Snohomish Valley Holistic Medicine

05/12/2023

Long-COVID is something researchers are continuing to study in hopes of finding better treatment options as well as a better understanding of how viral infections can impact the immune system and autonomic nervous symptoms post-infection. Dr. Bowker has already helped many patients with long-COVID symptoms and will be updating her knowledge later this month with continuing education focused on treatment of long-COVID and other post-viral syndromes.

Patients are feeling abandoned, for good reason.

02/16/2021

Happy President’s Day! Despite the crazy snowfall and unplowed roads, on Saturday morning, I ventured to Snohomish High School (where I graduated back in 1995) to volunteer giving COVID vaccines to eligible district employees and community members. It was an honor to help in this way. I had previously done a couple of volunteer vaccine shifts at Kusler’s pharmacy and will continue to volunteer when I can until we get through this pandemic. Vaccination is one important tool we have to decrease the severity of this disease, but of course I am always supportive of using other tools to support a healthy immune system and am happy to help advise patients on what else they can do to stay healthy. I will continue to offer telemedicine as well as in-person appointments in order to optimize my availability during the pandemic. 💉❤️

06/23/2020

Beginning Friday, June 26th, wearing face-masks or coverings in indoor public places outside of the home will be mandatory in WA state with few exceptions. We already have an office policy regarding masks but want to make sure that our patient families know that the new mandate applies to anyone over the age of 2. For your convenience, we do provide disposable face masks or have adult and youth cloth masks for sale ($5 each) at the Front Desk. Dr. Bowker will continue to offer telemedicine services for patients with respiratory symptoms or who prefer not to come to the office--make sure you specify that you would like this option if you call to schedule. https://coronavirus.wa.gov/information-for/you-and-your-family/face-masks-or-cloth-face-covering #:~:text=Effective%20June%2026%2C%20a%20statewide,as%20stores%2C%20offices%20and%20restaurants.&text=You%20do%20not%20need%20to,are%20alone%20in%20your%20car.

Image Which face covering should I wear? pdfWHEN AM I REQUIRED TO WEAR A FACE MASK OR CLOTH FACE COVERING? Effective June 26, a statewide order requires individuals to wear a face covering in indoor public spaces such as stores, offices and restaurants. The order also requires face coverings outdoor...

04/27/2020

Are you getting enough of the sunshine vitamin? Here’s some evidence that low Vitamin D levels correlate to higher COVID disease severity—this is in line with other data showing a similar correlation with Vitamin D levels and influenza. Certainly compelling enough to get outside and soak in some natural sunlight.🌞

In several posts over recent months, we have discussed the many ways that optimal vitamin D levels are necessary to initiate and maintain a healthy immune response, especially within the respiratory system. Our paper, Evidence that Vitamin D Supplementation Could Reduce Risk of Influenza and COVID-1...

04/14/2020

Currently doing Continuing Education via Zoom to add Primary Care pediatric oral health services to my practice. This training will allow me to provide oral screenings, education and fluoride varnish for my pediatric patients. These services are covered by Medicaid and Private Commercial Insurance plans. This is especially important now as dental access is limited to emergencies and routine dental exams may not be available for several weeks or even months. These services can easily be added on to routine Well Child Exams.

03/23/2020

To my patients and prospective patients:

Good News! Thanks to relaxed requirements for Telemedicine services, I am now able to see new patients (within a 25 mile radius) seeking to establish care via Telemedicine. I am also able to waive most co-pays for all telemedicine appointments (this does not apply to your deductible, just to flat-fee co-pays). If an exam or procedure is required, that will be scheduled by me on an as-needed basis only. I am trying to limit ALL unnecessary contact and help keep everyone healthy and safe! These changes will be effective for the next few months (until social distancing recommendations are relaxed). For families of pediatric patients needing vaccinations, I will do my best to keep your child on-schedule or caught-up with vaccinations by offering vaccine-only appointments, if necessary. Please reach out to me if you have questions or concerns or if you would like to schedule a Telemedicine appointment.

03/19/2020

PSA: don’t mix these cleaning chemicals!!!

03/18/2020

Please be aware of our new Front Desk hours. We are doing everything we can to keep you as well as our providers and staff healthy and safe. Thank you for your understanding.

03/17/2020

I have had many people ask me about the safety of taking Elderberry (Sambucus) related to cytokines and their role in SARS (Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome) triggered by COVID-19. Elderberry is a staple immune support supplement for many during cold and flu season and has been shown to have antiviral properties against some types of viruses and also has immune stimulating effects. One of the ways elderberry stimulates the immune system is by increasing some of the inflammatory cytokines. While this may be a concern for people receiving certain chemotherapy treatments for cancer or others with certain auto-immune diseases, it is nothing more than a theoretical risk when it comes to triggering cytokine storm. The facts are that elderberry has never been associated with any cases of cytokine storm, nor does it raise cytokines to the levels seen in true life-threatening cytokine storm. So while there may be some "theoretical risk", there is no evidence nor logical reasoning to support this theory. Here is a good blog article written by a Pharmacist turned Author/Educator. As for me and my family, we still take elderberry daily as part of our winter immune support. If you choose to do the same, please rest-assured that you are not likely to be putting your life at risk by doing so.

Cytokine storm refers to a severe immune overreaction. Learn what causes this overdrive, who is at risk, and how to prevent it.

03/17/2020

I have heard from just as many or more patients experiencing stress, anxiety and sleeplessness due to the hardships resulting from efforts to flatten the COVID-19 curve as I have from patients experiencing worrisome respiratory symptoms. If all works according to plan, COVID-19 will hopefully not be the catastrophe it could have been for us humans. But chronic stress can be just as harmful to us as a novel virus. While avoiding our usual social routines, we should take time to care for our mental health.

Taking Care of Your Mental Health in the Face of Uncertainty AFSP Share479.2KTweetShare By Doreen Marshall, Ph.D. Human beings like certainty. We are hard-wired to want to know what is happening when and to notice things that feel threatening to us. When things feel uncertain or when we don’t gene...

03/14/2020

Dear patients,
In these rapidly changing times, I am working on new and best possible ways to serve my patient families. I will be sharing more via Facebook and Email when I have all of the details but it will likely involve a combination of telemedicine visits and/or home visits. If you don’t already have a patient portal through Elation Passport (my Electronic health record system), you can request one by calling the office and leaving a message for Dr. Bowker (option 2 on recorded greeting) with your email address and mobile phone number (text verification is required to access account). This is only available for established patients at this time and will be an important communication tool moving forward. I promise to share more resources and helpful information soon.

In health,

Stacy Bowker, ND

03/11/2020

Lots of new information, so I have updated my blog post, again, as promised. Also, for patients of mine with any respiratory symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath), please contact me directly to set up a phone or virtual appointment. I have been handling many inquiries related to COVID-19 and other viral illnesses remotely, so patients can stay home as recommended.

Tweet ***UPDATED 3/11/2020*** I have been getting a lot of questions lately about the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Most people want to know how concerned they should be and how they can keep their families protected. Here is some information based on my research and expertise. I have linke...