FIVE Reasons why I LOVE having my practice in Bloomington, MN

1.  I live in Bloomington.  My kids attend schools in Bloomington.  I REALLY love working where I live.  

2.  We are located in the iconic Wally's Roast Beef Building.  

3.  We are SO close to amenities for shopping, groceries, coffee, and restaurants.  (Target, Walgreen's, Caribou Coffee, etc)

4.  Bloomington residents support Bloomington small businesses! 

5.  Most of all, I am walking distance from my office to home.  I am able to get a lot of steps in when the weather is comfortable and have an easy commute when it snows.  

PCOS

 

PCOS PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal condition.  It only affects women of child bearing years.  The main symptoms include:  1. Irregular periods 2. Excessive androgens (which can cause increased acne, hair growth, and male pattern baldness) 3. Polycystic ovaries (multiple cysts on your ovaries) 4. Weight gain Not all women will have all of these symptoms, and many can be mild.  Some women find it difficult to get pregnant with PCOS mainly due to the irregular ovulation patterns.

CM Core CM Core is a product that works similar to Metformin.  CM Core helps with blood sugar imbalance.  It also helps women with PCOS.  You also get the added benefit that it helps with cholesterol levels as well! Infertility Infertility is a tough subject.  There can be SO MANY reasons for it.  I do work with women to balance their spines and help with nutrition and supplements to help their bodies to work more optimally.  I take a thorough history and we work together to heal the body.  This can be a great option with or without adjunctive care.

What are YOU Thankful For?

 

GRATITUDE Having a good attitude can ABSOLUTELY get you farther in life.  If you put a silver-lining twist onto EVERY issue you will feel more peace.  Today think of THREE things you are grateful for.  If it is a person, why not go TELL that person you are grateful for them in your life?

Elderberry Syrup 20% off Sailor Mercy Elderberry Syrup is AMAZING!  Not only will it help you feel better faster if you are sick, but it can significantly prevent illnesses as well!  Epsom-it Lotion 20% off "Magic Lotion" is what we call this in our house.  It helps with sore muscles from working out OR night leg pain in children.  We always have a bottle of this in our home.

Can exercising be fun?

 

Can exercise be fun and enjoyable?  The answer to the question "Can exercise be fun and enjoyable?" is a DEPENDS!  It depends on a few things.   1. Your mindset:  If you have a positive mindset around the idea of exercise it definitely helps.  If you decide it is a stress reliever for you, then it will be. If you find "exercise" in all the things you do, for example leisure walks, geocaching, yoga, running around after your kids, etc.   2. Your activity:  Have you found something that you love to do?  Do you like variety?  Do you like solo exercise or groups?  Do you like running, biking, swimming, yoga, hiking, volleyball, basketball, etc...  3. Your accountability:  Do you have someone that you share your exercise journey with?  Either exercising together or keeping someone informed of your progress.  Nowadays there are fun apps that you can compete with friends with your steps or time etc.   4.  Your priority:  If you make exercise a priority, and something that you do no matter what you start to feel better over time.  Your soreness changes.  Most people quit in the early weeks of exercise because of the soreness they get at going too hard too fast.  I challenge you to keep it up a little longer and you might change your mind.

Warm Up!  Before you do any form of exercise you should start with a warm up.  For long distance runners that can be the first few miles or minutes of your run done at a slower rate and then stop to stretch a little before you kick it up a notch.  If you are warming up to rake/shovel, play a kickball game with your kids, etc. just running in a place or doing 20 jumping jacks and stretching can go a LONG way.  This helps your muscle warm up and your are much less likely to injure yourself.  Cool Down The cool down is the time AFTER your exercise that allows your heart rate to come back to normal.  It is usually a slower version of what you were just doing with a stretch after the heart rate is in the more "normal" range and your breathing slows.  Some runners walk another 5 minutes or so after their run to achieve this.  Allowing your heart rate to slow down naturally and less abruptly is so much better for you.   Then STRETCH!  Flexibility is so important too!

Milk. Does it do a body good?

 

Does my kid NEED dairy? My simple answer to this is NO.   But the complicated answer is:  NO, but then you need to make sure your child's diet is sufficient in calcium.   There are many kids, myself included, that have issues digesting dairy products.  There are many alternatives nowadays that are amazing.  Goats milk is actually an excellent source for humans.  Their milk is the closest to human milk.  If you are looking for sources of calcium then green leafy vegetables are an excellent source.

Food sources of calcium outside of dairy 1. Green leafy vegetables 2. Nuts and seeds 3. Tofu 4. Salmon and Sardines 6. Fortified orange juice Reacted Calcium If you feel like your child's diet is inadequate for calcium you can give them a supplement.  Reacted calcium is one that you could open the capsule and sneak it into a smoothie.  You could also add spinach which is really high in calcium as well.

Stomach Virus

 

Stomach Virus A stomach virus is caused by an invader in your GI tract that you body recognizes as a "bad guy" and needs to get rid of it.  Our body does that by 3 ways: a fever, vomiting, and diarrhea.   You may have some or all of those symptoms.  So when we are vomiting or have diarrhea we should be thanking our body for eliminating the invaders.  (I know it is no fun being sick, but it's actually a GOOD thing!) When should we worry?   Most stomach viruses only last a day or two.  IF you are vomiting for more than 2 days and you are unable to keep any water or solids down I would recommend contacting your physician.  (Obviously, if you feel it is something other than a stomach virus seek medical attention sooner.  Symptoms to be concerned about would include: severe abdominal pain, blood in the vomit, and if there was a head injury.

What you can do? During a stomach virus it is important to keep your body hydrated as well as possible.  Coconut water is a great source.  Just take small sips frequently.  When you are done vomiting start with easy solid foods such as toast, banana, rice and apple sauce.   FloraBoost After you are sick it is important to replenish your probiotics again.  FloraBoost is an AMAZING probiotic for my younger patients.  It is a tasteless powder and goes well in applesauce.

Starting Solids: What? When? How?

 

When Should I Start Solids? I wrote a wonderful blog about myths around starting solid foods. Here is the LINK for the full article. But the quick and easy answer to when you should start solid foods depends on your baby. Some suggestions I have for you are as follows:  1. Wait until your baby is able to sit up on their own totally unassisted.  2. Usually your baby should be cutting some teeth.  This is a sign that their digestive system is ready for solids.  3. Your baby shows interest in solid foods.  For the majority of babies this is around 6+ months of age.  Starting solids earlier than that is unnecessary and can be a filler causing your baby not to get the nutrients they need.  Babies can be exclusively breastfed the whole first year of life without any solid foods.  I like to think of solid foods as an adjunct to breastmilk or formula.  Not their main source of nutrition.  It is for entertainment or for learning.  Something social to do with the family.  I hope this helps!  If you have any questions feel free to reply to this email!

Say NO to Rice Cereal Rice cereal is a filler food that has ZERO nutritional value.  It is highly recommended that you do not feed your baby this cereal.  It is also not recommended that it be put in a bottle at any age, and not fed to babies before 6 months of age if you do feed them this with a spoon.  Say YES to Family Meals There is one thing that stands out above ALL other parenting topics that can create a stable home environment for your family and that is eating meals together around a table.  I encourage you to get your babies involved in that early on.  Let them sit with you at the table and watch you eat.  Allow them to eat some of what you are eating as well.  (Obviously, age and readiness appropriate)