During these trying times, we’ve found that one of the best ways to keep our spirits high (which helps keep our immunity up too!) is to keep recognizing and celebrating all the silver linings. So when we find ourselves starting down the path of lamenting for the days we had more genuine, face-to-face customer interactions and even more hugs, we shift our thoughts to the excellent service we’re still able to offer through our new curbside service and mail-out orders, and to how we can improve and offer even more for you every day. Here are some ways we’re keeping ourselves going, and we hope this helps to keep you going too!
 

Generosity Makes a Difference

You, dear customers have been brightening our world in many ways, which we are ever so grateful for. As if your friendly smiles and your patronage were not enough, we’ve had some customers donate face masks and Clorox wipes to help keep our employees safe, and some very loyal compounding customers at our North location even dropped by some Starbucks gift cards! We want you to know, these gestures mean a lot to us!

We’ve also had some awesome vendors step up and take care of us, too! Topi-Click fed our pharmacy staff lunch at all stores, and brands like CV Sciences, WAAYB, Gaia Herbs, Probulin, and Hemp Fusion have brought us samples to support our employees both physically and mentally right now, which we’re all so appreciative of!

Of course, it certainly didn’t hurt when Petals, Ink. delivered free flowers to our South store, just because. Thank you, Petals, Ink, for brightening our day! And when *2* new babies were just born into the Peoples family in the last month (welcome baby Daisy and baby Tristan!), you just can’t help but be joyful.
 

Giving is Receiving

What touches our hearts on a daily basis, is seeing our own Peoples people stepping up to take care of each other. Employees at all locations have been doing nice things for each other for no reason other than to show they care. We’ve had staff making face masks, bringing snacks, and even providing entire meals for each other. They’ve worked together to have store-wide meals to share too, and just check in on one another in general. It’s through acts like these, by taking the time to care for themselves and each other, that our staff is able to give their absolute best to our customers.

As a company, Peoples has proudly found ways to give back more as well. In recognizing that many local eateries are now struggling to keep their doors open, we’ve started providing weekly lunches for employees from nearby local restaurants. There’s been so much love pouring into our stores as a local brand, we want to spread the love around, from one local to another! We’re also thrilled that we’ve been able to secure the ingredients to compound our own hand sanitizer, which we will be donating to a couple of local fire stations.
 

New & Fun Ways to Spend Time

If you’ve got more time than usual and are looking for ways to spend it usefully, try out these ideas!

• Keep laughter in your life by discovering a new feel-good sitcom, checking out a new podcast, or watching John Krasinski’s Some Good News.

• Find a new way to exercise! Try out a Sweatfest dance party, get to know Austin native Yoga with Adriene, or support a local yoga studio who has moved to livestreaming classes like Black Swan, Practice Yoga, or Sukha Yoga. The YMCA, Todd Pilates, and Camp Gladiator are also offering workout-from-home options!

• Try out new recipes from The Good Food Fighter to get out of your normal kitchen routine.

• Send a note, call, or set up a Zoom chat to catch up with people who have touched your life but you haven’t been in touch with in a while.

• Start a gratitude journal! Take a few minutes each day to write down three quick things you’re thankful for to keep your focus on positivity.

• Learn a new crafty hobby while supporting a small local business!

• Quiet and calm the mind. Check out apps like Headspace, Calm, Insight Timer, or Simple Habit for mindfulness and guided meditation.

 
We may not know what tomorrow holds, but as long as we are able to safely stay open, we’ll be here providing the knowledge and care we love to give. Together we’ll all get through this, and we’ll be even better for it on the other side!
 
 
If you have comments and/or questions about this blog, email us at blog@peoplesrx.com.

As conditions like depression and anxiety become more and more prevalent in society, it sometimes seems as though science and medicine struggle to keep up with viable solutions for those suffering. If you currently struggle with any kind of brain-related condition, listen up! These local clinics and their treatment options might be worth looking into.

Neurotherapy

Sometimes called Neurofeedback, this non-invasive therapy uses technology and feedback from your brain waves to treat a number of ailments and conditions. It is used to target symptoms of everything from migraines and anxiety, to brain injuries and ADHD.

The feedback is used to retrain brain waves into new patterns, allowing clients to actively heal themselves. It is possible for people of all ages to benefit from this type of therapy, and Austin is lucky to have a handful of clinics providing these services.

The Peak Performance Institute uses electroencephalogram (EEG) Neurofeedback techniques and more traditional psychological therapy to not only get an accurate diagnosis, but to also create a specialized treatment plan by working closely with patients’ treating physicians.

The Austin Biofeedback and EEG Neurofeedback Center utilizes state of the art therapeutic tools to give clients biofeedback that will provide ‘helpful information about physiological functions in a way that is easy to understand and use.’ They aim to improve brain functions by helping your brain adopt new habits, with the goal of dealing with neurological conditions and developing a more resilient brain to improve cognition and promote healthy aging.

Neurofeedback has been used for migraines, depression, anxiety, ADHD and learning disorders, the autism spectrum, poor memory, seizures, head injuries, and so much more.

Personalized Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (PrTMS)

A little known therapy called Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) has been on the scene in testing since the 1980’s, and the FDA-approved and insurance-covered treatment has been available for the past 8 years for treating depression. As a pediatric radiation oncologist specializing in brain tumors, San Diego physician Dr. Kevin Murphy has combined his knowledge of the brain with a close personal interest in autism to adapt rTMS technology into a more refined science. Professional experience, personal drive, and 8 years of practical research resulted in a personalized TMS protocol known as PrTMS, a cutting-edge new treatment that may help where other strategies have failed when it comes to neurological disorders like depression. For Dr. Murphy, it helped his 9-year-old son who was on the Autism Spectrum go from needing one-on-one attention to transitioning off the spectrum. He also transitioned into a regular class in school in a matter of months.

PrTMS has been shown to offer high remission rates for a wide range of conditions without medications or side effects. Each treatment protocol is designed to meet the specific need of each patient for overall brain health. There are many who currently benefit from PrTMS, including NASA astronauts, Navy Seals, professional athletes, children on the autistic spectrum, veterans with PTSD, those suffering with bipolar disorder, and many more.

How It Works
Like a fine musical instrument, our brains can also get out of tune. Physical or emotional trauma, illness, medications and age can all contribute to resulting discord over time. Some traumatic events may cause a slowing in areas of the brain. This slowing can appear as depression, memory loss, diminished executive functioning, and dementia. Other areas of the brain may be moving too fast, as often seen in post traumatic stress (PTSD), anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and the autism spectrum. Imagine a marching band where different sections are playing in different rhythms. Just as that can be uncomfortable to hear, we experience a similar discomfort when our brains are playing different tunes.

Every brain has an intrinsic, efficient operating frequency which enables peak performance. This ranges generally from 8 to 10 hertz, and varies individually. The magnetic pulses of PrTMS act as a conductor, commanding both the areas that are moving too slow or too fast to move in the optimal time. Over a series of treatments, the “band,” or brain, begins working together and in sync.

To find the right frequency or time for each person, the EEG captures a snapshot of the functioning of 19 areas of the brain and the individual’s resonant frequency. Although not yet a diagnostic tool on its own, the EEG helps guide and monitor the treatment and progress.

Weekly EEGs, medical and medication history, and self-assessments are used to personalize the TMS treatment to work with each person’s inherent frequency. Along with FDA-approved and adapted TMS treatment machines, doctors are able to finely tune the traditional rTMS treatment for each individual. The personalization allows for a more targeted and painless treatment with high efficacy rates.

The Patient Experience
As an outpatient treatment, patients attend daily treatments for 6-8 weeks. During the 30-minute PrTMS treatments, the patient sits in a reclined chair while a strong magnet rests on the head over three locations during the treatment session. Pulse sequences called trains painlessly deliver the treatment over 20 to 30 minutes. Peer-reviewed articles on traditional rTMS show 30-40% remission where patients suffering from depression were off medications completely. The Oak Hill Wellness Clinic has an 85% success rate, meaning a 50% or greater decrease in symptoms in patients suffering from depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other conditions. The 36-session treatment is a major game changer for those that have not been able to tolerate medications.

Long-Term Effects
Some clients go into complete remission without needing future treatments while others require a “maintenance” cycle consisting of 1-2 weeks of treatment once or twice a year, as needed. Medications may generally be eliminated or greatly reduced. Treatment with PrTMS works similar to a computer reboot. In order to best maintain the positive effects of this reset, clients are urged to consider complementary modalities to support these changes in the long term. These may include:

● Counseling or therapy to support positive lifestyle changes
● Partnering with prescribing doctors to adjust and/or eliminate medications
● Nutritional counseling to explore the gut-brain connection toward optimal health
● Meditation and/or mindfulness techniques
● Movement and/or exercise

Finding What Works For You

At Peoples Rx, we know that the answer to your health concerns doesn’t always lie in a pill. We love taking a holistic approach to health, and simply sharing health information that can improve peoples’ lives. Peoples Rx has no affiliation or financial relationship with the clinics listed above. We hope to see you soon and look forward to serving you on your next visit!

The PrTMS portion of this article is written by Dr. Vinay Parameswara of Oak Hill Wellness Clinic. He is one of only eight PrTMS providers worldwide.

To learn more about PrTMS and the various disorders with promise for a positive clinical response, please contact Oak Hill Wellness Clinic by calling 512-892-0030 or by emailing susan@oakhill360health.com.

The forecast is in! What fad diets are in? Which ones are out? Which superfoods top the list? What are the new media and marketing trends? What fitness is in/out? My name is Katherine Grey Crosswell, Peoples’ resident Weight Loss & Wellness Specialist. Here’s what to get excited about and watch out for this year! Read more →