Colorado’s Premier Lifestyle Showcase | Spring 2016 | healthycoloradan.com
Why Denver Got It Right About Peyton Manning Page 14
Meet Elise Wiggins
One of Denver’s Hottest Young Executive Chefs Page 22
SPECIAL FEATURE U.S. Taekwondo Center
One Family’s Journey from Martial Art to a Philosophy for Life - Page 26
Like Having a “Brain on Fire” A Colorado Woman Defies the Odds Page 40
The Change is Here!
Adeline Gray
A new breed of role model for women athletes emerges ...
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Main Features
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Cover Feature: Page 18 Two time world champion, women’s freestyle wrestling, Adeline Gray redefining the female athlete and welcoming a generation of girls to the combat sports.
Special Feature: Page 26 A changing journey from sport to philosophy - Grandmaster Sang Lee and son, Master Jay Lee work to preserve the integrity of one of the world’s oldest martial art forms. Strange But True: Page 40 Learn what it means to have a “Brain on Fire” from Coloradan, Erin Heberlein who knows all too well what Anti-NMDA receptor
encephalitis means.
of Contents Peyton Manning Why Denver got It Right: Page 14
One of the NFLs’ most bankable figures bids farewell to a career journey most can only dream about. Colorado Accolades: Page 31
Several big time, national recognitions about Colorado’s communities, parks, downtown centers and overall lifestyle. Dental Caries: Page 48 Dr. Josh - Popular Colorado pediatric dentist discusses the rise in cases of dental caries and how you can work to protect your kiddos.
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Eating Well: Super Immunity Anytime of the Year By Nikki Burnett, Registered Dietitian | Owner, Taste Life Nutrition
A healthy immune system is vital for helping your body deal with infections caused by viruses, bacteria, fungus, and environmental toxins. As the winter months approach, it becomes even more important to support your immune system by consistently eating a balanced diet, exercising, and making healthy lifestyle choices. But the real fuel for a strong immune system is using food as medicine. Super Soup
An immunity-boosting diet includes light, easily digestible meals throughout the day, especially soup. A myriad of health benefits and flavors are derived from the herbs, vegetables, and broth. Soups also can help curtail the onset or ease the symptoms of colds and flu. Look for soups that include immunity-enhancing ingredients such as ginger, onion, garlic, mushrooms, and a variety of veggies and herbs in a brothbase. As always, food made from scratch is best!
Super-Immunity Diet Guidelines • Include healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil. Remember, never cook with olive oil as heat turns it rancid, which makes it inflammatory. • When it comes to seasoning your foods, incorporate a variety of herbs and spices for flavor. • For veggies, choose steamed broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, leafy greens, and sweet potatoes. • Fermented foods such as miso and raw yogurt help promote healthy intestinal flora and combat harmful bacteria in the GI tract. Heat kills healthy bacteria so only warm your miso. • Limit or eliminate sugar in your diet. Studies have shown excessive sugar intake can interfere with optimal immune system function. • As far as beverages, the constituents in green tea have been shown to be both anti-inflammatory and immune enhancing.
Here in Colorado we have access to great athletes and athletic events at virtually every level: From our world famous professional sports teams to our near endless calendar of amateur sports events - Colorado hosts a plethora athletic events. We’re also home to a roster of Olympic hopefuls, especially in the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. This is where we met Adeline Gray, whose story is going to change your entire perspective on women in the “combat sports”. This two-time world champion, and as of April 10, 2016 an Olympian, is inspiring young female athletes around the world that they too can compete on the world state in sports such as freestyle wrestling and not be any less of a woman. We also bid farewell to one of pro football’s greats: Peyton Manning has gone home to Louisiana, but not before giving Coloradans a gift for the ages. Lastly, we’re changing our name and format! Beginning Q2 2016, Healthy Coloradan will become Today’s Coloradan! Our editorial and ad base will change too to become Colorado’s Premier Lifestyle Showcase: People, Places and Things to Do! This new format is ALL about fun and embracing our Colorado way of life. Cover photo by Don Jones
All NEW and exciting material from America’s favorite playground will be headed your way. Between editions, come visit us at www.todayscoloradan.com and keep up with amazing Coloradans, great places to visit and relax, and perhaps even experience some new and interesting things to do in our great state. Enjoy!
Today’s Coloradan Media Group EXECUTIVE TEAM Dirk R. Hobbs, ACHE AHCJ IABC Founder & Executive Publisher Scott W. Casey, MBA Partner & Chief of Operations Jim Bradford, MBA Chief of Technology Kim Ronkin VP Communications & Booking
CREATIVE TEAM Senior Photographer Don Jones Photographer Dan Russell Photographer John Mortland Video Producer and Videographer Keith Singer Editor Kim Ronkin Senior Writer Laura Avers Creative Director Eric Marcum Print Partner The Gazette Television Partner KKTV-11 (CBS) Radio Partner for “The Edge” KCMJ - 93.9FM The Edge Producer Drew Smith
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Why Denver Got It Right About Peyton Manning In a sea of self-aggrandizement, this guy just did his job. By Dirk “Doc” R. Hobbs Photo credit: sfgate.com
Denver football fans may be suffering lingering effects from “Manning Withdrawal” with upset stomach, mild depression, and a void once filled on Sundays with a reliable professional and an icon of modern football. Along with Bronco fans worldwide, I reveled in their win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. We all showcased our devotion to the team leader, skipping work in record numbers to hear Peyton Manning’s March 7, 2016, press conference where he bid farewell to the NFL as a player. With his decision clearly made, fans and all who appreciate the game recognize that Peyton Manning has indeed left the field. He has said goodbye and as a man true to his word, we don’t expect a return or come-back attempt in the future tarnishing such a stellar career and reputation. He made himself clear as he explained, “When you’ve exhausted an experience, you revere it.” Surely he will. He played football to the limits and presented the world with a sports figure committed to the high ideals of a role model. He experienced the profession as well as the game to its maximum and will be remembered in highlight reels and commentary for as long as the game is played. While pundits and arm-chair quarterbacks alike suspected this Super Bowl would be his last game as a player regardless of outcome, Manning put an end 14 Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016
to any linger doubts. And, with the official news the Broncos began refilling the roster, hammering out new deals and laying some substantial foundation for next season and beyond. Yet like so many fans, I am anxious for the team and the 2016 season. Clearly, while he is just one player and a single cog in the team’s wheel - albeit an important one - his leadership, grace under pressure and all around professionalism gave us a sense of confidence that he could achieve where others might fall short. There are dozens of returning key contributors, new big names on the horizon, the same coach, same field, and numerous other reasons for excitement and hopes of another successful season. However, this collective sense maybe more than just the loss of a player on which we pinned Denver Super Bowl dreams, but on the departure of a man who embraced his new community, his fans and a state that welcomed him with open arms. I think we’ll miss Manning for more than what he brought to the team and just like we have accepted losing the greats from the past, we will move on to Broncos future. Denver Broncos Football Club will win again, and will probably need more shelf space in the front office for another Vince Lombardi Trophy over the next 50 seasons. Though perhaps we will miss more than his on-field leadership and famous audible calls because he
“When you’ve exhausted an experience, you revere it.” - Peyton Manning, Farewell Press Conference March 7, 2016 gave this community more than just those things. I suspect Indianapolis fans could tell us from experience. What we’ll likely miss about the individual, Peyton Manning, is more than a “favorite player”, bragging rights or jersey sales. And it’s why this truly was the end of an era in pro football, but hopefully the beginning of a refreshing trend. There are other “greats” out there, and surely more to be developed, yet I think we are right to recognize Manning as someone special. He’s not the only one to embody this ideal, but he was front and center each fall for the last eighteen years representing what was good and wholesome about the sport. He did this with his connection to the game, and subsequently our connection to him - even for non-football fans. Any drama or controversy that landed on Manning’s plate off the field was handled with the same resolve, conviction and class with which he played the game and dealt with challenges on the field. We’ll likely see that play out in the coming months and years as he contends with the HRT accusations, the suspiciously timed University of Tennessee allegations and anything else that comes to light. The absence of self-aggrandizement and grandstanding along with a spectacular work ethic was refreshing in a world of trash talk and revolving door celebrity status. This is a Manning family thing. As a University of Mississippi student and assistant coach active in the athletic department at Ole Miss, I was privileged to experience this family-driven integrity first hand. I had the opportunity to meet the family patriarch, Archie Manning during a few of his visits to Oxford to watch the Rebels play. From my own recollection, Peyton Manning seems to get his confidence and humility honestly. His younger brother Eli, who played for the Rebels from 2000-03, had a similar disposition on and off the field. If Eli ever felt he was playing and living in the shadows at one time, he has earned two rings of his own Background photo by: Getty Images
standing as an icon on his own. In his closing statement, Manning remarked that he loved football. “I’d play this game with the same passion even if all the perks weren’t a part of the experience,” he said. It is easy to believe that about him. As a fan, what we will likely miss most is his undeniable ability to keep the focus on the team, not himself. He embodied what leaders in sport should strive to be, both on and off the football field. Great athleticism is inspiring, but in the professional sports world, it’s a dime-a-dozen trait, and not the differentiator that will make one’s story stand above the rest for generations. It’s the other stuff that made him special. Coach Tony Dungy made mention of his solid character numerous times. And his last coach, Gary Kubiak explained, “He always knew the media would be more interested in what he was doing,” but Kubiak also witnessed him repeatedly keep the focus on the contributions of the other fifty-one men who wore Broncos, Colts, and Volunteers jerseys. Manning understood the pain and dedication each and every teammate endured as a contributor on the team. For these and other reasons, John Elway made the right decision to convince Peyton Manning to trust in him and the Bronco’s leadership allowing him to cement his legacy in the Mile High City. Lucky for all of us Broncos fans that we got the chance to watch him do it and bring us a historic Super Bowl win for number 50.
Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016 15
Practice Profile:
Allergy & Asthma Associates | Colorado Springs Asthma and Allergy Associates have been diagnosing, testing, and treating Southern Colorado resident’s asthma and allergy symptoms for 86 years. AACOS specializes in Asthma diagnosis and treatment for adults and children, as well as allergy symptom diagnosis,
diarrhea are most common. Non–GI symptoms like brain fog, headache, fatigue, joint and muscle pain, leg and arm numbness, dermatitis, depression and anemia have also been connected to food sensitivities. Many patients with these issues have been seen by multiple specialists, have suffered for many years and have experimented with non–traditional practitioners spending time and financial resources on tests and therapies that do not have scientific validity. We have added a nutritionist/dietitian to our staff to help manage a range of issues from weight loss to multiple food elimination diets.
skin testing and allergy treatment for all ages. Our doctors, Dr. Robert Nathan, Dr. Daniel Soteres and Dr. Luke Webb are popular with the kids and loved by the parents due to the friendly service and treatment success we consistently provide patients suffering from Asthma or allergy issues.
We are here to help diagnose and treat all allergy and asthma symptoms the Southern Colorado community is suffering from. Get help and get tested! Contact any of our offices today or go on-line and fill out the appointment form and let us help you breathe easier!
Asthma and Allergy Associates P.C. and Food Allergy Center strives to provide expert medical care to the greater Pikes Peak area of Colorado Springs, Pueblo and their greater Southern Colorado region and Canon City with convenient hours for appointments and allergy injections.
The Asthma & Allergy Associates clinic was started by Dr. William C. Service who began practicing in Colorado Springs in 1930.
Our main medical treatments focuses include: Pediatric asthma, adult asthma, COPD diagnosis and treatment, exercise-induced asthma, food allergies like gluten allergies and peanut allergies, yeast allergies, egg allergies, allergies to milk, soy allergies, shellfish allergies, and pet allergies. We opened a Food Allergy Center due to the rising demand for diagnosis and treatment of food related disorders. We are board certified in the field of allergy and immunology. In our specialty we draw a clear line between food allergies and food sensitivities. Food allergies are mediated via a specific immunological pathway and the reactions can be severe and life threatening. Rapid and proper identification of food allergy triggers can reduce stress and save lives. Educating our patients, their families and other care-givers about managing food allergies and treating allergic reactions is a business we take seriously and that we have done for many years. Rising interest in food sensitivities that relate to a host of defined clinical syndromes like eosinophilic esophagitis, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease and gluten sensitivity have raised the profile of our office to be included in the evaluation and treatment of these disorders. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity has been connected to a host of non-specific symptoms. Gastrointestinal symptoms like abdominal pain, boating and constipation/
In 1979, Dr. Robert A. Nathan joined Asthma & Allergy Associates, PC and Research Centers. In March 2006, Dr. Soteres joined Asthma & Allergy Associates. Dr. Soteres also has extensive training in Pediatrics. In January 2009, Dr. Daniel F. Soteres (MD, MPH) became a partner in Asthma & Allergy Associates. Dr. Luke Webb joined the practice in 2012 and became a partner in 2015. Our allergy clinic has done extensive clinical research, and has published many peer-reviewed journal articles on allergy and asthma in the national and international medical literature.
For more information, addresses, and phone numbers for our 4 locations, go to
AACOS.COM or call the practice administrator at 719-473-0872
A PLACE FOR KIDS. A PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS.
Publisher’s Note Cover Feature Update! Our Spring 2016 cover feature showcases the life journey of Adeline Gray, a native Coloradan who at the time of the original interview was still under the moniker, “Olympic Hopeful”. All that changed on April 10, 2016 in Iowa City, Iowa when three-time World Champion freestyle wrestler, Adeline became an Olympian! Victoria Francis was Gray’s last hurdle before she could claim her seat on the plane to Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS! When your child is feeling sick, needs a routine exam, or has special needs, call on the pediatricians at Centura Health Physician Group Pediatrics NorthCare. We’re dedicated to taking care of your needs as a parent and partnering with you to keep your child healthy and fit as she grows. And, with access to St. Francis Medical Center and other pediatric specialties on our campus, you have the added comfort knowing that if your child needs treatment, she can be cared for right here, close to home.
Gray said of her hallmark moment, “It’s really surreal. I just can’t even believe it’s here. I’ve been holding back a lot of emotions leading up to this moment. I knew I was No. 1 in the world, I knew I could do this, but to come here and actually get it done is another thing.” Adeline Gray is a graduate of Bear Creek High School in Lakewood, Colorado.
From all of us here at Today’s Coloradan: We are thrilled to see your dreams come true, Adeline! We hope you have the time of your life in Rio!
To make an appointment, please call 719-571-7130.
NorthCare Building 6071 E. Woodmen Rd, Suite 225 Colorado Springs, CO 80923 Hours: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. penrosestfrancis.org/CHPGPeds Centura Health does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, religion, creed, ancestry, sexual orientation, and marital status in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services and activities, or in employment. For further information about this policy contact Centura Health’s Office of the General Counsel at (303) 804-8166.
Team USA Olympian, Adeline Gray Women’s Freestyle Wresting
Cover Feature Exclusive
Respect Must Be Earned Demanded A to be
Interview and story by: world stage as both athletes and women. “I ask to be Kim Ronkin treated as an athlete when I step out on that mat; so I’m
deline Gray three time
World Champion Women’s Wrestler walks in wearing a form fitting black dress and a killer pair of heals eradicating any outdated perceptions and stereotypes of a women wrestler.
She thinks of herself as simply her own person and defies anyone to put her in a preconceived box of what she should be. On track to be the first Olympic gold medalist for team USA in Women’s Wrestling, Gray is in a 35 straight match winning streak that shows no sign of ending. She is undefeated for the past two and a half years as she heads to the Olympic Trials and on to the Olympic Games.
a wrestler when I step out on that mat. I am a female when I step off that mat.”
“Growing up in wrestling family on both sides it was her mother’s brother who started her off on her path at age six. She began her Junior League experience with her uncle as her coach on a Denver pee wee team.” My uncle came to me and said hey girls - wrestling: do you want to try this? I was just so hyper and bouncing off the walls my mom said, ‘just take her’. At this level she explains it was more about fun and games and family. “My sister ended up wrestling too and so it was really neat to have that father daughter relationship built with my dad and have him teach me moves and make that relationship strong and really important to both of us.”
“I’m just on a good path ranked number one in the world heading into Rio and I only have the Olympic Team Trials left until further qualifications” says Gray. “I’m in the best situation of any of the athletes on the team right now.” She is currently in the finals of the Olympic Trials, which means that the other athletes will wrestle and the winner wrestles Adeline in the finals best two out of three to essentially become her alternate. “I just have to win two matches in April and I’m on the team officially,” explains Gray. Her weight class (75KG-165lbs) has already qualified as the only weight class qualified for the women this year. “So I’m in a very good spot and I couldn’t ask for anything more. It’s just a matter of staying healthy until those big tournaments come up.” While Adeline Gray is an elite Olympic caliber athlete with the stats and the winning matches to prove it, she is also a leader in a sport pushing back against boundaries about gender and the role female athletes have on the 18 Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016
Adeline Gray Photo by Don Jones | Don Jones Photography
Adeline credits her family with easing her road in a traditionally male sport. “My parents and my coaches did a really good job of sheltering me,” she explains in regard to coming up against resistance to a girl wrestler. “Anytime I had a boy forfeit to me my mom just said, ‘it’s a bye honey, don’t worry about it you’re moving on to the next round.’ I’m like ‘woo-hoo’, so I just focused on wrestling.” Competing against and with both genders in her career she feels it’s the work she has put in that speaks and earns her the respect. ”I would like to be treated as an equal and as an athlete. I work very hard at what I do and I would like to be given that respect of stepping on the mat,” says Gray. “That is what I’ve asked of the boys who have wrestled me my entire life. I’ve gotten that for the most part and been very thankful for the level of skill that has been brought on the mat to wrestle me.” When asked about her role at the forefront of the sport, she remarks, “The momentum of women getting equal pay and getting better benefits created this perfect storm in the sports world of needing leaders and role models to show young girls that it’s okay to do sports; to be an elite athlete and competitive on an elite level.” “But it wasn’t without that generation prior to me, she remarks. “I had my role models. I remember
the first time that Iris Smith who was the 2005 World Champion came and signed my headgear.” Adeline admits to keeping the headgear for years. “She was the first time I ever saw myself not just being a girl or being a wrestler and I kind of got the whole picture. I thought you had to fit into one category.” She explains the impact of seeing her wrestling idol expressing her own femininity. “I wasn’t a tom boy. I don’t want to say that I was trying to fit in to be a boy, but she had both worlds. She was able to be a female and beautiful and really rock her style and her femininity, but also be a bad-ass and win world championships and live this amazing life of an elite athlete. I saw her and realized, I want that.” Gray is accomplishing that goal but not without coming up against her own challenges of pushing boundaries even within the sport. “Too pretty to wrestle,” she says. “I’ve heard that before,” as she relays a story of a former coach who would repeatedly suggest she should play tennis because then she could wear a skirt. “That’s how he identified femininity was wearing a skirt and playing tennis, which is so interesting because in the Billy Jean King days that was pushing boundaries as far as your femininity.” Continue to next page ...
Adeline Gray Photo by Don Jones | Don Jones Photography
Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016 19
Yet Adeline takes it in stride focusing on the Olympic goal ahead of her and handling the pressure of expectations for gold in Rio. “Sure there’s pressure with it but you kind of put that pressure on yourself and you alleviate that pressure by understanding that first of all I haven’t won anything yet. That gold medal is not mine. I’m going to have to earn every single match that I have to win leading up to that gold medal.” She gives credit for her ability to handle the pressure to the team of coaches, teammates, family and friends surrounding her. “They understand my goals and when I get distracted they reel me back in. And my boyfriend has been so much fun to have along this journey.” A US Army Captain with his own schedule challenges he supports her goals and respects the training commitment. ”He also pulls me the other way if I get too focused and too in to it.” The extreme focus and commitment is part of the
challenge as an elite level athlete. Friends are tough to hold on to. “It’s really hard to be an elite athlete’s friend because you can never really depend on us because we are not in the country half the time. The friends that I do [have] who have been there for years understand my life and why I put myself through so much to get some gold medals at the end.”
20 Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016
However, she doesn’t commit to where that end will be. Whether she takes gold or not she is vague on keeping with the sport or stepping off the mat, recognizing that all her options are open to her. She comments about the expansion of women’s fighting sports in the professional arena. “We are professionals, we get paid to do what we do. Yet there are different financial dollars when it comes to that MMA world having the fans watching. I am so happy that the women are being respected in that realm and I think it’s really great that they are pushing that boundary and making it ok for sponsorships to happen to females.” Gray concedes however, “It’s still only that top tier percent that’s getting paid and everyone else is really struggling. So it’s not there yet and they’re sacrificing their body; to break their legs and things like that are huge sacrifices you have to make. It’s a tough world. The fighting world is a very competitive realm that you have to have a really good base before you can enter it along with some thick skin.”
When asked about her advice to young girls considering wrestling as a sport and the additional challenges of attitudes about girls in wresting she relays her experience in high school both with supportive and non-supportive coaches and teammates. She talks about putting in the work to earn her spot and demanding the respect but also being aware that pushing the boundaries is challenging for the people being pushed as well.
issues. “I think my sport’s an extreme case in the essence it’s a male dominated realm and women are trying to edge our way in, chipping away slowly at getting that acceptance in all the different states and all the different areas of national levels.” She is excited that having more weight classes offers closer equality with the men. “Pushing that pendulum a little bit further, getting more people aware of the opportunity and that dream that those girls are now able to have.”
Adeline shares her efforts to minimize any negatives to help the boys as they made the transition; acknowledging “that some of the boys because they are going through puberty and oh my gosh we have breasts you have to take your hand and move it two inches down – it’s not that hard. But I understand your concern and we can take that in stride and I will wear a tank top that’s higher so that when I’m leaning forward there’s not that cleavage or the gapping or anything like that. So I took precautions so that people could take me seriously when I stepped out on that mat. I earned their respect.”
“It’s about changing one mind at a time and keeping that strength in yourself. Not always easy but we have it better than the generation before us.” But she also cautions, “Not to be one of the guys because you are a girl and to be treated as an athlete. I think that’s where the conversation has to change a bit because when I step on that mat I don’t consider myself a boy, I am still a girl but I want to be treated as an athlete. As someone who has put in the time and effort to get better at this sport and you as another athlete need to give me your best.
She encourages young girls who are thinking about any sport to take the chance regardless of gender Adeline Gray Photo by Don Jones | Don Jones Photography
“That’s what will make you and them better.” See Publisher’s Note on Page 17 - Adeline is now a member of Team USA as an Olympian! Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016 21
Elise Wiggins
Executive Chef at Panzano Denver
E
lise Wiggins has a plan. A career plan, that is.
From her beginnings in Louisiana to Texas, through Colorado, Puerto Rico, Tennessee and now back to Colorado, Wiggins has purposely and progressively moved up through the ranks - all the time honing her kitchen skills, tasting new flavors, managing more people and developing the talents that have won fine dining awards and accolades. Growing up in the South, Elise’s first memories are of family and food. Weekly gatherings of cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents were alive with conversation and camaraderie. But all bets were off when it came to the food. Whose gumbo was best? Who boiled the best crawfish? The competition was friendly and fierce but Elise learned to equate great food with fun, happiness and best of all - pats on the back. But the menu wasn’t all gumbo and crawdads. Elise’s mom grew up in New York and spent her teenage summers in Northern Italy. She would prepare regional dishes she had seen at Lake Como for the kids and include a geography lesson on Northern Italy with the meal. Her family was Elise’s inspirationa great start for a chef. Elise began her career in the restaurant business in the front of the house as a floor manager in a Dallas restaurant, The Grotto. It wasn’t long, however, until she realized her heart and skills were best put to use in the kitchen. After a nationwide investigation of culinary schools, Elise came to the Colorado Institute of Art’s school in Denver and graduated with honors. Several kitchen jobs in Denver included a stint as the chef of Bella Ristorante, a busy Southern Italian restaurant in Lower Downtown. At this point, the career plan was hatched. Learn more about cuisines other than Italian, work internationally, move into resorts or hotels. Get some experience opening a new restaurant. Move up the chef ladder. A five month trip through Central America followed her departure from Denver. From Mexico to Panama, Elise took classes, visited markets, sampled street food to haute cuisine and enjoyed being completely away from American food and
sensibilities. Meanwhile, it was time to get back to work and an offer from the Westin Rio Mar Resort in San Juan, Puerto Rico seemed the perfect fit. The Palio restaurant at this 5 Diamond resort. Island reviewers raved about Chef de Cuisine Elise’s food at Palio, going so far as to say that Wiggins, “brings Italy to a little corner of Puerto Rico.” The restaurant earned a Mobil 4 Diamond rating during Elise’s watch. But bigger and better things awaited Elise and “the plan” had yet to be fulfilled. The opening chef position for the Capriccio Restaurant in the Peabody Hotel in Memphis was the next stop for Elise. This world famous hotel was completely revamping their food service operations and looking for a chef who could create and execute the quality and consistent Northern Italian food that they envisioned for their new restaurant. Fully responsible for menu development, training, costing, implementation and profitability of the Capriccio Restaurant, Cafe and Lounge, Elise managed a staff of 30. “But I never wanted to leave Colorado,” said Wiggins. “When I heard about the Panzano job, I knew it was the job I really wanted and a way to get back to Denver.” Since making her way back to Denver and Panzano, Elise has caused quite a stir. Chosen for 4 Diamond status for 2010-2015 by the American Automobile Association, Panzano has also been named Best Italian restaurant in Denver by Westword multiple times including 2015, “To Die For” by the Gabby Gourmet Restaurant Guide and included in the Top Restaurants in Denver by 5280 magazine and Zagat Guides. 5280 magazine recognized Panzano’s gluten free program as “Top of the Town.” The American Culinary Federation named Elise 2005 Colorado Chef the Year and the Colorado Restaurant Association bestowed its Outstanding Professional award on Elise in 2012.
909 17th St - Hotel Monaco-Denver 303.296.3525 | OpenTable.com Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016 23
&
Kids The Issue of Privacy Article by: Charles Faye, Ph.D. Founder and President of Love & Logic www.loveandlogic.com
Have you ever heard a parent say something like, “I don’t feel comfortable searching my daughter’s room - I don’t want to invade her privacy”? Perhaps you know a child who is severely bent out of shape because their “Neanderthal” parents won’t allow them to keep a computer in their bedroom. Where do I stand on this issue? • It’s our job to do our best to know what’s going on in our children’s lives. • It’s our job to know what’s in their rooms. • It’s our job to do our best to know what they are doing on their computers and their phones. • It’s our job to do our best to meet their friends and understand what they are involved in when they are hanging out. • When we do these things, we send the message that we love them enough to be involved in their lives. Parents who do such things will likely hear, “You don’t trust me!” If so, respond with the following: We love you. Do you think we do these things to be nosy and obnoxious…or do we do these things because we love you and want to help you stay safe? This question is not designed to change their mind. It’s simply designed to plant a seed within it. When we consistently demonstrate love and concern...rather than a dictatorial attitude...this seed has a chance to grow. As a society, we’ve lost far too many good kids to drugs, alcohol, pornography, suicide, video game addiction, etc., because we’ve been afraid of invading privacy. In our Teen Package, you’ll find a treasure chest of ideas for staying highly involved in your teen’s life…without creating massive power struggles and rebellion.
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A Changing Journey from Sport to Philosophy Special Feature Story & Interview by Kim Ronkin If life is a journey then the journey of Grandmaster Sang Chul Lee has been one of exception and of exceptional effort and focus. He may be best remembered as the man who helped add taekwondo as an Olympic sport in his role as the U.S. National Taekwondo Team coach from 1979 to 1988. Yet the journey and the twists along the way paint an interesting picture where the journey is part of the goal itself. Taekwondo is a Korean martial art developed over more than two centuries from ancient techniques and coalesced into its current form and name in 1955. The Korean words of its name help describe the form. “The name Taekwondo is derived from the Korean word “Tae” meaning foot, “Kwon” meaning fist and “Do” meaning way of. So, literally Taekwondo means “the way of the foot and fist”.” (Southwick, n.d.)* He began his own taekwondo training as a young boy in his hometown of Kimje, Korea. Unlike the proliferation of martial arts training schools and options currently available in the U.S., Lee explains, “Not a regular training class but someone who knows martial arts in home or street or town.” He came from a poor farming family but managed to rise in the sport to the level of champion. “I was in Hall of Fame back in Korea by Korean Olympic committee,” he says. “I was good.” Lee immigrated to the United States in 1975, arriving at Kennedy Airport. “A friend picked me up and I stayed at his apartment for two months,” says Lee. “I brought $800 at the time so I had to have some job and I became a janitor.” He found a job at the hospital in Binghamton, New York. “It was good. I didn’t have to talk just clean up and then save some money.” At this point an American martial 26 Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016
artist asked him to teach part time. “So I taught two times a week and cleaned the hospital five days a week so I worked seven days a week.” Saving his money he opened a Taekwondo school (Dojang) in Binghamton. In addition, he taught taekwondo at the State University at Binghamton as a credit course. In 1979, things changed for him when the U.S. national governing body of taekwondo asked Lee to become the Coach for the National Team. “I became national coach in ‘79 and then ‘86 I was selected by National Governing Body of Taekwondo for Olympic Games.” His qualifications were submitted to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) for review and approved. Lee remarks, “Then I not belonging to National Governing Body anymore but belong to U.S. Olympic Committee.” This prompted his move to Colorado Springs as the home of the USOC and the Olympic Training Center. “I thought that moving to Colorado Springs is very necessary to teach Olympic team at Olympic Training Center that is why I sold all my property and everything – it was $50,000 so I put that money as a down payment for first my Taekwondo school.” This is a well known institution in Colorado Springs called the US Taekwondo Center with several locations and a distinctive circular red logo. Continue...
Grandmaster Sang Chul Lee
Master Jay Lee
Photography by: Don Jones | DonJonesPhotography.com
Respect
As an Olympic sport, taekwondo originally offered eight different weight categories for men and for women. Grandmaster Lee was the coach for all eight on the U.S team. In the beginning all countries sent their full teams of eight men/eight women. However, things changed in 2000 and countries were limited to four. The Olympic competition had become dominated by a smaller number of countries including the U.S. and the international governing body of Taekwondo chose to limit competitors with the intent to expand the involvement of more countries in the sport.
1988 in the flyweight (43-47kg) division and her brother Master Sammy Pejo as an alternate on the ‘88 and ‘92 Olympic Teams. He now teaches at the school. Both started as white belts under Grandmaster Sang Lee.
During this time, the Grandmaster developed a large following and one family in particular trailed him from New York to Colorado Springs. The Pejo family has been a part of the US Taekwondo Center for many years. Lee coached his Binghamton student, U.S. Olympian May Pejo through to the semi-final round in
It was around this time that Grandmaster Lee had a change of heart and philosophy around the sport of Taekwondo. He went from a proponent and active champion of Taekwondo as a fighting sport to a deeper acceptance of the larger, and in his opinion more important role
Lee retired from his coaching career following the Olympic Games in 1988 to focus on the school and the training of his own children. His son Master Jay Lee now runs the schools and began his own training under his father’s direction at age six along with his three brothers.
Discipl
28 Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016
line of Taekwondo as a lifestyle or life instructional path. He explains this philosophical change taking place after the Games, “because the Olympic athlete or national champions they just train all day long; kicking and punching kicking and punching - that’s all. Their main goal is win. From the match and all the way to get the medal.” Both he and his son Jay make a great effort to explain that there is so much more to taekwondo than the physical and competition aspect. Grandmaster Lee explains, “I was competitor I was champion. I thought that was it - that was all. But now I realize that Olympic part is small part of taekwondo. More important thing is self-improvement, discipline and respect.” Master Jay Lee explains how the mental aspects of taekwondo stand with equal importance to the physical and that his father’s approach to Taekwondo as character building martial art rather than a sport is what drives the school’s teaching approach. “We do physical training and character and mental training,” says Jay. “We believe that has to be done in unison. Because if it’s only about the physical then you lose a lot of what martial arts is about.” They believe that the life philosophy of the art form builds the character of a person to improve in many areas of their lives and across the age spectrum. That taekwondo practice can be shared together from children to parents to grandparents. And in the case of the Lee family the effort has paid off with four successful sons; three attending Ivy League schools with Masters and PhD degrees.
Self-Improvement
Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016 29
Jay Lee is the third son and carries on his father’s legacy through the school with a deep commitment to the idea that this is more than a sport and the students gain life skills that will serve them as they have served him and his brothers. “I am honored to carry my father’s legacy of taekwondo into the future,” Jay remarks. “I take a lot of pride in being able to help children increase their respect and discipline, increase their confidence.” He credits his mother with raising him and his brothers and instituting this philosophy while his father was traveling around the world as a proponent of the martial art form. “My mother doesn’t do taekwondo, she’s a nurse in cardiology.” Master Jay Lee goes on to explain, “We appreciate our upbringing. My mother and father had standards. They taught us about hard work; about not making excuses and to push through and persevere. We were brought up in this philosophy and that is what we teach in taekwondo.” When discussing the status and proliferation of martial arts schools of all disciplines, Jay laments that there is no over-arching regulatory body to set teaching standards. He and his father take great pride in the quality of teaching both the physical and mental aspects of taekwondo in their schools. When asked his opinion on how to pick a martial arts school Jay responds, “Things people should ask a martial arts school: what is the experience of their Master Instructor and Grandmaster; are they legitimate martial artists? They should ask if the employees go through a background check, if they have CPR and first aid certification for employees; do they provide a safe environment for children to train? We should absolutely be asking those questions.”
risk. That driving character came from Taekwondo.” Laughing Jay relays his father’s directions growing up, “My father always told me if people are sleeping eight hours a night then we sleep six hours a night. If this person kicks 100 times then we are going to kick 200 times or 300 times.” “What it has always taught me is to not be an average person. We always want to be leaders; we want to be above average; we want to be pioneers. We want to do different things than everybody else does.” Grandmaster Lee sums it up, “That’s my philosophy.” *Southwick, R. A. (n.d.). A Brief History of Taekwondo. Retrieved from Michigan State University: https://www.msu.edu/~spock/history.html
Learn about the US Taekwondo Center here: http://martialartscoloradosprings.com/
He continues, “How every martial arts school delivers the message is based on their staff and the experience of the school. That is not something anyone can measure over the Internet, through a review on-line; you have to go in and see the school.” Jay shares his respect of the art form with his father and brothers reiterating, “He [his father] gained his education through taekwondo scholarships. He used that fighting philosophy to push through to take chances.” Jay believes that it was this training that prompted his father to take the chance and move to America. “You are not going to be a champion if you’re not willing to take chances and 30 Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016
Photo by Don Jones DonJonesPhotography.com
Bringing in theAccolades! Spring 2016 saw numerous national announcements putting Colorado’s Front Range communities on the “must see” list for millions of travelers, and edified why more than 5.3 million+ people call Colorado home.
U.S. News & World Report named Denver, Colorado #1 Best Places to Live in the United States, and second largest major metropolitan community, Colorado Springs came in at #5! Livability ranked Fort Collins #13 Best Places to Live and our “L” communities: Littleton, Lakewood, Longmont, Loveland, and Lafayette, Colorado all came in the top 50 on the list. (Sorry, Lone Tree) But we knew this all along, didn’t we! Congratulations to this year’s listed communities and to the Coloradans who make those communities and all other Colorado towns, the best place to live!
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World-Renowned Colore Join Children’s Hospital Children’s Hospital Colorado (Children’s Colorado) is honored to announce the arrival of Alberto Peña, MD, and Andrea Bischoff, MD, as director and assistant director, respectively, of the Children’s Hospital Colorado International Center for Colo-rectal Care. Drs. Peña and Bischoff are respected worldwide for redefining colorectal surgery and bring their expertise, passion for teaching and dedication to family-centered care to Colorado.
According to Drs. Peña and Bischoff, approximately 1 in 4,000 babies worldwide are born every year with anorectal malformations such as cloaca, a condition in which the rectum, vagina and urinary tract develop into a single, fused orifice. Before 1980, the accepted surgical method to correct anorectal malformations was done in a semi-blind manner, but Dr. Peña proved there was a better way, and now the “Peña Pull-Through” procedure has become the treatment standard around the world. Collectively, Drs. Peña and Bischoff have treated more than 3,000 patients with anorectal malformations. They remain committed to their Andrea Bischoff, MD patients for decades and are now even providing care for patients who are expecting babies of their own. This commitment to providing a lifetime of care was one of the leading reasons the doctors selected Children’s Colorado for their practice. “Providing exceptional, personalized care, within a culture that fosters new ideas and continuous innovation, is the cornerstone of the experience we deliver to our patients and their families,” said Dr. Peña. “We are inspired by the passion for research, innovation and patient-centered care at Children’s Colorado and look forward to joining the first-in-class teams here in Colorado.” At Children’s Colorado, they will work with a multidisciplinary team in the provision of care, including specialists in Adolescent Gynecology, Gastroenterology, and Urology as well as partnering with the Colorado Institute for Maternal and Fetal Health (CIMFH) to continue the advancement of prenatal diagnosis of anorectal malformations, improving prenatal and delivery care for patients. “I am delighted to be working in close collaboration with Dr. Pena and Dr. Bischoff in order to provide world class multidisciplinary care to these patients with complex problems,” said Dr. Duncan Wilcox, Division Chief of the Department of Pediatric Urology at Children’s Hospital Colorado. “They are respected worldwide and I am extremely excited about what we’ll work on together as they join the Children’s Colorado team.” 32 Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016
ectal Pediatric Surgeons Colorado In addition to leading the Section of Pediatric Colorectal Surgery, Dr. Peña has been appointed professor of surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and director of the Children’s Hospital Colorado International Program. Dr. Bischoff will be an associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Research also will be a primary focus for Drs. Peña and Bischoff at Children’s Colorado, with 20 percent of their time allocated to it. Furthermore, Dr. Peña will continue to focus on international partnerships to improve training and education so that international patients can receive the appropriate care when they return home following a surgery. “On behalf of the entire Children’s Colorado community, I want to share our excitement for the addition of Drs. Peña and Bischoff to our expert multidisciplinary team dedicated to caring for patients worldwide,” said Gil Peri, senior vice president and chief strategy officer. “Drs. Peña and Bischoff literally wrote the book on pediatric colorectal surgery, and we look forward to establishing a destination Center her at Children’s Colorado.” Alberto Peña , MD
Drs. Peña and Bischoff will begin seeing patients at Children’s Colorado starting in February 2016.
To learn more about the International Center for Colorectal Care, visit their website: http://www.childrenscolorado.org/colorectal
“Providing exceptional, personalized care, within a culture that fosters new ideas and continuous innovation, is the cornerstone of the experience we deliver to our patients and their families.” - Dr. Alberto Peña
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Women’s Health: Menopause Symptoms Vary by Age 36 Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016
Ninety percent of women go through menopause between the ages of 45 and 54. But 1/10,000 women enter menopause by age 20; 1/1,000 by age 30; 1/100 by age 40; and 1/10 will enter menopause before age 45. A new study in the February 2015 issue of the journal Menopause studied women with early menopause to see if and how their symptoms differ from women entering menopause at age 45 and older. One of the major differences for women who go through natural menopause versus early menopause is how long the symptoms last. Unlike menopause that occurs after age 45 where symptoms tend to peak at the time of menopause and then taper off, early menopause symptoms do not diminish over time. Women with early menopause also experience a very high level of mental fog and mood swings that tended to last for decades, and had lower levels of attention, focus and awareness.
Common Symptoms Associated With Early Menopause Mood swings and mental fog 75% Hair loss > 50% Dry eyes > 50% Cold intolerance > 50% Joint clicking > 50% Tingling in limbs 33% Low blood pressure 33% Hypothyroidism 17% Low blood sugar 16% Gluten allergies 10%
About two-thirds of the women with early menopause experienced depression, which is much higher than the 16.2% that occurs in the general population. The study couldn’t be certain if the early menopause caused the depression due to hormone changes or the women were depressed because they went into early menopause. There was also a very high rate of hypothyroid disease. Another important finding with women in early menopause was that those who had the lowest level of mindfulness had the worst symptoms. So, taking action to be more mindful, including being involved in meditation, yoga and similar activities, may be very helpful. All these findings point out that if you go into early menopause, you may have stronger symptoms that last for a long window of time. Talk with your doctor and make sure to seek treatment for symptoms so they can have the least impact as possible in your life. For a free ebook on the most common symptoms of menopause and what to do about them, go to www.FreeMenopauseEBook.com and get instant access.
Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016 37
Leadville’s Lake County Intermediate School Wins Platinum Governor’s Award for School Health and Wellness Colorado schools are creating supportive school environments by improving on student health and wellness programs. They’re finding out that by teaching to the whole child their students’ academic and social successes improve significantly.
John Hickenlooper Governor of Colorado
Forty-three schools will take center stage to be celebrated as 2016 Healthy School Champions at the 2016 Colorado Healthy Schools Summit: The Power of Collective Impact at 8 a.m. Friday, March 4. The summit is presented by The Colorado Education Initiative (CEI) and Colorado Healthy Schools Collective Impact, and sponsored by The Colorado Health Foundation will recognize schools for their successful health and wellness efforts. See the entire list of 2016 Healthy School Champions.
“No matter how good the teaching, how interesting the curriculum or how beautiful the school is, students will not achieve unless they are healthy, feel safe, and have the ability to navigate challenging issues in their lives,” said CEI President and CEO Glenna Norvelle. “This annual event allows us to celebrate schools that have successfully demonstrated the critical link between student health and academic achievement.” The $7,500 Platinum Governor’s Award for School Health and Wellness goes to Leadville’s Lake County Intermediate School in the Lake County School District — a school that knew physical activity could improve their school’s culture and tried creative and simple solutions to incorporate healthy habits. Health and wellness is a core part of Lake County Intermediate School’s instructional model and it includes attention to all elements of school health: health education, physical activity, socio-emotional and mental health, and nutrition for students and staff. “We know that physical activity helps kids stay focused in the classroom, so we started making small changes to integrate physical activity by making classroom brain breaks mandatory,” said Lake County Principal Stephanie Gallegos. “Our awesome PE teacher supported our teachers with resources, along with fun and easy brain-break activities they could do indoors. Our classroom behavioral issues have gone down by just giving our students these breaks they need to be their best.” Schools are awarded based on their implementation of best practices in school health through an assessment tool called Colorado Healthy Schools Smart Source, a narrative outlining their work, and letters of support. 38 Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016
“For the winning schools, health and wellness is embedded into the culture and systems. It’s about having an intentional investment to meet the needs of their students and staff in order to achieve academically,” said CEI Health and Wellness director Amy Dyett. Lake County Intermediate School’s PE teacher Megan Leirfallom has noticed that her students’ enthusiasm for daily activity continues to grow. “We’re doing a 100-mile challenge that simulates the Leadville Trail 100 race and for every lap they run, students get a dot on their arm. They’ve been so proud to show off their dots,” she said. “Parents think it’s awesome that their kids are so proud of their accomplishment. We are letting our kids know that it’s cool to be healthy, it’s cool to be a runner, and it’s cool to be in PE.” In its six years, the Colorado Healthy Schools program has granted more than $250,000 in awards in the range of $300 to $7,500 per school.
Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis A Colorado woman shares her story of surviving rare disease Story shared by Erin Heberlein from a story which aired on KOAA Imagine one day waking up to find you’re having horrific hallucinations, you don’t recognize your family, you have seizures and then you forget how to speak, read and write. Then, doctors say they can’t find anything wrong with you. That was the reality for a Colorado Springs woman. Erin Heberlein, 27, first began showing strange symptoms and behavior in Nov. 2011. “I had a massive migraine and I just kind of slept it off,” she described. “From there on I started having various changes.” Initially Heberlein thought the headaches and other symptoms were caused by stress from her job at Penrose Hospital. However, her family soon began to notice increasingly strange behavior. “She would look at me and not know who I was, she would call me different names,” explained Kim Heberlein, Erin’s mother. Erin Heberlein was vaguely aware that she was acting strangely, but didn’t believe anything serious was going on even as her behavior turned more and more erratic.
“Just doing oddball things like purchasing very expensive things thinking it’d be covered by my insurance,” she explained. “I thought I won $10,000 from the lotto.” Her parents, worried about Heberlein’s odd behavior, encouraged her to visit their home in Denver often so they could watch her. It was there that she had her first seizure in front of her family just before Christmas in 2011. “She bit, I mean, like a portion of her tongue off the side and was very out of it,” Kim Heberlein described. After the seizure Erin only remembers a few bits and pieces of the next three-months of her life. “I remember, slightly, riding in the back of an ambulance to the hospital,” she explained. Doctors performed a battery of tests on Erin to try and determine what was wrong with her, tests that showed nothing according to the doctors. She was discharged and returned home, but more seizures and strange behavior followed. Then she began losing her ability to speak, read and write. At that point doctors believed Erin was suffering from a mental disorder, possibly schizophrenia. She was put in isolation in a mental ward for a time. Her mother Kim, a social worker and therapist with experience in mental disorders, believed the problem was physical and contacted numerous doctors across the country trying to find an expert who might know what was wrong with Erin. Eventually Kim Heberlein was put in contact with a doctor at University Hospital in Denver, when she described Erin’s symptoms the doctor told her to rush her to the hospital immediately.
Erin Heberlein (on right) joining her sister’s wedding in 2014 40 Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016
“Told me there’s something wrong, you’ve got to get a team around her,” Kim Heberlein said. The doctors at University Hospital struggled to find answers and after asking her mother about previous test results they ran some of the tests again. Eventually they determined Erin had Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, a condition so rare that it was no surprise her previous doctors had failed to diagnose it. Only doctors who are aware of the existence of the disease and know exactly what to look for can spot it on test results. The condition created an inflammation in Erin’s brain and caused her immune system to attack connections in her brain. “People can think you’re downright crazy when it’s really just this microscopic inflammation of your brain,” Erin explained. Treatment, which includes chemotherapy, started immediately and Erin began to get better. However, she had to learn to speak, read and write again.
“Things didn’t just come back all at once,” she described. At age 27, with the help of her mother, she learned the basics of life again. Now, remarkably, she says she’s almost completely back to normal. She’s back at work as a physical therapist at Penrose Hospital. She still undergoes regular treatment and a relapse is always a possibility. But, she says she has a new lease on life and thanks the determination of her parents in pushing for a diagnosis with saving her life. “They’re the reason I’m here,” Erin said, holding back tears. Erin shared her story because she wanted more people to know about the disease in case they, or loved ones, exhibit the same symptoms she did. She and her family worry that she only overcame her conditions because of her parent’s efforts and her ample insurance policy. They fear there are many who have been falsely diagnosed, like Erin, with mental conditions who can be easily treated. A book has been written about the condition called “Brain on Fire,” Erin Heberlein says she cannot yet bring herself to read it. But, she hopes it can also spread information about Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis.
To strengthen your awareness about ANTI-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis, visit their website at www.antinmdafoundation.org
Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016 41
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Despite increased awareness and a multitude of local, state, and federal health focused campaigns, the rate of chronic disease continues to increase across the nation. It’s not simply the prevalence of these diseases that is increasing, but the severity, co-morbidity, and financial burden as well. New and existing issues are merging, such as the impact of an ever-growing obesity epidemic with an aging workforce and increased stressors both at home and work. It is unclear what the downstream affect will be on individuals and communities if these trends continue and it is critical to take positive steps to reverse this growing national epidemic. Due to the burdens of poor health and safety on employees and employers the workplace has been a target for health-focused interventions. Ninety two percent of working adults spend at least 45 hours at work each week . That’s more time than we spend doing most other things like eating, sleeping, or communing with family and friends. This makes the workplace an ideal environment for tackling many of these issues. One way businesses are doing this is through work-site wellness initiatives. Simply having a wellness “program” for your business does not always mean positive results. There isn’t a magic solution to addressing health at work – it takes a comprehensive approach and a complete cultural shift in the organization. By creating a work environment that promotes a focused, integrated and holistic (encompassing mental, emotional, and the spiritual) view of well-being, companies can benefit from higher employee satisfaction, increased loyalty, improved productivity, and lower health care costs. In a recent presentation, Joshua Scott, Director of Training and Partnerships for Health Links™ said, “a company’s vision of having happy, healthy, and safe employees does not have to take precedence only when
they become large, successful enterprise. The businesses that are truly effective have built this in from the very beginning and made it a part of their culture.” Changing a culture depends on building a solid foundation for wellness programing, and that’s where Health Links aims to impact businesses. Workplace Wellness as Business Culture Health Links is a nonprofit initiative within the Center for Health, Work, and Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health (CSPH). Their mission is to advise, certify, and connect businesses to help them improve the health, safety, and well-being of their employees, their families, and their communities. The program, co-founded and led by faculty members Dr. Lee Newman and Lili Tenney and developed by an interdisciplinary team of public health experts, takes a broad organizational approach that focuses on integrating the four pillars of health – social, physical, mental/emotional, and financial -- with occupational safety as an essential basis for addressing work-related injuries and illness. Health Links recognizes businesses that champion worker well-being with the Health Links™ Healthy Business Certification, a program that benchmarks businesses for meeting or exceeding worker health and safety standards. Researchers and faculty designed Healthy Business Certification as an evidence-based on-line assessment tool to give instant feedback on how businesses can improve their health and safety in an effective and sustainable way. The certification application asks practice-based, qualitative questions to gage workplace health and safety policies and programs and drive behavior for improvement. This assessment tool includes questions adapted from two key evidence-based models - The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Work-site Health Score Card and the World Health Organization (WHO) Healthy Workplace Framework and Model. The criteria used as the foundation of the on-line assessment tool is informed in part by the CDC’s Total Worker Health™ Program, which strives to ensure that businesses integrate occupational safety and health protection with health promotion to prevent worker injury and illness, and to advance worker health and well-being . The Center for Health, Work, and Environment, which houses Health Links, is recognized by the CDC as one of its Affiliate Total Worker Health Centers of Excellence.
Work-site Wellness in Small Business Through research at the Center, they have found that there is a large number of businesses wanting additional health, wellness and safety focused resources. However, “most of the wellness resources that exist focus on large organizations that can dedicate significant amounts of capital to implementing programs, some without a whole lot of evidence or evaluation behind what they’re doing,” Scott stated. “Our main focus is small business. We define that as less than five hundred employees, but I can tell you that the majority of businesses that we work with are less than a hundred. And in fact, it’s really two to fifty.” For these small businesses that are just getting started, Health Links provides support through their Kick-Start Program, which awards $250 to $1000 in seed funding and provides free on-site expert advising to qualified businesses to help them build sustainable and effective programs. Health Links also connects businesses to each other and to local, low cost resources that can help them succeed. The Health Links™ Healthy Business Network is a group of funded and certified businesses that share best practices and ideas through trainings, social media, and networking events. Through their Preferred Vendor Program, those responsible for promoting wellness and safety within their organization can connect with local or national entities that provide the very best evidence-informed services and resources. “Whether an organization or an individual employee needs stress management webinars, an on-site safety assessment, or information about flextime, Health Links has vetted on-line resources and vendors who can help,” says Scott. “Health Links doesn’t directly provide these resources; instead, we connect businesses with community resources that can provide that for them in hopes of boosting the local economy
to make improvements and move in a positive direction. “We have three levels by which we certify businesses,” Scott explained. “We have a certified level, a partner level, and a leader level…as a business progresses, they are required to share wellness information with the families of employees and promote healthy activities within employees’ communities.” By providing an increased level of certification and recognition to businesses that include families and communities in their wellness efforts, and through local partnerships with chambers of commerce, local public health, and economic development groups, Health Links ensures that the benefits of its efforts spread beyond any one business. To complement these business-led community initiatives, Health Links encourages community members to play a role in work-site wellness. They do this by training local Health Links advisors across Colorado who reach out to businesses and advise on how to develop wellness and safety-based initiatives that fit within the sustainable Health Links Framework. Health Links recognizes that change happens locally and believe it is important to listen to employees, assess what they need, and respond appropriately. Building trust and strong relationships at a local level helps Health Links work closely with businesses to create lasting change that can spread across the entire state and eventually the nation. By taking small steps and working together, Health Links hopes to help Colorado become the healthiest and happiest place to live, work and play.
as well.”
Work-site Wellness with Community Impact Addressing health and safety issues is not something to be tackled alone, nor can it be addressed in only one environment. It takes a whole community working together
Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016 45
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46 Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016
2016 Summer Camps
Summer Camps 2016 are here. Get ready for fun with MAT’s 2016 Summer Theatre Camps! Ages 4 to 6 | Ages 7 to 9 | Ages 9 to 12 | Teens Call today to reserve your spot! (719) 465-6321 or online: www.themat.org Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016 47
The Mission:
Helping a Child Smile Paying Closer Attention to the Rise in Dental Caries Cases By Joshua Erickson, DDS, MSD
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The Mission:
Helping a Child Smile
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or the first time in 40 years, dental caries in children is on the rise, nationally. It occurs in every racial and socioeconomic group. Research by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention found that dental caries is the most prevalent disease in children. It is five times more prevalent than asthma and seven times more prevalent than hay fever. Almost 50% of all children in the U.S. exhibit symptoms of the disease by the time they reach kindergarten. In the state of Colorado, 40% of kindergarteners have had cavities and 16% of two-four year olds have untreated decay and the statistics only get worse as the population increases with age.
Joshua Erickson, DDS MSD
In an effort to change these statistics, Erickson Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics is committed to helping children and their families be cavity free and have healthy, beautiful, confident smiles. It is a one-of-a-kind practice, the only practice in the United States that has two very unique doctors who are residency trained in both orthodontics and pediatric dentistry. Our mission is to prevent disease, treat patients who have dental caries in a compassionate way, and create beautiful smiles all in one specialized location. The disease of dental caries characteristically starts due to the presence of cariogenic bacterial organisms that, when combined with simple sugars in the diet, form acid. These organisms only colonize on teeth and are not present at birth. Infants get the bacteria transferred from their caretakers via an orally cleansed spoon or pacifier. Individual prevention as well as providing prenatal oral health guidance to pregnant mothers can minimize the mother’s bacterial count and to delay the transmission and colonization of the bacteria in the infant. Fortunately, this disease is almost completely preventable and the most successful strategies have not changed for many years. These include, establishing and maintaining good oral hygiene, optimizing fluoride exposure, and the elimination of simple sugars in the diet. Advances in prevention include dental sealants and most recently, the support of the American Dental Association (ADA) and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) for the establishment of a dental home by the child’s first birthday. In America, there are approximately 30 times more general dentists than pediatric dentists, and thus a general dentist will treat the majority of children. Unfortunately, most dentists do not want to see children until age three, about two and a half years after the child has teeth. That is too late. In our practice, we follow the recommendations of the AAPD and want to see children by their first birthday to establish a dental home. Most children only have four to six teeth at this age, but a focus on anticipatory guidance, an oral screening, placement of fluoride varnish, and most importantly, 50 Today’s Coloradan | Spring 2016 50
Actual Patient: Before
Actual Patient: After
parental education, is critical. Parent’s own dental health, attitudes regarding dentistry and oral hygiene, and their anxiety significantly affect the child’s dental health. By starting at a young age, trust is garnered and anticipatory guidance practices prevent decay and difficult restorative procedures resulting in children who love to see the dentist and have good oral health.
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e also follow the guidelines of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) to evaluate all children by the age of seven for their orthodontic needs. This is important as significant problems in facial and dental growth and development can be identified and addressed. What makes our practice truly unique is that growth and development is evaluated at every visit for every child starting much younger than age seven. We are orthodontists, dual trained in pediatric dentistry and as such, start seeing children at their first birthday. Many of these developmental disturbances can be identified and treated much easier at an earlier age.
Erickson Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics 8580
Scarborough Drive, #220 16055 Old Forest Point, #202 Colorado Springs, CO 80920 Monument, CO 80132 719-282-6666 719-488-1101 Our mission is our way of life. We at Erickson Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics aim to help Colorado prevent dental caries in children and create healthy and beautiful smiles by seeing patients by their first birthday, directing parents in their children’s oral health, and evaluating facial and dental development each step of the way.
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nother very helpful initiative is Cavity Free At Three. If children are cavity free by the age of three, the likelihood of that child experiencing dental decay in the future deceases significantly. This initiative is directed to general dentists and non-dental professionals who educate, evaluate, and care for expecting mothers and children who are at risk. The website contains numerous brochures, instruction, and helpful information for professionals and parents. www.cavityfreeatthree.org.