Jackie pictured with her son

For some, genetics contributes to becoming overweight. For others, the pounds pack on over time – due to environment or lifestyle. Busy schedules, lack of opportunity to work out at a gym and higher costs of healthy foods discourage even the most dedicated among us.

Our littlest people recognize challenges of body image and their weight as early as kindergarten, when children seem to recognize clothing sizes and eating habits by observing peers or paying attention to media. As parents, we encourage healthy eating habits and ensure their lifestyle is active – while they draw their own conclusions.

At the age of ten, Bismarck nurse Jackie Wilke became aware of her own heavy image. She became sensitive to comments and suggestions and grew through her high school years knowing she had extra weight. She learned to dress with loose or baggy clothing and tried dieting. Despite her dedication to dieting, Wilke couldn’t drop enough weight with any single plan to become healthy. From dietary programs to goofy grapefruit diets, she tried them all.

“After a lot of soul searching, I checked into the weight loss programs with Mid Dakota Clinic and St. Alexius,” Jackie Wilke said. “After I’d researched and learned about the option of gastric bypass, I knew it was for me.”

Once on board with the program, she met with her physician, a dietician and bariatric coordinator as well as underwent psychological testing. Rigorous screening ensured the success of the program, while ruling out surgery for others who might otherwise drop the weight on their own. “There is a misconception out there,” she said. “Weight loss surgery is not a quick fix solution.”

Wilke went through with Roux-en-Y surgery. The surgery replaced her stomach by creating a new ‘pouch’. After four days of hospitalization, she left the hospital armed with knowing her lifestyle had changed forever. Her new stomach held a fraction of what it once had and she became intolerant of some foods. She began dropping weight immediately. At ten months, she’d lost 110 pounds, reaching her goal.

“Having the surgery wasn’t a fast decision. To successfully lose the weight following surgery, I had to make immediate lifestyle changes,” Wilke said. “Now I know to wait for hunger cues before eating or snacking. This is not simply about reducing the intake; this is changing everything about how I once lived. Now I make sure I’m hungry before eating and keep active.”

Wilke walks farther and keeps up with her son, who is busy and involved in activities. She surrounds herself with supportive family and friends and appreciates the weight loss support group folks who helped her in her journey. There she learned tips and tricks, helped and supported others as well as met people who couldn’t keep the weight off. She drinks no soda and tolerates breads poorly. When eating out, she halves her portion to take home. After ramping up her protein intake, she also takes a multivitamin to keep nutritionally balanced.

“This is a process of becoming educated and learning to approach eating and foods in moderation,” she said. “I am dedicated to watching what I’m doing and staying active; I am not going back.”
Wilke finds it concerning to learn of those people who gain weight in order to qualify for the surgery, but supports those considering weight loss surgery as a last option – an only option. Once making the decision and meeting with physicians, she feels having the most current literature and tools in hand before making the decision helps in the process and helps to ensure the success.

Today, Wilke dresses in scrubs for work, with an occasional opportunity to dress in street attire. After five years, she’s still surprised and complimented when friends or co-workers notice she’s lost weight and kept the weight off. “Absolutely I feel great and know this is a lifestyle change I’ll maintain,” she said.

Her love of horses encouraged Mandan cowgirl Britany Fleck to start competing early. As she moved cattle and helped out at home, she started riding in youth rodeos. Stepping through the ranks of youth rodeo through high school and college, she dreamed of one day riding professionally. Fleck also began to realize the importance of developing a strong partnership with her horse. “You have to be in sync with them to be tough in competition,” she said.

While in college, Fleck trained her horse ‘Rootie’, fostering a strong relationship between the two of them. Stepping up to the plate to care for a horse requires dedication. In addition to riding and brushing her horses, she waters them, feeds them and cleans up after them; all keep Fleck moving and help to keep her fit and physically prepared for this lifestyle.

“From carrying water buckets and lifting bales to cleaning stalls, cleaning the trailer and riding, horse care is hard work,” Fleck said. “As we travel [to rodeo competitions], we are faced with locating and purchasing hay, which can be both challenging and expensive while we’re on the road.”

Horses need regular exercise and proper nutrition, particularly when competing. While Fleck works out at a gym and takes a daily vitamin, her horse relies upon her for regular workouts and supplements. Rootie has hay in front of her all the time, takes a platinum performance supplement, chomps on omelene grain and takes in ample water. Along the way, Fleck changes up the routine, ensuring Rootie is in optimal health. And she shares what she learns with cowgirl Kennedi Kautzman.

“In rodeo both the horse and rider need to be healthy,” Kautzman said. “The real athlete is the horse, so as riders, we treat them like an athlete by conditioning and feeding them properly. They take nutrients and vitamins, just as we do. It’s a huge team effort between rider and horse.”

Kautzman knows how to work hard physically. She regularly walks out and back to catch the horses at pasture before carrying five gallon buckets of water to each of five horses. Five-mile lawn trots (daily) as well as carrying grain, exercise both the rider and horse. And she’s not nearly finished with her chores.

“Kennedi goes directly to the barn after school each day,” mother Jodi Kautzman said. “She cares for each horse then practices each individual event with her own. When she practices goat tying, she rides up, dismounts, runs to the goat, ties it off and keeps moving. There isn’t a lot of down time for her, no time to get in trouble.”

Kautzman pays attention to staying nutritionally sound as she travels. Staying hydrated is her first priority, with plenty of water and sports drinks. “We eat a lot of meals right in our living quarters instead of always eating out as we travel,” she said. She works hard with her horses year round, yet enjoys swimming and hanging out with friends in the summer in addition to volleyball and basketball seasons.

Despite the competitive nature of rodeo as a sport, Kautzman finds she has a true role model in Fleck. “She’s become such a good friend to our family and we trust her to know how to best keep horses healthy and which feeds work best,” Kautzman said. “She’s such a great cowgirl that inspires so many cowgirls out there. I find that I’m aspiring to be like her.”

Fleck and Kautzman have become friends and spend time together when at home. Fleck rides professional rodeo and currently holds the 15th position in the world for barrel racing. As a career, she’s riding and traveling with Rootie year round across the nation and into Canada, and hopes to find herself at Las Vegas for nationals.

Kautzman is right behind her. Stepping stones take area youth from the Mandan Horse & Saddle Club to the junior high and high school levels. She’s preparing to enter the North Dakota High School Rodeo Association this fall as she enters high school.
Both young women are determined to stay healthy, ride and compete at professional levels. Kautzman’s hard work is paying off – she’s the 2010 and 2011 Girl’s All Around State Champion, 2009, 2010, 2011 Barrel Racing State Champion, 2010 Pole Bending Champion, 2011 Girl’s Goat Tying State Champion and 2011 Ribbon Roping State Champion (with partner Trey Huber). As a woman in professional rodeo, Fleck is limited to barrel racing, where she is placing in world ranks. Their hard work and dedication to both their own health and that of their horses is paying off. These gals are living their dream and focusing to achieve their ultimate goals in rodeo. For Fleck, that’s making it to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas; for Kautzman, it’s the National High School Rodeo Association.

I bet you knew that Bismarck and Mandan have great parks systems. But, did you know that families who have access to parks and playgrounds and use them are more active than those who don’t? The Go! Bismarck Mandan coalition is partnering with local parks to help get the word out about our local parks and recreation treasures so that more people are out enjoying them and being active.

Adventure Walks kick off this spring to help bring excitement and novelty to walking together as a family and being outdoors. The Go! Coalition is partnering with the Dakota Zoo and Mandan Parks and Recreation to host walks with clues that can be discovered through the use of global positioning system (GPS) devices. But you don’t need a GPS machine to take an adventure walk; you can find adventure by walking right outside your back door and around your neighborhood.

Says Wendy Anderson-Berg, Chair of the Go! Coalition and Park Planner at Bismarck Parks and Recreation, “It’s easy these days for kids to become disconnected from nature and from being outdoors. By taking the time to pay attention to the changes in your outdoor surroundings as the seasons change, you can better enjoy a simple walk, be more active and connect with nature.”

The Go! Coalition will also provide pediatricians and family practice physicians, childcare providers, and families written materials with ideas for Adventure Walks to take with their children, locations of neighborhood parks and community fitness centers and walking trails, and importance of daily physical activity.

The Go! Bismarck Mandan coalition, with nearly 20 organization partners, has a mission to measurably improve the health, fitness and quality of life of all people in Bismarck and Mandan by creating a supportive culture and environment through a coordinated approach.

For more information:
Go! Coalition
www.gobismarckmandan.org

Go! walk in the park! Go! to the walking trail!
www.bisparks.org www.mandanparks.com

Go! to the zoo!

http://www.dakotazoo.org/

For many, yoga is a kind of calling. It calls us to be more present in our lives, more flexible in our bodies and minds, and more interested in the pursuit of wellness. Finding the ability to justify its importance in our lives is often the limiting factor.

Several area residents made a conscious choice to advance their yoga practices by making it a priority in their lives. Each of them continually seeks out yoga experiences beyond local class offerings to further cultivate and inspire their practices.

Taking yoga to the next level
Laura Anhalt, an avid yoga practitioner in Bismarck, found her yoga roots at the local YMCA. Her first yoga class gave her a eureka moment. Everything about it said, “This is it!”

“At first the practice [of yoga] is exciting,” says Laura. “You improve relatively quickly. Then you hit a plateau after a few years. Because I live in Bismarck, I wasn’t going to workshops or advanced anything. I was going to classes but it got to be the same old same old after a while.”

To find inspiration, Anhalt added a home practice to her yoga mix and then she attended her first Yoga Journal conference in Colorado. She went with her husband who golfed during the day while she attended sessions. Although an incredible learning experience, it was also painful.

“I was struck by how much I didn’t know. I was just totally freaked out,” recalls Anhalt. “I learned what I don’t know and what I can’t do.”

Anhalt has since come to embrace the great depth and breadth yoga has to offer. Prone to anxiety, she maintains a daily practice for both the physical and the mental health benefits and continues to seek out and attend workshops locally at Pinwheel Creative Movement Center and in the region. Of special interest to her is visiting White Lotus Foundation, a yoga retreat center in Santa Barbara, Calif. frequented by rock star Sting.

“I am probably a fanatic,” Anhalt, a state employee, confesses. “I have a bag at work – it has blankets and a block. At break, I go and meditate for 20 minutes in an empty conference room. After I eat lunch in the afternoon, I put my legs up the wall for 20 minutes. Yoga’s just in my life.”

Finding a good fit and style
Many take their next step into yoga by attending a teacher training. However, not everyone who attends a teacher training comes out a teacher. In fact, Angie Swiec Kambeitz, an ashtanga yoga practitioner and teacher new to Bismarck, wishes that teacher trainings were just called workshops arguing that they can simply serve as a great way to grow your personal practice.

Working as a volunteer at a Yoga Journal conference in Estes Park, Colo. was a great introduction for Kambeitz. She learned about different yoga styles and got unique access to a variety of top teachers. Furthermore, she was able to gain some teacher training credits.

Yoga Journal sponsors several annual conferences, but the magazine itself and its extensive website provide access to leading teachers without the travel commitment. Janis Cheney, a 28-year yoga practitioner in Bismarck, said she signed on to YJ’s 21-day yoga challenge. The challenge is designed to empower yoga practitioners to maintain a daily practice. On a recent work trip to Fargo, she kept to the challenge by uploading a yoga podcast to her phone and did the class in her hotel room.

Yoga vacations offer another avenue for exploration. Bonnie Torrance, owner of Pinwheel Creative Movement Center in downtown Bismarck and Sivananda yoga instructor, just led a February yoga retreat near Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. She is already taking reservations for next year (for more information call 701-255-8499).

A ten day experience, participants practice tai chi at sunrise on the beach and then attend a poolside yoga class later in the morning. Although participants shared most meals together at their common villa, the remainder of the day was their own.

Cheney and spouse Stephen Crane were among the 12 participants from Bismarck who attended the inaugural retreat. Crane, who began his yoga practice on the trip, says, “We waited twenty-five years to do something like this. That was stupid!” He is now one of Torrance’s newest students at Pinwheel.

Cheney described the retreat as more of a vacation for the body and soul. “I would do it again in a heartbeat,” she says. “What’s extraordinary about that time and place…it was gloriously green and the sky was a blue – there was an intensity to the sunlight in it that we just don’t get here [in Bismarck]. The breeze…it was a feast for the senses yet a break for them at the same time.”

Attaining and maintaining teacher status
Whether a yoga practitioner chooses to take her bag of tricks learned at workshops, conferences and teacher trainings and share them with students is a personal choice. Often, yoga becomes such an integral part of a potential teacher’s life that sharing that accumulated knowledge with others is a natural next step.

Susan Thompson, a hatha yoga and meditation teacher in Bismarck, hesitatingly turned to yoga after sustaining a knee injury while skiing. After realizing its healing benefits, she became a devoted student. Thompson’s desire to become a teacher took hold after inviting her dear friend Pat Hayden, a yoga and meditation instructor in Casper, Wyo., to teach a few workshops in Bismarck. Hayden told her that she had a responsibility to her students to get training.

Thompson says it was like making the decision to go back to school. She told herself, “I am going to do this. I don’t care what I have to do.” With her children grown, her primary obstacle was getting a month’s leave from her job as a social worker at MedCenter One. Turns out it was no problem.

Thompson attended a month-long residential teacher training at Shoshoni Yoga Retreat deep in the mountains near Boulder, Colo. Initially, she tried to convince the retreat to allow her to complete teacher training in one-week increments, an approach common to other yoga teacher training programs. However, she quickly saw that a month was necessary to learn how to accurately teach yoga, how to read her students, adjust the class to meet their specific needs, and to fully develop her meditation practice.

To keep her practice and her teaching fresh, Thompson goes to Yoga Journal conferences as often as she can. She and a group of long time yoga friends, including Hayden, go back to learn from their own teachers. She particularly likes Tias Little, founder of Prajna Yoga, a yoga training center in Santa Fe, N.M. When she spoke of a workshop he conducted on the belly and the mind a couple years ago, her reflections sounded as if she had just left the course. His words are ingrained firmly into her memory. Thompson, who turns 70 this year, plans to attend a Tias Little workshop in Colorado in Fall 2011.

If you let it, yoga can become a way of life. When your yoga practice begins to follow you off the mat and into your day, advancing your practice may just move to the top of your priority list.

Amanda Mack, a Bismarck-based writer, recently returned from her first yoga vacation at the Sinvananda Yoga Ashram in the Bahamas. Although the ten-hour days without coffee were grueling, the bliss was contagious.

Have you been hampered by an injury that just doesn’t heal? Has an ache, strain or twinge appeared in a muscle or joint causing you pain and discomfort? Have you tried treatments that just haven’t made your condition better? If this sounds familiar, physical therapy may be a treatment you should consider.

“Physical therapy is a practice where we evaluate injuries or physical limitations and assess them,” says Donna Hartze, MPT, physical therapist at AIM Physical Therapy. “Then we help people regain their health.”

Hartze has been practicing physical therapy for 13 years and says this type of treatment is used for a wide range of people. “Physical therapy is very broad and there are a lot of different areas in which physical therapists are employed,” she says. “We treat everyone from tiny babies to the elderly.”

The type of conditions treated by physical therapists also varies greatly. “People often think of going to a physical therapist after a major injury requiring a lot of treatment,” says Hartze. “Sometimes people don’t think to go to the physical therapist for minor issues such as wrist or back pain.”

Hartze says physical therapy is used to treat many orthopedic issues and sports injuries, but the practice is also used in cardiac and stroke rehabilitation and the treatment of neurological disorders, like multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, and traumatic brain injuries.

At AIM Physical Therapy, the therapists treat many conditions including: low back and neck pain; sports injuries; jaw pain (TMJ); orthopedic injuries to the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles; and foot pain. In addition, the facility also provides spine rehabilitation services, hand therapy, custom orthodics, work injury management, work site assessments and functional capacity evaluations.

However, notes Hartze, physical therapists often do have focus areas. “At AIM, we do mostly orthopedic out-patient therapy and neurological therapy,” she says. “I also work with individuals with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia.”

She notes the reasons physical therapists can tackle a wide array of conditions is because of their broad understanding of how injuries and conditions affect the movement of the body. “Physical therapists have an extensive amount of training and extensive knowledge of how the body works,” says Hartze.

Patricia Decker suffered from severe tendonitis in her thumbs and was unable to bend them because of stiffness and swelling. “I had mentioned my problem to a couple of professionals and they told me to wrap my thumbs and not use them,” she says.

Decker was slated for surgery to cut the tendons in her thumbs in the hopes of regaining their mobility. “Something in me said, ‘I don’t want to have surgery,’” she says. “I just could not accept they would be cutting into my thumbs.”

A chance meeting with Hartze soon changed her treatment plan and her outlook on recovery. “Donna walked into the office I worked in and she asked me about my thumbs,” Decker says, adding she was encouraged by Hartze to try physical therapy.

“What Donna told me when I started therapy was ‘move it or lose it,” she adds. “Week after week the therapist worked on my thumbs and now they move.” Decker spent two months doing physical therapy at AIM and now continues the exercises she learned on her own. Most importantly, she was able to avoid surgery.

“I was very, very surprised at the treatment and very pleased with the results,” says Decker. “I am so pleased with finding the right care.”

Now one of the first treatments she tries when it comes to muscle and joint problems is physical therapy. “Whenever I have a problem, I call AIM and Donna works with me.”

Hartze notes depending on the type of insurance an individual carries, they may need a doctor’s referral to receive physical therapy services. However, she adds, most Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota plans do not require a referral. “It is important to check with your insurance provider prior to making an appointment,” says Hartze.

One of the greatest advantages of using physical therapy as a treatment method is the unique approach used for various injuries or conditions, notes Hartze. “We can get people treated quickly. We develop goals and work with the patient to get them better in a short amount of time.”

AIM Physical Therapy focuses on providing the latest and most advanced treatment options for a variety of injuries and conditions. For additional information call 701-258-7730 or visit www.aimpt.net.

As the snow falls and temperatures drop, the number of colds, runny noses and coughs among kids of all ages rises quickly. Prevention can seem like an endless battle between exchanges at day care, school and play dates; but there are steps to keep kids healthy and help them feel better when a cold makes its way into their system.

Dr. Laura Archuleta, a St. Alexius family physician specializing in pediatrics, and Dr. Parag Kumar, a pediatrician at Medcenter One’s Q&R Clinic, offer tips for the prevention and treatment of kids’ colds, and hints to keep your family healthy and bouncing back quickly from illness this season.

Prevention
“The most important step is prevention,” says Dr. Archuleta. “There are no proven treatments that are completely safe and effective for children. It is important to keep the immune system strong to fight off infection.”
• Wash hand frequently and use alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Keep hands away from the face as the virus often enters the mouth, nose or eyes
• Cough and sneeze into a tissue or the inside of the elbow
• Avoid crowded places
• Get adequate rest, nutrition and exercise

Treatment
“Make kids comfortable,” says Dr. Kumar. “Left alone, the body tends to heal itself well.”
• Keep children well hydrated with plenty of fluids
• Run a cool-mist vaporizer or humidifier
• Use warm saline drops to loosen nasal congestion
• Give a spoonful of honey to quell coughing in children over one year of age
• Elevate the child’s head while sleeping

Dr. Archuleta notes sometimes the best treatment isn’t medicinal. “Hugs and snuggles from a concerned caregiver can do a lot to comfort a miserable toddler,” she says.

But if symptoms become atypical of a common cold or grow more severe with time, Dr. Kumar recommends seeking treatment. “If children have a fever or breathing difficulty, they should see a doctor.”

Missee Gietzen

I am not a high maintenance person, but when I saw the ad for half-price for permanent eyeliner, my interest was piqued. I called for more information, stopped in for a quick consultation and the next thing I knew, I was on the schedule.
Missee Gietzen was trained to apply permanent makeup last summer when she traveled to a one-on-one training session with Sally Hayes in California. She learned how to do permanent eyebrows, eyeliner and lips. Gietzen has had all three procedures, which is helpful, so you can see what the end result looks like.

Gietzen explained the procedure and time involved. There are actually two different appointments to be made – the initial application and the touch-up. The touch-up session is scheduled about three weeks from the initial application.
During the first part of the session a topical is applied. Then, your eyes must be closed for 20 minutes, so it’s a nice chance to catch a nap. The whole procedure is finished in under an hour and a half.
Gietzen had described the process as irritating, and that is just what it was! When it got to the point where I didn’t think I could take it anymore, it was over. I felt pain for about two seconds, otherwise, there was just a slightly disturbing ‘thing’ going on with my eyes.
My nose started to run and my eyes watered a lot. Toward the end of the procedure, I felt like I was crying and couldn’t stop, and it was hard to keep my eyes open when instructed to do so. Apparently this doesn’t happen to everyone.
Gietzen also does not do a line above the lashes, or connect the corners – she applies on the lash line, which really enhances the eye. It is very dark at first, for about the first week and a half. “During the healing process a part of it will peel off,” said Geitzen. “Then it will fade, up to 50%. When you come in for your retouch, it resets the color in deeper. You can also put it on a little thicker on the bottom if you like.”

There are several reasons women may choose to have permanent makeup applied. “Some women may have allergies and can’t wear topical makeup,” explained Gietzen. “Older women may not be able to see as well or apply it as easily as they used to.”

When she does eyebrows, Gietzen really looks at a person’s skin tone. “Usually I have them come in with their eyebrow shape drawn on so I can see what they like to wear every day,” she said. “Then I will make my recommendations. I will draw on with white pencil. It is more of a sweeping motion, not a boxy-type eyebrow.”

She is also very careful when doing the lips. “I don’t go bright with lip color, more of a subtle shade, so you can put on bright red on if you want, then wash it off,” she explained.

The lips are done in more of a circular motion, starting with lining the lips, then filling them in with a very natural color. “I was taught to enhance what a person already has, not drastically change it,” said Gietzen. “If someone wants create a special look, they can always use topical makeup. Natural is better.”

The machine Gietzen uses differs from one a tattoo artist would use. “This machine has more of a sweeping motion with the needles,” explained Gietzen. “It doesn’t go quite as deep as a tattoo machine would go. That is why we need to do the retouch in three weeks.”

Permanent makeup lasts from four to seven years. “The darker color you go with, the longer it will last,” said Gietzen.

During the four-day aftercare period, I was instructed to put A&D ointment on before washing my face or taking a shower. I ended up using Vaseline because the ointment irritated my eyes.
The top layer started to peel and flake after four or five days. I noticed most of it was gone within a week and the deep color had faded significantly.

Missee Gietzen works at Glance Spa and Salon, 407 North 4th Street, Bismarck, 751.1893. She is offering $100 off permanent make-up through the month of November. Regular Prices: Eyeliner: $500, Eyebrows: $500, Lips $750. Gift Certificates are available. Geitzen also does hair and pedicures.

Aging is inevitable, but that doesn’t mean you have to look your age. Current medical technology can slow the outward appearance of the aging process and, even better, offer minimally invasive procedures to get the job done with little or no down time.

Miranda Olson, RN, MSN, FNP, at Skin at the Institute of Facial Surgery is working to make individuals aware of the options available to repair damaged skin and stay ahead of the aging process. She wants to get the word out it isn’t always necessary to go under the scalpel to find a younger, fresher look.

“I love educating my patients on skin care and how to treat their skin as they age,” says Olson. “One thing I have noticed is most people don’t realize they can correct many skin conditions they didn’t think they could.”

Olson began working as a nurse at the Institute of Facial Surgery and was aware of the minimally invasive skin care procedures available at the facility, which specializes in maxillofacial and cosmetic surgery under the direction of Dr. John Stanley. But she also knew these procedures weren’t a focus of the facility or well known by its patients at that time.

During graduate school, she completed her thesis on Botox and its uses which piqued her interest in medical skin care. “I noticed there was a definite need for these services at the Institute,” Olson says. After becoming a family nurse practitioner, Olson began offering the minimally invasive procedures full-time at the Institute of Facial Surgery.

“This way we can offer our patients a full spectrum of treatment from the clavicle up,” she notes. “For me, to be able to focus on this and give it a name through Skin at the Institute of Facial Surgery makes everyone aware of all the services we provide.”

The services provided by Olson include medical grade skin care, skin analysis and chemical peels, Botox, dermal fillers, and laser treatment of various skin disorders including acne, rosacea, facial veins, sunspots, malasma, the hyperpigmentation of the skin caused by hormones, and hair removal.

Skin at the Institute of Facial Surgery has a Palomar Starlux 500 laser with platform and intense pulsed light (IPL) technology. “Women are educated and know what they are looking for,” says Olson regarding the type of laser she researched and chose for the facility.

The non-ablative fractional laser has some unique features included in its treatment options and recovery time. “This is the first laser that is FDA approved for the treatment of stretch marks,” notes Olson. “You can also have a treatment over your lunch break and still go back to work.” In addition, she says the laser “does a beautiful job” of treating acne scars.

“With the laser, I can help treat and manage the things people don’t think they can treat,” she says, adding the laser removed her own sunspots. “I thought I would have to live with them the rest of my life.”

The services offered at Skin at the Institute of Facial Surgery are not limited to a certain age or gender. Olson has treated patients with acne as young as 11 years old and has also provided Botox, rosacea and hair removal treatments to men. “Ten percent of all Botox sold in the United States goes to men,” she adds.

The number of treatments required for each patient depends on the particular condition. Dermal fillers and Botox injections are often covered in one visit but conditions treated with the laser can range from four to eight treatments. Consultations are offered Monday through Friday, and the consult fee is applied to the first treatment, says Olson.

She believes it is important to provide patients with a full range of treatment options, including the option of surgery if they are not seeing desired results. “We offer a full scope of options,” Olson notes. “I can do Botox on someone for years and down the road it might not be cutting it. Dr. Stanley can then do, for instance, an eye brow lift and the patient can stay somewhere they are comfortable.”

“We have a symbiotic relationship,” she adds. “Dr. Stanley helps my patients and I help his patients.”

The results she sees in her patients after treatment are the most rewarding aspect of her job, says Olson. “I love it when the patient gets a good outcome and they are happy with the results. It just makes me happy.”

For additional information on the services offered at Skin at the Institute of Facial Surgery or to schedule a consultation with Olson call 701-255-4000.

Susan Suchy demonstrates the Pilates reformer

Working out in the comfort of your own home is one thing. Working out in a fast-paced group setting is quite another. Some love the motivation of others while others find it intimidating. Bright lights, loud music while working out at a universal pace may not be for everyone. Lifeways’ Stott Pilates Instructor Susan Suchy teaches clients in either a personal session or a group setting, using a calm soft voice with lights and music low in the background. The ambience is welcoming – private.

Suchy previously taught aerobics and aqua dynamics before choosing a career in exercise science; eventually choosing to become a registered nurse. Her background – learning about exercise and the human body – helped her to make an instant connection to pilates. “I felt as though I had had a massage after doing a shoulder stand on the reformer and rolling my spine from head to tail,” Suchy said. “I was hooked.”
She’s since become overtly dedicated to Stott Pilates and is in the process of becoming fully certified, meaning long, dedicated hours of training, learning and rigorous testing at studios as far away as Minneapolis or New York City.

“The Stott Pilates system on a reformer is so unique,” Suchy said. “Your body simply cannot get this type of workout in any other way. When multiple groups of muscles move the carriage out, another group of muscles moves the carriage back in. This creates work for opposing muscles while constantly working core muscles because of the breath.” Further, the reformer works as clients build core strength by supporting the spine with developed back, hamstring, abdominal and back muscles. Often times, working out at a gym doesn’t provide that sort of in depth, targeted core training, resulting in potential injuries.

“Pilates is about flexion, extension, rotation (twisting) and lateral (side bends) of the spine, thus supporting and strengthening muscles of the spine,” she said. “And once your core is strong, you work on your upper and lower spine with less chance of injury.”

During her first visit with a client, she conducts a postural analysis. By assessing positioning of feet, neck and shoulders, she mentally determines which exercises might help strengthen, balance and correct the spine. Together, they decide upon an agreeable schedule – working out for sixty minutes 1 – 3 times per week, with three being optimal. She then applies five basic principles to her instruction:
Breathing ~
Suchy instructs clients on correct breathing both by visual description and by demonstration. “According to Stott Pilates, you need to fill up sides and backs of lungs to exhale from your deepest abdominal muscles,” she says.

Pelvic Placement ~
Aligning the spine with the pelvis takes a bit of practice – and all beginning students practice by imprinting [dropping the top of the pelvis and lifting the lower pelvis]. All advanced students work with a neutral pelvis which works the abdominals to a greater degree.

Rib Cage ~
Since the abdominal wall is connected to the lower ribs, Suchy prompts students to breathe properly. “I tell students to blow out air from deep abdominal muscles and connect to their ribs as if they are being knit together,” she said.

Scapulae ~
“Women tend to elevate their shoulders,” Suchy described. “Our goal with pilates is to teach people to stabilize their shoulder girdle down. This eliminates stress from back and neck. Abdominals need to engage (tighten up and pull in) and shoulders should be stabilized down, which helps us assume normal posture (with lumbar and cervical curves).

Head & Neck Placement ~
“Head and neck should always follow upper back,” she said. “There is no reason to ever touch your chin to chest (hyper-flexion of cervical spine).”

Stott Pilates offers opportunities to target specific muscle groups because of the spring and pulley system of the reformer, allowing a body to work 3 – 5 muscle groups synergistically. Long lean muscles as compared to bulky muscles are formed. Additional exercises incorporate the use of a resistance ring, box and jump board.
Currently, she works with beginner, intermediate and advanced groups as she works to develop specialty training for specific workouts, such as: golf, prenatal, athletic and post cancer treatment training s(working out lymphodema). The age group varies from youth on up to elderly clients.

“As we age, we need the resistance training,” she said. “After a cardio workout, our metabolism slows back down. Resistance training keeps the metabolism increased and will continue burning fat for 48 hours.”

Using a Stott Pilates reformer for working out has been a top choice for many athletes, physical therapists as well as for those who have suffered a serious injury. And for those who want a touch of workout at home on the mat, Suchy points them in the right direction. She coaches her students to use pilates in everyday life activities, such as in vacuuming. And there are ways to use mat pilates at home, working out between workouts. Often, students in one group have areas they need to strengthen – so Suchy will offer additional ways to achieve the same results to each, fitting the workout to their personal needs. She also recommends yoga as a complimentary exercise, resulting in increased flexibility – as pilates offers strength training.

“Everything about Pilates is about being nice to your spine,” Suchy said. “Pilates involves being very mindful of what your body is doing, which challenges you mentally. When you are clear and healthy on the inside, the external results will come (much faster than expected). Ideally, I hope for my clients, that they think of pilates as a way of life and not just another exercise program. “

Contact Susan at Lifeways: 701.751.3271

Nearly half of all Americans, 46 percent, will suffer from a mental illness during their lifetime. While this statistic highlights the significant number of people affected by mental health problems, statistics also show only two in every five Americans suffering from mental illness will seek medical attention.

While many factors contribute to the causes of mental illness and barriers to treatment, awareness plays a key role in helping people understand symptoms and receive timely help.

“Some people are ashamed, others don’t recognize mental health problems are real, and some just don’t know where to receive treatment,” says Susan Helgeland, executive director of Mental Health America of North Dakota. “Sometimes people forget the brain is part of the body.”

Mental Health America of North Dakota, a non-profit organization in the state for 58 years, promotes mental health through education, advocacy, understanding and access to quality care for all individuals.

“We want mental illness to be treated in the same way as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease,” says Helgeland, a professional in mental health advocacy for 40 years. “Education is very important to us.”

Overcoming Mental Health Myths

Helgeland says it is important to break the stigma attached to mental illness and encourage people to seek help. “When it comes to mental health disorders and mood disorders that is when people say ‘it will just get better.’”

Depression is the second most common disease in the country behind heart disease, notes Helgeland, but when treated, depression shows higher improvement outcomes. Although awareness of mental health disorders has improved, she says, there are still many myths associated with mental illness.

Myth #1: If a person could just pull themselves together, they could get over their mental health problem. “People seem to feel since the problem lays primarily in behavior, they can just get over it,” says Helgeland. “They don’t treat it as a real illness and I think that is the biggest problem.” She says because of this, many with mental illness feel blame or guilt.

Myth #2: Those suffering from mental illness can’t work or function in life.
“Treatment is very effective,” says Helgeland, adding with diagnosis and treatment people can enjoy a full life, including employment.
Myth #3: When people talk about suicide, they are just seeking attention. “We know depression can be fatal,” says Helgeland. “All suicide threats should be taken seriously, because the alternative of not doing something is worse.” She stresses asking questions and getting immediate help at an emergency room or by calling 911.

Mental Health and Women
“One of the leading reasons women seek medical attention is depression,” says Helgeland. “All of the years I have been in this profession, that hasn’t changed.”

She notes there are significantly different rates of mental illness between men and women. Women have higher rates of anxiety disorders, 36 percent verses 25 percent in men; phobia disorders, 16 percent verses 9 percent in men; and major depression, 20 percent verses 13 percent of men. Women also have higher rates of panic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, and obsessive compulsive disorders.

Helgeland says many factors contribute to higher rates in women including hormones, birth control, child-birth, infertility issues, and thyroid conditions. “When a woman seeks help for depression, they need a physical exam to assess the whole body and get at the root of the problem.”

Symptoms of depression include:
• Depressed or irritable mood
• Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
• Feelings of guilt, hopelessness, and worthlessness
• Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
• Change in appetite/ weight loss or weight gain
• Difficulty maintaining concentration
• Lack of energy or constant fatigue
• Recurrent suicidal thoughts

“Pay attention to your moods and behaviors, just like you would to the health of your body,” says Helgeland. If symptoms interfere with your life for two weeks straight, she says, it is time to seek help.

“The first step is talking openly and honestly about your feelings with someone you trust,” says Helgeland. Additional resources, including a depression screening test, are available on the Mental Health America of North Dakota website www.mhand.org.

“Be aware of your brain and what is happening with your behavior. Don’t be ashamed or afraid to get help,” says Helgeland. “You need a balance of mental health, along with spiritual and physical health to promote overall wellness.”

Mental Health America of North Dakota has offices in Bismarck and Fargo. For additional information contact Helgeland at 701-391-8824 or visit www.mhand.org.