The Importance of Whole Family Primary Care: A Q&A with Dr. Stephanie Wright

Mar 26, 2024

What is your name and title?

My name is Dr. Stehanie Wright, MD, and I am a family physician here at Thrive Wellness.

What primary care services does Thrive Wellness offer and to what ages?

We offer care to all ages. We offer general primary care, well visits, acute sick visits, women’s health care, and preventative care.

Why is it important for people to have a primary care practitioner for them and their family?

Having a family primary care practitioner allows us to take care of the whole family. We can focus more deeply on preventing illness and disease to promote long lasting wellness throughout the whole family unit.

What are the benefits of having a primary care provider that serves the whole family?

By serving the whole family, physicians are able to have a better understanding of family dynamics, family health care goals, and history of disease in the family. Having access to family medical history can be extremely helpful for prevention of disease as well as effective treatment options. If a parent has diabetes, asthma, or another hereditary condition, it is common that it is passed down to their children. Being prepared for a condition with early diagnosis creates an optimal circumstance for treatment.

Why should children have a primary care doctor?

Children specifically should have a primary care doctor so that we as physicians can monitor their growth and development. Seeing the same child over an extended period of time allows us to keep track of their unique growth and development. It is essential that we ensure that children are developing and growing at a normal rate, so consistently seeing a child over time allows us as physicians to identify any developmental delays and refer to developmental support services as needed.

Additionally, for children, we offer recommended vaccines and sick visits to promote wellness, as children can have more sensitive immune systems.

What illnesses are children more prone to and how can we work to prevent them?

Children are generally more prone to respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses. Vaccines as well as proper hygiene like washing hands throughout the family can work as important preventative measures against common childhood illnesses.

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Clean House, Healthy Mind: Spring Cleaning Benefits for Mental Health

By Sage Tippie • 23 Apr, 2024

Spring Cleaning Benefits for Mental Health Spring is a time of new beginnings, change, and transitions, including in our homes. With the warmer weather kicking motivation into high gear, Spring can be a prime time to do a deep clean. Not only is a clean space aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, but it can also help to improve your mental health. Learn about how tidying up your space can also tidy up your thoughts below along with tips for cleaning when you’re struggling with your mental health. 4 Reasons Why Cleaning is Beneficial to Mental health 1.Decreased Stress Not only does an uncluttered space provide a sense of calm, but the physical act of cleaning can release feel-good endorphins, reducing feelings of stress and anxiety. As you cross tasks off your checklist, your body also releases Dopamine. Also known as the “happy hormone”, Dopamine provides a sense of accomplishment and pride that can promote motivation in other areas of our lives. 2. Improved Focus Studies have shown that an uncluttered space can also lead to an uncluttered mind. Your focus can be drawn away from important tasks by a chaotic, messy space. Research has also shown a connection between procrastination and clutter, as an unwillingness to tackle larger chores like cleaning can translate over into various areas of our lives. By keeping your space tidy, it can inspire you to stay on top of other major tasks like work and school assignments. 3. Regulated Emotions According to this 2015 study , cleaning can function as a practice in mindfulness, providing an increased sense of calm and inspiration. Slowing down while cleaning gives you room to relax and free your mind of burdens, stressors, and irritants that can affect your mental health. Cleaning can even be considered a practice of self-care as the action helps you to connect with yourself and the outcome allows you to better enjoy your own space. 4. Sense of Order and Control When experiencing mental health struggles, people may feel a lack of control over their lives and emotions. Cleaning even small areas of the home can provide an increased sense of order and control as you cross tasks off your to-do list. Through realizing your own power by simply completing minor tasks like cleaning, it can reaffirm your ability to do more. 10 Tips for Cleaning When Struggling with Mental Health Mental health struggles and disorders commonly create barriers to one’s ability to clean and properly practice personal hygiene. Although these behaviors are normal side effects of mental health disorders, we want to work to aid our clients in cleaning to the best of their ability even in difficult times. Below, Thrive Wellness occupational therapist Meadow Deason shares some helpful tips she gives to clients when they struggle with cleaning due to mental health conditions: 1.Ask For Help Having support to clean can make a huge difference. Do the cleaning with the person helping you and have them hold you accountable. 2. Don't Wait for Motivation Motivation might not come before action, but it can build as you begin to see the results of your efforts. 3. Start Small Start with one area or one task and go from there. For example, concentrate on your bedroom first and then move on to the living room and bathroom. 4. Do Something Daily Even if you do only one small cleaning task a day, doing that one task creates momentum and prevents small tasks from building up and becoming overwhelming. 5. Use Sensory Modulation Change your environment by playing music, adjusting the lighting, or using aromatherapy. This can help to put you in a new headspace for cleaning. 6. Start with "High Impact" Tasks Start with more intensive or all-over cleaning tasks such as picking up clutter or doing the dishes. The visual "noise" of some tasks makes a large impact on the entire space, building motivation to continue cleaning. 7. Make a To-Do List Write a detailed to-do list of tasks and cross them off as you go. Physically marking down what you’ve accomplished can promote increased motivation. 8. Reward Yourself Set up a reward system where you reward yourself with a favorite activity or item when you complete a task as an incentive to clean. 9. Use the Rocket Method Don't think about it, just choose a task, countdown from five or ten and then start. This can help you to avoid potential anxiety and dread that can prevent you from cleaning. 10. Gamify Tasks Make up a game for your tasks or time yourself to promote increased engagement in cleaning. Your ability to complete tasks can be affected by a multitude of different factors and conditions including OCD , anxiety, depression , ADHD , and more. If you are struggling with motivation due to your mental health, help is here at Thrive Wellness.

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Therapy Q&A with Lynn Carver, LCSW

By Lynn Carver • 19 Dec, 2023

What is OCD? What other disorders are related to OCD?

Falling Back into Flu Season: How Primary Care Services Help Keep Us Healthy

10 Nov, 2023

Primary care is a field of medicine that involves preventive care, wellness counseling, and treatment of common illnesses. A primary care provider typically provides services that are not specialized but instead revolve around general health and wellness. Examples of primary care include general physicals, pap smears, diagnosis and treatment of common illnesses, and basic in-office procedures. Primary care providers may have a health category they specialize in and feel more comfortable performing in, so it is important to meet your provider before initiating services to ensure they can provide what you are looking for.