Key West Wellness Center

Category: Wellness Programs

  • Welcoming Fall in the Florida Keys

    Welcoming Fall in the Florida Keys

    After our beautiful Florida Keys hot summer days, it’s time to wind down just a notch and welcome the shorter and slightly cooler days of Fall.

    Living healthy during the shorter days of Fall
    Fall is an exciting season for many of us. It’s time to carve pumpkins, attend a variety of Halloween festivities and enjoy time with family and friends. Fall also means daylight savings will come to an end and our days will become shorter. It is important to remember we must continue to stick to our daily routines and keep our bodies in motion in order to stay healthy during the Fall & Winter months.

    Staying Active
    Daily exercise is essential to the wellness of our mind and body, staying active helps to keep your body feeling at its best and help keep your immune system in check. So be sure not to let the shorter days keep you from staying active.

    Weather Changes and Your Body
    A slight change in the Florida Keys weather can also mean a shift in the way your body feels, it’s important to stay hydrated and properly nourished. Fall weather also brings about Fall allergies such as pollen and mold, which can aggravate allergy sufferers. A great way to stay healthy during the Fall months is to take advantage of our Vitamin injections to help boost your immune system. Acupuncture can provide relief and ease fall allergies. Acupuncture may be used to compliment your current allergy-fighting routine(s) or can be used alone, with it comes many benefits. It can help to strengthen the body’s immune system triggers and over time prevent reactions to allergens. Unlike antihistamines and decongestants, Acupuncture is free of the known antihistamine side effects, such as drowsiness and immune system suppression.

    Rest!
    Less daylight also means that your body most likely craves more snooze time! Those who work 8-5 may be getting up in the dark and heading home in the dark, which studies have shown, may lead to depression and lethargy. To overcome this be sure to take advantage of the daylight when and where you can. With some simple planning you may be able to soak in some sunshine throughout the day. Try by setting an alarm that reminds you to get up and stretch regularly and if possible do so outside. Try taking a walk on your lunch break to help you avoid feeling fatigued throughout the day. Lastly and most importantly, be sure to get adequate rest in addition to keeping with your normal sleep pattern/body clock by getting to bed at the same time each evening and waking at the same time each day and avoiding “screen time” (TV, Phones etc) before bed. This will allow your body’s natural release of melatonin and aid in a normal sleep cycle. So you can awake refreshed and ready for the day!

    Have questions of how to begin a health regimen for overall wellness? Call 305-296-535 and book an appointment with Dr. Ashley Hoyt. Your free consultation can set you on the path to overall wellness. Contact@KeyWestWellnessCenter.com

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Healthy Switches & Tips for this Memorial Day Weekend.

    key west wellness clinic massage acupuncture weight programsMemorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the men & women who passed away while serving in the country’s armed forces. Many in our nation spend the weekend with family and friends. Memorial Day weekend is also viewed as the unofficial start of summer, make the most of this opportunity to enjoy the (hopefully) good weather, kick back and relax with family and friends.

    If you are leading or in the beginning stages of living a healthy lifestyle and are concerned about Memorial Day (with the grill and the cheeseburgers and the cakes) ruining your plans, here’s what you can do to make the holiday healthier.

    Healthy Switches
    Swap a high-fat, high-calorie main dish for a healthier alternative – for example, choose a turkey burger or a chicken burger instead of a hamburger, or have grilled chicken breast. If you want to eat a burger, skip the bread and enjoy it in a low-cal wrap or even some lettuce leaves.
    Swap calorie-laden snacks for healthier choices. Chips are out, and unsalted nuts are in. Choose popcorn or eat fruit salad instead of cookies.
    Change your sides for something healthier. Often the sides are most appetizing – potato salad, fries, mac n cheese…. Serve yourself a small portion or go for a healthier alternative like quinoa or bean salad, veggie kebabs, hummus dip or guacamole, or rice salad made with low-cal mayo and brown rice.

    Preparations for Health
    Don’t turn up at the party hungry as you are highly likely to cave into temptation. Eat a large healthy breakfast or have a healthy snack before you leave home.
    Go prepared to be active. When you play sport or games, go for a walk or a swim, or get active in the kayak or canoe you burn calories, which makes it easier to enjoy Memorial Day food without the negative consequences. If no one else has arranged any activities, put the suggestion forward – people love to have fun in the open air, and will be waiting for the opportunity.
    Don’t forget the sunscreen & bug repellant.
    Keep the Earth healthy and green by doing your part to pick up trash & recycles when picnicking outdoors or at the beach.

    Safe Drinking
    Don’t get all of your calories from alcohol, which is one sure-fire way to mess up your healthy eating plans. Stick to one drink or two drinks, and have red or white wine, or light beer. Avoid the cocktails and mixed drinks, which are full of sugar.
    Keep hydrated with plenty of water. Carry a water bottle around with you so you don’t get thirsty – thirst can lead to you eating more. Make water more interesting by adding slices of lemon or lime, and alternate between sparkling and still water.

    Have questions of how to begin a health regimen for overall wellness? Call 305-296-535 and book an appointment with Dr. Ashley Hoyt. Your free consultation can set you on the path to overall wellness.

  • Chronic Pain Is Real. Break The Cycle !

    Chronic Pain Awareness Key West Wellness Center

    “Chronic pain in the muscles and joints can make life miserable.” Says Daniel Pendick, Former Executive Editor, Harvard Men’s Health Watch. He continues to say “Standard treatments like ice and heat, anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, and appropriate exercises can often ease the pain. But when they don’t, acupuncture is an option with a good track record that’s worth considering.

    Over the years there has been substantial debate about whether acupuncture really works for chronic pain. Research from an international team of experts adds to the evidence that it does provide real relief from common forms of pain. The team pooled the results of 29 studies involving nearly 18,000 participants. Some had acupuncture, some had “sham” acupuncture, and some didn’t have acupuncture at all.” Overall, acupuncture relieved pain by about 50% with ongoing treatment in a short amount of time. The results were published in Archives of Internal Medicine. “The study isn’t the last word on the issue, but it is one of the best quality studies to date and has made an impression. “Says Pendick

    “I think the benefit of acupuncture is clear, and the complications and potential adverse effects of acupuncture are low compared with medication,” says Dr. Lucy Chen, a board-certified anesthesiologist, specialist in pain medicine, and practicing acupuncturist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

    “Opioids and NSAIDs do not work for everyone and have unacceptable side effects, particularly when used over a long period of time,” said Nigel Bunnett, a professor of surgery and pharmacology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.

    How does it work?
    “Acupuncturists insert hair-thin needles into the skin at specific points around the body. It is virtually painless when done by an experienced practitioner. Inserting the needles corrects imbalances in the flow of energy in the body, called qi (pronounced “chee”). In Western scientific terms acupuncture is thought to ease pain by affecting neurotransmitters, hormone levels and/or the immune system.” Says Pendick
    For new pain, an acupuncturist should not always be your first stop. Dr. Chen recommends that individuals have clear diagnoses of what is causing their pain to rule out serious medical conditions that should be treated right away—and then seek out acupuncture.

    What defines chronic pain?
    The Institute for Chronic Pain defines the condition as pain that lasts longer than 6 months. Sometimes chronic pain stems from an illness or injury and sometimes it comes with additional symptoms, which may escalate it to a chronic pain syndrome. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) explains the condition like this:
    While acute pain is a normal sensation triggered in the nervous system to alert you to possible injury and the need to take care of yourself, chronic pain is different. Chronic pain persists. Pain signals keep firing in the nervous system for weeks, months, even years. There may have been an initial mishap — sprained back, serious infection, or there may be an ongoing cause of pain — arthritis, cancer, ear infection, but some people suffer chronic pain in the absence of any past injury or evidence of body damage.
    Because chronic pain can cause additional symptoms like loss of sleep or elevated levels of stress, it can create a vicious circle of pain for those who suffer with the problem.

    Seeking help from a provider
    Acupuncture treatment and various types of massage therapy help relieve tension and stress, aids in easing muscle and joint pain, improves sleep and provides many other benefits that can help alleviate the symptoms of chronic pain. If you have chronic pain, be sure to talk to your acupuncturist or massage therapist about your condition to ensure that you receive treatment that helps improve your symptoms and doesn’t aggravate them. Your therapist should go through a thorough intake process to help understand your condition and the accompanying symptoms.
    Practitioners will likely tailor their approach to your health condition, taking into account other information like whether any flare-ups have occurred. Always during treatment, whether you suffer from chronic pain or not, communicate with your therapist if something increases your pain or just doesn’t feel right. Let any other medical practitioners you see know about any acupuncture, massage or other natural therapies you are using to treat your condition.

    Source: Former Executive Editor,Daniel Pendick of Harvard Men’s Health Watch. Emmanuel Rodriguez, LMT of Acupuncture and Massage College, Inc. Christopher Wanjek of Live Science.

    Key West Wellness Center – Dr. Ashley Hoyt
    3420 Duck Ave.
    1 (305) 296-5358
    Contact@KeyWestWellnessCenter.com
    www.KeyWestWellnessCenter.com