By Dr. Leigh Siergiewicz Why are you waking up between 2:00-4:00 a.m. every night? This question is incredibly important to answer and it is related to your overall health. Around this time, we are supposed to be in REM sleep with our brains and bodies doing very important cleanup and repair work. Frequent interruptions in…
By Cynthia Sadurni Welcome to part 2 of this article about migraine and how to minimize the frequency and severity of attacks. Last month, we talked about what changes can be beneficial to reduce potential triggers. Today, we’ll explore some holistic ways that have worked for me. First, it is important to take into account…
By Cynthia Sadurni Living with chronic migraine can feel like having your wings clipped: Will I be able to travel without an attack? How do I care for myself and minimize stress? What should I eat while I am on the plane or at the airport? If I go overseas or take a red-eye flight,…
By Caitlin Rothermel There is something we can probably all agree on. Even right now. It’s something you may or may not think about. You want to take care of your nervous system. You want to be able to calm it down. You don’t want it running on high all the time. You may be…
By Caitlin Rothermel It’s time to talk about COVID booster shots and the implications of encouraging their use. Before I go there, it’s important to first summarize some vaccination policy changes that have occurred at the federal and state level. On October 6, 2025, the CDC officially voted to shift COVID-19 vaccination guidance for all eligible U.S. residents…
By Caitlin Rothermel You are probably outsourcing too many of your health care decisions, and your health plan is one of the biggest drivers of both the costs and choices you are and are not allowed to make. It’s no secret that the price of Affordable Care Act (ACA) health plans is increasingly untenable. It’s…
By Diana Diaz Have you ever turned down the music so that you can concentrate on the road? Closed your eyes so you can hear something better? From right where you are, take a moment and look around you. Mentally list five things you can see. Then, list four things you can hear. Three things you…
By Dr. Marli Parobek When we consider summer, our first thoughts may be the carefree vacations, time off school, relaxed schedules, and the beautiful Pacific Northwest sunshine. As any good PNW resident, we are also careful not to tell too many people about our marvelous summers, lest we be overrun with visitors. One topic worth…
This might seem like a charming local story: Vashon has a practitioner whose advanced studies in psychiatric nursing are a great benefit to Islanders. But the old saying, “if you want to change the world, start locally” could not be more applicable. Just recently, Dr. Marli Parobek APRN DNP FNP PMHNP, was recognized by her…
By Jane Valencia A few months ago, in a conversation between herbalist and frequent Loop writer, Kathy Abascal, and co-editor Caitlin Rothermel and myself, we spoke about the ability of plants to work on the entire spectrum of our health from the physical, psycho-emotional, to the spiritual. We speculated: if herbs can address dis-ease on…