Welcome back folks to another edition of Pay It Forward Friday. This week, we are highlighting healthy living in the healthiest city in America (Also the city with the least number of poisonous tree frogs?). This weeks focus is on local business and integrative medical center, Holistica Integrative Care. These folks have been providing alternative and integrative care in Boulder for over 16 years. Holistica specializes in the treatment of chronic fatigue, autoimmune diseases, repairing gut health, hormone imbalances and much more. Graciously, Holistica Integrative Care has paid forward free two hour infrared sauna passes for some select winners, which we will talk about a little later.

So let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Many people may have vague ideas of what integrative care really is. By definition Integrative Care includes many disciplines of medicine to arrive at the cure for a patient. In this case it includes both conventional and alternative approaches in patient care. Mary Shackleton, MPH, N.D., one of the practitioners and the owner of Holistica Integrative Care, helped enlighten me on the subject. “The holistic approach to medicine takes a wide angle view….we look at the entire being and not just the parts.” She went on to explain it to me like this. For example, if a patient were to suffer from arthritis a more traditional approach would be to prescribe medication that would suppress the immune system and stop the pain response. A holistic approach includes knowing about a patient’s diet, lifestyle, previous diagnoses, family history, digestion, sleep, mood etc. An individualized plan for arthritis would be devised based upon test findings for food sensitivities, gut function, inflammatory markers and more. If 10 different people with joint pain came to the clinic they would each receive a slightly different recommendation. “There is no one size fits all approach, every patient is totally different.”

Mary Shackleton MPH, N.D., and general awesomeness

Mary Shackleton MPH, N.D., and purveyor of general awesomeness

Of course, sitting in front of a doctor, I had to ask her how she kept in shape and what she tells all her patients. The answer was quite simple and one we’ve all heard a thousand times. “9 vegetables a day….sleep….yoga and running, or really just exercise in general….supplements as needed.” Sometimes the most truthful things are the simplest.

This is what a vegetable looks like

This is what a vegetable looks like

What makes Holistica special, aside from the office full of pretty ladies? She said that they care directly for every patient as if they were the only patient in the clinic. The doctors on staff include 2 Naturopathic Doctors and a Medical Doctors and they often collaborate on patient cases providing both an alternative and conventional perspective to the case. Each patient is seen between 1-2 hours for the first office visit and follow up visits range from 30 to 60 minutes. With this type of time spent, even the most difficult of cases get the focused attention needed.

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So back to the sauna, how does one win this free pay it forward hour in the sauna? Simple. Submit us a small video of you making your favorite smoothie. This can be all of thirty second, but talk about the ingredients and supplements that you love to use best. Be sure to send this to scott@aboutboulder.com.

The submissions that Mary Shackleton likes best will be awarded a free Two hour sauna at Holistica Integrative care. The infrared sauna is used for increasing sweating and a clearing of toxins through the skin. This is helpful in a wide range of conditions including those which have a layer of toxicity- which includes most of the conditions treated at Holistica. I can attribute from personal experience how soothing sitting in here for an hour can be, and what a stress relief that a good sweat and a dry heat can bring (Not to mention the enjoyment of being in a sauna that doesn’t have 5 other naked people sitting next to you. I brought in a book and a big ol glass of water and let the sweat begin, only to get out feeling invigorated.

To learn more about holistic approaches, the clinic, and how to have a sit down with Mary or the other doctors, contact the office at 303-449-3777 or visit their http://www.holisticacare.com/

Let’s see some smoothies people. Submit them to Scott@aboutboulder.com

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Dan wrote this article while in the sauna. Think about that as you eat your oatmeal this morning.