The West Linn Chamber is looking forward to a year filled with growth, potential and success for all our Members! We want to let our community know how amazing your company is. Simply send us an email with your event details to staff@westlinnchamber.com and we will share it in our Newsletter and online. Happy New Year and cheers to connecting more in 2020!
A Workaholic’s Guide to Cold and Flu Season
Pt 1: Win with Basic Lifestyle Hacks
People who own or lead businesses are a breed who consistently push themselves to work hard and produce results. We are Overachievers, and we tend to be Workaholics. Being highly motivated to work is a great characteristic when we are working on a big job or starting a new project, however it can also be a liability to our health and well being. Specifically, it’s important to remember that when we push too hard, we are at a high risk for getting sick.
Illness is a Triple Curse!
For Workaholics, getting sick hurts triple. It is bad for our businesses, it’s bad for our personal budgets, and it’s bad for our mental health. First, aside from losing money directly from cancelled services and sales in the office, missing work days break your business momentum. If you lose a week or 2 to illness in the middle of a big project, it can easily lead to problematic delays and increased expenses. Workaholics also face the personal expenses of healthcare: high insurance deductibles, medication costs, office visits, and co-pays which add up quickly. Lastly, it’s incredibly stressful to miss important meetings and deadlines when people are counting on us. Aside from hurting our mental health, this extra stress is also harmful physically because it prolongs illnesses – so you end up with a negative mood and a lingering cough that won’t go away a month later or ongoing fatigue. Luckily there are easy things you can do every day to prevent the triple curse and win this cold and flu season!
Workaholic’s Tip #1: Kill germs, Win Health.
1. Sanitize: your keyboard, desk, devices, steering wheel, and water bottle daily.
I also recommend using a safe, chemical free option for sanitizing so you aren’t exposing yourself to chemicals that disrupt hormones or may cause cancer while you are preventing a cold.
2. Wash your Hands:
Use regular soap and water – Antibacterial Soap NOT required!
– When you arrive at work/get home
– Before you touch your eyes/nose/mouth or eat
– After using shared tools/equipment – at the office, gym, or at home
– After using the bathroom
-After being in contact with people who are sick
Workaholic’s Tip #2: Use Lifestyle Hacks to Stay Healthy
1. Make Sleep a Priority: Studies show that sleep is more important than any other factor in staying well – even when directly exposed to a virus. To be completely honest, there isn’t a vitamin or an herb that is more powerful than good quality sleep when it comes to promoting health and immunity. If you’ve tried everything, but you aren’t getting good sleep or you don’t wake feeling rested, talk to your health providers. Sometimes, fixing sleep issues is as simple as adding Magnesium or Vitamin D to your daily routine. There are lots of safe and natural options to help you get deep sleep all night long.
2. De-Stress Daily: Being stressed out puts us at a high risk for getting sick. Stress lowers your immunity and can really destroy you. It hurts your body by doing things like raising blood pressure and damaging digestion and it ruins the mood by making us grumpy, emotional, angry, impatient, and irritable. De-Stressing can be as simple as taking some deep breaths, soaking in a bath, doodling in a notebook, playing with essential oils, or gentle stretching. I also recommend visiting your favorite Acupuncturist for a relaxation session. Euphoria and Bliss are my favorite Acupuncture side effects!
3. Stay Active: A daily 20 minute walk at lunch, regularly hitting the gym, or some weekend golfing can be enough to increase your immunity and keep you from getting sick. A great goal would be 10-15K steps daily.
4. Eat Healthy: We all know we should be eating a varied diet of plants. Fruits and vegetables ensure we are getting enough nutrients in our diets to build and maintain a healthy immune system. When people around you are getting sick, it’s especially important to do your best to have a healthy diet. Eating clean basically means skipping fried and processed food, fast food, and sugary sweets and enjoying lots of organic, unprocessed fruits/vegetables and lean protein instead. It’s really not hard – it’s about making better choices: swap out sugary cereals or pop tarts for a warm bowl of hearty oatmeal and fruit. Take a minute to plan ahead for your lunch and bring some fresh chicken and veggies instead of grabbing a burger and fries.
A Workaholic’s Guide to Cold and Flu Season
Pt 2: Beyond Basics – Supercharged Health Strategies
You’ve sanitized and you’ve washed. You’re de-stressing and sleeping and doing it right. However, if there is suddenly a bug going around the office or in your home and people are calling in sick, many Workaholics want to do more to ensure we stay healthy and productive. Luckily there are some supercharged health strategies you can use to win this cold and flu season!
Workaholic’s Tip #3: Supplemental Nutrients Change the Game
Adding an Immune System focused nutrient plan to your daily routine can dramatically improve your resistance to infections. Clinically, I often recommend Vitamin D and Probiotics as building blocks for a strong immune system. Additionally, Magnesium, B complex vitamins (especially B6 and B12) and Vitamin C are also very important. While these vitamin products are widely available, it can be difficult to pick which product you need and how much you should take from the massive amount of choices you have at the store. Generally, you get what you pay for in these markets, but the supplement industry is quite unregulated and safety/potency vary from brand to brand and bottle to bottle. To determine the perfect supplement plan for you, please consult your favorite provider for more information if you have any questions.
Aside from vitamins, there are also many herbal formulas to support your immune system and boost your resistance to viruses. Some people swear by Garlic. Other people love Elderberry and Echinacea. If you ask 100 people, you will get 100 answers! Myself, I am a huge fan of both Western and Chinese Herbal remedies. There are some herbal products that are very effective when taken before you get sick, and there are other herbal products that work best to support you at the very start of symptoms. It can be confusing to decide which herbs to take when if you don’t have any training, so please consult with your favorite provider if you have any concerns or questions. Additionally, some herbal products, like licorice, can affect blood pressure and other herbal products like those containing St. John’s Wort can interfere with your medications, so please use caution with herbal medicine.
Lastly, research shows Acupuncture can enhance your immune system, making it stronger at fighting off cold and flu viruses, preventing illness. Acupuncture also helps after you’re sick by speeding healing and treating the symptoms. There are wonderful techniques to improve your breathing and benefit cough/phlegm, sore throats, fevers, and body aches. Your Acupuncturist has you covered when it comes to Colds/Flu!
As a courtesy to my fellow West Linn Chamber members, I am offering free 30 min. Supplement and/or Acupuncture consultations! If you would like me to look over your current plan and/or recommend products for you, I am happy to be a resource to connect you to the product you need. Email me at Natalie@OCFamilyAcu.com and mention the West Linn Chamber deal for more information and scheduling!
A Workaholic’s Guide to Cold and Flu Season
Pt 3: How to Recover STAT if You Get Sick
You did the everything you could do, but the virus was too strong and you’re getting signs that you are going down! At first, it can be very difficult to tell if you have a cold or a flu. The typical symptoms for both conditions include:
- sore throat
- runny nose
- coughing
- sneezing
- headaches
- body aches
Typically, Flu symptoms are more severe than Cold symptoms, but there is a lot of overlap between them and even providers can have a hard time distinguishing between them without lab testing. The good news is that there are some basic guidelines apply no matter the illness. Up next, let’s discuss how you can reduce the severity and duration of a Cold/Flu, prevent spreading illness to others, and keep yourself safe if you’re starting to get sick.
Workaholic’s Tip #4: Know When You Should Stay Home
- Do You Have a Fever? If you have a fever, you are contagious. If you are contagious you need to stay home. Non-negotiable. If you don’t stay home, you are not only hurting yourself by slowing your recovery, but you are hurting other by spreading germs and passing your illness to others. Worst of all, you are leading by poor example. We have to model good behavior too!
- How Well Can You Carry Out Your Work Duties?Stay home if you’re feeling brain fog. If you are sick, your cognitive function is not at optimal levels. This compromises decision making and leads to mistakes and errors. Staying home will help you recover faster and save you time repeating and correcting the work you did when you weren’t feeling well.
- Are you Super Tired? Fatigue is a red flag with illness. Symptoms will only get worse over the next couple days if you don’t stop and rest. A simple cough can turn into Pneumonia if we don’t take care of ourselves and listen to our bodies. Fatigue is your body’s way of telling you that you need to rest so you can fight this infection. Nothing is more powerful at promoting healing than sleep and rest, so take care of yourself and stay home.
- Are you taking medications that could impair your ability to think, work, operate machinery, or drive? If you are so ill that you are taking a controlled substance for pain/discomfort, you need to stay home. You also should NOT be driving as it could be very dangerous. Always consult with your Pharmacist and Providers for information about all your prescriptions.
Workaholic’s Tip #5: Practice Good Cough and Sneeze Etiquette
- Always cough and sneeze into a tissue or your upper shirt sleeve, completely covering your mouth and nose, and immediately throw used tissues in the garbage.
- Always wash your hands after covering your mouth, sneezing, or blowing your nose.
- Avoid close contact with others, such as hugging, kissing, or shaking hands.
- Move away from people before coughing or sneezing.
- Disinfect frequently touched surfaces, and objects such as toys and doorknobs
Workaholic’s Tip #6: Practice Good Home Care
- Rest and Drink plenty of Water.
- Eat Well. Chicken Soup really does help!
- Take medicine if you can’t sleep.
- Many people choose to ride out their symptoms and let the body heal itself, but if your congestion or body aches are making sleep very difficult, take something to safely help you breathe better or be more comfortable so you can sleep.
- Always read the label and use medications as directed. Be careful if you are combining medications as well. Note: not all products work well together and some combinations can have dangerous side effects.
- Talk to your doctor before giving your child nonprescription cold medicines
Workaholic’s Tip #6: Know When to See Your Health Providers
Consult a Medical Professional if:
- symptoms that last more than 10 days
- symptoms that are severe or unusual
- if your child is younger than 3 months of age and has a fever or is lethargic
Call your Doctor STAT if you are High Rist and start to get Cold/Flu Symptoms:
- The following patients are at high risk for serious flu complications.
- Children Younger than 5
- Adults Over 65
- Pregnant Women
- Patients with Serious Medical Conditions including: Asthma, Diabetes, Heart Disease
Following these tips will help any Workaholic Win this Cold/Flu Season! If you have any questions or concerns or if you would like a free 30 min consulation, please send me an email: Natalie@OCFamilyAcu.com and mention the West Linn Chamber.
I wish you good health and prosperity this season!
Natalie Mich LAc
Family Care Acupuncture and Health Center
1300 John Adams St. STE 119
Oregon City, OR 97045
503-868-1496
Thank You To Our Mother’s Day Fashion Show & Dinner Sponsors!
Diamond
Emerald
Ruby
ActiveEdge
Lisa Elliot- Matilda Jane Clothing
Medkov Homes LLC
New Member Spotlight
Wishing Well Floral proudly serves the West Linn and surrounding areas.
We are family owned and operated and committed to offering only the finest floral arrangements and gift baskets. Local Wine and beer basket deliveries as well pairs with flowers. Yes, we deliver beer and wine with flowers backed by service that is friendly and prompt. Because all of our customers are important, our professional staff is dedicated to making your experience a pleasant one. That is why we always go the extra mile to make your floral gift perfect.
Don’t see your city? Call us and ask!
We are happy to set up house accounts, business accounts and weekly plant and flower delivery to your office or home.
In a hurry? We offer curbside pickup for your convenience.
Let Wishing Well Floral be your first choice for flowers.
info@wishingwellfloral.com 503-557-3823 www.westlinnflowers.com
Spotlight On New Member: Jennifer Botte, RN, Arbonne Independent Consultant
Jennifer Botte has been an RN for over 20 years and loves teaching people how to make better choices in regards to their health and how to feel their best. As an Independent Consultant for Arbonne, this has been a great vehicle to serve others through health and wellness. New to the West Linn area, Jennifer offers Healthy Living Workshops either in her home or hosted by others, as well as Lunch and Learn’sto places of business. She also teaches and trains others to start their own business.
Arbonne’s Pure, Safe, Beneficial products are designed to help you get healthy from the inside out. They’ve been living by it for over 36 years, continuously improving and re-evaluating their policies and ingredients.
It’s not just what they put in their products that makes them superior. It’s what they choose to formulate without. Arbonne integrates the most beneficial botanical ingredients from nature with the principles of green chemistry — crafting products with integrity, expertise and innovation. And they do it responsibly, taking care of our earth at the same time.
Arbonne offers over 400 products including botanically inspired skincare collections clinically tested to reduce the signs of aging, plant-powered nutritional products that provide all the nutrients you need with high-quality formulas, and toxin free makeup to bring out the radiance and confidence within.
Contact Jennifer to schedule a workshop and earn free products, or shop her website at JenniferBotte.arbonne.com
Upcoming Events:
30 Day Healthy Living Programsbeginning 1/29, 2/12 and 2/26
Jennifer Botte, RN
Arbonne Independent Consultant
310-869-8192
jbotte13@gmail.com
Spotlight On New Member: tutor doctor
Studies show that one-on-one tutoring can markedly improve grades and build confidence in students. Tutor Doctor reaches students in their own homes and on their schedules.Tutor Doctor believes that “the thinking cap can be tailored,” so understanding students’ individual learning styles, academic needs, weaknesses, and goals is paramount to creating a personalized curriculum and a perfect match between student and tutor. Continuing reading article here
Play Spot The Car!
Win a $50 gift cardto a local favorite establishment drawn each week. If you become a client win 2 free hours of Tutoring* Each day the Tutor Doctor Car will be parked at a different location around town.
January 2018: West Linn 2 – 7,Tualatin 8 – 14, Sherwood 15 – 21, Wilsonville 22 – 29
Glenn Thorstensen & Amanda Neun
503-966-3134
www.tutordoctor.com
Spotlight on Existing Member: Community Living Above
Community Living Above is based on community collaboration to engage, educate, and empower individuals and their families on Substance Use Disorder/Mental Health and the effect it has on our environments. We work to support youth and their families in preventing influences or experiences that don’t support being the best that they can be. We provide education, access to resources, and peer-to-peer encouragement so that they can make the best decisions for themselves to live a healthy life.
A Few Articles:
They booze, they Uber, but do parents know? Teens often escape parent accountability because they are considered (and in many ways are) good kids. But good and safe are not the same. In groups, teens experience an exponential increase in risk-taking behaviors. This, paired with alcohol shrinks the good while elevating the reckless. Too often, the GPA is dominant consideration in determining social freedoms. More so, the they’re going to do it anyhow (they will) mentality clouds more assertive parenting strategies. But is this a healthy paradigm from which to parent? As such, the acceptability of excessive teenage partying continues to decrease, and now encroaches into the middle school years.
How Young People Are Revolutionizing The Recovery Movement Riley grew up in Colorado and shares he began to struggle with addiction his junior and senior years of high school. “I was an AP student and I was involved in sports,” he shares. “By all accounts, I was a great kid, and I had an awesome family. But what people didn’t know was I had a growing substance use disorder.”
Do Not Allow Someone Else’s Teenagers To Drink In Your Home “You don’t get to host an underage drinking party for someone else’s minor children and use the excuse that you would “rather have them under your roof than on the street” or some other such defense. You don’t get to make those choices on behalf of another parent.”
Look for our annual events:
Adult Only talk – October 19
Facing Addiction, Community Organizing – November 19
Student Only talks – Fall – during school for students
Spring Mentor days – Spring
Monthly peer-to-peer meetings 3rd Friday of each month
Community Living Above Presents
Community Forum ~ Speaker Panel
Date: October 19, 2017
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 PM
Location: West Linn High School, Performing Arts Center
Details: Mental and substance use disorders can have a powerful effect on the health of individuals, their families, and their communities. samhsa.gov
New Member Spotlight: Evergreen Gas
New Member Spotlight ~ Evergreen Gas
This week we joined the West Linn Chamber knowing how important it is to support our community, join with other businesses to be supportive, and at the same time to be available and visible to serve our community with our full service Heating and Cooling / HVAC services.
Let us tell you a bit about ourselves and how we started. We opened our business in 2002 by selling our fishing boat! We started from nothing…but had a vision of owning and operating a local HVAC company that was different. We wanted to be that contractor that called back, showed up on time, was clean- cut and honest. Our goal was to not only meet the needs of our customers, but be there for the long term. Evergreen Gas is operated out of West Linn, Oregon and is continuing to grow due to satisfied customers that are excited to have us back in their home and refer us to their family and friends!
While we remember 911 this week and what our nation has suffered, it is important to be a part of our community and be there to support it in every way and making sure it is safe. While being a full -service heating and cooling company, we offer some additional safety features, such as installing the gas safety shut off valves to protect homes and families should we have a natural disaster.
Our goal is to be proactive and provide a maintenance 4Evergreen Program to ensure it is designed with you in mind! We want to provide affordable and flexible options for any budget. Our goal is to ensure your equipment is working efficiently and safely, while making the process convenient and simple.
Our Mission is to serve the Northwest as the #1 leading providers in HVAC Installation and Services. Providing excellent customer service and integrity as the foundation of our company. Striving to provide the highest level of HVAC knowledge and customer satisfaction; whose goal is to lead the industry with the intent of adding and adapting to the changing needs of our community.
For more information about Evergreen Gas go to our website: www.evergreengas.net.
We love our community of West Linn and look forward to meeting you.
Bill & Kelsey Belden, Owners
Evergreen Gas, Inc.
Blog: Stories from our members: Legacy Medical Group
Legacy Medical Group
Adult health screenings
Recommendations for adult health screenings
Having regular health screenings is one of the most important things you can do for yourself, because finding problems when they’re small is the best way to prevent more serious medical issues down the road.
Which screenings to have when? That depends on your age, gender and any possible risk factors. These are guidelines for healthy people with few risk factors. Check with your doctor about how the screening schedule should be personalized for you.
All adults
Blood pressure: every 2 years, for prevention of heart disease and stroke
Fasting blood test for cholesterol: every 5 years beginning at age 35 for men and age 45 for women for prevention of heart disease and stroke
Colorectal cancer screening: Screening for colorectal cancer should begin at age 50. African Americans should begin screening at age 45. A colonoscopy can actually prevent cancer. Learn more.
Dental checkup: Every 6 to 12 months
Fasting blood glucose: Every 3 years for adults over age 45 for diabetes prevention
Glaucoma: To prevent blindness, African-Americans should be screened after 40, because the incidence of glaucoma in this population is much higher. Other adults should be screened age 65 and older, or yearly if you are severely near-sighted, diabetic or have a family history of glaucoma.
Vision exam: every 2 to 4 years, even if you don’t need vision correction; yearly after age 65
Just for women
Mammogram: Every year beginning at age 40. Learn more.
Pap smear/HPV test: Start cervical cancer screening at age 21. Learn more.
Bone density test: Every 5 years beginning at age 50 for prevention of osteoporosis
Just for men
Prostate screening: The PSA blood test is the most common screening tool for prostate cancer, but a high level of PSA can also be caused by other conditions such as urinary infection. Talk with your primary care physician about the risks and benefits of prostate screening.