Health from the Inside Out

Eat veggies. Get outside. Sleep well. And live happily ever after!

Story Megan Bryant

But, seriously. Those three tasks seem like a no brainer, yet we’ve been conditioned as a society, subliminally or otherwise, to do everything but. Turns out, if we could simplify our lives, get off screens, play barefoot in the grass, and eat food that grew from nature and not in a laboratory, we would have so many fewer ailments to deal with. And this goes for all ages. By now, we are a couple generations deep into the marketing gimmicks for processed foods and the ever-evolving, always-on-hand, technologies.

After visiting with two local businesses, it became clear that health is truly something we need to tackle from the inside and outside as early as possible.

Sierra Howard is one of the estheticians for Renu Medispa. The smooth familiar sounds of Enya played overhead in a cozy, classy treatment room as we sat down to chat. Howard, who originally went to school for fashion and marketing, fell in love with the deeper impact she could offer by learning how to do medical-grade cosmetic treatments to help people.

“[You can] see the changes you can make in somebody’s skin…they come in feeling dull; they aren’t feeling good about themselves, and we can get them on a good regimen with good skin care that really makes a difference,” she explains, beaming with an obvious passion for her work.

When asked how we can prevent extensive damage to our bodies that would require their restorative services, Howard explained how important it is that we eat well, sleep more, and take time to relax, due to the emotional connectedness of our gut to our overall health. Hmmm, sounds familiar!

Renu provides a full range of supplements and products, all of which are medical grade and use active ingredients like retinol and vitamin C. They are not only relaxing treatments, but efficient in healing the problems by removing dead skin build-up with EPI Blading or Microdermabrasion, freezing pesky fat cells and cellulite with CoolSculpting, or reducing visible sun damage with laser treatments.

Renu has a friendly and experienced staff and top of the line equipment. And it’s not just for the ladies. They have seen a huge spike in male clientele. There are dozens of services to choose from to keep us all feeling fresh, flawless, and fuzz-free!

Head down the road a short distance to stop in to meet Shawn Sorenson, Doctor of Optometry at Eagle Vision One and you’ll be welcomed by a bright, modern atmosphere and endless attractive options for eyewear. Sorenson, who is a founding co-owner, exudes dedication to the industry of eyecare. Right out of the gate, he mentioned the importance of eating brightly colored veggies and leafy greens for eye health, going on to explain that the more care we take of ourselves from the inside, the less negative impact we might experience with our vision. (Notice a trend?)

Most of us know that we should use eyewear with UV protection. In fact, about a third of their daily clients are already experiencing symptoms of sun damage. Now, studies are showing that blue light is also harmful to our eyes. Blue light is in the sun, and in a myriad of manmade sources including electronics and lightbulbs. Protection from this light can be applied to glasses, and over time will be more readily available in glasses and contacts. An obvious way to reduce your exposure is, you guessed, it, reduce the amount of time (as much as within your power—for those of you stuck with work that requires a computer) you spend on screens.

Additionally, he expressed concern for the Dry Eye epidemic. What used to be common in elderly clients who have general deterioration of the healthy wax that helps to keep tears on our eyes with each blink is becoming a commonality with children as young as six. Thanks to the constant supply of on-screen entertainment, our blink rates are falling from the standard one blink in four seconds, to a staggering one in 16 seconds ratio. “When we’re not blinking enough to push the wax out of the glands they start to cramp up. They go from an oil to a toothpaste, from a toothpaste to a wax” Sorenson explains, and the damage in many cases is irreversible.

“I love taking care of people” Sorenson states. “Things are always changing” in his work and that’s what keeps him excited and engaged in helping his clients understand how to be protective and preventative with their eye care. It’s so much more than just putting on a pair of glasses or contacts to see more clearly, although that is an important way for him to improve the quality of our daily life.