As January is the month we’ve focused upon health, we went to some members of our healthcare advisory board for their thoughts about what wellness means to them.
Justine Schepis, DDS
What’s the number one piece of advice you give your patients?
Good oral health is a big contributor to your overall wellness. Prevention and early treatment will keep you healthy and happy and out of the dental chair. Our hygiene appointments are not only about getting your teeth cleaned but also education and early detection.
What are the things that people can do to stay out of your office?
Brush regularly, floss, or use a waterpik along with a fluoridated oral rinse. Nothing fancy. The other trick is what we call “oral clearance”. It's important not to let sugar settle in your mouth for long periods of time; the easiest way to do that if you can’t brush is to swish with water and spit it out or even swallow it.
How do you like to stay fit?
I love taking walks or hikes with my husband and dog. And I recently became a peloton member and now understand why people become obsessed with it! In the winter I enjoy snowboarding with my husband and friends.
How do you define wellness?
Being your best self, both physically and mentally, while allowing yourself cheat days. I don't believe in being 100% all the time but I believe in striving for it and accepting the days where you fall a little short and enjoying those days too. You need to have that dessert some days, you need recovery days from physical activity, and you need a day where you say to yourself, "I am mentally spent so I am shutting my mind off for a few hours and doing something mindless". I think wellness is interdisciplinary and I strongly believe your oral health is a factor. A confident smile helps you with your mental health; a healthy bite helps with your physical health so you can choose healthy foods to eat; healthy gums and limiting bacteria in your mouth helps with your systemic health. There are many reasons your smile, strong teeth, and healthy gums are paramount to your wellness.
If you didn’t go into this, what would you have done instead?
I think I would have become a science teacher. I love biology and being with children. There is nothing more fulfilling than encouraging a child’s curious mind and helping them grow. I wholeheartedly believe that good teachers shape our youth and are important for our future.
Dr. Henry Madalian, chiropractor
What’s the number one piece of advice you give your patients?
“Health isn’t valued until it’s lost.” Your well being should be your first priority in your life.
What are the things that people can do to stay out of your office?
To understand that “symptoms” of the human body happen after the body becomes diseased. Don’t wait until symptoms start nor cover it up with drugs. Invest in yourself.
How do you like to stay fit?
I like to stay fit by hiking and riding my fat tire mountain bike around Packanack Lake and the hills around it.
What sort of education and training do you need to have to be successful?
I first graduated from University of Maryland Science and then attended Life University to become Doctor of Chiropractic. My passion was science. My training was at the internationally known Gonstead Clinic in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin. I was trained by understanding the fundamentals of mechanical engineering and applying that to chiropractic technique. Without having love for your people (patients) and in your craft, you have nothing to offer the world. You must first care for your patients, then have the knowledge in treating your patients. That’s the actual order of success.
How do you define wellness?
Wellness is from above down inside out. You have a spiritual side (above), through the central nervous system out the spine to your organs and muscles to the very last cell in your little toe. For the body to work as it was designed, you must fortify it with the best nutrients (unprocessed food) you can afford and devote spiritual time and exercise into your life.
Jill Clarvit and Neil Nosenchuk, co-owners, Elements Massage
What is the most common reason people come to you?
Stress and pain relief as well as an escape for a bit of time. Massage is proven to benefit one's mental health as well.
How do you like to stay fit?
Walking and meditating.
What sort of education and training do you need to have to be successful?
You have to have a good business mind to run your own business. You need to be able to coach your team and engage them. It also helps to love what you do and learn as much as possible by taking business classes, reading everything you can about your field.
How do you define wellness?
I read this somewhere and truly believe it. "Wellness is the act of practicing healthy habits on a daily basis to attain better physical and mental health outcomes, so that instead of just surviving, you're thriving."
If you didn’t go into this, what would you have done instead?
I am a Certified Life Coach and was in the Advertising and Marketing industry for 20+ years before we bought an Elements Massage Franchise and Neil was an Operations Manager for various companies. Our manager son, Jordon, is a student at WPU, studying Communications and Media, with a focus on sports.