B101.5 care-a-thon

Hope & Care for Aubrey, Close to Home

By Mandy Smith

Neonatologists at the hospital where Amber gave birth said they had done all they could for her daughter, Aubrey. She was a month old and born with severe short bowel syndrome. Her small intestine was unable to absorb enough nutrition from food. Aubrey also had stage-3 liver disease. Aubrey's parents refused to give up. Gastroenterologist Dr. Clarivet Torres at Children ' s National Hospital offered hope. "We went from being told, 'sorry there's nothing else we can do,' to Dr. Torres saying, 'we have a program designed for your daughter, let us help,'" Amber recalls. This fall, Aubrey starts third grade at her school in Fredericksburg.

Aubrey and her family faced many challenges during the last eight years - seizures, hospitalizations, surgeries and infections. "We've cried a river of tears," says Amber, "but Aubrey is still here and fighting." Care from our Intestinal Rehabilitation Program plus encouragement from everyone on Aubrey's team helped the family through very hard times, Amber says. "Gestures of kindness, large and small, at Children's National have meant the world to us," Amber says."Thanks to everyone there, Aubrey is busy living her life." Support from the Fredericksburg community during B101.5' s annual CareA-T Thon provides families in the area to better access to this convenient, familyfocused, world-class care.

Caring for More Children, Closer to Home

Generous B101.5 listeners helped launch our Fredericksburg location, conveniently located on the campus of Mary Washington Healthcare, in 2020. This location includes experts in pediatric specialties such as: Cardiology, in office Comprehensive Sickle Cell Disease

Program, in office Endocrinology, in office and via telehealth Neurology, in office and via telehealth Orthopaedics, in office Physical Therapy, in office Genetics, via telehealth Psychology, via telehealth Pulmonary Medicine, via telehealth Gastroenterology, in office starting late summer/fall 2021 Hematology/Infusion, in office starting late summer/fall 2021 Children's National plans to offer in-person neurosurgery care in future. Additionally, our neonatologists and pediatricians care for patients at Mary Washington Hospital and Stafford Hospital on the pediatric floors and in the neonatal intensive care units.

"You always want your kids to be healthy and happy," says Marketing Director, Mandy Smith. "But, if or when something happens, it is so comforting to know we have Children's National Hospital in our backyard. That's why every year, the team at B101.5 is proud to raise money to support this expert care. Our annual Care-A-Thon has helped to fund more research, more technology and more locations for care."

B101.5' s 8th annual Care-A A-T Thon will take place Thursday, Sept. 23 and Friday, Sept. 24. Donate at B1015.com using the keyword "donate " or text "Buzzy " to 51555. If you have questions or want to get involved, please email Mandy@wbqb.com.

Mandy Smith is the Promotions & Marketing Director for B101.5. AKA "AJ" Weekend Air Personality

A fertility plan

Christine Thompson, DC

Did you know that only 60% of couples will conceive naturally without medical assistance within the first 6 months of trying? This means that one in every eight couples struggle with infertility issues - or a whopping 17.4 million women in the US alone. Infertility is outlined as the decreased ability, or complete inability, of a couple to conceive a child, more specifically - failure to conceive after a year of regular intercourse without protection. There are many different causes of infertility, and as such, it can be difficult at first to determine a suitable course of treatment Strong links have been found between the rise of infertility in women of childbearing age with the increasing prevalence of other health complications, such as diabetes and obesity. At the very least, the hormonal imbalances associated with these diseases are undoubtedly a contributing factor to infertility issues.

How can Functional Medicine Help? This is where functional medicine can assist. As functional healthcare focuses on the individual as a whole, it takes into account elements of one ' s lifestyle that may be contributing to their health issues. This means not just aiming to reverse the physical symptoms, but addressing the source of the problem - for GOOD!

Considering infertility, not as an 'illness' but an imbalance in some area of physical health, is a much more effective way to treat it. Functional medicine's goal is to help the body return to its optimized state of function. We are so motivated to help our community understand and identify what is causing their individual health complications. As no one person is the same, we are aware that there is no 'one size fits all' treatment when it comes to increasing fertility. Functional medicine techniques for infertility have proven successful in many cases, however, the broad spectrum of infertility causes means that not every patient will experience immediate results. Much of this variable relies on the functional health awareness and 'literacy' of the parents-to-be in question. Our hope is to enable all patients to become 'literate' and confident in functional health, so as to maximize their chances of increasing fertility and successfully conceiving. Vitamins, such as zinc, iron, and folic acid, are notoriously beneficial for promoting proper hormone function and in turn, improves fertility. Lentils, in particular, are a great source of many of the essential vitamins necessary for reproduction. The following recipe is a quick and easy meal to help boost your fertility levels:

Old-F Fashioned Lentil Soup 1 cup dried brown lentils 1/2 onion, diced 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 cup carrots, diced 1/2 cup celery, leaves included, finely chopped 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 tsp pink or sea salt Cover lentils with water and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and add all remaining ingredients. Cover pot and cook for 30-40 minutes or until lentils are soft. Enjoy!

Christine Thompson is a Doctor of Chiropractic. She is the CEO & Founder of Whole Health Solutions Inc 434 Bridgewater Street www.whole-health.net