St. George Health & Wellness Magazine July/August 2021

FITNESS | NUTRITION | CULTURE | HEALTH | ACTIVE AGING | MIND/BODY | ECONOMICS | FAMILY

A New Experience in IV Therapy Comes to Southern Utah See Page 16

INSIDE: Ninja Nurse: St. George Resident Triumphs over Obstacles Great and Small / 18 What is “Comprehensive School Eye Health”? / 39 How Can You Make Positive Affirmations Really Work? / 46 Let’s Talk About Sports Drinks / 62

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sghw | TWA EB LL EL NO EF SCSO N T E N T S Joyful Noise................................................................... 42 Wade’s Walkabout: Aren’t the People Great!.................................... 44 Recent Dixie State Graduate Fulfills Her Childhood Dream...................................... 53 Youth Diaries: Why Success Was a Good Choice for Me....................................... 65

Health and Fitness Featured Story

JULY/AUGUST 2021

Wasatch Infusion: A New Experience in IV Therapy Comes to Southern Utah...... 16

On The Cover: Wasatch Infusion: A New Experience in IV Therapy Comes to Southern Utah.

Nutrition

Community and Culture

Letter from the Editor................................................ 7 Mayoral Message........................................................... 8 Trailblazer Nation: Letter from the President................................. 10 Rocky Vista University: Letter from the Dean.......................................... 12 Dixie Technical College: Letter from the President..................................15

Ninja Nurse: St. George Resident Triumphs over Obstacles Great and Small................... 18 Creative Wigs Offers Something for Everyone............................................................. 36 The Importance of “Life Celebration” in the Grieving Process...................................... 40

Intermountain Breaks Ground for the Hurricane Campus of St. George Regional Hospital........................................... 20 Gout: The Rich Man’s Arthritis.................. 22 Welcome to the Mountain Bike Community...................................................... 23 One Step at a Time into Summer............... 25

Square in Their Sights..................................... 28 Enhance Sports Performance with Functional Strength Training.......... 31 Metabolic Harmony......................................... 32 Intracept: New Treatment for Back Pain... 34 What is “Comprehensive School Eye Health”?.................................................... 39 Why Should You Try a Triathlon?.............. 48 The Mouth-Body Connection..................... 64

What’s the Deal with Soy?............................. 26 Dining Guide...................................................... 54 Discover the Benefits of Bone Broth.............. 58 Let’s Talk About Sports Drinks (Fact and Fiction)............................................. 62

Mind and Body How Can You Make Positive Affirmations Really Work?................. 46 Freedom from Depression: Get on the Path to Hope and Healing!............ 50 Be Strong.............................................. 52

What’s Keeping You Awake at Night?

Solving Your Own Life’s Mysteries.... 56 Finding Calm When Feeling Stressed.... 60

The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of St. George Health & Wellness Magazine, its owners, or its staff.

The way way we we talk talk about about sexual sexual violence violence matters. used to to foster foster a a culture culture of of The matters. Our Our words words can can be be used safety, respect, and before it happens.

Oror to to show support for safety, and equality equality that thatstops stopssexual sexualviolence violence before it happens show support survivors, shutdown and practive to practice healthy for survivors, shutdownharmful harmfulmisconceptions, misconceptions, promote promote consent, and healthy communication with with children.

Our voices matter now now moremore thanthan ever.ever.

How How will you voice to communication children.

Our voices matter will use you your use yours help sexual assault, assault,harassment, harassment,and andrape? rape?

DOVE Center is our local resource for those help end sexual DOVE Center is our local resource for those who who experienced domestic abuse and sexual assault. can Please help. Please havehave experienced domestic abuse and sexual assault.

DOVEDOVE can help. reach reach out. out.

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s ghw | MWEEELTLONUERS SS T A F F

Brendan Dalley Editor

W. Jared DuPree, PhD, MBA Executive Editor

Brigit Atkin Author, Mind and Body

Erin Del Toro Author, Mind and Body

Matt Eschler, PhD, LMFT Author, Relationships and Family

Tiffany Gust, MS, CISSN Author, Health and Fitness

Lyman Hafen Author, Community and Culture

Marianne Hamilton Author, Health and Fitness

Richard Harder Author, Mind and Body

Mark Wade Author, Outdoor Adventure

Bentley Murdock Author, Nutrition

Chad Olson, MS, LMFT Author, Relationships and Family

For information on advertising or other inquiries, visit our website at www.saintgeorgewellness.com, email stgeorgewellnessmagazine@gmail.com or call us at 435-319-0273.

The publisher is not responsible for the accuracy of the articles in St. George Health & Wellness Magazine. The information contained within has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Neither the publisher nor any other party assumes liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on this material. Appropriate professional advice should be sought before making decisions. Outside of our staff authors, articles written by providers or professionals are invited authors and represent the opinions of that particular individual, business, group or organization. If an article is a paid advertisement, we will place the word “Advertisement” or “Advertorial” to identify it as such. ©Copyright 2021.

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sghw | FWR EO LML TNHEES ESD I T O R It has been said that there are three things in life that are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.

Kindness is more than a subtle behavior that occurs randomly. To be kind means to be intentional and voluntary with some sort of action in order to have a positive outcome. Showing kindness often is simple and free, and it is a key ingredient to living a healthy, wellbalanced life.

To understand the power of kindness, just do a Google search for the effects of kindness. You’ll find that kindness: • Helps prevent sickness and disease • Reduces social anxiety • Lowers blood pressure • Boosts emotional and mental well-being • Reduces the effects of stress • Is contagious and compounding • Allows for better communication • Increases creativity In 2016, when Oakland, California, was experiencing a rash of violence and shootings that left the community rattled, TV anchor Frank Somerville asked his audience to post their inspirational stories on his Facebook page. One post he received from single mother Tawny Nelson goes to the heart of what true kindness is.

Tawny wrote that she was the single mother of four young daughters who found herself stuck in a grocery store parking lot during a downpour in an old truck that had a dead battery, a bad alternator belt, a leaky tire, and a driver’s side window that would not close. Her cell phone was also disconnected.

After two hours in which more than twenty people ignored her pleas for a jump start, an “older gentleman with a cane and a bad limp” came to her rescue with chicken strips, biscuits, and water for the hungry family. But that was not all. The rescuer called a mechanic to tow the truck, and the man’s wife arrived to take Tawny and her children home.

According to Tawny’s Facebook post, the gentleman returned to her home the next morning with the mechanic, who replaced her alternator belt and battery, fixed her window motor, and repaired her tire. The mystery man left before the repairs were finished.

When Tawny asked the mechanic what she owed and if she could make payments, the mechanic told her the bill had been paid by the older gentleman. She also said that the mechanic had been instructed to give her the following message: “Never give up and keep being an amazing mom.”

“I never cried so hard in my life,” she wrote. “I’ll never be able to thank him, but I certainly hope one day I can do what he did for me for someone else.”

No act of kindness is ever wasted. It is an essential ingredient for happy and loving relationships and healthy, thriving workplaces. Kindness is the essence of greatness and is a passport that opens doors and fashions friends. Kind words not only lift our spirits in the moment they are given, but they also linger with us over the years. Think about a time when someone spoke kind words to you. How did it make you feel and how has it changed your life for the better?

As you read the articles in this month’s issue, take some time to reflect on how you can use the information on these pages to promote kindness, especially since kindness is the most effective way to improve your well-being and the well-being of another person at the same time.

Brendan Brendan Dalley Dalley Editor Editor

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 7

M AYO R A L M E S S A G E

Water Conservation Needs to Be at the Top of Our Minds Have you taken a walk or biked along some of our magnificent paved trails lately? You probably noticed that some of our trails go along the Virgin River, which is our primary water source. One day in May as I rode a bike along the Mayor’s Loop, I noticed something rather disturbing: how low the Virgin River was running.

I’ve lived here a long time, and this is far from the first time the river has been this shallow. But it is concerning, given how much our city and county continue to grow and how long we have been in a drought.

Some might suggest that we halt growth. How exactly would that work? Besides the legal challenges that would be sure to follow regarding land use, it would essentially cap the number of dwellings available. That means the price of housing, which has already climbed quickly, would skyrocket and price young families out of the St. George market.

How do we solve our water challenges? There is not one answer; it requires a multi-faceted approach. Yes, the Lake Powell Pipeline will help—and I believe it is necessary. I am in favor of the pipeline. It is hard to find a local elected official who is not in favor of it. But the pipeline will not be built overnight. There are hurdles to surmount, including how it will be financed.

What can we do now? We can change water-consumption behaviors and conserve better to buy us time.

I am working with the Washington County Water Conservancy District and various municipalities to encourage more efficient water usage. Here are some easy things we can all do: • Use less water on our lawns.

• Put the hose aside and use a broom to clean paved surfaces, such as your driveway or walkway.

• Use a pool cover.

• Shorten your shower.

• Plant a landscape that thrives in our desert climate.

• Only water between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Large entities, like the Washington County School District, sometimes water during the day, but they are using secondary water sources, not the culinary water most residences utilize.

I’m confident that if we all work together and change our habits—even if slowly, but surely—we can improve our water outlook for the future.

Mayor, City of St. George 8 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

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our students hands-on that learning isn’t only I Offering am thrilled to announce as opportunities part of a landmark at the heart of Dixie State University’s new focus to be an open, partnership, Dixie State University and the Greater Zion inclusive, comprehensive, polytechnic university, it also epitomizes Convention & Tourism have entered into a strategic the “active learning. activeOffice life.” approach to education we have marketingforagreement that will resulttoingraduate Greater career-ready Zion receiving embraced years. Preparing students by participating in applied learning experiences with industry leaders more than $2 million in annual marketing exposure and isTrailblazer at the heart of a polytechnic educationGreater and wouldn’t be possible Stadium being renamed Zion Stadium. without outstanding community partners who are eager to help our students succeed.$10 million agreement maximizes revenue The 20-year, Among the many professionals our students have opportunities to generated by visitors—not Washington County taxpayers—to learn from are those at Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital create a superior experience for both This visitors and residents. and Intermountain Precision Genomics. partnership offers TheHealth partnership is truly a win-win-win situation everyone; it our Sciences students, in particular, access for to mentorships, clinicals, active learning Specifically, promotesand the other area nationally, builds opportunities. the community, and fuels students in Dixie State’s Emergency Medical Services, Medical Lab economic growth by bringing more people to our gorgeous Science, Medical Radiography, Physical Therapist Assistant, Nursing, corner of the world.

Respiratory Therapy, and Surgical Technology programs complete clinical ateffort, Intermountain Healthcare, learning cutting-edge As parthours of this the Tourism Office will establish a visitor practices from some of the best in the business. center at the stadium and information kiosks at other key One benefactor of the partnership’s mentoring opportunities, locations on campus to showcase to graduate all those Austin Montgomery, recently became visitor the firstactivities Dixie State who events Dixie program.

State campus. to beattend accepted intoona the MD/PhD AustinAdditionally, majored in bioinformatics—an intersection of biology computer science— Dixie State will better be able to telland prospective students and is continuing his education at Penn State University.

Dixie State’s what an amazing backyard full of abundant recreational pre-med program, a joint effort between St. George Regional opportunities they will have when they attend DSU. Hospital, Intermountain Precision Genomics, and DSU, played a huge role in preparing Austin for his impressive next steps The timing of this partnership couldn’t be more perfect, As a student at DSU, Austin engaged in the Stanford University as it willprogram, assist Dixie during opportunities our transition to NCAA internship which State offers students to help pursue Division I status through expandInternship athletic breakthrough discoveries that opportunities advance cancertoresearch. facilities. The university plans on adding state-of-the-art press boxes and comfortable event space to the existing westside grandstands, which will help attract more athletic, and community events. As a member of the 10 entertainment, www.saintgeorgewellness.com

positions reserved for Dixie State WesternareAthletic Conference students thanks to a partnership starting this July, Dixie State between Stanford and Lincoln will take MD, on competitors based Nadauld, PhD, Vice President, everywhere Chief, Precision from HealthWashington, and Academics at Intermountain Healthcare.

California, Arizona, and New Another facet of Missouri, the University’s Mexico to Illinois, and relationship with the hospital is the Texas. This will give Greater Zion newly opened Trailblazer Sports access to audiences it would Medicine facility that offers centralized otherwisetoleave services our unreached. more than 400 student-athletes. The facility opened this summer in celebration the two Plus, partnering with ofGreater entities’ sports medicine partnership Zion is a natural fit for Dixie that has spanned more than ten State University. The Tourism years. The 10,388-square-foot center Office’s vision to “Inspire Greater. offers Dixie State’s student-athletes Experience Greater.

Greater.”

NCAA Division I-levelLive medical care, Richard “Biff” Williams screenings, sportswith psychology services, and rehabilitation in addition aligns perfectly Dixie State’s “active learning. active President of life.” to improving the lives and health of our student-athletes as they approach to education. Both philosophies takeState advantage of the Dixie University work to improve their performance. Additionally, the facility provides beautiful, world-renowned destination we live in by encouraging academic opportunities for students in DSU’s Masters of Athletic students, visitors, to learn exploring.

Training program as and they residents work with alike and learn from by Intermountain Healthcare professionals this recognize space.

Here at the University,in we that valuable learning Thanks to the DixieofState University and experiences takecollaboration place insidebetween and outside the classroom.

By Intermountain Healthcare, our students experience active and taking advantage experiences available in Greater Zion,their we applied learning by of working with industry leaders who infuse all can grow and holistically. expertise into academically, our programs. actively, Working together to prepare students to be the future of healthcare really does make every day a great day This trailblazing partnership certainly will enhance to be unique, a Trailblazer. our community for years to come. I can’t wait to see you at upcoming games, concerts, and community events in Greater Zion Stadium!

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | May/June 2021 11

ROCKY VISTA UNIVERSITY MESSAGE

A bright, sunny summer seems to be upon us in St. George, and I’m sure there is a lot

of pent up energy and excitement for getting back to a normal life after the pandemic.

With many COVID-19 cautionary rules being lifted under the guidance of public

health officials, we’re starting to pick back up where we left off. Rescheduled family vacations are now just around the corner, community events are no longer “indefinitely postponed,” and masks are completely coming off for those fully vaccinated.

This is a landmark season for our medical school, and I would like to share this

update with you. Our inaugural class of students who started in July of 2017 graduated and received their osteopathic medical degrees on May 15th. Their graduation from medical school now leads them to several more years of residency training in various

medical and surgical specialties all over the country. Of course, our hope is that many of them will return to this area after

they complete their graduate medical education to care for the people in Utah. It is exciting to think that some of them will be your doctor in the near future!

With graduation behind us, summer brings with it the opportunity to focus on staying active and exercising, made

easier by the abundance of outdoor activities in the St. George area. In addition to the many physical benefits of exercise, including stronger bones and muscles and a healthier heart, exercise also gives us more energy during the day and better sleep at night.

Featured in this issue is RVUCOM-SU alumnus Dr. Andrew Steinicke, who provides tips on how to incorporate a well-

rounded exercise routine into your life and information about the benefits of triathlon training. Triathlons may sound daunting for some, but Dr. Steinicke outlines steps you can take to incorporate triathlon-lite exercises into your workout routine.

We are honored to be members of this community and look forward to continuing our service to the southern Utah

area. To learn more about us, please visit our website at www.rvu.edu.

To your health,

David J. Park, DO, FAAFP, FACOFP

Vice President and Dean of the Southern Utah Campus 12 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

dixietech.edu

dixie

technical college

We

14 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

practice what we teach

Take Some Time Off! Your Employer Will Be Glad You Did. As important as work is, rest is equally and vitally important. I was going to quote the old adage about all work and no play, but I don’t think there is an enlightened, politically acceptable version… at least not one that adequately rhymes. That being said, the most successful people I know work very, very hard. And they play as hard as they work.

However, it’s so important to our health and well-being to take a break—an extended break— from our work, no matter how much we love it. For people who work, work, work, it’s necessary to force time to just be.

A good vacation may or may not involve travel. It may or may not involve relatives. It might be time spent tying flies or making a quilt top, unless you work in a fishing shop or a fabric store. It may mean puttering in the kitchen, perfecting a sourdough recipe, gardening, hiking, or a myriad of other things. The point is that it’s important to take time away from a normal work routine. Ditch the cell phone. Put a vacation auto reply on your email, and take the time to just be.

Give yourself permission to do nothing at all or to do something you’ve never done before but always wanted to do. Take time to breathe; take in all the good things around you. Get reacquainted with yourself and the people who matter most. Allow perspective to clear out some of the silly narratives that cause undue stress.

A well-earned break allows us to return to work refreshed with clearer minds and renewed energies. Vacation time is an investment in yourself and in the good work you’ll do in the future.

If you reach out to someone at Dixie Tech and get the “on vacation” auto reply, just know that you’ll be in better hands when they return and are ready once again to help with whatever is needed.

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 15

A New Experience in IV Therapy Comes to Southern Utah

By Edwin Charles Schadewald III, President and CEO of Wasatch Infusion

Infusion therapy is stirring up the world of health and healing. Many pharmaceutical companies have introduced new and effective medications that are now available through an intravenous delivery method. This has created the need for more specialized sites from which to receive IV medication.

Initially, this was done solely through hospitals, but once the first infusion center opened only twenty years ago, the market has steadily grown, and new infusion therapy clinics have surfaced, creating a more patient-centric, spa-like experience.

What is Infusion Therapy?

IV Therapy Versus Oral Medication

IV therapy may offer more advantages for overall healing and treatment than oral medication. IV treatments are injected directly into the bloodstream to allow for quick, effective absorption and distribution throughout the body.

Studies have shown that similar oral medications (digested through the stomach) may have the following side effects:

• stomach and digestive system discomfort • disruption by other factors such as food and other medications • lower absorption rates • reduced medication efficacy

Infusion therapy is a treatment option that distributes

fluid medication and supplements via direct vein access, In addition to better patient reception results, IV therapy bypassing the digestive system and allowing for better absorp­ offers further benefits, which include: tion throughout the body. More and more, biologics and bio­ similars are jumping on board with infusion. The rise of chronic Personalized treatment diseases and the acceptability of innovative health treatments During a treatment, delivery speeds can be adjusted to make have also resulted in increased demands for IV therapy. the patient more comfortable with fewer side effects.

16 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

Extended effectiveness Studies have shown that intravenous medications provide more prolonged periods of treatment for patients (versus oral medications and some injections).

Professional monitoring Rather than in-home oral medica­tions, a professional medical team is monitoring a patient to ensure no significant side effects occur from medication.

Cost-effectiveness Infusion therapy is not necessarily less expensive than oral medications; however, insurance companies are covering a great number of infusion treatments and allowing a less expensive copayment. placement methods that include ultrasound and Accuvein technology.

offers IV wellness drips—which are swiftly growing in popularity and The Future of Healing According to Stephanie Dupree, availability—to accelerate your path to Infusion centers can offer patient- lead advanced practice registered nurse better health. These treatments include focused treatment experiences where for Wasatch Infusion, having the enhancements to help with nutritional patients receive specialized infusions in option of receiving vital medications in and metabolic support, promote a non-hospital setting. These settings an environment that is not only private hydration, amplify beauty, and provide provide care that is focused specifically but also furnishes the comforts of immunity protection. The center’s on IV administration with trained home can be a welcome relief to people philosophy for wellness infusions aligns staff dedicated to providing a pleasant suffering from chronic illnesses. “Many with their medical infusions, including experience. Additionally, these centers insurance plans will not pay for home exclusively private suites, medically may offer other comforts, such as health care, but an in-office infusion trained staff, a one-poke philosophy, mobility-focused lift recliner chairs, is likely to be covered,” she explained. and advanced placement technology. snacks and drinks, entertainment “If you can’t receive your infusion from (television, music, and movies), one- home, you can trust that you will be Why Wasatch Infusion?

Wasatch Infusion has been serving time use blankets and pillows, and greeted with all of the comforts of the needs of patients and physicians patient-managed climate control. home at an infusion center.” since 2010. The healthcare organization At its new location in St. George, Utah, provides IV therapy for an array Wasatch Infusion offers even more: an The Wellness Industry of medical conditions and infuses exclusively private suite for each patient, Along with premier medical specialty medications and antibiotics. a one-poke philosophy, and advanced IV therapy, Wasatch Infusion also Additionally, Wasatch Infusion offers wellness infusions as well as other infusion-related services, like PICC line insertion, therapeutic phlebotomy, and IV line care. The clinic is open 365 days a year.

For more information, visit www.wasatchinfusion.com or call 801-577-7055.

About the Author Edwin Charles Schadewald III (Charlie), President and CEO of Wasatch Infusion, has been advocating for patient access to low cost, high service IV therapy in a safe and comfortable environment for nine years. His lifetime of experience in sales, marketing, business development, and process improvement have helped him grow Wasatch Infusion to multiple locations throughout Utah. He serves on the boards of the National Infusion Center Association, the Infusion Access Foundation, and the Innovatix Alternate Sites of Care Advisory Board. His passions include business, technology, innovation, and travel.

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 17

When Mady Howard’s patient in the intensive care unit pointed to her water cup and asked for an autograph, it was, as Howard recalls, “pretty crazy.” The two words regularly find their way into her conversation as she charts her path from college gymnast to ICU nurse at St. George Regional Hospital to top-four Women’s Championship finalist on NBC’s American Ninja Warriors (ANW) last May.

By Marianne Hamilton Born in Ogden and raised in Idaho Falls, Howard was always a high-performing athlete. Throughout her childhood and teens, four-hour gymnastics workouts were the daily norm. While earning her nursing degree at Southern Utah University, she was a member of the gymnastics squad, specializing in vault and floor routines. Such discipline—both physical and mental—was ideal preparation for the future ninja.

“Because of the demands of nursing school, I didn’t know if I’d be able to do gymnastics during my senior year,” Howard recalls. “But I went in on my lunch hour and after classes, and I was able to keep competing. It was pretty crazy. I think a lot of those skills really transferred over to what I do now. Gymnasts typically do well on Ninja, because they have ‘air awareness’ and body awareness, and they know how to swing.”

Ninja Nurse

Once Howard had her nursing degree in hand, she and husband Tyler—a fellow SUU classmate—settled in St. George. Following a residency rotation through various depart­ ments at the hospital, Howard found herself drawn to caring for the critically ill. “I hadn’t planned on going right to the ICU,” she admits. “But I loved the fact that you only have two patients, so you really get to know them and their families, and you have a much closer connection.”

St. George Resident Triumphs over Obstacles Great and Small

By Marianne Hamilton Photo courtesy of NBC. 18 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

Fortunately, despite Howard’s close interactions with her patients during the COVID pandemic, she and her mate remained healthy. But the constant, often overwhelming stress of caring for severely ill patients—coupled with her innately competitive nature—led Howard to look for a way to decompress and stay fit as the pandemic ground on. She achieved both goals at The Grip Ninja, a Washington City-based “ninja gym” owned by local athletic icons Brian Beckstrand and John Merrihew.

Beckstrand, a former high school and college basketball player, originally built a backyard ninja course (complete with scaleddown obstacles) for the five children he shares with wife Holly. Soon, a steady stream of

of her workouts and a verbal bio. The pair submitted the video minutes before the deadline for applications for ANW’s season eleven.

The producers were impressed. Howard next found herself in Tacoma, Washington, where her skills ultimately led to a berth at the national finals. A spot on ANW’s special “all-stars” episode followed. Then, while filming season twelve in St. Louis, a small group of the best female ninjas (Howard among them) was invited to be a part of the Women’s World Championships in an episode that aired on Mother’s Day this year. Though Howard lost her grip during her second run and plummeted fifteen feet into the water below, her pride in having been the sole rookie to make it to the final four is well-deserved.

“I was really tired by that point; it was hard!” Howard declared. “I was proud of myself for making it as far as I did, especially since a number of the women had been doing Ninja for seven, eight years or more and were such strong competitors.”

Brian and Holly Beckstrand. neighborhood kids filled the space to capacity, and Brian and Holly— along with several members of their offspring—were on their way to competing on American Ninja Warrior.

Through a mutual friend, Merrihew, a certified rescue diver and semi-pro wakeboarder and football player, connected with the Beckstrands. He began training with Brian and was soon accepted to compete on ANW as well. By 2017, the idea of opening their own ninja gym began to take hold. “I’m a metal fabricator by trade, so all the metal that you see here, I built myself,” Merrihew explains, gesturing around the original 5,000 square-foot gym on Washington Dam Road (the pair constructed a second 13,000 square-foot space in Green Valley in 2020). Here, Holly takes up the narrative, saying, “Within a month of our opening, classes were wait-listed; we had 150 to 250 kids coming in every day.”

With her first baby due to arrive any day, Howard is taking time off from the most intensive ninja workouts (although she still visits Beckstrand’s 5:00 a.m. classes to keep her grip strong). Postpregnancy, Howard plans to return to the gym and says future ANW competitions are a strong possibility. In the meantime, she’s happy to satisfy those requests for autographs.

“I took care of a patient who turned out to be my biggest fan,” Howard confides, smiling at the memory. “When she asked me to sign her cup so she could take it home, I thought, ‘Wow, even when you’re sick, I guess there’s always a silver lining.’”

Which, Howard herself would say, is pretty crazy.

For more info about The Grip Ninja, visit www.thegripfitness.com or call (435) 218-7304.

Merrihew and the Beckstrands say it’s all about helping everyone be the best (and most confident) they can be. Ninja training develops balance, upper body and core strength, and cardio conditioning, ensuring head-to-toe fitness. “It involves the entire body,” Merrihew confirms. “You get really strong but not bulky. And the self-esteem— especially with kids—just gets better and better every day.”

For Howard, who was accustomed to rigorous training and the camaraderie of team competition, The Grip and its staff were heavensent. “I was looking for something to keep me motivated, and I wanted to stay healthy and keep working out. When I found the Washington City ninja gym, I loved the team aspect and the challenge of it.”

From the moment Howard first extended chalk-dusted hands to a vertical grip, the gym’s owners knew her skills were extraordinary. “I watched her and thought, ‘Darn, that girl’s good!’ I was better than she was for about one hot minute…and then she just blew everyone away,” Holly says, laughing.

Adds Merrihew, “She’d train with Brian and me, and she picked everything up right away. She had to build up her grip strength, but she had the technique immediately. Being a gymnast, Mady knows how to work hard, and she’s strong, and she has great balance and coordination.”

Howard reveled in conquering the obstacles, hurtling up the “warp wall,” flying, swinging and spinning in all directions, doing pull-ups, hanging from grips thirty feet in the air, and more. Soon after she began her training at The Grip, Howard’s husband shot some footage

Photo by Melissa Anderson, Community Education Channel, DSU. About the Author Marianne L. Hamilton is a veteran journalist and marketing writer whose work appears in regional and national publications. When not race walking, hiking, or teaching water aerobics, she is Board Chair of Art Around the Corner and the Special Events Manager for DOCUTAH. She and her husband, Doug, are also co-administrators of the St. George Wine Club and race directors for the Huntsman World Senior Games and National Senior Games. Marianne was crowned Ms. Senior Italy Universe 2019–2020 and the Senior Pageants Group’s 2020–2021 Senior Games Ambassador. She is a proud breast cancer survivor.

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 19

Intermountain Breaks Ground for the Hurricane Campus of St. George Regional Hospital

Intermountain Healthcare broke ground in June on a freestanding emergency department in Hurricane, effectively creating Intermountain Hurricane Campus of St. George Regional Hospital.

The campus is located at 75 North 2260 West and the 28-acre site already includes the Intermountain Hurricane Valley InstaCare and Clinic, built fifteen years ago.

“With the rapid growth in eastern Washington County, improving access to healthcare is a priority,” said Mitch Cloward, Administrator of Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital. “In addition to growth, millions of tourists pass through this area annually visiting Zion, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell and other scenic destinations. Adding this 24/7 Emergency Department right on Highway 9 will help meet the growing need for emergency care.”

Intermountain Hurricane Campus of St. George Regional Hospital will bring high-quality care close to home at a similar cost for comparable services in St. George.

20 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

The Hurricane Campus will be designed and staffed as a satellite of the nearest level II trauma center, Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital.

With the addition of the emergency department, an imaging center, lab services, rehabilitation services, and family medicine all will be based at the campus. Other services will be added as needed to accommodate community growth.

“Intermountain Hurricane Campus of St. George Regional Hospital will bring high-quality care close to home at a similar cost for comparable services in St. George,” said Cloward. “We have been looking forward to this expansion for a very long time.”

Hurricane Mayor John Bramall said, “We are excited about this project and have been working on this for a long time. When you have an emergency, being able to get to care in two to four minutes instead of twenty minutes makes a difference. Our EMS teams do a great job, and adding these services will save even more lives.”

Construction is estimated to be complete in late 2022.

“This community is a wonderful place to live, and people are moving here every day,” Cloward said. “We are thrilled to be a part of helping them live the healthiest lives possible.”

DISCOVER YOUR HEALTHIEST SELF WITH US! No matter what your age or fitness level is, the St. George LiVe Well Center has a program to help you live the healthiest life possible. Our services focus on improving health and wellness through: • Physical Activity • Good Nutrition

• Better Sleep • Managing Stress

We also focus on helping athletes, at every level, perform at their best with sports medicine specialists and our sports performance labs, now including golf fitness programs.

Come discover for yourself why we are able to help so many get well, stay well, and live well!

Call or email to find out how we can help.

435-251-3793 | dx-wellness@imail.org

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 21

The Rich Man’s Arthritis

By Dr. Jeffrey L. Mathews For many years in Europe, gout (or the “gouge,” as some called it) was thought to be a curse upon the rich in return for their enslavement of the lower classes, who did their work but did not enjoy the fruits of their labors. As the rich became older and richer, it seemed that a fair portion of them were plagued with a rapid onset, searing, swollen, red large toe, which was described as being so painful that even a bed sheet on it was unbearable. In Hippocrates day, the colchicum plant was known to be helpful for this disorder but was out of favor with the medical profession of the 1700s, who felt that the appropriate treatment was to “bleed” the poor victim. In retrospect, the common coincidences of the wealthy having enough money to dine regularly on kidney pie, lobster, and beef (all washed down with copious amounts of wine) while the poor laborers ate their garden vegetables (and for the most part, drank water) are now recognized as the sources of whether one got gout or not.

As the efficient body retrieves old and dying cells, it harvests the building blocks used to make new cells.

These building blocks are known as purines. If the purines are, for various reasons, produced in excess or not excreted through the kidneys adequately, they form needle-shaped crystals called uric acid crystals. When the immune system recognizes these crystals piling up in a joint, an autoimmune attack is mounted with impressive inflammation of the joint. Over time, it can cause severe destruction that is similar in appearance to rheumatoid arthritis. One of the common causes of overproduction of uric acid is alcohol intake and diets rich in purines, such as lobster and steak. You will remember the rich and their diets while the poor had very low purine diets.

One of the other problems is that sometimes we are not excreting the uric acid appropriately, and this is most often caused by other medications known as diuretics or water pills, such as those used to treat high blood pressure. There are some gene pools (such as the Polynesians) who lack an enzyme that breaks down uric acid into the purines to be used to make new cells, and the uric acid very often causes gout in this gene pool for no apparent reason.

A common myth about gout is the idea that a blood test for uric acid can diagnose or disprove this form of arthritis. In actuality, most patients having gout attacks have normal blood uric acid levels, and most patients with elevated blood uric acid do not get gout, though the risk for them of uric acid kidney stones is increased. In the past, the only way to prove the presence of gout versus other arthritis forms was to painfully stick a needle into the sore joint, draw out some fluid, and look for the uric acid crystals under a microscope. We are fortunate in our day to be able to see gout crystals in a joint with musculoskeletal ultrasound, which is painless.

About the Author Dr. Mathews was born and raised in Salt Lake City. He attended Brigham Young University, the University of Utah School of Medicine, and Duke University School of Medicine. He has multiple board certifications and has helped patients for more than thirty-five years. Dr. Mathews served in the Marine Corps before serving an LDS mission in Sweden. To this day, he visits Sweden every year or two when his busy schedule allows. His family is his focus.

When he is not busy helping patients, spending time with his nine children and thirty grandchildren on his farm is his most cherished time. Call Southwest Spine and Pain Rheumatology Division to schedule an appointment at 435-879-7610.

There are many effective treatments for gout, and it is commonly thought of as the only truly “curable” arthritis. One of the quickest acting medications is colchicine, which was used thousands of years ago by Hippocrates. Gout can occur along with other forms of arthritis at the same time and is often confusing for the physician. We are fortunate to live in a day when so many options to treat gout are available to us.

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Note: Choose your weight loss program wisely. It is suspected that some of the popular low-carb diets have a high fat content and may promote hyperuricemia by stimulating fat-burning for energy, producing a state called ketosis. This problem may make the gout condition worse, especially in the initial phases of diet change and weight loss. Simple fasting or “crash diets” also can raise your uric acid level and make the gout condition worse.

Welcome to the Mountain Bike Community

By Jay Bartlett A mountain biker riding down a trail pulls over and stops to let a climbing cyclist go by. The climbing cyclist reaches up to his helmet’s visor, pretending a chapeau. The stopped rider quickly throws a peace sign and says, “Have a good ride!”

As one biker rides past another standing beside the trail, they ask, “Everything okay? Need anything?” because leaving someone high and dry miles from home just isn’t cool. “I’m good, just taking a break,” comes the reply, and each goes on their way.

A group of riders converge at an intersecting trail, and a conversation quickly fires up about the great weather and trail conditions and the huge amount of fun a section of trail just provided. The stories and comments flow freely with a good dose of cheer, as if these people have been friends for years when in reality they are perfect strangers.

What is the common thread that makes these strangers treat each other politely, help each other out in a jam, or literally become fast friends? They are mountain bikers. They are people who know the

joy, pain, exhilaration, and fear (and did I mention joy?) that a heaping dose of adrenaline-soaked, endorphin-packed singletrack can induce. They’ve been there. They’ve felt the emotions of the body’s natural smile-inducing chemicals and know just what other bikers are feeling after they have ridden something physically daunting, swoopy fun, or About the Author intriguingly technical and come out the Mountain bike veteran, other side with a grin plastered across amateur filmmaker, and lover their faces. of long rides, Jay Bartlett has I’ve certainly sung the praises of been riding trails in Southern mountain biking many times in these Utah for over thirty years.

Jay has over a decade of articles, and many of you can totally relate experience as a bike mechanic to what I describe; there are universal at St. George’s oldest bike shop, feelings and emotions that go along with Bicycles Unlimited. riding bikes. Everyone who rides has felt the burn and fatigue of a long technical climb that seems as if it will never end and has been turned around 180 degrees—both mentally and physically—by the other side of the hill that drops down a slope through twisting ess-turns in a creosote forest with rocks just big enough to catch a little air just before leaning the bike over a bit to plant it into the berm that’s just big enough to hold the tires through the next corner. All the sweat (and the tears?) of the climb becomes a distant memory for a few moments, and the effort from the climb feeds our brains that cocktail that makes it all worth it, renews our energy, and keeps us coming back for more.

It’s these emotional and physical sensations that bind mountain bikers together as a community. We understand what other bikers are feeling; we empathize with the effort and comprehend the highs.

People are people, and some tend to be judgy, but for the most part, the mountain biking community is a very welcoming lot. We don’t care if you’re a newbie, just learning the ropes, or a veteran of years of racing. We don’t care if you’re out of shape (unless you brag that you are) or if you have to walk the hard parts. We are all out there to have fun, get exercise (in a fun way), and enjoy being outside on one of man’s greatest fun-inducing machines!

So, welcome to the mountain bike community. Grab your bike, and let’s go for a ride!

Let’s Ride!

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St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 23

24 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

One Step at a Time into Summer

By Logan Winterton, RN, BSN

About the Author Logan Winterton received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Southern Utah University and has worked in a variety of settings, primarily intensive care. Three years ago, she made the shift to home health and hospice and assisted in starting Dixie Palliative Care. She finds deep satisfaction in making a personal connection with those she cares for and hopes to empower her clients through education to make positive changes in their lives.

We live in arguably one of the most beautiful, scenic areas in the country, and not even St. George’s scorching summer temperatures deter people from exploring the natural wonders of southern Utah. However, if you are like the clients I cared for while working as a nurse in our community, your summer fun may feel out of reach. The advertisements that show a family kayaking are exciting, but what if walking to the mailbox is a challenge? Physical therapy can assist you in taking the first step toward improved mobility and overall well-being.

No one wants to be limited in their ability to join friends and family members in summer activities, but the reality is that roughly nineteen million people in the United States report mobility difficulties. These aren’t just problems of old age; the average age of those reporting was fifty-nine to sixty-seven years old.¹ Of those surveyed, the most frequent complaints were arthritis, generalized back pain, and complications from accidental falls.

The ability to move safely and easily is central to daily life, and physical therapists play a pivotal role in optimizing your health and mobility. People of all ages can benefit from physical therapy, which can be provided in an outpatient or home setting. If you are wondering if physical therapy is right for you, talk to your primary care physician. Common indicators include recovering from an injury or trauma, after a surgical intervention, lingering pain, and worsening weakness. Those who have participated report that physical therapy: • I mproves mobility •R educes or eliminates pain •P rovides an alternative to surgery • I mproves balance • Teaches fall prevention techniques •A ids in recovery from sports related injuries •A ssists in managing medical conditions

Regardless of whether you need physical therapy, we all benefit from increased movement. Improving your quality of life is as simple as taking that first step and finding the motivation to keep going. Increase your exercise regimen gradually, and don’t expect progress overnight. Be patient with yourself, and celebrate the progress you make!

If chronic pain, mobility concerns, or medical conditions make it difficult to leave your home and you aren’t living your life fully, please contact Dixie Home Rehab at 435628-8347. Dixie Home Rehab is the only company in southern Utah that specializes primarily in therapy-driven rehabilitation care for joint replacement patients and employs the most efficient rapid joint recovery methods available.

Their team of highly-trained clinicians will identify areas of potential improvement, provide a personalized home exercise regimen, and follow through one step at a time until your goals are met. ezzoni, L. I., McCarthy, E. P., Davis, R. B., & Siebens, H. (2001, April).

L Mobility difficulties are not only a problem of old age. Journal of general internal medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1495195/.

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St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 25

What’s the Deal with

Soy?

Protein-Rich Super Food or Cancer-Causing Hormone Disruptor?

By Bentley Murdock

26 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

Here are questions I run into almost daily, especially when protein and hormones are already part of the conversation: What’s the deal with soy? Is it good? Is it bad?

Much like any other food item out there, it can actually be both, which then makes the whole conversation that much more frustrating (sorry).

First, let’s get the facts separated from the myths.

The soy (or soya) bean in all of its forms is still the most universally utilized source of protein worldwide. It’s also one of the most protein-dense foods on the planet, right up there with peas and lentils. Let’s answer the question with a question: If it comes straight from one of Mother Nature’s plants and if people (and animals) have been reliably utilizing it for thousands of years, exactly what are we questioning and why?

Consider this: Any individual or study advising the blind avoidance of whole, organic, mother-natureapproved plant food is (in my opinion) entirely misled, politically motivated, corporately influenced, financially

coerced, and/or likely attached to additional potential millions (if not billions) of dollars that hinge entirely on their words and actions. Sadly, most of these individuals are “reputable” doctors and “worldrenowned” scientists, all bought and paid for by big-bad pharma, big-box foods, and big-bucks drinks.

When America started trading cow milk for soy milk, it did not go unnoticed by the dairy industry. They quickly devoted hundreds of millions of dollars to creating fake and slanderous studies about soy, claiming it to be harmful and warning consumers to stay away from it.

They fabricated studies about “dangerous estrogen levels” and then paid even more to have it all cleverly and collaboratively spun by the media muppets.

Meanwhile, entire countries overseas are flabbergasted at how gullible the American public is for believing the whole media spin. These are the same countries whose populations continue to rely on soybeans every single day for the majority (if not all) of their protein intake.

Over time, Americans have chosen to decrease their intake of soy products, and somehow, typical hormone levels nationwide have started to become digressively unregulated. As a result, breast cancer cases are through the roof, healthy but stressed-out thyroids are shutting down, and men are finding their estrogen levels are higher than some women’s. It’s not the soy causing these issues. It’s the lack of phytoestrogens, which are found in abundance in soybeans and soy products. Unlike the regular hormone estrogen, phytoestrogen heals the synthesis of natural hormone function and eradicates cancerous free-radical activity in the body.

Adding insult to injury, Monsanto stomped in, further destroying the innocence of soy. We can’t talk about hormone synthesis devastation or endocrine disruption without spotlighting Monsanto’s various lines of carcinogenic DNAmodifiers, which have been banned in dozens of countries worldwide. America, on the other hand, is their biggest buyer. Artificial and synthetic additives, pesticides, growth hormones, and other toxic chemicals are all part of the equation as well.

Truly organic, non-GMO soybeans and soy products are ironically one of the most beneficial and reparative mediums for hormone imbalances of all kinds, especially for those battling breast cancer or prostate cancer. This is even more ironic since most of these cancer patients are devouring chemo meds and listening to uninformed medical providers who continue to paint soy into a corner as the only culprit.

Go to the grocery store and buy a few bags of organic, frozen Mukimame soybeans. They’re clean, innocent, delicious, loaded with protein, and massively beneficial for repairing hormone levels. You can eat them frozen, blended into smoothies, thrown into a salad, cooked in a soup or stew, or mildly processed into a number of meat replacement products. Make sure you’re buying the reliably organic, non-GMO options. If it is cheap, chances are that it is not entirely organic. So always opt for the highest quality your budget is able to justify. And when in doubt, trust Mother Nature first. She knows what’s good for you and your body better than anyone else.

About the Author

Bentley Murdock is a wholistic lifestyle wellness specialist and #1 best-selling author. His primary areas of focus are disease symptom reversal, disease prevention, and sustainable wholistic healing methods. As Director of Wellness with Alive & Well HealthCARE, he leads local and remote clients (on personal, familial, and corporate levels) to take full ownership and responsibility for the future healing and wellness they desire. For more info, call 866396-8742 or email Aloha@HealisticVitality.com.

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 27

in Their

By Marianne Hamilton

About the Author Marianne L. Hamilton is a veteran journalist and marketing writer whose work appears in regional and national publications. When not race walking, hiking, or teaching water aerobics, she is Board Chair of Art Around the Corner and the Special Events Manager for DOCUTAH. She and her husband, Doug, are also co-administrators of the St. George Wine Club and race directors for the Huntsman World Senior Games and National Senior Games.

Marianne was crowned Ms. Senior Italy Universe 2019–2020 and the Senior Pageants Group’s 2020–2021 Senior Games Ambassador.

She is a proud breast cancer survivor.

As competitors in the 2021 IRONMAN®70.3 World Champ­ ion­ship sprint, limp, or crawl across the finish line in September, a very special sight will come into view: The iconic IRONMAN M-Dot logo, glistening in the sunlight, will welcome them at the roundabout at Main and Tabernacle in Historic Downtown St. George. Since its installation in March 2021, the thirteen-foot, nearly 6,000-pound metal sculpture has prompted countless photos, videos, and selfies.

And this fall, the monument is sure to become known around the globe.

The IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship logo welcomes visitors heading north on Main Street.

When St. George successfully contracted to bring the 70.3 contest to town, the Greater Zion Convention & Tourism Office and St. George City staff knew it would be important to have world-class artwork in place for the world-class race. “We live in a land of endurance, and we host one of the most scenic and challenging endurance races on earth,” said Kevin Lewis, Director of the Greater Zion Convention & Tourism Office. “Across the globe, this race showcases the characteristics of the area and the enduring qualities of people who live here. This new work of art is a symbol of all that this event means to our community and a tribute to what our community inspires in race participants all over the world. In securing the World Championship, we’re truly being recognized as an IRONMAN destination worldwide, and this piece celebrates that.”

To find the right artist (or artists) to craft the sculpture, Greater Zion and the City of St. George turned to the Art Around the Corner Foundation (AACF), the nonprofit organization that has brought quality public art to St. George for the past seventeen years. AACF was tapped to write a Request for Proposal, which was then distributed to the organization’s network of Utah-based artists. Said Marc Mortensen, City of St. George Support Services Director, “We felt it was appropriate to limit the proposals to artists who reside in our state since our goal is to show off the very best that Utah has to offer during IRONMAN. With the high concentration of creative talent in Utah, we were confident that we’d find the perfect concept.”

The bet paid off: A proposal from father-and-son metal artists Richard Prazen, a professor of metal arts at Salt Lake Community College, and Josh Prazen caught the eye of the Greater Zion and City teams, who each contributed $30,000 to commission the work. The Prazens envisioned a four-sided cube, three of which would feature the athletic competitions in the event—swimming, cycling, and running—with the fourth side emblazoned with the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship logo.

“As soon as we saw the preliminary drawing that Rick and Josh submitted and read their description of the piece, we knew it would be a winner,” said Mortensen. “The Prazens planned to use rusted steel to represent our red rocks and mountains, with contrasting stainless steel depicting the athletes and the sky. It was a big, 28 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

Iconic Sculpture Will Greet Ironman 70.3 World Championship Finishers bold concept, and it really captured the new brand for Greater Zion, ‘the Land of Endurance.’”

The M-Dot sculpture was hefted into place during AACF’s installation of its 2021-2022 Outdoor Sculpture Gallery. (Richard Prazen also crafted Think Green, the large, friendly frog sitting on a bench near the Square’s splash-pad, along with Bad to the Bone, the heavy-metal rocker strumming his guitar in front of Wells Fargo Bank.) Sara Otto, Greater Zion Marketing Manager, said the installation of the M-Dot in the Main/Tabernacle roundabout was purposeful.

“With the finish line along Main Street and the Transition Area (T2) along Tabernacle, the athletes will pass the sculpture four times on the route,” Otto noted. “It’s a tribute to their training and dedication to this endurance sport. And at the true center of town, it’ll be at the crossroads of many IRONMAN Week events and conveys the large, positive impact IRONMAN has had on St. George and Greater Zion.”

For most mere mortals, the notion of even signing up for an IRONMAN event—let alone completing it—is beyond comprehension. Only a tiny percentage of athletes have the ability (and sheer strength of will) to attempt three different disciplines in one day, especially given the grueling terrain they will face in Greater Zion. But the City and Greater Zion teams are still hopeful that every member of the community will want to get involved come race week. With district schools scheduling a holiday on September 17 and abundant volunteer opportunities available before, during, and after the competitions, everyone of every age can share in the IRONMAN experience.

The sculpture was unloaded in the Tabernacle parking lot, then trucked over to the roundabout at Main and Tabernacle for installation.

“It takes an entire community to pull off an IRONMAN event well,” Mortensen finished. “The 2021 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship will require every ounce of grit we’ve got as a community, and we encourage everyone to volunteer by going to ironman.greaterzion.com to see how they can lend a hand.”

Below: Diana Bertsch, IRONMAN Senior VP of Global World Championships, is flanked by (L) Kevin Lewis, Director, Greater Zion Convention & Tourism Office; IRONMAN sculptor Richard Prazen, and City of St. George Support Services Director Marc Mortensen.

Josh & Rick Prazen pose in their SLC studio during the production of the IRONMAN sculpture.

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 29

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Strength and size are not synonymous. The goal for athletes when it comes to strength development is to become stronger without adding muscle bulk.

Many believe strength training will slow them down. However, research done on Olympic athletes at the 1970 Olympics in Mexico proved that Olympic weightlifters were faster than 100-meter sprinters in a 30-meter sprint.

Others claim that strength training will lead to a decrease in flexibility, but these same Olympic weightlifters were the second most flexible athletes.

Research has revealed that beginning in the early thirties, athletes will lose approximately a half pound of lean muscle per year if they do not engage in intense strength training. This loss will result regardless of the amount of aerobic activity engaged in. To maintain fast twitch muscle fiber strength, which is needed for sprinting and climbing, 75 percent of one repetition max, (which is the most weight you can lift one time) must be used in strength sessions. This equates to the amount you can lift ten to twelve times while keeping proper form.

Functional Strength Training (FST) does not require a large time commitment. Maximal gains in strength and power can be achieved with a small time requirement (two sessions of thirty to fifty minutes per week). These sessions often can be conducted outside the gym.

A year-round strength program is recommended. Many athletes only engage in off-season strength programs. This can lead to less than optimal strength when it counts the most. In six weeks, an athlete can lose 40 percent of strength gains if in-season strength training is not continued. In ten weeks, the loss increases to 70 percent. In-season strength training should consist of one to two sessions per week.

Enhance Sports Performance with Functional Strength Training

By Tiffany K. Gust, MS

Functional Strength Training FST is a method of training that is very specific to the demands of athletic activity. This training can include free weights, cable machines, elastic bands or tubing, stability balls, medicine balls, and balance boards. Functional exercises should be: • Progressive. Start with simple exercises and progress in intensity and difficulty.

• Multi-planar. Movement should not restricted to a single direction of movement.

• Velocity specific. The exercise duplicates the speed of movement required by the individual sport.

• Sports and activity specific. The movement pattern of the exercise duplicates that of swimming, cycling, basketball, running, baseball, etc.

• Balance dominated. Increases in stabilization will aid in increasing efficiency and reducing injuries.

• Enjoyable. If you don’t enjoy the process, you won’t get the most out of it.

This All Sounds Great, but Where Do I Begin?

First, make a list of the functional tools you have available to you. Next, look at your current strength program (if you have one), and evaluate it for functionality. Then, use the methods outlined here to create a more specific routine. Often, these changes will result in a lowering of the weight or resistance needed to successfully complete the exercise.

Begin by introducing FST into your warm up exercises. Integrate them into your lower intensity sets before making them the primary exercises. If you are still uncertain on how to integrate FST into your training, hire a sports coach or personal trainer who specializes in your specific sport to help you make the gains needed to achieve your fitness goals and peak performance.

Stop by the LiVe Well Center to learn more about how we can help you reach your goals with functional strength training for all ages and levels of fitness.

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 31

Metabolic

By Coleen M. Andruss, MD

Harmony

Health and well-being is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind, and spirit. A healthy lifestyle is what gets you to that state. It means more than just losing weight. It means creating a strong immune system, especially in this time when we are being attacked by invasive viruses and illnesses.

The foundation of a healthy lifestyle begins by having every piece to the puzzle so that the puzzle doesn’t fall apart. These five puzzle pieces are: • Stress management • Quality sleep • Good nutrition • Exercise • Drinking plenty of water to hydrate your body adequately When one piece to the puzzle is missing, the puzzle starts to fall apart, and our health and immune systems start to fail. When all the pieces to the puzzle are present, the puzzle remains intact, and we maintain a healthy lifestyle, thus creating metabolic harmony and an efficient and healthy body.

In this COVID-19 world, there are many myths about ways we can be protected from this virus (Mayo Clinic, CDC). These myths might include saline nasal washes, high temperatures (taking a hot bath or being in the hot sun), low temperatures, antibiotics, alcohol, chlorine, garlic, ultraviolet light, disinfectants on your body, vitamin C, colloidal silver, and oleandrin. Beware of quick fixes and myths. Keep your distance, wash your hands, cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, and get vaccinated.

To protect yourself from illness and disease, focus on your health and on creating a strong immune system. Avoid inflammatory foods, processed and packaged foods, and sugars. Sugars are inflammatory and can weaken your immune system. Eat fresh vegetables and fiber-containing fruits such as apples, oranges, strawberries, raspberries, pears, and blueberries. Soluble fiber changes our immune cells from being pro-inflammatory angry cells to anti-inflammatory peacekeeper cells. Soluble fiber boosts production of a protein called interleukin-4, which stimulates the body’s infection-fighting T-cells. Americans should have at least thirty grams of fiber daily.

Choose foods with “good” unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) such as olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, nuts, seeds, avocados, and fish. Limit foods high in saturated fat such as red meat, whole milk and other whole milk dairy foods, cheese, coconut oil, and many commercially prepared baked goods and other foods. Avoid all trans fats as they create inflammation, which is linked to heart disease, stroke, insulin resistance, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. However, don’t avoid all fats. When you focus too much on cutting out all fat, you can actually deprive your body of what it needs most. Fat helps give your body energy, protects organs, supports cell growth, keeps cholesterol and blood pressure under control, and helps absorb vital nutrients, all of which create a strong immune system.

Take in some sunshine and replenish your Vitamin D to improve your immune system. Fresh air has been shown to help digest food more effectively, improve blood pressure and heart rate, reduce obesity rates, and strengthen the immune system. Fresh air has higher levels of oxygen (not to mention lower levels of pollution) than indoor air. Exposure to more oxygen causes the blood vessels in your lungs to dilate, which improves tissue repair, cleansing, and gas exchange, improving every breath and thus your immune function. Exercise increases blood and lymph flow as your muscles contract, thereby increasing the circulation of immune cells.

So get moving!

During sleep, your immune system releases proteins called cytokines that help promote sleep and are necessary to fight off infections and inflammation. Infection-fighting antibodies and cells are reduced when you don’t get enough sleep. Studies have shown that sleep loss leads to impairment of the immune system.

At least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep leads to fewer inflammatory cells in our bodies and improves our metabolic function.

Metabolic harmony is critical for the immune system and for a healthy life. The first step in creating this healthy lifestyle is to recognize the need and to have the desire to do so! The second step is a commitment to changes forever! The third step is to realize that metabolic harmony and good health is multifactorial. You must get the knowledge to understand your body physiologically. Knowledge is powerful and valuable. The final step is to take action!

Eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate happiness, and maintain an interest in life. Happiness lies in health, and prevention is better than cure.

32 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 33

Intracept:

New Treatment for Back Pain

By Dr. Ryan Workman, DO

Southern Utahns living with persistent and debilitating back pain may at last find relief thanks to a revolutionary new procedure: Intracept.

pain. Physicians use an MRI of the spine to determine whether Intracept is the right procedure for treating that patient’s pain.

“Previously, there was no way to treat this type of pain. This new procedure has opened up an avenue,” said Dr. Ryan Workman, interventional pain management specialist at Desert Pain’s Cedar City clinic. “It’s not something that has been done previously in southern Utah, so we’re really excited to be able to offer this to our patients here.”

Workman said that studies on Intracept began approximately five years ago, and the initial results have been very encouraging.

“Clinical trials have shown that this may be a permanent treatment for that type of bone pain,” he said. “The pain sources in these nerves don’t appear to grow back per the data we have so far.”

Intracept signals a breakthrough for patients experiencing chronic low back pain stemming from the vertebrae. Only a handful of medical professionals nationwide are trained to perform the outpatient procedure. In southern Utah, Desert Pain Specialists is the only pain clinic with 100 percent of its physicians trained and certified in the procedure.

Intracept is a minimally invasive procedure approved by the FDA for the treatment of chronic low back pain in patients over age eighteen who haven’t responded to prior interventional or surgical pain relief methods. Many people with degenerative disc disease are candidates for the procedure, Workman said.

The procedure is designed specifically for patients whose pain is vertebrogenic, meaning it originates from the bones in the spine. This type of pain causes discomfort while sitting, standing, and occasionally at rest. Patients have difficulty performing daily activities and suffer from limited mobility as a result of their 34 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

During the Intracept procedure, the physician accesses the nerves within the vertebrae of the lower back. Using a radiofrequency probe, they heat up the nerves and ablate the pain signals that come from those nerves. The end goal is disabling the connection so pain signals from this area can no longer be received and felt by the patient. Intracept preserves the structure of the spine.

Intracept is an outpatient procedure performed by a Desert Pain physician at ambulatory surgical centers in either St. George or Cedar City, Utah. The procedure

lasts approximately sixty minutes, and patients may return home a couple of hours afterward.

Most people experience post-procedural soreness lasting a few days, Workman said. Patients typically start to notice improvement in their back pain one to two weeks after undergoing Intracept. “It’s been demonstrated to have a very high safety record,” he said. “Studies show patients experience very few side effects as a result of this procedure.”

The physicians at Desert Pain, all of whom are board-certified anesthesiologists with fellowship training in pain management, underwent an intensive combination of classroom and hands-on proctored training to become certified to perform Intracept.

Workman encourages anyone interested in learning more about Intracept and other interventional pain management solutions to reach out. Desert Pain is open Monday through Friday and can book most patients for same-day or next-day consultations.

About the Author Dr. Ryan Workman, DO, attended medical school at Midwestern University-Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed a surgical internship at the University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona. He went on to complete his residency in anesthesiology at the University of Arizona Medical Center where he was awarded the prestigious Burnell R. Brown Award for Outstanding Resident and served as academic chief resident.

Dr. Workman received his fellowship training in Interventional Pain Management at Dartmouth College-Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire. Active in medical societies, Dr. Workman was appointed as resident component delegate on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Society of Anesthesiologists for three consecutive years.

Dr. Workman is a husband and proud father of eight who enjoys hiking, camping, and being outdoors. Most of all, he enjoys spending time with his family.

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St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 37

About the Author Dr. Joshua Terry graduated from Southern California College of Optometry. He gained advanced training at the Moran Eye Center, SLC Veterans Hospital, and Phoenix area Indian Health Service specializing in the treatment of ocular disease and the management of LASIK and cataract refractive surgery patients.

Since graduating in 2007, Dr. Terry has always worked in ophthalmology, first in Arizona and then in Utah when he moved to the state in 2010. Dr. Terry also provides eye care services to rural Nevada through his own private practice. He is licensed by the Utah, Nevada, and Arizona State Board of Optometry and is a member of the Utah and American Optometric Associations. Dr. Terry was born in Richfield, Utah, and currently resides in St. George with his wife, Jamie, and their six boys.

He and his wife are active advocates in early detection of type 1 diabetes and founded a nonprofit organization, Kisses For Kycie, after the unexpected death of their five-year-old daughter, Kycie.

What is “Comprehensive School Eye Health”?

By Joshua Terry, OD

When I think of school eye health, my first thought gravitates to school-aged children. However, millions of adults are returning to college to do things such as switch careers, change jobs, advance in their career, earn more money, reskill, or upskill. So when we speak about comprehensive school eye health, we are including people of all ages.

A 2017 study in JAMA Ophthalmology stated that approximately 69 percent of preschool children aged three to five could have experienced immediate visual improvement through proper refractive correction. In other words, 69 percent of children between the ages of three to five could have immediately seen better if they were corrected with glasses. It is also important to consider other factors that might limit a child’s vision, such as strabismus or an eye turn. Both refractive error and strabismus are screened by school nurses in our public schools.

Those who have reached the age of forty or fifty have experienced something called presbyopia. Presbyopia is the gradual loss of your eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects. As adults return to college or even go throughout their everyday life, they will gradually find themselves holding reading material further away to make the print clear. Their eyes will begin to strain to focus, causing eye discomfort and even headaches and signaling the need for reading glasses.

School screenings and over-the-counter reading glasses help, but they do not substitute for a comprehensive eye examination by a licensed professional with special training in optics. I have six school-aged children, each one in a different phase of his schooling and with different demands on his visual system. I am also almost fortyfour years old now and feeling the strain on my eyes as I do extended near work on the computer or while reading. My fourteen years of experience as an optometrist help me understand the science behind the importance of comprehensive school eye health. My eighteen years of experience as a father help me understand the desire of providing my children with the best possible opportunity to excel in the classroom.

Another growing aspect to consider in school eye health is how virtual learning impacts vision. College-aged students have experienced this for some time now, but it is becoming more and more common for school-aged children to participate in online classes, especially post2020.

Some of the most common conditions related to virtual learning that we see in the clinic are dry eyes and eye strain or eye fatigue.

Dry eyes Your eyes do not blink as often when reading and when using the computer. Blinking is important because it helps spread hydrating substances like tears and mucus across your eyes. If you’re blinking less, the tears on your eyes have more time to evaporate, resulting in red and dry eyes. Blink more often to refresh your eyes and take frequent breaks from viewing your electronics.

Eye strain and fatigue Does extended time using electronic devices damage your eyes? The short answer is that devices may not create eye problems but extended use may more readily reveal them. Blue light is reflected off the device screens and overhead fluorescent lights, so consider anti-reflective coatings on your glasses if you or your child experiences symptoms of eye strain or fatigue.

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 39

” n o i t a r b e “L ife Cel in the Grieving Process

The Importance of

By Connie Zdunich

The flowers and trees are in bloom, and soon the outdoor markets will be filled to overflowing with fresh produce. Watermelon and vine-ripened tomatoes always seem to offer a feeling of abundance, which will certainly be welcomed with all the shortages that have been experienced recently.

How different our beautiful community looks this spring. People are out and about, and you can sense the excitement in the air as we anticipate the activities that summer will bring. The pleasure that comes from something as simple as seeing the beautiful faces of our neighbors and friends makes our hearts swell. Things we had taken for granted, such as having the opportunity to hug someone we love, have become precious gifts that are so important now. Hopefully, we will never take them for granted again!

Last year seemed to last forever. We all experienced sorrow when we were unable to visit those who were sick or in need of comfort. Not being able to enter hospitals or nursing homes was heartbreaking.

We also were filled with grief for the loss of those we knew and loved. There was so much despair connected to that grief as families found they were unable to honor their loved ones in the way that their hearts needed in order to find some sense of closure. When the ceremony or celebration of life that we had always assumed would be available suddenly became unattainable due to COVID restrictions and when funerals were limited to less than fifty people, families were torn about what to do to honor their loved ones. Being unable to support and honor in person our friends and/or family members who passed was devastating. All in all, it was an extremely rough year on so many levels.

About the Author Connie enjoys working with local Hospice Groups and Veterans Associations. The military is very close to her heart, with her father being a Pearl Harbor Survivor, and her sweetheart retired Navy.

Helping support local hospice groups is very rewarding for Connie, and she feels being a part of the Spilsbury team is an awesome opportunity.

She is the mother of seven daughters and nineteen grandchildren, who are “the joy of her heart”. She loves being of assistance to those in our community who do so much for each of us.

But as it is when we experience heartbreaking times in our lives, these difficulties helped us to recognize the importance of the things that we have taken for granted and for which we have forgotten to be grateful.

Honoring your loved one’s achievements and celebrating the life you shared together will be even more precious to each one of us now that restrictions have been lifted. It has been a joy to again be able to serve families, knowing that we are helping them plan the services they desire. We are grateful that families can once again celebrate the lives of their loved ones in a way that will honor them and give family members and friends the much needed opportunity to show their love and respect.

The importance of “life celebration” is such an intricate part of the grief process, and the many ways available to share the love you have for your loved ones are as individualized and distinct as the lives they lived. Having the opportunity to help you carry out your wishes is a privilege we will not take for granted. No matter the type of service chosen, coming together as a group of friends and family will enhance your memories and begin the healing processes for all.

40 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

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The earth was back on its axis. Children were playing baseball again. And no one was wearing a mask except the catcher.

By Lyman Hafen When I got out of my car in the parking lot and heard the cheering, something shifted in my soul. My heart skipped a beat and without even thinking it, I knew it was over.

I walked down the long lane separating two baseball diamonds. In the bleachers, I saw my daughter, her husband, and two of their four children. The other two, twin boys named Peter and Sam, were out on the diamond anxiously waiting for the ball to be hit to them. I sat down with them in the warm sun and began to watch the game, and it was as if the last fourteen months had never happened.

It isn’t lost on me that a lot of people have moved on from baseball. There are good arguments for football, basketball, even soccer.

But I will always stand for baseball as the sport that best defines who we are as Americans and most reflects our values, our aspirations, and more than anything, our spirit. Seeing fields full of boys and girls playing T-ball and coach-pitch and Little League on the pristine green and brown diamonds of St. George this summer did more to bring me back to equilibrium than anything else could have.

And hearing the cheering of excited parents was as effective as a vaccine at opening my heart to a sense of hope for the future.

Yogi Berra said, “Little League baseball is a very good thing because it keeps parents off the streets.” I remember clicking up Flood Street in metal cleats, proudly wearing my one-hundred percent wool uniform in the

one-hundred-degree St. George afternoon.

Blue letters spelling the word KIWANIS were sewn across my chest, and on the back was my number, and if I could make it the three blocks up Flood Street without passing out, I would take my place on the bench at the old Little League park on the west side of the Sun Bowl. With my glove at my side, I’d do my best to chatter just the right words in just the right cadence to get the batter on the opposing side to swing at a bad pitch.

In the meantime, all the parents in the neighborhood were off the streets. They were jammed in the bleachers behind the chainlink backstop, and they had something to say about every pitch and every hit and every catch and every throw and every umpire’s call.

As a kid, you realized there was something important about all this. For me and many of my generation, it was our introduction to life in these United States.

Joyful Noise

42 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

It was passed on to us by our parents, and we have passed it on to our children. I have a

grandson growing up in Germany, where the predominant sport does not allow him to use his hands. He has little opportunity to play baseball there. His name is Daniel. I gave him a mitt, and we played catch on the shore of the Rhine River the last time I was there. His father, who is my oldest son, gave him a bat on his tenth birthday. He might be the only boy in Oberkassel who has his own baseball mitt and bat, but it’s important to his dad and his grandpa that he does. And he treasures them.

Whether we were all-stars or benchwarmers, baseball became a part of us in our childhood. And whether we went on and played in high school or college or were drafted into the major leagues—as was the case for a boyhood pal named Bruce Hurst —or whether after our last game at the age of twelve, we tossed our glove in the closet and moved on to things that better suited us, baseball was embedded in our hearts.

If there can be such a thing, one of the silver linings of the pandemic for our family was how it opened the way for my daughter and her family to move home late last year. They had lived in Boston for ten years. All four of their children were born there. During COVID, my son-in-law proved to his employer he could work remotely, and the door opened for them to move home and remain employed in Boston. It was wonderful, except for one thing.

I had grown accustomed to going to Fenway Park and watching the Red Sox every time we visited them. Now I’ve lost that opportunity.

What I’ve gained, though, is the precious chance to go watch the boys play on the sunswept diamonds of St. George.

Fenway first became a special place for me when I visited Bruce Hurst and his young family in Boston in the summer of 1987. The previous year, Bruce had been the winning pitcher for the Red Sox in two games of the epic 1986 World Series against the Mets. I was writing a biography about Bruce, and I got to go to the ballpark with him every day for four days during a home-stand against the Yankees. On one of those nights after the game, Roger Clemens caught a ride home with us. I rode through the dark, misty streets of Boston all the way to Wellesley listening to the two pitchers reminisce about their boyhoods and their love of baseball.

Decades later, I went back to Fenway with my grandchildren. The place, though fully renovated, was still as perfectly historic and profoundly mystic as it had always been.

Looking out across the flawless green grass, the rich brown manicured dirt, those immaculately crisp white lines, the quirky corners in the outfield, and the towering Green Monster in left field, all my boyhood dreams of baseball glory came back to me. I didn’t think about the hours sitting on the bench or those random times when the coach sent me out to right

field to stand all alone with the horrifying thought that a ball might actually come my way. I didn’t think about the terror that gripped a little boy’s chest as he walked to the plate to face a pitcher a year older and a foot taller than him. His name was Jeff Bradshaw, and at the age of eleven, he could turn over the kind of wicked curveball that set you on your hind end in complete bewilderment.

What I thought about as I looked across that perfect setting called Fenway was what a blessing it was to get to be part of a team when I was a kid. To wear the uniform. To connect with the sport in such a way that even though Kiwanis was the last team I ever played for, the game would live in me the rest of my life.

And I would share it with my children and they with theirs.

And now, in the summer of 2021, it’s helped bring me back to equilibrium after an unsettled year. The joyful noise of those cheering parents finally marked the end of a challenging time and called up from somewhere deep inside me a sense of hope for the future.

About the Author Lyman is the author of a dozen books intent on connecting landscape and story in the American Southwest. He is executive director of the Zion National Park Forever Project, and is past president of the national Public Lands Alliance. He’s been writing and publishing for more than 35 years, with several hundred magazine articles in publications ranging from Western Horseman to Northern Lights, and was the founding editor of St. George Magazine in 1983. He’s been recognized on several occasions with literary awards from the Utah Arts Council, and won the Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. He lives in Santa Clara, Utah, with his wife Debbie, and together they have 6 children and 15 grandchildren.

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 43

Aren’t the People Great!

By Mark Wade

44 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

Famous radio personality Paul Harvey once paid a visit to some of Utah’s natural attractions and subsequently expressed his feelings about what he had experienced. To paraphrase, he said, “Yes, the land is majestic, but aren’t the people great!” He then proceeded, on nationally syndicated radio, to laud the warmth, kindness, patience, and sincerity of the people he encountered on his visit.

Describing Beauty To The Blind The booming words “Pull hard.” echoed across the canyon. I scanned the terrain as two completely blind and five brain injured individuals— and their numerous escorts—trekked up a long, rocky slope toward the apex of the Cohab hiking trail in Capitol Reef National Park. The clarion call “Pull haaarrrrd.” continued regularly with the strong rolling Rs of the accent of a lanky Irishman, blind from birth, who ardently encouraged us all on the difficult ascent.

This experience was the culmination of a yearlong planning effort by many people in Utah to bring a group from Ireland in order to draw attention and raise funds for the sight impaired and brain injured of that country. At regular intervals along our seventy-mile, eleven-day trek, our blind participants would stop and ask their escorts to describe what they saw. I frequently stood in awe at the attempts to describe the shapes, colors, and diversity of the terrain by which we were surrounded. These visually challenged individuals frequently reminded us to listen, smell, touch, and even taste elements of the surrounding environment. The thing that stood out was the sheer happiness each of these individuals expressed in their ability to circumvent their disability and experience, with the assistance of others, what might otherwise not be possible.

Memories of this have come back to me recently as I had the opportunity to hike in the outdoors with a friend who is losing his sight to diabetes. Despite the challenge, this accomplished landscape artist finds joy just being in the outdoors. The sun, the breezes, the aromas, and the sounds of the desert come alive for him. On the trail, all it takes from me is an occasional steady arm by his side and some stepping instructions through the rough spots, and he’s good to go. Just being together in the outdoors is natural therapy for us both.

Enabling The Disabled “May we help?” Those words came from Ben and Carolyn, just married and on their honeymoon from Washington, D.C., as we recently ventured up from the depths of the main amphitheater of Bryce Canyon National Park. Our team was taking turns pushing a wheelchair but not the kind you may be thinking of. Sam Durst has cerebral palsy, and with the assistance of a newly invented, non-motorized all-terrain vehicle, Sam is now able to go to places he never could experience otherwise.

This trike, with large balloon-like tires, is capable of gliding over varying terrain and will even float in water. “It’s amazing to see how it changes not only the wheelchair user’s life, but also the lives of their family and friends,” says Ryan Grassley the director of marketing for Extreme Motus, the company that created this device.

Hikers from around the world watched smilingly as Sam passed by; others spoke encouraging words or even cheered as we took our downward journey on the Wall Street Trail. One couple from Colorado and another from Florida offered helping hands when the wheelchair wouldn’t fit through one narrow spot on the Queens Garden Trail, and later, others used nylon straps to pull the modified wheelchair on the uphill trek. A highlight came when a young woman descending the trail called out, “Is that Sam?” Sydney from Cincinnati, Ohio, gushed with enthusiasm as she said, “I thought that was him; I love him. I follow him on TikTok. He makes me so happy.”

It’s the People The sheer joy and enthusiasm with which Sam was greeted along our journey was beyond heart-warming: It was indescribable. As the world continues to open up and return to normal after the pandemic, we can all take moments to reflect on Paul Harvey’s statement: “Aren’t the people great!”

Learn more about Sam and his wheelchair at ExtremeMotus.com.

About the Author Mark Wade is active in hiking, writing, photography, and videography. He works as a tourism marketing consultant, for which he has won numerous awards.

He is a weekly guest on the KSL Outdoors radio show.

Mark is the former Director of Tourism for southwestern Utah and has served on the board of directors for various tourism associations.

Wade’s Walkabout Finding Meaning and Healing in the Outdoors

Follow Mark's outdoor escapades...

www.RoadTrippinWithBobAndMark.com Also on Facebook and Instagram

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 45

How Can You Make Positive Affirmations

Really Work?

By Erin Del Toro, Licensed Clinical Hypnotherapist In the 90s, we all got a good laugh as Saturday Night Live’s character Stuart Smalley preached to himself in the mirror, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!” Back then, it seemed like something only the sad and hopeless would do.

But in the 2010s and 20s, with our learning and advancement in understanding the reshapable brain, society seems to have realized that there isn’t anything funny about affirmations at all.

An increased number of thought leaders, therapists, and medical professionals believe that there really is something to affirmations.

When affirmations are done correctly, the research backs them up.

While we humans have been experimenting with affirmations more seriously in our modern culture for the past twenty-five years, we’ve shot at them in a variety of ways that kind of seem like we’ve been playing a game of darts blindfolded, which is probably what makes so many people feel like affirmations end up being a waste of time. We’re throwing in the general direction but probably not hitting the board, let alone hitting the target.

46 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

Let’s start by understanding how affirmations work. You can think of your subconscious mind as the entity that programs your entire mind and body system, and it stands ready at all times to output the information it receives. If you are a person who says things like “I always misplace my keys” or “I always eat too much,” your subconscious—without making a distinction about whether the statement is true or false—becomes programmed with that belief and then directs your mind and body to get on board.

The theory of positive affirmations says that speaking positive things to yourself will yield positive changes and results. It’s exciting that this theory has been proven and continues to be proven true when the affirmations spoken contain more than just hopeful, random thoughts.

So how do we make positive affirmations work for us so that they don’t become a waste of time? To be effective, we are beginning to understand that affirmations need to contain the following: 1) They must be connected to feelings, emotions, and imagery when you create them and when you speak them.

The affirmation game is really about changing your neural pathways and the way your brain naturally (but maybe unhappily) directs thoughts. The more feeling and visual imagery you can stimulate with your affirmations as you speak them, the more you trigger your neural pathways to build in a different direction. You can increase feeling by imagining what it might be like to have your affirmation come true.

Sit with it; ponder it; close your eyes, and imagine it as real.

2) They should be realistic but hopeful. Let’s say that someone who absolutely hates everything about their body and wants to change their self-image goes with the phrase “I love my beautiful body.” Because loving their body in actuality is such a foreign concept, this person will probably have a challenging time putting in the emotion needed to cause the brain to change. This is why I suggest graduating yourself in realistic but hopeful goal-aimed affirmations.

It’s something I love to do with hypnotherapy clients because it’s so effective, but you can do it on your own and yield great results with enough persistence. This person could start with something attainable,

such as “I am beginning to understand the feeling of loving myself ” and then graduate the phrase continually over time until they reach the actual goal affirmation of something along the lines of “I love my body and am so grateful for it’s beauty.”

3) Affirmations need to be centered around your values and goals and the things that have real meaning to you.

Research shows that this is one of the best ways to make the most change. If your affirmations don’t truly mean something to you, they can just become more of the stressful, meaningless chatter that we humans are all too used to hearing.

4) They should be said at least three times in a row, first thing in the morning and last thing before bed. The closer to sleep you are, the closer you are to connecting affirmations with your deeper subconscious, giving you a leg up on restructuring your neural pathways. For this reason, bringing your affirmations into your meditation routine or speaking affirmations during a hypnotherapy session can also greatly increase their effectiveness.

5) Be consistent. You’ll see faster and better results if you stay the course for weeks and months at a time.

If you feel like you need help with creating the correct positive affirmations for yourself, you can reach out to a certified life coach who specializes in self-esteem, you can ask your therapist for guidance, or you can ask a clinical hypnotherapist to help you as well. With persistence, consistency, and real focus, your affirmations can lead you to the path of becoming the person you truly know you can be.

...Speaking positive things to yourself will yield positive changes and results.

About the Author Erin Del Toro is a certified Clinical Hypnotherapist for True North Mind Management. She is passionate about combining eastern and western medicine, changing the effects of trauma, and helping others unlock the power of their true potential.

When she’s not reading and learning about the mind, she enjoys spending time with her daughters, training for ninja warrior competitions, and staying active in the great outdoors of Southern Utah.

If you would like to learn more about positive affirmation in connection with clinical hypnotherapy, contact Erin at True North Mind Management. Call or text (435) 429-2560 or email truenorthmindmanagement@gmail.com.

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 47

Why Should You Try a Triathlon?

By Andrew Steinicke, OMS II

About the Author

We’ve all heard about the importance of exercise. It’s good for your heart, body, and mental health. But let’s face it, not everyone was born to wake up at 5:30 each morning and hit the gym. Thankfully, there is more than one way to stay in shape.

What is a Triathlon?

Triathlons are athletic events consisting of swimming, biking, and running, usually in that order. You may have heard of Ironman races (which do not involve superheroes in flying robotic suits). An Ironman race is a triathlon with specific distances for each event.

The race starts with a 2.4-mile swim, is followed by a 112-mile bike ride, and ends with a 26.2-mile marathon. The truth is, there are very few people who are fit enough to compete in an Ironman triathlon, so there is no need to get down on yourself if that looks a little overwhelming.

Andrew Brett Steinicke, DO, graduated from Rocky Vista University Southern Utah Campus in 2021. He is specializing in family medicine at the McKay-Dee Hospital Center in Odgen, UT.

There are alternatives to triathlons, including a sprint triathlon. The distances here can vary, but typically, they consist of a 0.5-mile swim, 12.5-mile bike ride, and 3.1-mile run. If you are like me, this looks much more manageable!

Now that we’ve defined what a triathlon is, let’s talk about some reasons why you might consider training for one.

Swimming Swimming may be as close to the perfect exercise as you can get. It provides a great total body workout at a very low impact. This means good things for your joints in years to come. Swimming builds muscle and also increases your cardiovascular health. If you’re going to be doing a lot of swimming, it makes sense to invest in a nice pair of goggles and a swimsuit with minimal drag.

Biking Biking is great for working out your legs and lungs. It is also an excellent way to keep your heart in shape. Biking is a little harder on your joints than swimming, but it doesn’t have the jarring effects of pounding the pavement like running. Selecting the right bike will make a huge difference on your rides. Mountain bikes are typically heavier and have much wider tires. This increases the amount of work you have to do to get from point A to point B. Bikes can be expensive, and there is a wide range of prices and quality.

Choose what works best for you and your budget. Lastly, don’t forget to wear your helmet!

Running Running is probably something most everyone has done at some point in life. Whether it was running the mile in middle school or running to catch the bus last week, we’ve all done it. Like biking, running is also great for your legs, lungs, and heart. In order to make the most of your runs and to mitigate injury, make sure you get the right shoes. Everyone’s feet are different, so find a pair that is comfortable for you.

Put it all together, and you’ve got yourself a triathlon. Training for triathlons is a win-win situation because you don’t end up doing the same thing every day, and you stay in great shape. If you find yourself struggling to get out and exercise every day, consider signing up for a triathlon.

It could be just the motivation you need to jumpstart your exercise routine.

48 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

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St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 49

Freedom from Depression:

Get on the Path to Hope and Healing!

When antidepressant medications aren’t working, Hope is not Lost.

If you’re battling depression and not seeing results with antidepressant medications, chances are you’re feeling utterly hopeless and don’t know where to turn next. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a non-drug depression treatment that can work when antidepressant medications do not. It’s currently available at Premier TMS (435-2169290), a Utah-based NeuroHealth clinic in St. George, Utah. Premier TMS has provided TMS therapy in St. George for over two years! It is the #1 provider of TMS in Utah.

This treatment is a literal lifesaver for many sufferers who have tried countless antidepressants to little or no avail, all while enduring numerous side effects. Compare that to TMS, where 68 percent of patients see a reduction in their depression symptoms and 45 percent achieve remission. Yes, that’s right; 45 percent of patients no longer have depression when they complete TMS therapy.

TMS does not have the same side effects associated with traditional antidepressant medications. The most common side effect is a headache or slight discomfort at or near the treatment site, which goes away after the first few treatments. TMS therapy has been FDA cleared since 2008.

It works by emitting a series of highly focused magnetic pulses (similar in type and strength to an MRI) to the patient’s left prefrontal cortex of the brain. This stimulates cortical neurons and causes them to depolarize and release the neurotransmitter serotonin. This increases blood flow and glucose metabolism in the stimulated regions of the brain, typically resulting in improved mood. Best of all, TMS is covered by most major insurance carriers, including Medicare.

• We evaluate patients to determine if they qualify for TMS • Our doctor provides the in-clinic prescription for our TMS treatment 50 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

Ben’s Path with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).

This is one patient’s experience with TMS in our clinic. Ben had been battling depression and anxiety for many years. It affected all areas of his life, including family relationships, social interactions, and work. He didn’t like the side effects of anti-depression medications. He wanted depression out of his life. By searching the internet for different ways to relieve depression, he found Premier TMS (premiertms.com).

He discovered that NeuroStar TMS was covered by his insurance company. Through his research, he learned that TMS helps activate the natural function of the brain’s neurotransmitters using a non-invasive magnetic pulse, similar to that of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which really impressed him. Ben decided to move forward with TMS. He came in each day for thirty minutes during his lunch break for eight weeks to receive his TMS treatments. The patient, his wife, and his employer noticed gradual changes during this eight-week period.

Ben reported that his symptoms of depression dropped dramatically during treatment. He realized he had energy, motivation, and drive, which were all missing before TMS. His depressive symptoms were gone. Ben’s family relationships and social interactions improved; he even received a promotion at work because of these changes. After TMS, Ben has a new love of life.

“When you’re depressed...you’re always fighting to live...to survive the next day. NeuroStar TMS made such a difference...

All of a sudden I felt empowered. I felt strong. I felt like I wasn’t a victim anymore.” ‒Debbie “Neurostar TMS treatment has changed my life...It’s given me life; it’s given me joy; it’s given me opportunity.” ‒Colleen “I had taken eleven different medications without any relief...NeuroStar TMS treatment has helped me bring my life back...with happiness that I’ve never experienced before.” ‒Todd

435-216-9290

www.premiertms.com 1490 E. Foremaster Drive, Suite 340 St George, UT 84790

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 51

COVID-19 has affected all of us. The quarantine has caused stress, wearing a mask has caused stress, and debates within our families and neighborhoods have caused stress.

We are going through adjustments that cause us to question our motives and abilities.

Our community has proven to be resilient. You have been resilient! Resilience is the ability a person has to be flexible and recover quickly from difficulties. Developing resilience is important because it gives you the strength to process and overcome hardships that occur in your life. The key principles of resilience are hope, faith, accountability, and flexibility amidst struggles.

I challenge you to take a moment as you head into the summer months to assess your level of resilience. Using my definition of resilience in the paragraph above, evaluate your ability to manage what may come.

Are you feeling hopeful?

Hope springs from purpose and accountability. Be clear in your personal and family goals. Be accountable for your strengths, your weaknesses, and your agreements. Be wary of maintaining a focus on what everyone else needs to do, and instead, focus on the role that you have in achieving your purposes. Hope springs from accomplishing your personal goals.

How is your faith today?

Faith in a higher power coupled with a clear sense of self will help you make excellent decisions. Increasing faith requires time. Key components for building your faith include studying, pondering the things you study, meditating and/or praying, and giving service.

If you know your own value and your strengths and you humbly own your weaknesses, you will increase in faith. If you engage in a healthy relationship with a high power, it will create a feeling of peace for the days to come.

Are you accountable for your own growth and progress?

Do you avoid procrastination? Do you avoid blaming others for your lack of progress?

Are you caught in any of the dangerous as-soon-as traps? For example, have you said things like “I will be happy as soon as I can stop wearing a mask” or “I will get organized as soon as my spouse does their part.” Being accountable is part of resilience and requires us to move our lives forward, regardless of others. Compassion, patience, and tolerance can assist along the way.

About the Author Matt lives in St. George, Utah, where he and his wife, Chris, are enjoying their life with each other.

Since their children have grown up and moved out to pursue their dreams, Matt and Chris travel the world. They want to visit 200 countries before they are done. Matt and Chris are active in their community and enjoy working out, training for marathons, and spending time participating in numerous activities with their adult children. Matt received a PhD in psychology.

He is focused on the arena of resolving personal conflicts and improving interpersonal relationships.

In addition to his doctorate degree, Matt has earned a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, studied criminal justice and received a category one license with Peace Officer Standards and Training, and received a degree in the Arts of Business Management. Matt is a professor at Dixie State University and hopes to be part of the positive growth of southern Utah.

Hope springs from accomplishing your personal goals.

Are you flexible?

There are an infinite number of ways to accomplish your purposes. With a solid sense of hope, faith, and accountability, you can become flexible as others grow into their roles in your life. Being a strong individual in a neighborhood or even in your own family requires a great deal of flexibility. Every person grows at a different pace and in different ways. Choosing your path and holding firm while working well with others increases your resilience in trying times.

My challenge for you is to find your strengths in these areas. Serve others while owning your weaknesses and allow others to serve you. Together we can accomplish great things.

Be

Strong

By Matt Eschler, PhD, LMFT

52 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

Recent Dixie State University Graduate Fulfills Her Childhood Dreams

By Allie Garrow

What do you want to be when you grow up?

When you were a child, your answer probably ranged from dribbling your way into the Basketball Hall of Fame to blasting off somewhere into space as an astronaut. Regardless of your childhood aspirations, how many of us today can say that we achieved our childhood dreams?

For Melanie Williams, her dream of becoming a nurse started when she was six years old. Years later, after giving birth to her son Skiler her senior year of high school and barely graduating with a 2.0 GPA, Melanie quickly forgot about her dreams and even doubted her ability to attend college.

At age twelve, Skiler was diagnosed with epilepsy. Rushing back and forth between doctor visits and providing her son with constant supervision had Melanie, as a single mom, always on her toes. After Skiler had five seizures in one day, Melanie found herself sitting next to her son in the hospital room when the nurse looked at her and asked, “Why aren’t you a nurse? You know more than I do, and I’ve been doing this for thirty years!”

Taken back by the nurse’s question, Melanie remembered her childhood dream. That night, she continued to ponder the idea of going back to school but remained hesitant. It took the encouragement and support of others for Melanie to rack up enough confidence to apply to Dixie State University.

Just two months later, in January of 2017, Melanie took her first steps as a Trailblazer in the pursuit of fulfilling her childhood dream. “I never thought I could qualify for Dixie,” Melanie said.

Going back to school brought many challenges and sacrifices. Skiler decided to move in with his grandparents so his mother could concentrate on school. This was extremely difficult as the two of them had been inseparable since his diagnosis.

Melanie graduated with her nursing degree in December 2020. Today, she works as a nurse for the cardiovascular unit at St. George Regional Medical Center. She said she never could have done it without her family, friends, and professors at DSU.

She also credits her husband for helping her succeed.

“My husband and I had just started dating when this all happened, and we got married two weeks before I started nursing school,” she said. “I don’t think any of this would have happened if it hadn’t been for his love and encouragement.”

Melanie hopes to someday give back to Dixie State by working in the Nursing Department to empower aspiring nurses to chase their dreams. “It might take you longer to achieve your goals. It might not go the way you plan. But you stick to those dreams, you stick to those goals, and anything can happen,” she said.

For more information about Dixie State University visit www.dixie.edu.

About the Author After graduating with her associate degree from Brigham Young University-Idaho, Allie Garrow transferred to Dixie State University to become a Trailblazer. She is now a senior at DSU and is working on her bachelor’s degree in media studies with an emphasis in public relations. She is also minoring in communication studies and marketing. When Allie is not hitting the books, she enjoys hitting the road in pursuit of adventure.

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 53

Dining Guide St. George

Angelica’s Mexican Grill

101 E. St. George Blvd., St. George, UT 84770 | 435-628-4399 Mexican | Vegetarian and Vegan Options | Family Friendly | $ Mon.–Sat., 11:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.; Closed Sun. Located Downtown on St. George Boulevard, Angelica’s Mexican Grill serves fresh, made from scratch authentic Mexican food. The flavor driven and nationally recognized menu provides everything and more that you would expect from a Mexican restaurant, including street tacos, Mulitas, Tortas, Sweet Carnitas, Machaca, and their famous salsa bar. Vegan and Vegetarian dishes are always available. Seating is available inside and also outside on the spacious patio. Catering & To-Go ordering available.

Benja’s Thai and Sushi

2 W. St. George Blvd. #12, St. George, UT 84770 | 435-628-9538 Thai | Sushi | $$ Mon.–Sat., 11:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.; Sun., 1:00 p.m.–8:00p.m.

Hungry for sushi? Hungry for Thai curries? Benja’s Thai and Sushi, in the heart of downtown at Ancestor Square, will satisfy your craving with fresh sushi, curries, noodles and a great beer and wine menu. Stop in with business colleagues, friends, a date or the whole family, and be sure to come hungry – in addition to curries, noodles and sushi, Benja’s salads, soups and sticky mango rice are not to be missed.

Magleby’s

1450 Hilton Dr., St George, UT 84770 | 435-652-9600 American / Dine-In | Catering | $$ Mon.–Sat., 11:00 a.m.–9:00p.m.; Closed Sun. With over thirty years of catering experience, we guarantee to make your next event magical! Everything we do we do with love, and you won’t find another catering company with as many homemade recipes or fully customized options. If you’re looking for a culinary experience creatively tailored to fit your event, we’re at your service.

Red Fort Cuisine of India

148 S. 1470 E., St. George, UT 84790 | 435-574-4050 Indian | Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free Options | Healthy | $$ Mon.–Thurs., 11:30 a.m.–9:00 p.m.; Fri.–Sat., 12:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.; Closed Sun. Located in the shopping and dining hub just north of St. George Boulevard, Red Fort Indian Cuisine is the only authentic Indian restaurant in St. George. The flavors are unique and harmonious, and many of their menu items are vegan, vegetarian or gluten free. Stop by and experience the delicious flavors of authentic East India. The elegant and inviting atmosphere paired with their kind and friendly staff, is sure to provide for a relaxing, enjoyable dining experience.

The Painted Pony

2 W. St. George Blvd. #22, St. George, UT 84770 | 435-634-1700 Steakhouse | Seafood | Contemporary | Healthy | $$$$ Lunch: Mon.–Sat., 11:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; Dinner: 4:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.; Sun., 4:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

In the heart of Ancestor Square, the Painted Pony delights with an upscale menu, full beer and wine list, cocktails and exceptional service. Prepare for a sensory experience with complex flavors, top-notch presentation and a beautiful atmosphere. Evening ambiance complete with soft lighting, fresh flowers and patio dining. Locally sourced, organic, vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options are available for every palate.

Cappeletti’s

36 E. Tabernacle, St. George, UT 84770 | 435-986-4119 Italian | Steak | Seafood | Contemporary | $$ Lunch: Tues.–Sat.,11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.; Dinner: 5:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

Centrally located in historic downtown near Town Square, Cappeletti’s is a favorite for casual business lunches, friend and family gatherings, and romantic evening dining. Authentic Italian pastas like gnocchi bolognese or cannelloni will comfort and satisfy, but if you’re not in the mood for pasta, the fresh fish of the day, tender Black Angus flat iron steaks, market fresh meats, and poultry are all prepared daily and presented beautifully. In this quaint and cozy family owned and operated restaurant, plan to settle in for warm, friendly Italian cuisine with an Argentinian flair, and leave satiated in body and soul.

Katering Koncepts, Inc. – Full Service Catering & Event Rentals

1495 S. Black Ridge Dr., Suite A210, St. George, UT 84770 | 435-574-0059 Menus include buffet options, breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers, and gourmet lunch boxes.

Call Katering Koncepts when it just has to be Perfect! We will customize any menu just for your event. Serving the St. George and surrounding Southern Utah areas. Katering Koncepts sets a new standard in private, corporate and wedding events. We have a full line of rentals including tables, chairs, linens, formal dishware, decorations, dance floors, tents, serving dishes and many other items to help make your event a success. Call us or visit our website at www.kateringkoncepts.com for a complete list.

Pizza/Pasta Factory

Pasta Factory: 2 W. St. George Blvd. #8, St. George, UT 84770 | 435-674-3753 Pizza Factory: 2 W. St. George Blvd. #8, St. George, UT 84770 | 435-628-1234 Pizza Factory Express: 1930 W. Sunset Blvd., St. George, UT 84770 | 435-634-1234 Pizza Factory Pineview: 2376 E. Red Cliffs Dr., St. George, UT 84790 | 435-688-2656 Pizza | Pasta | Dine-In | Take-Out | Delivery | Salad Bar | $$ Mon.—Sat at 11:00 a.m.

The Pasta Factory, with its year-round, climate controlled outdoor patio dining wows with custom-made pasta, soups, sandwiches and salads. The Pizza Factory offers three locations with the best and freshest salad bar in town; homemade soups, sandwiches, famous bread twists and Southern Utah’s favorite pizza combinations.

Twenty-Five Main Café

25 Main Street, St. George, UT 84770 | 435-628-7110 Cafe | Coffee Shop | Gourmet cupcakes | $ Mon.–Thurs., 8:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.; Fri.–Sat., 8:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.

Visitors step from the streets of St. George to an atmosphere reminiscent of a Soho cafe when they stop by this counter-style downtown gem for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Delectable salads, panini sandwiches done to perfection, and pasta are the featured menu items, but most diners frequent the café for its cupcakes. Twenty-Five Main is perfect for a business lunch or breakfast, a get-together with friends or a quiet spot to relax in the evening before absorbing the downtown art-walk in St. George.

54 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

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Do you ever wonder why you wake up at the same time every night? We all have the occasional sleepless night, especially when our brains are overworked. But when it keeps recurring, your body may be trying to tell you something important about your mind, body, and life.

There are fourteen major meridians that run through the body, twelve of which align with the twenty-four-hour clock.

That means there are two hours each day in which a specific meridian is primary. Meridians are linked to parts of the body as well as to thoughts, emotions, and experiences. The hour that you keep waking up might be telling you which meridian is out of balance: 1:00 to 3:00 a.m. (Liver) Physical: You may be experiencing issues with circulation, digestion, and metabolism. It’s possible you are drinking too much or too little.

Mental: You may be struggling to feel safe in life, worried about how to step forward, or concerned with weight. It can also indicate an inability from childhood to process circumstances.

Ask yourself if you are avoidant or resistant in your daily interactions.

Emotional: You are in need of energy. Are you giving more than you’re getting? You may be relying on the need of another’s approval. You might need to relearn how to digest, process, and properly absorb lessons and situations in your life.

3:00 to 5:00 a.m. (Lung) Physical: Lungs are where we hold grief, which can impair breathing. It may be an inability to inhale deeply and relax. Your body temperature is at its lowest here, so you may be too cold.

About the Author Brigit Atkin–Brigit of Brightworks helps improve the lives of others facing challenges and difficulties. She is certified in the SimplyALIGN™ method and was trained by founder Carolyn Cooper herself. For more information, visit www.brightworksbybrigit.com.

56 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

Mental: It is likely that several different things are going on.

You may be in need of guidance and inspiration. It can signify a new beginning and a spiritual awakening for you. It can also mean that you are running too hot or cold in daily life: feeling fulfilled one minute, then doubting yourself the next.

Spiritual: 3:00 a.m. is a time when the veil between dimensions is the thinnest. Consider that a passed loved one has a message for you or that you are on the threshold of making great strides in your life. It is a wise practice here to keep a notepad by your bedside so you can write down impressions you may have at this time. Also, be willing to shed old ideas and limiting beliefs so you can assimilate better thought patterns and habits into daily life.

These are merely possibilities. In my experience as an energy alignment practitioner, these are a few key reasons for disturbed sleep. Please keep in mind that there are many reasons you don’t sleep well: relationship issues, substance abuse, napping too much, depression, etc. What’s important is that you trust what intuitively feels correct to you. Ask yourself what’s going on in your life. Then, trust your instincts!

Just as important as your awareness is about waking up at odd hours, realize also when you’re sleeping through the night; it may mean that some part of your life that was previously unresolved has been healed or has recovered. You are learning and making progress in life. Sweet dreams!

What’s Keeping You Awake at Night?

Solving Your Own

Life’s Mysteries

By Brigit Atkin

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 57

Discover the Benefits of

Bone Broth By the St. George Health & Wellness Staff

Bone broth is the liquid that is leftover after simmering meaty bones and connective tissue in water for an extended period of time. Bone broth often contains vegetables, herbs, and spices. Medicinal herbs, such as ashwagandha, astragalus, fresh turmeric, nettle root, and ginger, are frequently added to bone broth to give it unique therapeutic properties.

Acidic ingredients, like wine or apple cider vinegar, are added to break down the protein in connective tissue and collagen to produce a proteinrich broth.

Although you can use bone broth as a base for soups, sauces, and gravies, it is usually sipped on its own. Traditionally, bone broth has been used for the purpose of alleviating the symptoms of illness, restoring strength, or maintaining good health. While the specific benefits of drinking bone broth are not clear, there is evidence to suggest that it may support digestion, fortify the immune system, support bone and joint health, and increase energy.

For a richly flavored broth that’s high in protein, select bones that include joints as well as meaty bones.

• For beef bone broth, use knuckle and neck bones, shanks, and/or oxtails.

• For poultry (chicken or turkey) bone broth, use a whole chicken, the frame of a roasted chicken or turkey, and/or chicken or turkey backs and wing tips.

• For pork bone broth, use ham hocks and pork neck bones.

58 www.saintgeorgewellness.com

How to Make Bone Broth

1. R oast your bones first to caramelize proteins and release fat.

2. Place roasted bones in a stock pot, using just enough water to cover the bones but not too much more.

3. Add 2 tablespoons of wine or apple cider vinegar for a touch of acidity.

Wine is generally recommended because it creates a more flavorful broth.

4. Bring your pot to a boil; immediately turn heat to low in order to maintain a slow simmer.

5. Spoon off any scum that rises to the top during the first several minutes after the water comes to a boil so that your broth is not cloudy.

6. Simmer bone broth for several hours.

For great flavor, add medicinal herbs, culinary spices, roasted garlic and/ or onions at the beginning of your simmer. Add vegetables, like carrots and celery, during the last twenty minutes of your simmer. Add leafy herbs, like parsley, basil, oregano, and savory, during the last ten minutes of your simmer.

Strain the hot broth through cheesecloth when it is finished simmering.

Store in glass containers in the fridge or freezer, but remember to leave at least an inch of headspace if you intend to freeze the broth. As the broth cools, spoon off the fat that rises to the top. Your broth is now ready to sip or to use in recipes.

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Get your business noticed with a featured sponsorship on the Southern Utah Health & Wellness Directory for only $100 per month.

A Featured Sponsor receives: • Link to website (link of your choice) • Description of business • Spot for videos • Section to list services and amenities • Staff and bio • Photo gallery • Map • Address, phone, website, and email • Social media links • Hours of operation Annual contract required. Monthly online payments will be processed online. $49 one time setup fee.

Southern Utah Health & Wellness Directory has a link on the St. George News website, which has over 400,000 unique users and 145,000 readers each month. By promoting health and wellness articles on their website, St. George News helps drive traffic to this site.

Contact Information:

Call 435-467-2103, email brian10e@icloud.com, or go to www.stghealth.com St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 59

Finding Calm When Feeling Stressed

By Richard K. Harder

Longboard recreational surfing continues to be one of my favorite sports, which began during my early teen years while living on the Central Coast of California.

Surfing is most often a calming and relaxing experience. At times, however, surfing can be frightening and stressful. Let me explain using the following two surfing scenarios.

Scenario #1: It is a beautiful Saturday morning at San Onofre State Beach, San Clemente, California. The wind is warm and mild from an offshore direction. The ocean surface is glassy, and the water is a mild 70-degree temperature. The waves are waist to shoulder high in size and breaking both left and right in ideal form. There are a lot of fun-loving surfers in the water, the lifeguards are alert and on duty, and there have been no recent shark sightings. The waves, surfing conditions, and mindset are calm. Life can sometimes be that way.

Scenario #2: It is a cold, foggy early morning at the same beach. The wind is cold and blowing forcefully onshore. The ocean surface is choppy, and the water is a low 60-degree temperature. The air temperature is about the same. The waves are overhead in size and not formed (meaning walled and breaking with force). My son-inlaw and I are the only two surfers on the beach that morning, preparing to enter the surf in storm-like conditions.

There are no lifeguards on duty, and we are not aware of any recent shark sightings. The waves, surfing conditions, and mindset are stressful and somewhat frightening. Life can sometimes be that way.

As with some surfing experiences, life’s experiences can sometimes be stressful. Understanding the nature of stress and finding moments of calm when feeling stressed are essential to managing health, wellness, and overall quality of life.

Dr. Hans Selye, author of the book Stress Without Distress, said, “Everybody talks about stress and presumably everyone knows what it is, but few know what stress is. It not only means different things to different people, but it is also different things to different people.”

There are two basic types of stress, one good and one bad. The good stress is eustress, defined as “moderate or normal psychological stress interpreted as being beneficial.”

Examples of eustress include the anxiousness or feelings of high energy or “butterflies” experienced by trained athletes just before a competitive event begins. These athletes experience eustress frequently. It is a good form of high energy and beneficial stress. This type of stress is normal and healthy.

Another example of eustress might be the relative anxiety an experienced and well-prepared public speaker might experience just before making a presentation before a large audience. In both examples, eustress is a positive type of stress.

Bad stress, quite the opposite of eustress, is distress, defined as “the state of being in great trouble.” This type of stress implies great physical or mental strain, sometimes seemingly too intense to be borne. Allowing such stress to linger triggers unhealthy outcomes.

To avoid the negative effects of distress, one should seek and find relative calm when feeling distressed by applying the following action steps: 1. B reathe deeply and begin confirming in your mind that “this too shall pass.”

2. F ind a quiet place to relax and focus your mind on pleasant thoughts.

3. A ffirm this statement in your mind: “I can find solutions to difficult problems.”

4. F ind answers to this question: What is the cause of my distress?

5. Team with a trusted friend and begin eliminating the source of distress.

About the Author Richard K. Harder is founder and owner of Lead Smart Consulting LLC (formerly Richard Harder & Associates), a management consulting firm that specializes in leadership and organizational development. He is also an adjunct instructor in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Dixie State University, St. George, Utah and senior adjunct instructor in the College of Business and Public Management at the University of LaVerne, LaVerne, California. He earned a master’s degree in healthcare management from California State University at Los Angeles and degrees in business and hospitality management from San Francisco State University and the City College of San Francisco respectively. His professional mission is to assist leaders in both domestic and professional settings in their effectiveness at leading highly productive teams as well as improving the quality of life for themselves and others. Richard can be reached by email at richard@ leadsmartconsulting.org.

Leon Brown, former Major League Baseball player, said, “Be patient. Life will offer you another chance as soon as you find the calm within, for abundance is borne out of calmness.” It has been said that one of the best lessons to learn in life is to master how to remain calm.

To do so is a mind-discipline exercise that can help you weather distress.

Life really is much like the ocean. It can be calm or still, rough or rigid, but in the end, it is always beautiful.

Stay calm; seek health and wellness.

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Let’s Talk About Sports Drinks (Fact and Fiction)

By Koby Taylor, PharmD

You’re active, your children and/or grandchildren are active, the sun is hot, and a lot of physical energy is being spent doing the things you all love. Your first inclination for hydration is to pack the cooler with sports drinks. But is this the best choice?

We are bombarded with bright, colorful drinks in the refrigerator sections of gas stations and grocery stores. Your own refrigerator may have these cheerful liquids inside just waiting to be opened and consumed. Voilá, you’re hydrated!

Not so fast. Would you be surprised to learn that these drinks aren’t actually “hydrating” you very much? Since we have all become more diligent at checking the labels of the foods and beverages we buy, take a look at the ingredients of your favorite sports drink. It will commonly have at least one of these three ingredients: sugar, salt, and potassium.

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#1 Sugar act: Sugar tastes good.

F Fiction: Sugar is needed for hydration.

Sugar is not hydrating. In fact, too much sugar, like consuming too much salt, can cause feelings of being dehydrated. Sugar can cause your blood sugar to elevate, and it can increase your heart rate. It can also cause an inflammatory response in your body, making you feel stiff and causing sore muscles.

When I read the label of a sports drink, I like to calculate the sugar from grams to teaspoons; it helps me visualize how much is in there.

While you can do this using any calculator, just know this simple math: There are 4.2 grams to one teaspoon. To make it easy and quick, divide the number 4 into the number of grams of sugar on the label, and you’ve

#FusionIsBetterMedicine

got a good idea of how much sugar you are consuming. One of the most popular drinks on the market has 34 grams of sugar, which equates to 7.2 teaspoons for just one 16-ounce bottle!

Sure, sugar is a quick energy source, but most of these drinks aren’t using raw or unrefined sugar. They are using a cheaper ingredient called high fructose corn syrup. This ingredient has a way of making our bodies actually crave it. Sugar will beget more sugar.

suffers from muscle cramps, leg aches, and pain and have chronic headaches, you could be potassium deficient. Maybe you are someone who has food allergies to bananas and avocados (two great natural sources of potassium). You could be a candidate for a potassium supplement. Keep in mind that most daily multivitamins, while good for nutrient supplementation, still do not meet the recommended daily allowance for potassium.

act: Salt or sodium is needed for hydration.

F Fiction: Salt is the best and only mineral I should need for hydration.

Salt is a wonderful mineral for endurance athletes to help them retain precious water. But for the majority of active people and for children (to whom these sports drinks are highly marketed), their daily diet may already contain plenty of salt. Adding salt to sports drinks does help you retain the fluid you’ve just consumed, but too much salt in your drinks and in your diet could make you more thirsty and can cause swelling in your joints.

Sometimes plain water isn’t enough. I know a lot of people who drink a gallon of water every day. While it’s good to have such a healthy habit, you could also be unknowingly flushing out your vital minerals, leaving you dehydrated.

First, let’s discern what electrolytes are and what their function is. Electrolytes are minerals, not sugar. These minerals serve different functions in the body, such as regulating electrical current and blood flow and aiding with muscle and tissue functions. Keep in mind that the body is 60 percent water. This is the first and most abundant resource you have to maintain balance in your system.

Common electrolyte minerals are calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium. Some natural resources that will replenish your electrolytes without the added sugar or dyes found in most sports drinks are: • Coconut water • Watermelon juice • Bananas and avocados • Leafy greens • Fresh, raw vegetables • Fruit smoothies • Milk •H olistic/natural mineral-infused water (containing sodium, potassium, and magnesium)

#2 Salt

#3 Potassium

Fact: Most people don’t know why potassium is important.

Fiction: Potassium is irrelevant for hydration.

Here is where I think the rubber meets the road. Potassium is absolutely essential to proper hydration. Unfortunately, our most common sports drinks don’t contain enough of this vital mineral. In fact, most Americans are potassium deficient due to eating processed foods and not enough fresh fruits and vegetables. On average, if you aren’t someone who is contending with chronic kidney disease, the recommended daily intake of potassium is 3,500 to 4,700 milligrams.

To put this into context, one banana, a common source for potassium, generally has 450 milligrams. That means you would need to eat ten bananas just to reach the recommended daily allowance.

Here’s why potassium is so important. Potassium is highly reactive in water. It also produces positively charged ions that help to conduct the electricity that flows through the body. Your heart, for example, beats because of electrical impulses.

That being said, overly high quantities of potassium can be very dangerous. So how do you know what’s right for you? Getting a comprehensive blood test and consulting with your doctor about your mineral levels is the best way. You can also examine your diet.

If you are someone who eats packaged and processed foods, chances are you are potassium deficient. If you are someone who

So What Should You Drink to Replenish Electrolytes?

Here is one of my favorite recipes for a healthy sports drink: 2 cups coconut water (unsweetened or naturally sweet) 1/8 teaspoon finely ground pink Himalayan salt 1/2 cup of lemon juice Honey, to taste Add to a blender or shake vigorously until all the ingredients are combined well.

Add your favorite fruit to turn this recipe into a delicious smoothie.

About the Author Koby Taylor, PharmD, is the owner and pharmacist of Fusion Pharmacy. Working as a retail pharmacist early in his career, Koby began to see that pharmacy patients needed to have access to available alternative medications. He realized that pharmacy in its truest form is compounding, and he wanted to be able to provide patients with customized medications. He also desired more personalized interactions with patients in order to truly help their health and wellbeing. To fulfill his passion for improving the health of patients and educating them about compounding, Koby opened the doors of Fusion Pharmacy in 2013. Today, Fusion is nationally accredited with PCAB and NABP. It is licensed in and ships to 27 states. Fusion is proud to have two locations to better serve the southern Utah community. Koby graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in molecular biology in 1995 and from the University of Utah with his Doctorate of Pharmacy in 2000.

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 63

The

Mouth-Body

Connection

A healthy mouth equals a healthy body! Most people will admit that this is not what comes to mind when they think of dental care, but your oral and overall health are very much connected and directly affect one another.

In 2000, the U.S. Surgeon General released this statement: “Oral health and general health should not be interpreted as separate entities…As the gateway of the body, the mouth senses and responds to the external world and at the same time reflects what is happening deep inside the body.”

Many people don’t know that diseases and medications have a direct effect on the mouth and that good oral health can increase general overall health. This is why it is important to be aware that there is a direct correlation to systemic disease and the health of the mouth. This is particularly true of periodontal or “gum” disease.

Heart Disease It is not fully understood by doctors why heart and gum disease are linked together. Researchers have suggested the following possibilities: • Bacteria that infect the gums also travel to blood vessels elsewhere in the body where they cause damage.

• The body’s immune response to a gum infection—inflammation— triggers vascular damage throughout the body.

• The cause may be a third factor, unrelated to gum disease or cardiovascular disease, that is a risk factor to both conditions, such as smoking, poor health habits, or the inability to access proper health care.

While the exact nature of the cause-and-effect relationship remains unclear, studies suggest that there is definitely a statistically significant correlation between the two. One study published in the Journal of Periodontology stated that approximately 91 percent of patients with cardiovascular disease had moderate to severe periodontitis (gum disease) while only 66 percent of patients with a healthy cardiovascular system had periodontitis.

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Cancer It is known that chemotherapy and radiation treatments can cause mouth sores, sensitive gums, jaw and facial pain, and dry mouth. But here are some scary statistics that may surprise you: Researchers have discovered that men with gum disease were 54 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer, 49 percent more likely to develop kidney cancer, and 30 percent more likely to develop blood cancers.

Diabetes Did you know that up to 22 percent of all people diagnosed with diabetes also have periodontal disease, the disease that eats away your gums and bone? Because diabetics have a decreased ability to fight off infections, they are more likely to have periodontal disease. In a correlated manner, bacteria found in the mouth cause blood sugar to spike and destabilize, making diabetes harder to control.

Other Medical Conditions Other conditions that have been linked to gum disease include stroke, kidney disease, osteoporosis, certain lung conditions, and rheumatoid arthritis. Pregnant women with gum disease are also at risk of complications with their pregnancy, such as preterm and lowbirth-weight babies.

A Healthy Mouth? That’s Up to You The evidence and connection between oral and overall health is overwhelming, so watch for any of these signs that signal periodontal disease: swollen, red, or tender gums; gums that bleed easily; pus between the teeth and gums; bad breath; buildup of hard brown deposits along the gum line; loose teeth or teeth that are moving apart; changes in the way dental appliances fit.

Though there are many diseases of the mouth that are correlated with diseases in the body, it is comforting to know that dental diseases are usually easy to prevent, eliminate, or control when done with consistency and the help of your dental professional.

Many people don’t give their teeth and gums the care and attention they deserve. The American Dental Association recommends brushing teeth at least twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste for two minutes and flossing at least once a day. Flossing sweeps away the sticky film and food particles trapped between the teeth that can lead to plaque buildup. Additionally, a visit to your dentist for a check-up and teeth cleaning twice a year is highly recommended. Taking the time to care for your teeth and gums each day will not only improve your overall health but will lead to a healthier lifestyle.

Why Success Was a Good Choice for Me

By Charlotta In 2018,Truscott I began a program, Success Academy, that granted me the opportunity to graduate from high school with an associate degree, and I am so grateful I stuck with it to the end.

Success Academy is an early college high school that blends high school with the first two years of college. At Dixie State University, the program is lottery based and accepts only a limited number of high school students per year.

When I applied, I had mixed feelings: I really wanted to get in and hoped I would not make it. I was hesitant because I had people telling me that I would regret my decision; I would miss out on having a “normal” high school experience. On the one hand, I had people telling me that they wished they would have taken the opportunity. I found myself nervous to the point where I finally had to tell myself, “There is nothing else you can do. If you get in, it is meant to be.” I was chosen to attend, and after three years of hard work, endurance, and missing out, I do believe that it was meant to be.

Success Academy is definitely not for everyone. I can confirm that fact as only twenty-one of the thirty students in my class made it to graduation. The rest dropped out early on in the program. It is hard trying to balance all the aspects of life in high school, but adding full-on college classes to the mix makes it much harder. It’s because of this that I don’t blame anyone for choosing to leave the program.

There were multiple times where I found I was close to leaving as well. Because of the workload, Charlotta Truscott with friend, Baylie Emett.

I wasn’t able to participate fully in all of the high school activities. There were multiple times when I had to choose to study instead of spending time with friends. I grew distant from a lot of my friends, but I found that the ones who really cared about me stayed around. I also had to stop doing some of the things I was interested in, like softball and theater. I must include that there were countless times when I cried from the stress. And let’s not forget the fact that I had to do half of all of this during a global pandemic. Even with all of these obstacles, I am still so thankful I endured.

Because I was able to push through, I am now two years ahead of my peers. I have saved thousands of dollars, and I can’t express how grateful I am for that. What is more, I only have two years of schooling left to get the degree and job I want. If I find that I do not enjoy the field of study I have chosen, I have more than enough time to explore other options.

In Success Academy, I learned so much, not just about math and science but also about myself. I know that I can do hard things and that I can do them well. I know the subjects in which I excel and find interest. I know when to take time to be proud of myself, regardless of what I did or did not do.

Probably the most important thing I learned during all of this was just how much I still don’t know. There are so many different fields of study that people can go into—endless knowledge just waiting to be learned and some of it still waiting to be discovered. It’s humbling to know that no matter how much I learn, there is still so much more that I don’t know, and I want to learn as much of it as I can during this life.

When times got rough during this program, I would repeat to myself, “It will be worth it when it’s over.”

Having reaped the rewards of this opportunity, I find that it is indeed worth it. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, but I did it! I look forward to new opportunities in the future, and I intend to take as many of them as I can. I only hope I can learn just a fraction of what this life has to offer.

About the Author

Charlotta Truscott was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. As part of a blended family, she is the daughter of Mark and Christine Albright and Tash and Mandy Truscott and is the sister to seven siblings: two biological, three step, and two half. She has lived in St. George, Utah, since 2008 and loves to call it her home. She enjoys music, nature, reading, and hanging out with friends and family. She graduated from Dixie High School, Success Academy, and Dixie State University in 2021, earning an Associate of Science degree. She plans on attending Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah, in the fall.

St. George Health & Wellness Magazine | July/August 2021 65

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