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Lincoln Daily News 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Pg.3 Table of Contents 04 At Highbrow Studio, Health and Healing Go Hand in Hand Doctor Lynn Dennis: Lincoln’s podiatrist for 25 years Nutrition and Beverages Balancing life: Exploring the practice of Holistic Health with Marcia Cook Simple Strategies for Optimal Health: Advice from a Health Coach Pilates and its health benefits More Than a Dojo: The Healing Power of Yoshukai Karate What Is Health Coaching? An Interview with Health and Wellness Coach Marci D’Andrea, MS, LDN, CNS 10 14 16 20 24 26 30
Pg. 4 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Lincoln Daily News What Is Health Coaching? An Interview with Health and Wellness Coach Marci D’Andrea, MS, LDN, CNS What is health coaching? Health coaching fills the gap between the physician’s time. Health coaching helps you to apply the tools and strategies you need to apply between visits to the provider. If there are six months between doctor visits and you want to improve blood sugar so you do not have to go on insulin, a health coach can guide you. A health coach could meet with a client once a week or every two weeks. As a health coach, I am there to help and educate, so when you go back to the physician in six months your situation has changed because you did something about it. Just like a kid has a sports coach, people do better when we have encouragement and check-ins. If something is not working then we can find a different strategy. In health coaching we focus on things like more nourishing foods, stress management, exercise, sleep habits, and mindset. We would work on all those pieces. It is not about being on a diet. It is about eating nourishing foods and eating fewer processed foods. If you add more specific nutritional counseling to your health coaching, we can do a deeper dive into nutrition counseling (medical nutrition therapy) and look at blood work and labs. I am licensed in Illinois for nutrition, but I can work with out-of-state clients within regulations as a health coach, depending on the regulations of the state. In those cases I can make suggestions versus being directive. Who would benefit from health coaching? Anyone who is having a shift in health in a negative way or with a chronic situation that they cannot resolve or improve would benefit from health coaching. If a person is on one or more medications, if there is a diagnosis of something, or if someone just wants to feel better and improve how they feel, he or she would benefit from health coaching. What services do you provide as a health coach? I offer individualized health coaching, individualized nutrition health coaching, and True Cellular Detox. I provide workshops, for example, for a business or a women’s retreat for one or two days. Workshops can be faith-based and Christian focused or not focused on faith. I can come to a group and do a 45 minute presentation about health coaching or other topics. I can teach mental fitness training to individuals or to small groups to reduce negative self-talk, become more confident, and become more peaceful in 60 days. The variety of options that I offer are on my website. Everything starts with a Discovery call– a 15 to 20 minute chat, scheduled online through Continued --
Lincoln Daily News 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Pg.5 the website. We will talk about why you called, how I can help, and if my services are a good fit. Everything is a package. Prices are on my website: Living Hope Wellness Coaching & Nutrition | CNS What is your background in health and wellness? I have a Master’s degree in Nutrition and Functional Medicine. To get licensed in Illinois, I needed to go through licensure to be a Certified Nutrition Specialist, which is a Master’s degree plus 1000 clinical supervised hours, and then pass a national exam. I am a Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist which is the licensure that allows medical nutrition therapy with people, which is based on a previous diagnosis from a doctor. I am also a nationally board-certified Health and Wellness Coach. I went through the eFunctional Medicine Coaching Academy, which is a 12 month program. To be nationally certified as a Health Coach, you must graduate from an accredited program and pass a national exam to be board certified. I am also a POMPA certified health coach, which prepares me to do a deeper cellular detox protocol with clients. I wanted the health coaching training to be able to come alongside people and carve out a journey that makes sense to them, while educating them and giving them specific recommendations within my scope of practice. A health coach is someone who is encouraging, has time, and is nonjudgemental. A health coach is like a co-pilot with the client. What started your interest in health and wellness? I was an athlete. I played sports in high school and ran track in college. I didn’t know a lot back then, but I was not one of those girls who didn’t eat. In college, I was trained as a health educator in a holistic model and I started my career as an inner city health educator in Portland, Oregon. I could teach my students to live their lives more holistically. Many of them lived on the edge of craziness and in a food desert. I encouraged them to bring healthy snacks from the grocery store to class. I wanted them to learn to be healthy and fit. Later, after a week-long fever in February of 2001, my very fit husband was suddenly very sick. He had been a college athlete; he was a hiker and skier. Suddenly he was losing weight, had anxiety, and developed food intolerance issues. We were told that he was depressed. That was not the problem, so we asked ‘what else could it be’? Our question Continued --
Pg. 6 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Lincoln Daily News was met with silence. I went to my background in health. This was before probiotics were mainstream and leaky gut and gut permeability were well-known. The internet was just getting going, so finding information and physicians became a priority. Our son was born in July of 2001 and by October he had also developed gut issues. We were getting nowhere with the available doctors. We found a naturopathic doctor in New Hampshire. I found the book “Patient Heal Thyself” by Jordan Rubin and a book called “Nourishing Traditions,” which was about how to prepare food to be more absorbable by the body. It took about a year to find these things. I felt like a detective looking for clues. There was not a lot of research on this topic yet. We found help through chiropractors who knew something about nutrition. Our son had to wait until 2 years old to be tested for allergies, and he had a lot of food intolerances and allergies… gluten, dairy, eggs. We went on a revised vaccine schedule and did a lot of gut work with him. He did not eat a school lunch until high school. He’s now 23 and doing great. He listens to his body. My husband Will has had a much longer journey. We had a big breakthrough in 2017 with an M.D. who practices functional medicine, Dr. Thomas Rhode. He found heavy metals and a heavy viral load were big drivers of the situation with Will’s body. We found Dr. Rhode because our middle daughter was home sick with a fever for a week and then could not wake up in the morning. She was a four sport athlete and a straight-A student. Again, doctors diagnosed depression. She was not depressed; she could not wake up. We went to neurologists, and other specialists, and they said nothing was wrong with her. We found Dr. Rhode in March of 2016. Our daughter had missed 365 days of school. Dr. Rhode found she had a high viral load and high heavy metals, a similar profile to Will. We were again making sure sleep and diet were good, but it was not enough to get her over the hump. Dr. Rhode started ultraviolet light treatment to kill pathogens of all kinds in the blood, a treatment that was available before antibiotics were around. After 10 treatments to bring down the viral load, (some viruses we don’t have tests for or need the test needs to be administered at the right time), she was able to go back to school and finish her senior year. She was able to make up six semester classes online. and was able to do that and run track her senior year. She has been fine since then. Ultraviolet light treatment is good for Lyme disease and Epstein-Barr, as well. It allows your body to know what to look for and kill those pathogens. The intensity of the load goes down. It is good for bacteria, fungus, and viruses. Will, however, also needed metal detoxification. We needed a bigger tool box to help those three family members to heal. These experiences were a big lesson in advocating for yourself and trusting that you know your body. My husband and daughter were not depressed emotionally, the body was depressed and it needed time and solutions. I liked our traditional doctors, but they did not have enough time and or enough tools. I did not know what my family needed, but I knew they needed something else. My interest in the health of the GI tract began when my mother got sick in 2003 and had surgery for a blood clot in the intestines. Then she had a second surgery for another one. I made nourishing food like homemade chicken broth and brought it to the hospital. Nutrition that she could absorb and that would Continued --
Lincoln Daily News 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Pg.7 bring down inflammation. It was slow but she recovered. Over the years, I have had to look for ways for family members to get well. Healing the gut is part of that. It is hard because modern chemicals hurt the gut, both the chemicals in food and antibiotics. Acid reflux, for example, is actually low acid, not high acid because the muscle is not closing well enough. Acid reducers cause problems with digesting protein; the body cannot get the B vitamins out of protein without acid. Then the body cannot build muscle and it also affects mental health. I had to be a detective and track back and build a plan to get better. If it took 20 years to get sick, the body will not heal overnight or get better without time and patience. Over the last 24 years, I have collected a lot of information, and I want to be able to help people, within my scope of practice, who are hitting dead ends and encourage them to keep seeking the right tools and doctors to improve quality of life and to get well. I became very resourceful. We are conditioned to not go outside of what insurance will pay for. Therefore, we do not go outside of conditioning. It can be costly to seek care outside of health insurance coverage, but having a health savings account can help. For example, an HSA can help to pay for chiropractors. Modern medicine all seems expensive because it IS expensive and we are not used to going outside of insurance, but a lot of what we can do is preventive, so it is an investment [in our health]. Pay attention to your body. If you feel like something is off, it probably is. Advocate for Continued --
Pg. 8 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Lincoln Daily News yourself. Read for yourself. Ask questions. If a doctor won’t answer questions, you may need to find a new doctor, even if the doctor is nice. You may need leading in a new direction. I am grateful for all the medical people who tried to help and who used their tools, but I needed to move on to others with other tools. The Midwest is hard because things start on the coast or in big cities and then trickle down. New and updated information does not get to smaller communities as fast. It happens with a lot of things, not just health care. There is nothing wrong with being traditional, but it only takes us so far. We need to ask what else is there. It does not have to be “odd,” or something may be odd simply because it’s new. Many things have been researched and are continually being researched, but it can take 20 years for that information to become public knowledge. If a doctor trained 20 or 30 years ago, new research is available. It often happens that doctors’ continuing education is by pharmaceutical companies, not about lifestyle and prevention. What else do you want people to know? It’s never too late to start. One step is better than no steps. Health is a journey. There are so many things we can do for our health. Approximately 80% of Americans have some kind of chronic disease which is lifestyle-related, not just genetic. It used to be infectious diseases that hurt us. Lifestyle can trip genetics. If we can change how we are living, then we can change how our genes are expressed. We have control. We don’t have to develop diabetes just because our parents did, but we will if we live in a manner that promotes inflammation and chronic disease. Food, sleep, stress management, movement, mindset (optimistic vs. pessimistic, spiritual vs. not) …These habits get passed down from family, so similar situations get passed down. Your genes are not your destiny but can be triggered by environment. We have control. We can shift our environment. Smoking, vaping, alcohol, and recreational drug use are risk factors for chronic health issues in addition to lifestyle choices. Medications by prescription may tax the liver and so the body cannot detoxify itself effectively. We know all these things are risk factors. When working with a certified health coach, we can make adjustments to help the body help itself. It takes time, education, patience, and willingness. Humans are valuable and worthy of taking care of ourselves that way. You are valuable enough to take care of yourself. It can be confusing with all the voices and with social media. It is hard because the doctor may not have mentioned many of these things. The system is not set up to have the time to talk about these things. We are great at emergency care, but the traditional model of health care is not working anymore. It starts with our children even before pregnancy in the health of both men and women. We cannot go back, but we can start today to improve our health. [Stephanie Hall]
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Pg. 10 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Lincoln Daily News At Highbrow Studio, Health and Healing Go Hand in Hand When Katie Simpson opened Highbrow Studio in Lincoln four years ago she wasn’t just entering the world of body art, she was grounding it in science and public health. “I went to school for clinical laboratory science and environmental health,” she said. “That was very helpful to know, because environmental health is the department of the health department that actually governs what I do.” That academic foundation helped shape her studio’s approach, blending artistry with a commitment to cleanliness, anatomy, and client education. As Logan County’s only licensed piercer, Katie takes every appointment seriously. Her process is intentionally slow and personal. Each client receives a one-on-one session that includes a conversation about their goals, an anatomy check, and a review of any prior health conditions. “We're not rushed, and it’s one-on-one, very private,” she said. “Anatomy checks are very, very important, because there’s a common misconception that everybody can get every kind of piercing they want, and that’s unsafe.” If someone doesn’t have the right anatomy for a piercing, she’s clear and kind about saying no. “Improper anatomy is an instant no,” Katie said. “I will not take somebody’s money knowing that they do not have the natural anatomy to support this piercing.” Once the anatomy is approved and jewelry is selected, clients are guided through a sterile setup process, one they can watch step by step. “I’m touching their body. I’m altering their body. There’s nothing secret,” she said. Tools Continued --
Lincoln Daily News 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Pg.11 are unwrapped in front of the client, gloves are changed multiple times, and every aspect of the procedure is explained in real time. “I think them seeing and knowing every step is very, very helpful.” After the piercing itself, which usually takes about 30 seconds, Katie shifts the focus to healing. To simplify aftercare, she developed her own acronym: SMART. ● S: Don’t Sleep on your piercing. ● M: Don’t Mess with it (no touching, twisting, or pulling). ● A: Use Aftercare solutions like saline. ● R: Return for follow-up visits. ● T: Time—healing is a journey, not an event. “Aftercare education is the most important,” she said. “I created that acronym and put it up on the wall.” She provides each client with a goodie bag that includes aftercare instructions, saline solution, and sometimes a sweet treat or sticker. Follow-up appointments are scheduled in eight-week increments to check healing, downsize jewelry, and answer any questions that arise. Healing, however, isn’t always simple, and Katie is quick to share what can go wrong. “Sleeping on it is...it can cause a million issues,” she said. “Our head weighs just about as much as a bowling ball. So, if you can imagine putting a bowling ball on a fresh wound for eight hours, that’s going to manipulate the tissue to heal at an angle.” She also warns clients about snagging on towels, hair salon mishaps, twisting the jewelry, and changing it too soon. “We do not submerge a healing wound in public or private bodies of water, spas, hot tubs... I know it’s a fun time to get piercings in the summer. But it’s not the best time.” When it comes to timing, fall and winter are her favorite seasons for new piercings. “The weather’s cooler, we’re not exposed to UVA and UVB at a consistent rate like in summer, and there’s not as many water sports and activities,” she said. “When you decide to modify your body, it does come with some sacrifices to make sure it heals properly.” Client safety doesn’t stop at surface level. Katie takes health conditions seriously, adapting her care for those with diabetes, epilepsy, or clotting issues. “Everybody gets to recline for their piercing to avoid any fainting or seizure incidents,” she said. “And I always ask, have you eaten today? Or are we living on iced coffee? I’ve got snacks, juice, and candy here.” Her studio’s standards extend beyond piercing technique. She avoids procedures that pose significant health risks, especially in the mouth and below-the-belt areas. “There are some piercings that, just because they were invented doesn’t mean they should be performed,” she said, referencing tongue modifications like Continued --
Pg. 12 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Lincoln Daily News frog eyes and snake eyes. “It can actually lead to necrosis or death of the tongue and tissue.” Even jewelry quality is a health concern. Katie uses only implant-grade titanium or 24-karat gold and avoids metals that contain nickel or copper. “Implant grade titanium is considered a bio-compatible metal, meaning your body will get along with it,” she said. “I have zero cases of it causing issues in my studio.” Though body modification is often viewed as aesthetic or emotional, Katie treats it with the seriousness of medical work. “Body art shops can be a hot spot of spreading disease if they are a red flag,” she said. That’s why her studio proudly displays its licensing and health inspection scores. “From the beginning of the experience to the very end on how I dispose of my items and follow up with clients, it’s just so, so incredibly important to me.” Now in her second studio space, a larger location she remodeled with her husband, Katie reflects on how far things have come. “I’ve made more friends in the last four years than I have in the last 40 living here,” she said. “I’m just grateful that I was able to step away from an office job to really pursue what I wanted to do. And the general public did that for me.” [Sophia Larimore]
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Pg. 14 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Lincoln Daily News Doctor Lynn Dennis Lincoln’s podiatrist for 25 years Web MD defines a podiatrist as a medical professional devoted to the treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg. Often interchanged, a “foot doctor” and a podiatrist are separated by specialized training in the lower extremities. A ‘foot doctor” is a more general term for anyone healthcare professional who treats foot and ankle problems. While both podiatrists and orthopedic surgeons can treat disorders of the foot and ankle, podiatrists focus their training and practice on skin, nails, joint inflammation, and pain disorders not requiring surgery. Orthopedic surgeons focus on musculoskeletal and reconstructive care. Did you know that Lincoln has a podiatrist that has been practicing here for 25 years? Lynn Dennis, DPM (Doctor of Podiatric Medicine) has been practicing podiatry for 27 years. Schooling consisted of 8 years plus three years of residency. She graduated from Dr. William Continued -- M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine in 1996 and chose to settle in Lincoln. Her office is located at 604 N Union Street, Suite 2, Lincoln, IL. A podiatrist treats many conditions, including, but not limited to, gout, sprains, fractures, arthritis, diabetic foot care, ingrown toenails, nail fungus, bunions, corns, plantar fasciitis, warts, and personalized orthotic footwear and inserts. Dr. Dennis can fit you for walking boots, braces, and prescribe medication to treat pain, inflammation, infection, and other conditions. Lab work to check for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Uric Acid levels to check for gout and other conditions can be ordered and results are typically reviewed by Dr. Dennis the same day. She personally will review and call you with the proper treatment plan. That seems much quicker and more effective than calling your general practitioner, waiting for a referral
Lincoln Daily News 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Pg.15 team to call you to make an appointment, and then waiting what is usually a long time for an appointment. Dr. Dennis describes her practice as mostly non-surgical. She does perform in office procedures such as ingrown toenail removal, hammertoe correction, wart treatment and removal and more. She specializes in diabetic and senior foot care and says that makes up a good portion of her business. Dr. Dennis advises anyone with foot or ankle issues to contact her office, to ease their fears and to provide them with proper, specialized, knowledgeable care. She said, “a lot of people think a podiatrist just cuts toenails”, but they do so much more than I knew before talking to Dr. Dennis. You do not need a referral to her office and Dr. Dennis will see you through from first contact until you are released from her care. Most appointments are made in a very timely manner, and some issues only require one visit. Ongoing care is typically scheduled every 8-9 weeks. Although some procedures and treatments are covered by insurance, many are cash pay. Diabetic and Senior Foot Care is typically billable to insurance and or Medicare and consists of toenail cutting, cleaning up the feet, and caring for any ulcers or sores present. Dr. Dennis says that prevention is really the goal. With proper care many issues can be avoided. Dr. Dennis skillfully cuts the toenails, something that many seniors struggle to do because of mobility, sight, and issues with lack of hand strength. Other issues like nail fungus are considered cosmetic and may not be covered. Dr. Dennis does not perform orthopedic procedures on the foot or ankle, but can assist with aftercare, pain management, and help get you back on your feet again, literally. When in doubt, check it out! One office visit may be all it takes to get you on the right track to having fabulous feet. [Lesleigh Bennett]
Pg. 16 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Lincoln Daily News Nutrition and Beverages It is likely that sometime in your life, you have seen an advertisement for a drink that is supposed to be good for your health. Gatorade and other sports drinks are branded as great for rehydration. What Gatorade does not tell the consumer is just how high in sugar it is. A twenty ounce bottle of Gatorade’s LemonLime flavor contains 34 grams of sugar, nearly seventy percent of your daily recommended amount. Naked Juice is branded as a catch all, with different drinks offering different health benefits. While you can buy naked juices with various fruits and vegetables in them, you can also buy some with more specific advertised health benefits, such as extra protein or probiotics. While these seem beneficial, they fall into the same trap that Gatorade does. In one bottle of Probiotics Tropical Mango Naked Juice, there are 53 grams of sugar, or 108 percent of your daily recommended intake. While in the case of Naked Juice, all of these sugars are natural sugars, the amounts are still troubling. Even though natural sugars are a healthier alternative, consuming over the daily recommended amount is not going to necessarily be the best move. You are likely consuming other types of natural sugars in the other foods you consume throughout the day. That 108 percent could shoot up to a much higher number if you are not keeping track. If only natural sugars and added sugars were the only things people had to keep track of for a healthy diet. There are all kinds of vitamins and minerals, fats, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, and fiber to keep track of as well. Some of these things, such as saturated fats, are generally considered bad and are recommended to be consumed in low amounts. Others, such as fiber, are generally considered good, with their being light limitations to how much you should consume. The old adage remains true, however, everything in moderation. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a website to help guide people on their diets. It is called the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. On this website is an infographic that shows updated guidelines (as of December 2020) for what Americans should be eating. Some of the highlights are that 75 percent of Americans have diets that are low in fruit, vegetables, and dairy. Seventy-seven percent of Americans are exceeding their recommended intake of saturated fats. Also, Continued --
Lincoln Daily News 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Pg.17 85 percent of a person’s daily nutrient intake should be healthy foods that are nutrient dense. The other fifteen percent can be things such as added sugars or saturated fats. Going into detail on each of these and explaining the pros and cons of consuming too much or too little is not possible here. There are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of studies and informational material that can be found by searching the internet. Some of them are credible and research based, and others are not. Most people do not have the time to sift through the sheer amount of information available to learn the “what and what nots” of nutrition. Here are five important things you should know about nutrition, as well as how it relates to beverages. Firstly, and most obviously, water is the most important beverage you can consume. As stated in The Nutrition Source from Harvard, water is “the perfect beverage for quenching thirst and rehydrating your system. In fact, up to 60 percent of the human body is water, lending even more credibility to the fact that water is the most important beverage you can consume. Water’s only drawback is that it does not provide you with any of the nutrients your body needs to function properly. This is where things such as meal replacement shakes can come in handy. While they should not be consumed for every meal, these meal replacement shakes can be beneficial for your health. You must be mindful of what is in these shakes, however, and recall some of the things you learned earlier in this article. You will want to be sure that your shake has everything in it you would be getting were you to eat a balanced meal. Third is understanding the function of different nutritional beverages. Just because something is listed as healthy does not mean that it is for everyone. Gatorade is a great example of this. Gatorade, while it does have a high sugar content, is meant to be consumed while you are exercising. According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, Gatorade does in fact have a “hydration efficacy” superior to water, but the participants of the study lost less body mass. Using Gatorade as a source of hydration while exercising is great for hydration but consuming it while not exercising is not the most beneficial way to use it. Fourth is moderation. Nothing is good in excess. Even drinks like water can be harmful if consumed in large quantities in a short period of time. Water poisoning, also sometimes referred to as water intoxication, can occur when very large quantities of water are consumed all at once. This can lead to death in extreme circumstances. While consuming too much of a nutritional beverage is unlikely to lead to death, it is still not recommended and can potentially lead to health complications. Last is, as stated earlier, understanding all the parts of a balanced diet. Some individuals may not be getting all the vitamins and minerals they need in the food they eat regularly. A great example of this is pregnant women, who are often encouraged to take prenatal supplements throughout their pregnancy as well as during breastfeeding, should they choose to do so. In cases like this, nutritional beverages may serve to deliver those missing nutrients to your body. Just be sure to consult a doctor before making this something you do regularly, especially if you are pregnant. Continued --
Pg. 18 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Lincoln Daily News The two most important things you can do for your health is learn about nutrition and hold yourself to a more balanced diet. While those things can be both difficult and daunting in their own ways, they are manageable if you are willing and able to make the time. Dieticians are doctors that specialize in helping people make their eating habits more healthy. There is also all kinds of helpful information on the internet if you know where to look. [Matt Boutcher] Note: This article is for informational purposes only. It should not in any way be considered professional medical advice or medical advice of any kind. Lincoln Daily News is not responsible for any health issues that arise as a result of reading this informational article. Sources: http:s//www.pepsicoproductfacts.com/Home/ Product?formula=33877&form=RTD&size= 20 https://www.safeway.com/shop/productdetails.960063552.html https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/ https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/ default/files/2020-12/DGA_2020-2025_ Infographic_MakeEveryBiteCount.pdf https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/ healthy-drinks-full-story/ https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/waterscience-school/science/water-you-water-andhuman-body https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18461208/
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Pg. 20 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Lincoln Daily News Balancing life Exploring the practice of Holistic Health with Marcia Cook Marcia Cook of Moksha Center in Lincoln has long been interested in helping people acquire good health. She began her career in traditional medicine and is a licensed nurse. Along the way, she began to recognize that good health was more than treating illness or disease it was a matter of treating the whole body. To that end, she began exploring Holistic health as an addition to her medical training. She took training and told LDN that when she found a teacher, she was excited to hear that the teacher had taken a similar path as Cook, starting out as a nurse in traditional medicine. Cook said that there are many times when an illness is connected to something deeper and in order to successfully treat the illness one needs to address the mind-body-spirit of the patient, which is the foundation of Holistic health and medicine. Cook has acquired her license as a certified Holistic Healing Touch Practitioner as well as being certified as a life coach. She said that with this training, she helps people find the balance in their lives that is often needed in order to recover and even avoid illness. Something that Cook finds encouraging is that today more and more medical doctors are recognizing the tie between that balance and good health and even curing or avoiding illness. As an example, she said that a person may have gastrointestinal issues that are quite serious. In decades past, doctors would have treated the condition with medications and hope that the issue was resolved. However, in recent times, doctors are more and more realizing that while sometimes an illness is just an illness, there are times when an illness is tied to a deeper issue. Sticking with the GI issues she said that many times, people experience those types of issues because of stress, either emotional or physical. Today doctors are diving deeper with their patients trying to find the root source of an illness. Continued --
Lincoln Daily News 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Pg.21 That source could be stress at work or in a patient’s personal life. The key then is to find that balance that is a key part of Holistic health. As a Healing Touch Practitioner, Cook also spoke about this aspect of holistic health and healing. Healing Touch dives into the spiritual component of holistic health. Cook said that the method is based on faith and belief. While many of us relate that to the trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost, Cook said that there are many cultures with different belief systems, and healing touch is based on the belief of the person at hand. Cook said that while healing touch may be most effective when administered by a healing practitioner, it is possible for a person to selftreat with this method. The key to it is to find one’s own center and source of energy. She said that a good start is to take five very deep breaths then clear the mind and focus on the body’s energy within. Then begin concentrating on that energy moving through the body and into the hands, then envision the hands delivering that healing touch to the impacted area. She said this can be an effective way to alleviate join pain such as in arthritic knees. Not everyone will be able to do this, but with the right amount of focus and belief in the healing powers within our own body and spirit it can be achieved. In addition to healing touch, Cook says there are other practices that can be done at home. For example, aromatherapy and essential oils. In the area of aromatherapy, lavender is one that is heard of often. It is known for its ability to help people relax and calm themselves when they are agitated or stressed. Cook says there are other scents that people find therapeutic and one can experiment until they find the scent that makes them feel the best. Essential oils can be used in a variety of ways including diffusers but also as a topical application. Cook blends essential oils for clients depending on their needs. She said that she begins with a base, then adds what is needed and desired by the client. She noted as an example that if she were preparing an oil for topical application in the case of arthritic joints, she would start with a wintergreen or mint in order to achieve a base similar to commercial products that contain menthol. Cook said that another really big part of finding the mind and body balance is exercise and nutrition. She said that a quality multi-vitamin is important but there are other minerals and vitamins that may be needed. She said that with the progress in agriculture to increase yields, soils are not as “natural” as they used to be centuries ago. Also, foods do not contain all the nutrition value they used to. Therefore, adding those minerals such as magnesium can be needed. She said that another important mineral is turmeric which is most beneficial when you purchase turmeric that contains black pepper. Continued --
Pg. 22 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Lincoln Daily News Vitamin D is a vitamin that almost everyone should be supplementing. She said we as a people are more indoors than outdoors in this day and age. Vitamin D is a sunshine vitamin and unless someone works daily in the outdoors, they will probably be deficient in vitamin D. Another suggestion is to take a vitamin B complex. Cook said that medical doctors are recognizing these needs more and more and will in many cases agree to order testing that would give the patient a complete profile of the minerals in their bodies and suggest proper supplementation where there are deficiencies. Exercise is also very important even if it is something as simple as walking. She said some may be interested in an exercise program such as yoga which she teaches at Moksha. She said that Yoga is not specifically a component of holistic health, but the two can go hand in hand. She said she offers gentle yoga classes as well as gentle chair yoga. Both can be helpful in helping with mobility as well as relaxation. Meditation is another aspect that is not particularly a part of holistic health but can help people find their center and inner relief from stress and tension. Music is good as well for finding that balance. She said it really doesn’t matter what kind of music it is, and actually rather depends on what the person finds relaxing and enjoyable. For some pains, crystals and minerals in solid form are also helpful. She said there is proof that copper is helpful for people with joint pain. She said that the best results come when copper can be worn near the pain area. She added that eating more whole foods and fewer processed foods is healthy for the body and recommended for everyone. Cook said there are many aspects of holistic health and healing and not everything can be explained in one article. She does offer consultation as well as treatments and would be happy to talk with anyone who is interested in finding their balance and enjoying a better quality of life. Cook does have a website https://moksha. center/ and encourages anyone to visit the site and reach out to her through the site if they are interested in learning more. [Nila Smith]
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Pg. 24 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Lincoln Daily News Simple Strategies for Optimal Health: Advice from a Health Coach Everyone wants to feel his or her best, but many may not know where to start to achieve health and well-being or they think optimal health requires too much time and expense. However, there are many simple and accessible things that humans can do for the health of their bodies and minds every single day. Health and Wellness Coach Marci D’Andrea shares advice for daily best practices for the care of You. Number 1. Grounding. D’Andrea’s number one piece of health advice, especially with the good weather, is grounding. Go outside and walk in bare feet. Touch tree branches and other living things. When you do that, you rebalance your body and it helps give your mitochondria energy. We want the body to be more negatively charged than positively charged. The quickest way to bring back this negative charge is through grounding. How does it work? Our body has energy and grounding reconnects with the earth's surface and brings back electrons to the body. It replenishes lost electrons to help our cells function better. It helps at a cellular level to decrease inflammation and improves things like creating better sleep. It is like a recharging of the body and its cells. We lose electrons through toxins and modern living. Grounding helps replace them. When people walk in the sand on the beach, for example, people feel better. Number 2. Sunlight. Some time in the sun without sunscreen improves health because most of us are low in vitamin D, which is a hormone, and we need it to hold onto bone strength. When vitamin D is low, so many things go offline. Twenty to thirty minutes once a day is sufficient, but not to the point of sunburn. Early or late sun is better. Get sunlight without sunglasses, When eyes take in sunlight, it helps prevent the body from burning. Thirty to forty minutes of sunlight is like 20,000 IUs of vitamin D. Number 3. Nutrition. Eat more foods that are closest to their natural state, meaning unprocessed. Eat cleaner proteins (without antibiotics or growth hormone), fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, organic grains without chemicals. Check www.ewg.org for the updated Clean 15 and the Dirty Dozen list. These lists let us know which fruits and vegetables contain the least and most amount of pesticides. The fruits and vegetables on the Dirty Dozen list you would want to buy organic. Number 4. Movement. Everybody needs movement that promotes cardiovascular health (aerobic) and movement that is resistance (weight training) to ensure muscle and bone strength. It is important to note that there is a difference in what men and women under 40 require and what women over 40 need. Women over 40 should be lifting heavy weights to keep bone density and hormone levels. This could include heavy lifting, jumping, touching the ground. As estrogen plummets, Continued --
Lincoln Daily News 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Pg.25 bone density reduces. Women over 40 do not need to run for an hour to get the benefits. Shorter aerobic workouts of 8 to10 minutes provide benefits. Short interval workouts 8 to 12 minutes for cardiovascular exercise and walking everyday are best for women over 40, but not in lieu of weight lifting. Stacey Sims has done a lot of research on women and exercise. Hormone shifting loosens women's ligaments at different times. Girls do not have the same strength as boys and as hips widen during puberty, the geometry of the body changes. When D’Andrea was in college she could not find studies on women. Women are not “little men” and we need to shift how we lift. Research shows that girls in the first half of their menstrual cycle are stronger, achieve personal records, and need to eat differently. Young women often try to maintain a certain body weight, but what they need is muscle. Number 5. Daily Stress Management. Our culture thrives in comparing what bad things are happening to us. But this keeps the cortisol flowing. We cannot remove all the stressors, but we can manage the stressors and our response. One way to reduce stress is by humming, which stimulates the vagus nerve. Dancing and other movement reduces cortisol. Deep breathing helps manage stress and is easy to do anywhere, a doctor’s office, funeral, traffic jam, etc. Number 6. Sleep. Our whole body is on a circadian rhythm. To improve sleep, get up in the morning and get sunshine for 5-10 minutes. If a person’s circadian rhythm is messed up this will reset it. At lunch time, go outdoors and get sun again. At sunset, look toward the sun again which tells your body this is the rhythm. Get off the phone at night which disrupts melatonin. Set some boundaries. Number 7. Blood Sugar Regulation. Our bodies do not want blood sugar spiking and dropping throughout the day with crashes. Eat protein and vegetables and fruits that have fiber first. After these foods, eat the starchy foods or dessert at the end. Fill up on unprocessed fiber and proteins and healthy fats. Get big macronutrients, whole carbohydrates, and healthy fats, so foods that spike blood sugar will not spike it so much. Don't start with the cookie, get protein first. Number 8. Hydration. Drink half of your body weight in ounces each day. So if a person weighs 160 pounds then she should be drinking 80 ounces or ten cups per day. Use reverse osmosis cleaned water. Add a dash of sea salt (not table salt) to help the cells to absorb the water. Number 9. Be Kind to Yourself. Say nice things to yourself. Positive begets positive and negative begets negative. Be nice to yourself. Put the kind words in writing where you will see it if you need to. Positive thoughts create positive hormones, which create positive feelings. Change your conversation with yourself. It’s never too late to start. Start your journey toward health and wellness with one small step. [Stephanie Hall]
Pg. 26 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Lincoln Daily News Pilates and its health benefits Recently, Ethan “Tappy” and Emilie Tapscott opened Imago Dei Pilates Studio at the Dugan Center on North McLean Street in Lincoln. Their goal is to help people improve core strength, posture and confidence through lowimpact, reformer based Pilates. Pilates originated during World War I when Joseph Pilates was in an internment camp on the Isle of Man. During this time, he led the other inmates in exercises. Many soldiers were in hospital beds and Joseph Pilates noticed nurses had to move soldiers’ limbs for them. A site about the origin of Pilates says, Joseph Pilates “rigged springs to hospital beds, enabling bedridden patients to exercise against resistance.” Doing that helped the soldiers move their own limbs. Pilates later improved on this idea and created the Pilates Reformer machines. Pilates originally called his exercise system Contrology. As the article “From Contrology to Modern Fitness: The Evolution of Pilates” says, “Contrology focused on the principles of breath control, concertation, centering, precision, control and flowing movements.” When Joseph Pilates emigrated to the United States in 1926, he opened a fitness studio in New York and worked with dancers “to help them recover from injuries and improve their strength and flexibility.” Soon, the popularity of this exercise system spread. Over 100 years since Joseph Pilates developed his exercise system, its popularity continues. There are many benefits to doing Pilates exercises. For example, Pilates can help people with strength, flexibility and muscle tone. Tappy shared several other key benefits of Pilates: • It can improve posture. • It can increase confidence. • It can reduce feelings of anxiety and depression through controlled breathing techniques. • It can improve the mind/body connection. • It can increase height by helping you maintain a proper posture. Continued --
Lincoln Daily News 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Pg.27 • It can improve and strengthen your glutes and abdominal muscles. When asked how the benefits of Pilates compare to other exercises, Tappy said “it depends.” For instance, Yoga focuses on balance as it combines Eastern and Western techniques for strength training and stretching. Pilates gives you a full range of motion and control. Tappy said, Pilates involves slow and controlled movements while using focused breathing. As you inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth, you use your abdominal muscles. In a May 2024 WebMD article on Pilates, Kara Mayer Robinson and Alyson Powell Key explain some key differences between Yoga and Pilates. Continued -- Robinson and Key said, “Yoga emphasizes mind-body connection and offers physical benefits like strength, flexibility, and balance, often with meditation.” In contrast, “Pilates focuses on core strength through structured exercises and slowly gets more challenging.” In addition, Robinson and Key said “There are various forms of yoga, while Pilates typically follows a standard set of exercises with the chance to advance with help from an instructor.” Since some people exercise to lose weight, they may wonder if Pilates can be effective for weight loss. Tappy said, it can be, but Pilates is more about creating healthy habits (like nutrition) and moving fundamentally produces longer, lean toned muscles plus endurance.
Pg. 28 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Lincoln Daily News There are also ways Pilates can improve your physical and mental health. As far as physical health, Tappy said Pilates “gets you out of the sedentary mode, helps increase blood flow and provides a more freeing lifestyle.” Additionally, Tappy said Pilates exercises release endorphins and a healthy boost of oxytocin both of which can improve mental health. Studies have shown that endorphins can help block pain, improve immune function and create pleasure. The oxytocin hormone in our bodies is released through the pituitary gland and can help reduce stress and help improve our moods. Tappy said Pilates can also reduce brain fog plus increase cognitive abilities and problem solving skills. For someone looking at ways to reduce back or joint pain, Tappy said Pilates can be helpful. Pilates exercises are good for rehabilitation as these exercises help people gain flexibility and ease their pain. Tappy said there are two different types of Pilates people do. One is on an exercise mat and the other is done using Pilates Reformer equipment. As the Imago Dei Pilates site says, “mat Pilates uses only a mat and your body weight for resistance, while Reformer Pilates uses spring-based resistance machines.” Another fact listed on the site says, “Pilates is low-impact and highly adaptable, making it great for all ages, fitness levels, and body types.” If you want to become more flexible and strengthen your core, posture and confidence, consider enrolling in one of the classes at Imago Dei Pilates Studio. Through doing Pilates, you may experience many life-changing benefits. [Angela Reiners] Sources: Imagopilates.com Robinson, Kara Mayer and Alyson Powell Key. “Pilates.” WebMD. 02 May 2024. https:// www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/what-ispilates The Reformery. “From Contrology to Modern Fitness: The Evolution of Pilates.” thereformerynewyork.com
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Pg. 30 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Lincoln Daily News More than a dojo: the healing power of Yoshukai Karate In a seemingly ordinary building in Lincoln, Illinois, a small dojo holds generations of discipline, resilience, and martial tradition. At its core stands Sensei Dan Dugan, eighthdegree black belt and founder of the Yoshukai Karate Alliance. With over five decades of training behind him, Dugan doesn’t just teach karate, he embodies it. Yoshukai Karate, meaning "training house of continuous improvement and development," was brought to the United States in 1966 by Japanese martial artist Yuki Koda, who eventually opened a school in Lincoln in 1971. Dugan began training a year later and has remained committed ever since. He opened his first dojo in Atlanta, Illinois, in 1976, and over the years, helped expand Yoshukai across the state and even into Puerto Rico. At one point his network included nine schools. Yoshukai is rooted in nine martial arts styles, including Chito-ryu, Judo, Japanese Jujutsu, Shorin-ryu, Shorei-ryu, Wadon Kung Fu, and Shaolin Boxing. While the curriculum includes sparring, weapons, and katas, Dugan emphasizes that the true heart of Yoshukai is character development. "The main emphasis is formation of character," he explained. "Trophies are nice, but they're not going to help you in a self-defense situation." That balance of practicality and personal growth came into sharp focus at age 58. A former bricklayer by trade, he fell 35 feet on a construction site, suffering a shattered face, fractured skull, broken pelvis, multiple vertebrae injuries, and internal bleeding. Despite being told he would need four weeks flat in bed and eight weeks of rehab, he returned to class in just nine weeks. “I wasn’t pop-pop punching,” he said, “but I was doing Tai Chi, keeping the metabolism moving so I could heal faster.” He credits his physical condition and mental training with his recovery. Health and wellness are central to Dugan’s philosophy. From stress relief to physical therapy, his training regimen includes deep breathing, controlled movements, and fullbody coordination. "Stress management is built into everything we do," he said. "Tighten your muscles, then relax them. That’s how you learn to control your body, and your stress." The dojo welcomes students young and old, tailoring lessons to individual needs. One young student who struggled with coordination due to their autism made remarkable progress through consistent training. "We showed his mom a few months later, and he was doing combinations, boom-boom-boom. It does work. It’s hard, but it works." Continued --
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