The U.S. "Healthcare System" Needs a Re-Brand

The healthcare industry is a low hanging fruit for innovation. In graduate school, I took a course on the history of healthcare industries throughout the world. It was shocking to see how decisions were made to address underlying public health concerns. Nothing was simply fixed. Instead, an addition step would be required for clinicians, or a random (questionably qualified) committee was created to regulate. These high level strategies have created an outdated industry with overworked helpers, underserved patients, antiquated communication systems, and major gaps in the supply chain. There’s no singular person to point to for accountability, it is a systemic problem. One of the silver linings of covid was that telemedicine increased 63x for patients, and this is an exciting industry change to watch in the next decade. But to call this industry “Health + Care” is misleading, it should be called “Disease Management” .

What does this look like for an everyday patient? Sadly, many healthcare patients fall through the cracks. With the disease management system straining to keep up with demand, patients need to advocate for their own health.

Speaking up for yourself will ensure you get the referrals, treatments, and diagnoses you need. Making your needs heard will help you get better care while increasing your sense of control over your own health—which is something we all deserve to feel. Here’s how to do it.

Take Your Health into Your Own Hands

You might have more control over your own health than you believe. According to Healthline, making healthy lifestyle improvements can relieve aches and pains, lengthen your lifespan, and help prevent common diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Staying active, eating nutritious foods, getting enough sleep, and controlling stress will go a long way toward improving your overall health. Not sure where to start? Sign up for an individualized yoga session with The Wolf of Wellness, or try mindfulness techniques for pain relief. 

Even if your life is very busy, look for opportunities to fit in healthy activities. For example, try taking the stairs instead of the elevator, keeping healthy snacks on hand, and carrying around a reusable water bottle. Make it as easy for you to make healthier choices!

Know Your Patient Rights

So few of us know our rights as healthcare patients. The American Medical Association lists all of the rights you have as a patient of the healthcare system. Know these rights and stand up for them! These are just a few of your patient rights:

• To ask questions about your health status and recommended treatment.

• To make your own decisions about your care and have those decisions respected.

• To obtain copies and summaries of your medical records.

• To obtain a second opinion.

• To discuss costs, benefits, and risks of treatments and alternatives, including those of forgoing treatment.

Bring a Buddy

It’s not always easy to advocate for yourself, especially when you’re feeling nervous, scared, or sick. Your attention may be elsewhere, focused solely on getting the care you need at that moment. Consider bringing a buddy along to take notes, prompt you on questions you wanted to ask, and help you remember the information you receive. Research suggests that having a healthcare buddy can improve your health outcomes and extend your life!

Keep Copies of Your Medical Records

Keeping your medical records will give you much greater control over your health and the care you receive. In fact, knowing your health information could save your life one day! Doctors heavily rely on the information in your health records to make accurate diagnoses and prescribe treatments. Collecting and reading copies of your health data will help you verify that the information is correct. 

Ask as Many Questions as You Need

Don’t be afraid to ask questions! If you don’t understand something your doctor says, ask for clarification. Remember, it’s your right to ask questions. In fact, many doctors wish their patients asked more questions about things like test results, medications, and preventive care. 

Do Your Own Research

You can also do your own research! Research your concerns and conditions before going to the doctor and write down information or questions you would like to discuss at your appointment. Just remember that the sources you read online might not have correct or accurate information, so always refer to your doctor’s advice if you come across conflicting information. With that in mind, avoid self-diagnosing yourself based on online information. There’s no substitute for a trained medical professional!

If you feel overlooked by the healthcare system, it’s time to stand up for yourself! Take your health into your own hands by making healthy lifestyle choices, bring a friend or family member along to your appointments, and exercise your patient rights. Don’t be afraid to demand the high quality of care you deserve!

Ready to take back your health? Schedule a session with The Wolf of Wellness today! We’ll work with you to create a customized health routine that revolves around fitness, nutrition, and meditation.

What's the Deal with Massage Guns?

Assuming that you have a solid understanding of how massage guns work a popular question you may ask now prior to purchasing one is, “Do massage guns actually work?”. Well the short answer is yes of course! However there was a lot of research conducted to get to that discovery, but these studies provide solid evidence so massage gun users everywhere can be confident in the products. Today we will take a look at the effects that massage guns have on your body and how our Ultimate Massage Gun Guidebook will help you maximize these positive effects. 

Studies have been done all around the world on massage guns which not only shows the popularity of the products, but also the credibility behind these studies. From Sweden to the United States studies have truly been done around the world on these products. For starters studies from 2014, seven years ago with lots of evidence now, have shown that vibration therapy (which is exactly what the massage gun does) is greatly effective at delaying onset muscle soreness. This means that you are not as likely to feel sore or muscle pain after a workout than you would without using a massage gun at all.

Besides these studies done in a lab, there have been a lot of testimonials from health professionals that highly support the use of massage guns for recoveries. For example one chiropractor was in a motorcycle accident and was looking for relief for his back anywhere that he could find it. Of course even though he was a chiropractor he could not fix his own back. This caused him to research different options that he could use all by himself to correct his back. From there he found massage guns and immediately fell in love due to the huge relief it brought him. From that day forward he highly encouraged the use of massage guns to his patients who experienced back pain.

What also makes massage guns great is that they can substitute for a chiropractor if you are not looking to spend a lot of money on the product, but that discussion is for another day. So yes massage guns actually do work, but it is essential to use them properly. You do not want to be vibrating your bones as that could cause more harm than good. This is why we have created the Ultimate Massage Gun Guidebook for your use.

My guidebook will walk you through step by step how to use a massage gun effectively anywhere on your body. Whether it is your back, shoulder, bicep, glutes, or much more, our guidebook covers it all and ensures that you will be massaging your muscles safely and in the most effective way possible. This is not just for full time athletes but for everyone that works out! You are bound to get sore at some point, so why not purchase a massage gun and our guidebook for immediate recovery? I promise you that purchasing our Ultimate Massage Gun Guidebook is a decision that you will never regret!

7 Hobbies to Try if You Are Unsure Where to Begin

 Hobbies are a great way to relieve stress and add happiness to your life. But finding the right hobby can be hard, and trying something new can be intimidating at any age. Thankfully, half the battle is simply getting started. Check out some hobbies to try below.

Start Exercising

Although many people view exercise as a chore, it’s actually a very beneficial hobby that has numerous benefits for both your mind and your body, including helping to alleviate depression and stress. Yoga is a great stress reliever -- connect with The Wolf of Wellness for individualized yoga sessions. You can also kickstart your exercise regimen by simply doing some push-ups and jumping jacks in the backyard. Whatever you do, make sure you keep it safe and fun.

Any physical activity will tell your brain it’s time to produce endorphins. These feel good hormones improve mood instantly, and they have other benefits, too. Harvard acknowledges, however, the early days of taking on a fitness routine are hard, but the best things in life don’t come easy. 

Use a Real Camera

Photography is a popular hobby across all age groups. Unlike other art forms that require years of discipline to master, photography shows results almost immediately, especially if you are working with a DSLR camera. This doesn’t mean there aren’t any learning curves. You will absolutely take a lot of mediocre photographs before you get good.

Digital Photography School encourages new hobbyists to jump in and experiment with the camera to help get familiar with how it works, then turn to manuals and tutorials. Getting hands-on straight away will help make those lessons comprehensible.

This hobby does require an investment to purchase the right gear. If you’re still on the fence, try renting or borrowing equipment, and go for a trial run before you commit to a camera.

One of the greatest benefits of photography is that it lets you see the world -- and people --  from a different perspective. It’s also a great way to socialize, and there are photography clubs in all major cities. 

Take a Hike

If you love being in nature and live near national forests or hiking trails, then you have a new hobby right at your fingertips. All you need to do is get a comfortable pair of shoes, a first-aid kit, a reusable water bottle, and a small backpack — and then you’re ready to rock. If you have a dog, bring your four-legged companion along for the journey. Are you a cat owner? Maybe it’s time to try a new hobby together with your feline. If your cat is the adventurous type, you could always grab a cat backpack and take them for a ride. 

Aside from spending time with your pet pal, hiking is an excellent way to reconnect with nature. This can give you a mood boost, improve your self-esteem, and help you feel more at ease, even once you’re back indoors. 

Get in the Groove

Music has a way of taking hold of people. Let yourself feel the beat and dance. Dancing is a great way to let loose. It also has the ability to improve memory and promote balance, making it a great hobby for seniors. What’s more, for those in addiction recovery, dancing can also provide an outlet for them to escape. Many addicts turn to substance abuse due to stress. Dancing is known to reduce stress, depression, and anxiety while also being a form of expression and, therefore, is a great way to prevent relapse.

Learn a New Language

Learning a new language gets more difficult after you pass adolescence, but that does not mean it’s impossible. In today’s increasingly connected world, being bilingual is a valued skill to have, and thankfully, there are many tools at your disposal to help you do so.

Tried and true language sets are no longer your only option. You can download an app or take classes online. Watching foreign films with subtitles on is an enjoyable way to learn new and unusual vocabulary. You can also seek out a fluent speaker to help you practice conversing, and this can open you up to new friendships. Look for language learning centers in your community or check online to see if there is someone in your area willing to chat with you once a week.

Start a Book Club

Reading can sharpen the mind and expose you to new ideas. Not to mention, many people find it relaxing. Books are also an excellent escape from reality and are far better for your brain than hours-long Netflix marathons. However, even better than reading a book in solitude is being able to talk about it afterward. It can be a fun way to bond with people and practice your critical thinking.

Try starting a book club with some friends. Book Riot urges you to find a democratic way to nominate what book to read. This is supposed to be a fun activity, and no one likes a book dictator. If you can’t find enough people to start a book club in person or if you have different taste in books than your friends, consider joining an online book club. There are many niches and genre-specific groups that’d be more than happy to have you.

Don’t Stop at Recreation

Once you find yourself practicing a hobby for fun and recreation, it’s not time to call it quits. Rather, it's the opposite: Start thinking about ways to turn your hobby into a career. A great way to get started is to look towards getting an online education at a university like WGU. Online college courses are a great way to learn while keeping a good work-school-life balance. That’s because you can learn at your own pace and take classes anytime and anywhere you prefer. Plus, employers are always looking for candidates who are dedicated to learning.

It’s okay if you aren’t so adept at your new hobby at first. Learning a new skill can take time. Be patient, and let yourself make mistakes. If your new hobby truly is not a good fit for you, that’s okay, too. Move on, and try something else. The key is simply to be open to new experiences.

In addition to hobbies, you can also greatly benefit from the services that The Wolf of Wellness offers, such as meditation, yoga, nutrition coaching, and physical rehabilitation. Schedule a session on our website today!

Article By Cheryl Conklin at Wellness Central
Photo courtesy of Unsplash

Group Meditation →

I wanted to share an article I wrote for Psychedelic Support, an organization that is helping people suffering with PTSD. Humans are social creatures that crave well-being, and therefore a shared experience of meditation can be invaluable for team building. As a hands-on person, I added the tactile cue for a deeper connection.

Is Pediatric Meditation Viable?

Is it actually possible for kids to practice meditation? Formal meditation usually looks like someone sitting very still and upright on a pillow, with their eyes closed, with palms up and index finger and thumb touching, for at least ten minutes. That’s a lot of instruction! You may have an incredibly unique child that can do this, but the reality is that most children present opposite of a formal meditation. It’s can seem daunting, but it is possible. Breathing exercises can be fun. Starting around the age of 4, kids can easily control their breath and mimic a parent’s breath pattern. 

Activity: Mirrored-Breathing

Sit across from your child and guide them to mimic your breath cycle. Yoga and meditation practices that include play and are highly effective. Imagine an inhale like a bird that is about to take flight (3 seconds) and an exhale like a hungry lion (6 seconds). If you want to try a less animated approach, tap on a firm surface for every second so your child can know what to expect for each breath cycle duration. 

Activity: Stone-Breathing

This is activity is slightly more challenging because your child self-initiates a breath guided movement. You will need one stone and two bowls. Place the bowls across from each other, left and right. Put the stone in one bowl across from each other, left and right. It’s a simple instruction done best with a demonstration. Inhale as long as you can while you lift a stone from one bowl to the other, and exhale when you drop it back into the original bowl.

Meditation is simple but profound. To most people, there is nothing more mysterious. It can seem like a very odd thing in this modern world that encompasses an array of sounds, movement, and stimuli parading around us. But we, as parents, can empower, uplift, and inspire our children through meditation. There is also something to be learned from them. Children don’t need to complicate their practice with a deep understanding of Holotropics or cardiopulmonary physiology to enjoy benefits of calm breathing.

I guide my baby through calm breathing and mindful pauses as part of his bedtime routine. We are building framework for a family that meditates together.

So, is it possible for kids to practice meditation? Absolutely! There is growing evidence to suggest that wellness practices are beneficial from the dawn of a lifespan. Click the link to read my interview with MiniMaven Magazine, which goes into more details for wellness for our tiny loved ones.

Therapeutic Effects of Plants

The therapeutic benefits that plants give to humans are well-known, but they’re not always associated with medical rehabilitation. However, healthcare professionals are tapping into plant benefits to promote health and wellness in their patients in interesting ways.

I am an Occupational Therapist (OT). OTs provide services to people whose lives have been disrupted by physical injury or illness, psychological difficulties, developmental issues or the aging process. OT’s promote a return to health by maximizing people’s potential and function. We address the specific needs of an individual to set goals and attain them through many activities, including gardening.

In my practice, I have seen firsthand how effective plants and gardening can be in helping patients improve.

Let’s Move!

The most obvious benefit of gardening is that it gets people moving. One has to plant seeds, maintain them through watering and weeding, and finally harvest the plant. This inherently promotes an active lifestyle, especially if someone has had a setback in health.

Imagine if someone has had a stroke or brain injury: the therapist may want to enhance that person’s sensory motor functioning, increase that person’s endurance to sit without support, and/or improve that individual’s bimanual control or hand strength. Gardening can help in all these areas. At the same time, the patient has fun and can improve their concentration.

A person might be suffering from their recent health trauma, and there may be limited activities they find motivating. Gardening might be one thing the patient finds enjoyable because they get to be outside with plants while the therapist assesses and promotes physical rehabilitation.

Leadership through Gardening

What if someone is clinically depressed or has a substance abuse problem?

Permaculture and gardening can help patients re-cultivate a sense of meaning. Connecting with plants and soil can be healing, reconnecting them with the earth and the natural world. By being allowed to select the vegetables or flowers they wish to plant, they experience a sense of agency, and learn about nutrition.

Patients would also be given responsibility to care for the plants while in a treatment center, which can provide a sense of purpose. Someone can participate socially and communicate in the calming atmosphere of a garden.

Imagine the feeling of being entrusted to teach a new person safety techniques with a gardening tool. This may be the first time in a while that a person has experienced leadership and meaningfulness with another person. Being able to sell produce at a farmer’s market, or cook a meal for other people can legitimize a person’s view of their recovery progress and be empowering.

The therapeutic effect is the process itself, but one is able to enjoy the benefits of hard work.

Socialization Through Permaculture

For people who are socially disenfranchised through a disability or health issue, creating a community garden is an outlet for a healthier community. It provides a shared understanding of the relationship between people and plants.

It can integrate people that may not know many ways to interact with others. People can work together to make decisions and feel accomplishment. People also have the shared understanding to the physical exercise of digging, planting, bending, and lifting to complete greening activities.

Our Profound Relationship to the Earth

People and plants have been interconnected since the dawn of history. So it seems clear that healing and healthcare rehabilitation would include the Plant Kingdom.

Motherhood and Mindfulness

“Sometimes when you pick up your child you can feel the map of your own bones beneath your hands, or smell the scent of your skin in the nape of his neck. This is the most extraordinary thing about motherhood – finding a piece of yourself separate and apart that all the same you could not live without.” -C Joybell C.

I would like to make a tribute to all mothers that see the value of mindfulness, and specifically the gracious ways mothers connect their children with Mother Earth. C Joybell C beautifully illustrates the connection from a mother to her child. But what about the larger mom, Mother Nature? Here are some things mothers shared regarding magical moments they’ve had connecting their children to the planet:

1. The joy in seeing my child have a genuine curiosity for a leaf or flower allows me to see what moves them.
2. When my child lies in the grass and feels Mother Earth below him. I see that he feels comfort in this connection.
3. The great thing about nature is that you don’t have to encourage your children to like it, you just allow them to be in it and they feel the effects.
4. We live close to the earth with gardening, and being aware of the seasons and changes of the Earth’s cycles.
5. We talk about the world in a very honest and clear way and talk about how our actions as humans effect the earth.
6. “I am a big believer in connecting children to our great Mother. We do this through weekly hikes (the forrest is our church), and ceremonies like our New Year’s Offering: we make little boats and fill them with fresh flowers and wishes for the new year. We set the boats and wishes out at sunset to sail into the golden light.” -Jamie Mamikunian
7. I let my children play outside, which lets them entertain themselves and figure things out for themselves.
8. My kids and I live in a city, but when we go to a park I ask them to tell me what they like about the park. This helps them to appreciate nature.
9. I try to regularly take my kids on a walk through a park. We play a game of who can spot the most critters, and it lets them stay focused on the living nature around us.
10. Camping, camping, camping. It lets my kids learn how to be away from “the screen”.

Creating a Culture of Appreciation

Children have a pure and refreshing perspective, and we salute all the ways that mom’s avail the opportunity to connect children to Mother Earth.  Whether small or big, these opportunities are all appreciated and help create a culture where nature is valued and sacred.

Can Technology Be Mindful?

Broaden & Build

BL Fredrickson is a psychology researcher who specializes on positive emotions and how they compound over time, also known as the “broaden and build” theory. She suggests that when people meditate daily, and experience positive emotions, they are more able to affect positive changes in their life purpose, social support systems, and overall health. Positive emotions come from a mind-training practice of loving-kindness meditation.

This may seem like a fancy way to explain an intuition or piece of conventional wisdom: almost everyone knows finding ways to relax and feel love towards yourself are good for you (hence the $11 billion self-help industry). But how does someone make the first step towards a personal change? We have the inspiration, but things can get so busy and shifting out of the routine seems far-fetched.

Behavioral Change Takes Commitment and Hard Work

Technology is pragmatic and systematic, and is almost always on-time, which makes it a reliable tool for consistent cues. People may assume there are drawbacks and bombardment from a smart phone.

Instead, make an intention of using technology as a tool that will enhance our everyday experience and create a lifestyle regimen to restore wholeness in ourselves.

A Health-Supporting Video Game

Hope Lab was founded in the 1980s when a research assistant wondered if a video game that allowed the player to virtually but actively blasted cancer cells could improve their health. It’s called Re-Mission and the player travels through the channels and systems of a body and actually blasts away cancer cells. Bonus points!

This activates the reward-related areas of the brain (nucleus accumbens), which is associated with a boost of emotions that help the players adhere to the prescribed chemotherapy.

“Enhancement of dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens acts not only as a pleasure-inducing neurochemical signal but also as a strong reinforcer for motivated behaviors,” states neuropharmacologist Allison Feduccia.

By playing the game, the brain’s positive motivation circuits are stimulated, and may actually increase the resilience to the array of medication cancer patients take.

Self-realization Can Bring Self-healing.

How else can humans exchange through the membrane of technology to purify ourselves?

A start-up in Menlo Park named Inward has created the “Mindfulness Daily” smartphone app. In it, they’ve created a 10-day crash course on the basic techniques of mindfulness. The push notifications invite you to observe your breath, body, and mind throughout the day. They’ve expanded the experience to kindness practices, a message that invites you to bring the following:

• kindness to yourself
• kindness to a loved one
• kindness to a stranger
• kindness to someone you’re angry with

Nathanael Wolfe, co-founder, states “It’s important for beginners to start with the basics of clearing out the mind and softening, but our relationship with kindness, our ability to hold it, share it, and see through it, is so fundamental. It impacts everything”.

There can be a fear paired with rapid changes in technology. But there can also be a wholesome foundation that can bring about an extraordinary vitality in your life. Technology can potentially connect you to happiness and health, and we are at the dawn of this new day for human experiences.

An Four-Step Mindfulness Technique

I want to discuss the RAIN method. It’s a 4-step mindful meditation activity that can help soothe distress, a bad mood, and negative thought patterns. Next time you feel a wave of stress, give this a try!

R= Recognize

Recognize the thoughts or feelings that are hurting you. You can even give a name to them. Having a name for your thoughts and feelings helps shine a light on them so you have something to work with.

A= Accept

Acknowledge that negative thoughts are in your present reality. This is a way to put the feelings in the spotlight, instead of letting them quietly fester and potentially worsen.

I= Investigate

Use a childlike curiosity to delve into these thoughts or feelings. Answer the “Who, What, When, Where, Why?” questions. What caused these thoughts? Are these realistic to have? What actions are possible? Try to investigate the whole scope of the feelings involved with the thoughts.

N= Not Self

The negative thoughts and feelings you have are not who you are. They are simply an experience you are having and will arise and fall away if you let them. Your thoughts and feelings are impermanent. Knowing this can help you step back from them and move more fluidly within the ebb and flow of the human experience we all share that includes negative and positive thoughts and emotions that endlessly come and go.

Facing Pain with Mindfulness

I once experienced a back injury, which brought many parts of my life to a screeching halt. Sometimes I would struggle to do the simplest things because of the pain. For months, negative feelings were ruminating in me each day I could not do the physical activities that define me. But there is always a silver lining, and on the broader perspective, this experience has gave me an opportunity to understand mindfulness on a deeper level.

I had challenges around separating physical pain from fear and anxiety. When the pain would get worse, so would my stress and the increased cortisol levels would make my muscles tighten up even more. I wasn’t able to control my reaction to the pain, which made me suffer more.

The Art of Facing Difficulties

Sometimes the pain comes back, and when in meditation for the pain, I pay attention to each moment as if it’s the only moment that exists. Somehow, this lets my thoughts surface in a different way. My thoughts are re-directed from my back pain to the present moment. Each moment unfolds, and I feel completely enveloped in the “now.”

Each moment consists of recognizing my breath, body, and mind. The realization of my inner-capacity floats up, and the broader concept is clear. I feel relaxed and in more control.

Now, when I have increased musculoskeletal pain, it’s a tip-off to have a relaxation response. I move away from the pain by focusing on something else. It’s an integrative medicine I prescribe myself by living moment to moment with breath, body, and mind. Mindfulness won’t fix a bad back, but it does nurture calmness in my well-being.

Mindfulness While Driving

In the finale of The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy tenaciously clicks her heels to magically appear at her desired destination of Kansas. One could only hope for that tantamount experience in the real world. I think we would all be thrilled if we could close our eyes, click our heels, and arrive at our destination. “Be there in 10 seconds!”

But unfortunately, driving is a major part of many people’s lives. It’s a “necessary evil” for us to get places. So let’s discuss one thing you can control in a driving commute: your reaction.

Be Optimistic

Be aware of your thoughts, because they have a profound effect on everything you do. A negative thought pattern will carry a lot of emotion, and will make the drive more stressful. Instead of feeling hostile towards the drive or other people, try to be optimistic and think of what’s good about the music, the air, and your breath. This also helps the drive go by faster.

Notice the Details

You’ve never actually seen this road in this exact moment. You’ve never been in your car in this exact moment. You’ve never heard this song through the filter of your entire life experiences, at this exact moment. When you have a curiosity of the present moment, you are mindful. A lot more details will appear to you.

It will be surprising how different and new the drive can seem!