Happy Holidays from Integrative Health & Wellness Center!

The holidays are a wonderful time to focus on community, and to shine a light on all the positive effects of support systems on our wellness and the wellness of the community overall. In this newsletter, we will discuss:

• A Holiday Gift Certificate Special!
• The impact of support systems on your physical and mental wellness
• The importance of community as a support system and how to get involved
• How IHWC services can help facilitate wellness and community involvement

Congratulations to Marissa!

Marissa won our monthly random subscriber drawing for a free float or infrared sauna session here at Integrative Health and Wellness! We will be reaching out to you by email to get you set up and ready to relax!

The Importance of Support Systems and Community Connection

Support systems can come in many forms including family, friends, neighbors, and beyond. Support systems may be formed based on common interests, shared experiences such as work or school, and even location. Regardless of how a support system forms, it can have huge impacts on our physical and mental wellness. Having a support system can reduce physical health problems and stress. (1)

Having a support system can also provide emotional support, which reduces stress and has been shown to boost the immune system. (2) Being able to call on people when you need help creates a sense of safety in a situation that might otherwise feel overwhelming. A support system can also be incredibly validating and help us feel a sense of belonging.

Community is an important support system that can have a huge impact on our wellness. A recent study showed that having a positive sense of community is associated with reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. (3)

Being in a community gives us a sense of fellowship and common purpose, which can also give us a sense of individual purpose. Studies have shown that a sense of purpose in life predicts better emotional resilience, which helps us navigate stress. (4) That shared sense of purpose also leads to shared understanding, values, and goals, which leads to the betterment of the community overall.

Getting Involved

There are a lot of ways to get involved with your local community. A great place to start is by asking family and friends about any events, clubs, or groups they are part of. Check out local Baker City events through sites like https://www.bakercitydowntown.com/ and https://www.visitbaker.com/. Local Facebook groups are also a great place to engage with the community. Don’t forget to check out our Instagram where we will keep you updated with other events happening here at IHWC!

One community you are already participating in is the IHWC community! We want to enhance your life by sharing helpful information, highlighting local events, and providing services designed to facilitate health, healing, and overall wellness.

While engaging with support systems and communities is incredibly beneficial for our health, sometimes if we aren’t feeling well physically or mentally it can be difficult to engage socially and get those benefits. Things like physical pain, stress, and anxiety can make social activities feel overwhelming. Physical and mental health are intertwined, and IHWC services offer benefits to both. Here’s how IHWC services can help support your wellness:

• Physical Therapy - Experience the benefits of a holistic approach to physical therapy that focuses on the whole person to target root dysfunctions, maximize the body’s self-healing mechanisms, and regulate the stress response while paying close attention to the connection between the mind, body, and spirit.
• Float Tank - Detach from the noise of the world and let go of mental and physical tension. Our float cabin lets you float effortlessly so you can focus on rest and relaxation.
• Infrared Sauna - Warm up in our Far Infrared Sauna and enjoy benefits like relaxation, stress relief, detoxification and decreased inflammation.
• Hypnotherapy - Harness the power of your subconscious mind to improve your quality of life and change habits and behaviors through clinical hypnosis and guided imagery.
• Massage - Relax and rejuvenate through massage therapy that promotes stress reduction, flexibility, sleep, and immune response while decreasing muscle stiffness, inflammation, and pain.
• Acupuncture - Promote wellness and reduce stress with acupuncture through a lens of traditional Chinese medicine and holistic health.
• Sound Bath and Frequency Healing - Enjoy a restorative sound bath and vibration reset to relieve stress and anxiety, improve sleep, reduce toxins in the body, strengthen your immune system, alleviate pain, and more.
• Reiki - Experience a flow of healing energy that creates a deep state of relaxation, allowing your body to release accumulated stress and tension while dissolving energy blocks that hinder the natural balance between mind, body, and spirit.
• Soul-Level Intuitive Healing - Receive guidance to open up a line of communication with your highest self to encourage a synergistic connection between your mind, body, spirit, heart, and soul.

If you would like to book an appointment or learn more about these services, call us at 541-523-9664 or click the link below!

Thank you for being a part of our IHWC community!

Until next time,

The IHWC Team

Sources cited:

1. ​https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/about/community-health/johns-hopkins-bayview/services/called-to-care/social-support-systems​
2. ​https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7025456/#:~:text=Results%3A,associated%20with%20increased%20antiviral%20immunity.​
3. ​https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10314672/​
4. ​https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3827458/​