Integrated Health in Omaha, Nebraska

The more we learn about the human body and how the changes in our environment are adversely affecting our overall health, or conversely with modern findings of what is positively influencing health outcomes, the more our approach to good health has adapted to embrace what once were considered to be “alternative” methods.

Whether referred to as integrated health, functional health, holistic health, or any number of related terms, many of us are moving to a comprehensive approach to our own health and wellness that involves more than just a trip to our primary physician for a yearly physical. Whether it’s better nutrition, more exercise and movement throughout the day, targeted adjustments to better care for our bodies, supplements and holistic therapy, balancing our hormones, or any other host of progressive methods, we are currently able to address a lot of issues with innovative solutions that keep patient-centered care and positive outcomes at the forefront.

“Functional health literally focuses on the functioning of the body and how it heals itself as opposed to drug-based treatment of medical conditions,” explains Kathi Bratberg of Eat Well Nutrition & Wellness. “Essentially, it asks the question ‘Why do you have the symptom in the first place?’ Therefore, we are beginning to focus more on supporting good health instead of responding to illness. That has also been my approach to assisting my clients at Eat Well Nutrition & Wellness. Many things in our current environment are having a negative impact on our health, from nutrition to activity levels to hormone balance. The mind-body connection is also very important to wellness.

My focus is on helping people get to the root of the problem and then making adjustments for improved health and wellbeing. There are many ways to make lifestyle adjustments to improve issues in a healthy, natural way. I focus primarily on nutrition and how food works to support your body. Over the past 100 years there have been so many changes in our food supply, and with the toxicity of the planet itself, we really have to go back to our roots as hunter/gatherers in order to source the healthiest foods. In addition to the proper nutrition, it’s important to make sure that what goes into your body is free of chemicals and in the case of meat, ensure that the animal was grass fed, and so on.

While humans have been around for millions of years, our current food supply hasn’t. Human organisms don’t adapt quickly so we won’t truly understand the impact our food supply is having on us for a few generations down the line, which is a scary thought. Food provides the energy that sustains our body, so it is of the utmost importance to take a critical look at your diet and how it affects everything about your overall health. Simply put, healthy food comes from a healthy planet. The mainstay of any diet is intake of a wide variety of healthy vegetables and fruits. These were designed to balance our systems, but if you’re eating something grown in bad soil, the quality decreases. As protein is the building blocks of our body, focusing on grass fed meat as opposed to genetically modified grain is another key item. Healthy fats are essential too – we’ve gone down a really dangerous path with genetically modified food that has inflammatory properties. Substituting extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil instead of vegetable oil or grass fed butter instead of margarine are a couple of excellent examples of this. Furthermore, any items marked low fat or zero carb are generally a chemical-rich product. There is currently so much missing from grains that they have unfortunately become something to avoid, with quinoa and wild rice being just about the only exception. My advice overall as far is nutrition is concerned is to find food that you can afford that is going to support your body. If you can get everything in harmony it will be hugely beneficial to your health both now and in the future.”

She continues, “As far as the services I provide at Eat Well Nutrition & Wellness, I always start by evaluating where my client is currently: where they are at and where they want to be, what their daily life looks like, what are they eating, are they happy in their job and relationship, etc. Then we look at what they want to accomplish and work to set attainable goals. Generally people cite issues with feeling tired, stressed, anxious, or imbalanced and have done a lot of good things to try and fix this but they are stuck. After evaluation of the medical facts, I offer a plan which can also include advising the person to consult a physician or specialist. In finding the best way to address the issue, I also offer in-house testing that focuses on the vitamin and mineral makeup of the body which will provide specific information as to what the path is moving forward.

I’m a firm believer in baby steps, so instead of throwing a bunch of adjustments at a client our plan starts with one or two things to focus on and then building upon that. It’s important for these to be goal-attainable so that we can chart progress and improve their quality of life. If you change something every few weeks, it builds up over time so even in six months the progress that one can make is amazing. While I don’t offer medical diagnosis, I am a nurse first and a board-certified professional, so I focus on offering support for alternative solutions – effectively offering a second opinion based upon the concepts of functional medicine. It may even be something as little as working in breathing breaks or yoga techniques to mitigate stress levels and then building upon that.”

Nutrition is indeed one of the most important parts of leading a healthy lifestyle, which is then combined with physical activity to address common concerns such as maintaining a healthy weight, reducing your risk of chronic diseases, and generally promoting your overall health. So in partnership with nutrition, exercise should be considered as a pillar of health and wellness that can be approached in a wealth of different ways.

In terms of movement and overall functioning of the body, and given the fact that exercise greatly improves our overall wellness, Pilates and yoga are two examples of highly effective techniques that have proven health benefits. The great part about Pilates is that you can integrate it with many other exercise and training options for maximum health benefits.

“Pilates is great for the entire body,” says Chris Knight, owner of One Pilates. “I see a lot of clients with back issues who come in seeking core strength to help ease the back discomfort.  Adding the MELT Method creates even better results.  Working with clients to actively take part in their workouts is a big part of my classes.  I teach people to look inside themselves and feel what is going on with their bodies.  With this awareness, clients are able to connect better with their bodies and achieve a better result for themselves.

As a Pilates and MELT Instructor, I give my clients the best of both worlds.  I incorporate MELT into each Pilates class.  As the only MELT Method instructor in the state of Nebraska, I have advanced training in this method which I incorporate into all of my Pilates classes.  The MELT Method is not a weight loss program.  It is working with the body’s fascial system to draw fluid back into that system and have it working in its best capacity to then help your body work more efficiently and with less pain.  It helps you get more out of your workout. My clients benefit from MELT by creating a body that is aligned and re-hydrated.  This allows them to get even more from their Pilates exercises.  They are able to do more for their body with less pain and leave their class feeling great!

When I teach, I focus on less being way more.  We don’t have to hurt our bodies to get results.  Pain is our body’s signal to us to stop what we are doing, so listening to your own body is key.  Focus on completing the exercise well and not the number of reps.  I teach quality versus quantity.  Your muscles have memory so you don’t want to do 10 poor exercises when you could do 5 well and have your muscles remember that.  It is so much better on your body.

She adds, “Many times we are trying to keep up with someone else while working out or we are focused on looking like the models on TV or in magazines.  We need to be kind to ourselves.  Don’t compare yourself to someone else.  We are each uniquely made.  Focus on you and what you can do.  Don’t push your body until it hurts.  Pain is a signal to stop.  You only have one body so be kind to it and it will be kind to you.”
Chiropractic care also takes a natural, non-invasive, functional approach to overall health and wellness in focusing on caring for the whole person.

“Those who have utilized chiropractic care will be the first to tell you the benefits that chiropractic has to offer from personal experience,” emphasizes Brad Schmitt, DC, owner of Schmitt Chiropractic & Rehab, PC. “However, research has allowed us to understand more about why it works and what is actually happening functionally and neurologically with chiropractic care.

Chiropractic is one piece of the wellness puzzle, along with healthy eating/exercises/etc., to optimize how our bodies move and feel.  Benefits of chiropractic care include improved joint function, decreased pain, improved mobility, boosted immune system, and improved balance, to name a few.  At our office, we supplement chiropractic care with a balanced approach of exercises and muscle treatments to keep people feeling and performing their best.  These techniques work well for chronic pain as well, or to get people out of pain so they can get active again.

Although there are a number of different health and wellness issues that we will come across, the one affecting most people is having to sit for long periods of time.  This has major effects on posture, which is ultimately the body losing muscle strength and stability in different important areas.  What can we do to prevent this?  Sitting for work can be unavoidable, however, there are proactive approaches that people can take to stop or slow down this process.  Developing an exercise routine with the proper exercises for posture is extremely important. Getting up frequently throughout the day to break the cycle of sitting, even if only for a minute or so, will help tremendously. Finally, addressing joint restrictions that develop due to this with chiropractic care is also an important part.

Eating healthy is critical to the overall wellness of our bodies.  While in theory it’s a simple thing to do, it can be rather difficult with different types of information out there that contradict each other, as well as being disciplined with follow-through.  Exercise is another key factor.  Those two things are obvious to everyone, but other things people can do to enjoy a healthier lifestyle is to incorporate regular chiropractic care, get enough sleep, and finds ways to reduce stress in your life.  These are easier said than done, but even taking small steps towards improving these areas of life will have benefits.  Furthermore, living a healthy lifestyle makes it easier to want to do more in those areas.  In other words, exercising makes you want to eat healthier and eating healthier gets you more motivated to exercises.  All of these areas feed on each other, so small steps make a huge difference over time.”
In conclusion, here are a few key things to keep in mind:

Eat well: Keep it simple. Eliminate or limit simple carbohydrates and sugars and increase your vegetables (and protein if working out).   A carbohydrate breaks down the same as sugar, so that means breads, dairy and even fruit need to be limited. Also, the more processed or preserved the food is, the more additives it will have leading to less nutritional value. With fall and winter coming up we will be exposed to the sun less often, so Vitamin D3 is very important, along with Omega 3, and usually a probiotic or digestive enzyme is helpful. Of course if you are on prescription medication you will want to check for any contraindications to these supplements.

Move well: An absence of pain does not mean health.  It is important to focus on posture and move often to keep our bodies, joints, muscles, and organ systems healthy.  Micro breaks, or 2-5 minutes every hour of standing up and moving your arms and legs, can drastically lower chronic neck and low back issues. Walking or exercising for 15-30 minutes every day can lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and improve blood sugar levels. Targeted exercise and chiropractic care are both incredibly beneficial to include in your wellness plan.

Think Well: Meditate, pray, or do what makes you feel good first thing in the morning. This can get your day started right.  Make a conscious effort to avoid self-defeating thoughts and give yourself a pump up talk if needed.  Some may think it’s silly, but it does have an impact on how we interact with ourselves and others.

With the demand for alternative methods to keep us healthy due to the complicated and toxic world that we find ourselves in today, there are many fantastic resources in our community to utilize for a host of different health-related information and products or services that work to support our wellness now and well into the future. Even the basics such as nutrition, exercise, and health care can be approached in different ways depending on the individual. As it can be overwhelming with so many options and information out there, make sure to consult the local experts who can guide you towards the newest and most effective avenues towards reaching optimal health and wellness!