The Sanford Women’s Health Plaza in Sioux Falls has always offered a wide variety of services to women to help care for both their physical and mental health in all stages of life.
Now, the plaza has also expanded its services to include more holistic treatment options through its Integrative Medicine program.
“Integrative Medicine helps patients to learn tools they can use to positively impact their health. There is an option to make a change,” said Shanna Konz, a certified nurse practitioner with Women’s Health.
“We can individualize a treatment plan which uses lifestyle modifications, nutrition, exercise, stress reduction techniques, complementary therapies, supplements, and even pharmacological approaches, if necessary.” -Shanna Konz
The goal of this program is to offer women additional options to improve their general health and give them autonomy over their health goals, both physically and mentally.
“It’s very personalized,” she said. “We can give you tools to improve the symptoms you’re having.”
Integrative Medicine Services
+ Acupuncture
+ Aromatherapy
+ Guided imagery
+ Healthy lifestyle coaching
+ Mindfulness meditation
+ Personal fitness coaching
+ Yoga
Konz added that women can feel that some treatment options only focus on their current symptoms, or “disease state,” as opposed to their general wellbeing.
“Integrative Medicine focuses on the promotion of wellness, not just the disease state,” said Konz.
Alternative Remedies
Acupuncture, one of the available holistic services, can help reduce hot flashes, stress, and chemotherapy and post-operative nausea, among other ailments.
Holistic care also helps synchronize our body systems and focus on whole person health instead of just one function of the body at a time.
“Our body systems do not, necessarily, work independent of one another,” said Konz. “Emotional and mental responses can trigger physical responses or vice versa.”
For those seeking holistic options, Konz says she will meet with patients and discuss their current lifestyle, like eating habits, stress levels, and sleep quality, to get an idea of what services they would benefit from the most.
“I look at our patient’s health goals and what is troubling them,” said Konz. “I try to put together a picture of outside factors and influencers.”
Konz also works with a team of holistic providers, including Blake Blowers, to provide a customized treatment plan for each patient. Blowers is an acupuncturist with 15 years of experience.
“Learning how to calm the mind and elicit a relaxation response will assist in allowing our physical process to function best.” -Shanna Konz on how holistic care benefits physical and mental wellbeing.
Other providers include a behavioral health specialist, lifestyle coaches, and personal fitness trainers.
And while this program is focused on serving women right now, Konz says it shouldn’t stay that way for long.
“We have opportunities to expand this beyond the Women’s Health Plaza and have every intention of opening this paradigm of care to men, as well,” said Konz.
For more information, visit sanfordhealth.org.
