous system. The brain is a central component of the nervous system, along with the spinal cord and nerves. Our nervous system influences and controls many bodily functions and is also influenced and controlled by many factors. Our emotional state highly influences our nervous system. Individuals who do not feel accepted to be who they are without being judged, criticized, ridiculed and loved by others live under tremendous stress. They often feel unsafe- emotionally and/or physically. Living with constant emotional stress and feeling physically or emotionally unsafe takes a major toll on the nervous system, including the brain, and can be one of many contributors to cognitive impairment. This constant level of stress can impair cognitive function. Stress is inflammatory to the body and brain. Stress affects neurotransmitter production, causing excess excitatory neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and epinephrine, which up-regulate our system which can unfortunately cause even more stress. Stress also causes increased cortisol, the stress hormone to be produced. An excess of these chemicals causes health consequences to many bodily systems. To name a few: Cardiovascular- increased blood pressure and heart rate Respiratory- shallow and rapid breathing that reduces oxygenation Musculoskeletal- pain and tension Endocrine System- sex hormone and thyroid hormone abnormalities due to the HPATG (Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal Thyroid Gonadal) Axis disturbance caused by high cortisol and elevated blood sugar that could advance to diabetes Immune system- Autoimmune disease risk increases significantly from chronic stress Gastrointestinal- GI issues due to parasympathetic and vagus nerve disruption And on and on! Every single system is affected by chronic stress in the nervous system. 

Detoxing is Critical to Long Term Health!

By Tracy Shulsinger • May 23, 2024
When people ask me what is one of the most important elements of healthy living, disease prevention and feeling one’s best I always include detoxing as a top priority. Then one of 2 things generally happens. People respond with a resounding, yes! Or I get the deer in the headlight look. I love to break down information for my clients because the more understanding into why something matters, the more follow through and greater benefit to the client will occur. Detoxing is so critical because we are exposed to toxins all day, every day, in our modern life through our basic survival needs and beyond. . Exposure comes through the air we breathe, water we drink, food we eat, personal hygiene products we ironically use to cleanse and care for ourselves and our living spaces. Additionally, extra exposures occur when we renovate our homes or offices; buy a new mattress, carpet, or couch due to the new materials off-gassing chemicals used in the manufacturing process. On top of this certain industries provide extra exposures, such as: mechanics, chemists, beauticians who work in spas and nail salons, artists, construction workers/contractors/mechanical engineers, hospital workers, farmers and more! The deer in the headlights look continues and people wonder, how to detox? People often ask- do I have to do a juice diet or not eat…they often imagine something hard and extreme. Yes, these types of detox’s do exist but must be short lived and thus are less effective. The best type of detox is actually one that supports your daily life rather than interfering with it. There are 3 important, simple messages I’d like to share regarding detoxing. First, living a detox lifestyle is an important way to provide self care to your body, mind and emotions. This means you are eating, drinking, moving, bathing and sweating in an intentional way that helps the daily toxins that flow in, to flow right back out. This preventative method significantly reduces toxin accumulation . Second, address stored toxins by doing a deeper detox dive over multiple months. Start with supporting your drainage pathways, which is “Phase 3” of the body’s detoxing cycle. For this I recommend a detox kit by Cellcore, which they named Phase 1…sorry for the confusion! This is Phase 1 of a detox protocol but in fact it supports Phase 3 of our own body’s detox elimination cycle. Once the body’s drainage pathways are open then deeper detoxing is safe, effective and comfortable, which I love to guide people through!. Thirdly, incorporate intermittent fasting on a regular basis. At the least, do a 12 hour fast overnight. But then build up from there. I strongly recommend that we discuss this further before doing longer fasts to maximize effectiveness and minimize unwanted results. In addition to detoxing support, fasting also supports longevity, cancer prevention and treatment, metabolic disorders- but when not done correctly, especially for a woman's body, it can actually cause unwanted hormonal changes. I would love to support your detoxing needs further so if you feel you are in need and ready for some detox support, please reach out. Wishing you all the best and so, so well! With love, Tracy Shulsinger, FNP

Inhaled Molecular Hydrogen to Enhance Your Treatment Sessions

By The Healing Collective • May 10, 2024
INHALED MOLECULAR HYDROGEN IS NOW AVAILABLE IN SCHEDULED PHYSICAL THERAPY SESSIONS

A Heart Screening Test To Know About

By Tracy Shulsinger • February 21, 2024
Heart health is a major concern for many people. According to the Centers For Disease Control Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) has been the leading cause of death since 1950. Many daily choices are based on heart health. These may include not smoking, exercising, limiting high fat foods, taking heart focused supplements/medications, heart medical tests, and more.

Menopause is a Journey Part 1

By Tracy Shulsinger • October 30, 2023
The next several blogs will be presenting a series of information about menopause. This topic is SO immense that it will take many months to share...besides menopause is a journey! This series will open with presenting an article, “Women Have Been Mislead About Menopause” in the New York Times that was published in February 2023. I tremendously appreciate this article due to the blend of compassion and sensitivity regarding women who suffer through menopause and the scientific reporting from many excellent sources including large and small studies and experts in the field. Menopause is a topic that I am very passionate about. It affects every single woman and despite this wide reach, there is still a high amount of reported confusion, distress and poor impacts to quality of life and global health reported by women during per-menopause and menopause. One healthcare topic that affects half of the population in the world is worth giving lots of attention! But yet there is tremendous controversy about this topic and many women report difficulty having a satisfying conversation w/ their providers about menopause- one where they feel well informed of benefits and not just risks, lack of judgment and a sensitivity to their experience. Here are some important take-aways from this article regarding the many signs and symptoms women can experience: About 85% of women experience symptoms during menopause Hot flash’s are too often all that is discussed and understood by women as menopause symptoms. In fact there are whole body, systemic changes as well. The severity and experiences vary woman to women but here is a more complete list of signs and symptoms: Brain: Vascular effects, cognitive changes/impairments, poor word finding, forgetfulness, short term memory disturbances. Mental/Emotional Health- Insomnia, depression, anxiety, irritability, reduced libido Skin/Mucous Membranes- Dryness to skin, mouth, eyes; accelerated skin aging in appearance and loss of elasticity Cardiovascular- Increased cholesterol Gastrointestinal- Digestive disturbances Genitourinary/Vaginal- urinary leakage/incontinence, dryness, painful intercourse, atrophic vaginitis, increase in infections such as “BV” (bacterial vaginitis) and yeast infections, excessive vaginal bleeding, unpredictable menstrual cycles, shortening or lengthening of menstrual cycle. Musculoskeletal- joint pain, bone density loss that can lead to Osteopenia and further to Osteoporosis Metabolic- weight gain and body composition changes including reduction in muscle mass and increase in belly fat

Perimenopause - Know the Facts!

By Dr. Madelyn Altman • October 16, 2023
Everyone talks about what to expect during pregnancy and the first year of a child’s life, but few women are aware and few allopathic providers are talking about what to expect in perimenopause, which is why it is vital to increase awareness and inspire action. Most women enter perimenopause in their 40’s, but changes can begin as early as mid to late 30’s. These changes and symptoms can begin up to 10 years before menopause. Perimenopausal women may experience none, some, or all of the following symptoms:
Most of the crops in the US are sprayed with Glyphosate which is found in 70% of urine

The Harmful Effects of Glyphosate (and what YOU can do about it!)

By The Healing Collective • October 6, 2023
Glyphosate is a worldwide commonly used herbicide and is the primary toxic chemical in Roundup™, as well as in many other herbicides. Have you been eating a dangerous dose of poison without even knowing it?! Since the 1970s, we've seen a huge increase of a herbicide called glyphosate on our food crops - scientists estimate that over 150,000 tons are sprayed annually across America!

Staying Well this Fall & Sick Care when Needed

By Tracy Shulsinger • August 29, 2023
This month's blog is inspired by the times- back to school, approaching fall a.k.a cold/flu season and the increase in COVID cases amongst us. In fact I was exposed myself and am now nursing myself back to health. The functional medicine approach is quite simple when it comes to maintaining and improving health. Eliminate what doesn't belong in the body that contributes to disease and introduce or increase what supports health. In regards to viral illnesses such as the common cold and COVID, this approach is very helpful. While we still can be exposed and contract an illness, the severity of the illness can be significantly reduced by following dietary considerations and taking supportive supplements before, during, and after an illness.
Cutting Edge Frequency Specific Support for Surgical Procedures

Frequency Specific Support for Pre and Post-Op!

By Jessica Tierney • August 15, 2023
We have supported procedures including root canals, tooth extractions, shoulder replacements, hysterectomies, orchiopexies, ACL reconstructions, rotator cuff repairs, hip replacements, knee replacements & revisions, spinal surgeries, fusions, ankle surgeries, fracture ORIFs, osteoporosis & osteopenia, abdominal surgeries, and many many more procedures with frequency medicine. While we love to help our patients prevent the need for drugs or surgery, there are times when a procedure is essential and we especially enjoy helping the process go as smoothly as possible.

Frequencies for Brain Health

By Jessie Tierney • June 20, 2023
Frequency Specific Microcurrent pairs tissue and condition frequencies to elicit notable changes in patient symptoms. Brain Fog, Stroke, Acute and Chronic Concussion are conditions that all can be supported by a skilled Frequency Specific Microcurrent Practitioner who customizes treatment to your specific condition.
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