Good morning, it’s Brenda here. I like to take Sunday morning slow and enjoy my cup of decaf while watching CBS Sunday morning (really I record it, so at least on a good week, I’m actually watching it on a Sunday!!). I’m always hoping for nature stories, or something about good neighbors, but one of the segments today was on Long Covid.

I knew I needed to write a blog about this, so here goes my summation of the story (feel free to watch it air date: 7/17/2022).

They were interviewing an MD who admits there is no MRI, blood test,X-ray, or current diagnostic test that can confirm Long Covid, but that it is a real issue that people are having. The interviewer, as an aside, mentioned those with auto-immune/chronic fatigue/fibro also understanding about having an illness that the medical community cannot confirm with diagnostics. Near the end of the interview, they mention the immune system, the importance of a healthy gut biome, and inflammation being an issue with those with Long Covid—but then they cut back to the personal interviews they were doing with the people who have Long Covid. No one mentions how to work on those systems, just that research is starting to develop ways to help.

This is what really got my attention. There are already ways to help decrease inflammation, help restore your gut, and boost your immune system—you don’t have to wait!

With myofascial release, when a release occurs, the body releases histamine and the area involved can become itchy or red, and then the body makes and releases it’s own anti-inflammatory called Interleukin-8 (how cool is that?). Systemic inflammation is an issue we all face—either with joint inflammation, cardiovascular inflammation, or an over-reactive muscular-skeleton response to inflammation (medical words for this are arthritis, coronary artery disease, fibromyalgia). We need options to help us all decrease our systemic inflammation.

Prior to March 2020, I was already a huge advocate of wellness, and finding ways to stay healthy and out of the hospital, but in this Post-covid era, I am powerfully aware that we need to stay well and stay out of the hospital.

In November of 2021 I started searching for a nurse practitioner or RN to do wellness infusions at Monarch PT, because I want to have access and my clients to have access to ways to help decrease inflammation, stay hydrated, and ultimately stay out of the hospital. It took months, but I am pleased to announce that April Walter, RN, BSN is now coming to the Comfort location to do wellness vitamin IV infusions.

If you are wondering what the heck that means, here are some more details:

Her company is called Hydration Station & Med Spa, and she works with a medical director. You fill out some intake paperwork a day or two prior to your visit so they can review your medical history. Then you talk on the day of to find out what you are needing. You get an IV with a bag of saline, and to that, she adds a combo of items such as Vitamin C, Glutathione, B12, Taurine, and Magnesium. She can also add a powerful anti-inflammatory called NAD (Short for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. A coenzyme that occurs in many living cells and functions as an electron acceptor.)

These infusions are great for many reasons like:

-I’m about to travel and want to boost my immune system so I can stay well

-Texas is currently hotter than the sun and I can’t seem to stay hydrated

-I’m in a flare and need to get in to see Brenda, but she doesn’t have enough openings that fit my schedule and I’m in pain.

To schedule with April, please call or text her at 979-229-7745 and let her know you would like an appointment in Comfort. She also has an office in Fredericksburg, so if that is more convenient, just let her know you heard about her from Monarch. She then gives us the list so we know who to expect on the days she is in our office. It takes about an hour, and we have clients on the biomat for the infusion.

I’m just doing what I can to offer services to keep us well. Human nature doesn’t really value wellness until we feel sick or have an injury that makes us appreciate feeling good. Who knew we would have to work this hard just to stay healthy??

If you have any questions, please contact me brenda@monarchpt.com, or call us at 830.431.0017.