Category: Advertorial Feature

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Gateway Upper Cervical Institute in Pacific Offers Care That is Only Available at Two Facilities in Missouri

Posted on by Amanda

Although it may be common for people to experience recurring migraines, tinnitus, vertigo or other issues, people don’t have to struggle with these symptoms. While some people can spend years seeking traditional medical help to no avail, others may learn to live with these conditions that can negatively impact daily life.

What people in our area may not know is that a chiropractor in Pacific has an advanced approach that’s helping his patients get relief from ailments like migraines, vertigo, tinnitus, and several other health issues that don’t often respond to traditional medical treatments or chiropractic methods. 

Gateway Upper Cervical Institute – a division of Orris Family Chiropractic led by Dr. Max Orris – uses specific techniques that utilize sound wave technology. This form of advanced orthogonal upper cervical care doesn’t rely on traditional chiropractic methods that involve twisting or popping to perform an adjustment. 

Because orthogonal means “a perfect square” this form of treatment realigns the neck bone so that it sits in its proper place. The top bone in the neck is known as the atlas and when its optimally aligned, it should form a square between the head and the rest of the body when viewed on an X-ray. 

“Our goal is to get everything as close to square as possible. We’re literally getting your head on straight,” he explains of the treatment.

The atlas should form a square between the head and the rest of the body when viewed on an X-ray.

This form of care is so advanced that Gateway Upper Cervical Institute is just one of two offices in the state that’s capable of delivering this type of treatment to its patients. Since the only other provider of this type of advanced orthogonal care in Missouri is located near Joplin, Dr. Max sees patients seeking care who reside in the Franklin County and St. Louis metro areas, as well as people living within a two to three hour drive of the office.

Dr. Max launched Gateway Upper Cervical Institute in 2025, because being able to provide this level of care and specific technique is something he’s wanted to do since graduating from Logan University just over a decade ago.  

When he was finishing up his degree program Dr. Max visited several chiropractic offices along the Gulf Coast, shadowing Doctors of Chiropractic in order to complete his doctoral program. During that time, Dr. Max shadowed and learned from a chiropractor in St. Petersburg, Florida who developed the advanced orthogonal technique that Dr. Max currently uses at Gateway Upper Cervical Institute. Receiving an advanced orthogonal adjustment in St. Petersburg all those years ago is something that has left a lasting impression.

The reason why advanced orthogonal is different than other upper cervical care.

“To this day that was the most profound adjustment I’ve ever had,” he recalls. While Dr. Max wasn’t having any symptoms at the time that would require advanced orthogonal care, he says that he left feeling “really good” and noticing how different that adjustment felt for him. 

Possible candidates for advanced orthogonal care

Although the symptoms of migraines, vertigo, tinnitus or even TMJ may differ, the root cause of these issues can stem from the atlas becoming misaligned. Whatever the initial cause, relief can be possible through advanced orthogonal care. 

When a patient comes in for care, Dr. Max utilizes a series of tests and equipment, including a seated X-ray machine and a specialized chiropractic instrument, called a stylus, which delivers a precise, high-frequency sound wave. After a patient has gone through the X-ray process, Dr. Max reviews the results with them, and pinpoints the stylus exactly where the misalignment occurs for each patient, per their individual X-ray results. The sound wave technology delivers quiet, painless treatment for each person.

Dr. Max utilizes a series of tests and equipment to treat patients seeking advanced orthogonal care.

Patient results

Many patients who see Dr. Max for advanced orthogonal care have seen improvement in their conditions, often in a short amount of time. Tinnitus can be a common issue for veterans, and over time, people learn to live with the condition and can get used to the persistent ringing in the ears without realizing the impact it has on their hearing. One veteran with tinnitus who was seen by Dr. Max reported an improvement in his hearing ability after one treatment. 

Vertigo impacts a person’s life since the dizziness condition creates a false sensation that the room is spinning, even when a person with vertigo is sitting still. Its impacts on balance and movement means that a person experiencing vertigo may have issues with fulfilling day to day activities, such as driving. Patients who receive treatment for this can often see improvements that allow them to get behind the wheel again.

The stylus uses sound wave technology to deliver precise and pain-free treatment.

Because getting optimal patient results is important at Gateway Upper Cervical Institute, Dr. Max also performs a series of tests designed to measure results and to better inform future adjustments.  

If you believe you or someone you know may benefit from advanced orthogonal care performed by Dr. Max, reach out by phone at 636-271-2960, or visit Gateway Upper Cervical Institute on the web. Gateway Upper Cervical Institute is located at 409 West Osage, in Pacific, inside Orris Family Chiropractic.

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Get the Support You Need to Reach Your Goals With Your Accountability Bestie

Posted on by Amanda

Raise your hand if you’ve been here before, you want to make a change in your life, so you set a goal. Maybe it’s to eat more protein, or move your body more, or maybe it’s a professional goal, like increasing the sales in your small business by 50%.

You come up with a plan to do the thing, but that plan only includes meeting that goal in a best-case scenario and it doesn’t account for the inevitable setbacks and challenges unique to your lifestyle or schedule, setting you up for failure. Goal, forgotten. Confidence, diminished. 

Yet, sometimes all you need to attain your goals is a killer plan, guidance, plenty of support, and someone to hold you accountable to make sure you follow through. If you don’t have a superwoman, or superman, in your life to help you do this, don’t worry, there is someone like this that exists, and you may be able to work with her.

Meet your new coach bestie 

Sam Hyndrich is the woman behind Your Accountability Bestie, a coaching business she created to help people reach their fullest potential. Although that’s a succinct summary of her business, it doesn’t give the full picture of who Sam is, what she does, and the kind of impact she has on her clients.

Sam Hyndrich owns the coaching business Your Accountability Bestie. Photo credit: Sam Hyndrich

In terms of her coaching style, the  self-described chameleon is like a caring family-member, no nonsense, empowering coach, enthusiastic cheerleader, and a badass bestie, all in one woman. 

When someone decides to work with Sam, they’re getting more than a person believing in them, they’re getting her expertise as well. Also a personal trainer, she can create exercise and meal plans, as well as provide advice, pep-talks, and actionable steps clients need to take to achieve their personal and business goals. Beyond that, her clients receive unwavering support, which is something that can really push them forward, especially in the initial stages of chasing a goal.

Now in its fifth year, Your Accountability Bestie is helping people transform their lives, one day and one goal at a time. Although she mainly works with women, Sam has also helped male clients work on everything from growing their business to achieving fitness goals. 

“I feel like I bring something to the table when it comes to understanding transitions or seasons of life,” she explains. “I feel like I’ve lived through many seasons, so I can relate.” 

Working with women in particular is something that she understands, and her client base tends to be women who are in a season of transition in their life. Many times a woman will seek out her coaching services because she’s tired of fad diets or viral workout trends that don’t work, and is seeking to make a lasting, effective change in her life. 

Identifying the real issue

“I’m not just giving people meal plans, I am truly trying to help them through every part of their life. It always come down to the deeper issue,” she says. 

That deeper issue of why someone can’t follow through with a plan usually boils down to something within a person’s lifestyle, like a schedule mismatch. So when Sam’s crafting plans to help clients reach their goals, those plans will be tailored so they’re achievable in addition to maintaining things like work and family commitments, take into consideration a person’s schedule, and even their preferred forms of movement. 

Sam helps her clients reach their goals through support, encouragement, and sometimes, tough love. Photo credit: Brittany Reed Photography

Through her initial consultation process and continued contact with her clients, there’s a relationship that gets fostered. The support, encouragement, and strategy all come from a place of not just wanting to see a client succeed, but also the belief that they’re worthy of more. And, there’s a reason the word “bestie” is part of her business. 

While she’s technically a coach and personal trainer, in actuality, Sam is much more than that. She’s there for her clients providing whatever kind of guidance they need on any given day, sometimes, that means uplifting words and sometimes it’s tough love, just like what you’d expect from a close, trusted friend.  

“Sometimes they need a hype woman, sometimes they need me to be the sargeant giving tough love.”

No matter if it’s encouragement or tough love, it all comes from a place of knowing what’s it’s like to walk in her clients’ shoes, since several years ago Sam changed who she was from the inside out. Her business was born from that experience, along with her passion for helping others reach their fullest potential.

A bigger impact

Just as there’s deeper issues that hold a client back when they’ve failed on their own, often the goal itself can be highly personal and connected to a bigger why beyond the scale. One recent client set a goal for weight loss – and that goal wasn’t only about fitting into smaller clothes, but rather fitting comfortably on amusement park rides for a family trip. 

Although her client was pleasantly surprised to be able to fit on those rides in comfort, “she was texting me from the parks like ‘Sam, you’re never going to believe this’,” Sam recalls.

But Sam says she wasn’t surprised, because her client remained committed to showing up for herself and executing the meal and exercise plans, which is what it takes to create a change.

“The plans I put together have a 100% chance of working, if you do it,” she explains. “It’s going to work because I’m going off science, not a cleanse or fad diet. If you move more than the amount of calories you take in, then the number on the scale will get smaller.”

The future of Your Accountability Bestie

Yet another way Sam plans to grow relationships with her clients is by bonding through movement. Currently, she’s working on building a gym in her home garage, and once it’s complete, she envisions it as a judgement-free workout space where she’ll hold small group fitness classes for her female clients. 

Through building the garage gym, Sam hopes to create a judgement-free gym space for her female clients. Photo credit: Sam Hyndrich

Her vision also includes those clients forming friendships, while they sweat together, vibe out to an inspiring playlist, and “do stuff that reminds them that they’re a bad bitch.”

Interested in working with Sam or learning more about her business? Find her on Facebook and Instagram, or visit her website to get started on crushing your goals.

Posted in Advertorial Feature

Focus on Your Health and Wellness at Soul Refresh in Downtown Washington

Posted on by Amanda

Although it may be hard to believe considering the amount of food reviews I share, I am actually quite into health and wellness. And earlier this year, I was excited to see a new business called Soul Refresh open its doors in downtown Washington, at 11 W. Main St.

The health and wellness-based business focuses on a number of services that are designed to help people feel their best by aiding the body in a variety of ways, from improving the immune system and easing pain to reducing inflammation and toxins that have accumulated in the body. 

Soul Refresh is owned by Ryann and Jordan Greenhoff. After the couple spent time at a similar business owned by their brother and sister-in-law in Marshall, MN., it made them realize that there was an opportunity to bring some of those same beneficial wellness therapies to the Washington community. 

Although her prior professional background was in accounting, Jordan has always had an interest in pursuing alternative ways of treating the body.

“I’ve always been health conscious and interested in other means of health and healing.” Jordan says.

Jordan’s natural interest in alternative means of maintaining health and wellness can be seen in the four services offered at Soul Refresh – cold plunge, ionic foot detox, infrared sauna, and red light therapy. Over the past several years the internet, and social media in particular, has showcased the benefits of these types of wellness treatments. And now, residents in Washington as well as those living in its surrounding communities, can have access to these cutting edge services, simply by taking a visit to a small, locally-owned business.

Services

Since cold is something many people tend to actively avoid, it may seem counterintuitive to pay to put yourself into a tub of cold water. If you’re not familiar with the experience, some of the benefits of briefly submerging your body in a cold plunge tub include resetting your nervous system, improving your mental focus, and supporting the immune system.

Cold plunge tub. Photo credit: Soul Refresh

An ionic foot detox service at Soul Refresh consists of the guest sitting in a comfortable chair, which comes with a massage function, and placing your feet in a small tub of water that contains Celtic sea salt. The salt works with the foot tub’s ionic function to create positive and negative ions that work together to remove impurities and toxins from the body through the feet. Although the process starts with clear water, it will change color and consistency throughout the session, depending on the type of toxins that are pulled from the body.

Ionic foot detox. Photo credit: Soul Refresh

Typically when you think of a sauna experience, you may envision a very hot environment that’s either dry or steamy, and designed to make you sweat out impurities during your time in the sauna. However, an infrared sauna provides a different experience, by using infrared light to directly heat the body. This method is more comfortable and effective since the light allows the heat to penetrate deeper into tissues, muscles, and joints. A few of the benefits of using an infrared sauna include improved circulation, easing pain in sore joints and muscles, and helping the body to flush toxins through sweating. 

Infrared sauna. Photo credit: Soul Refresh

Additionally, there’s a Himalayan salt sauna at the business. When Himalayan salt is used in a sauna, it can improve respiratory conditions by breaking up congestion, help draw out toxins, balance the skin’s pH, and reduce stress through the release of negative ions from the salt. 

Himalayan salt sauna. Photo credit: Soul Refresh

With its ability to improve your skin, hair, cognitive health, and reduce inflammation, red light therapy sessions at Soul Refresh are completely non-invasive and consist of guests relaxing and laying down for up to 20 minutes. The full-body red light therapy session delivers gentle, low-level wavelengths of red and near-infrared light that promote cellular regeneration, reduce pain, and restore the skin’s natural glow. 

Red light therapy. Photo credit: Soul Refresh

Of course, all the wellness therapies at Soul Refresh are most effective when used regularly, and the business’s pricing model is reflective of that, with single session prices as well as package pricing offered at discounted rates, ranging from packages that include three or up to 20 sessions. And all of the packages are “mix and match” meaning guests can choose which services they wish to receive at each visit.

If interested in learning more, visit the business’s website, or book a service online.

Posted in Advertorial Feature, News and Features

Step Into an Oasis of Calm at Essence Salon & Spa in Union

Posted on by Amanda

Nestled in the bustling Heartland Plaza located on a busy stretch of US-50 in Union is Essence Salon & Spa, a local woman-owned business that provides clients with an opportunity to experience a bit of tranquility through its variety of salon and spa services. The business features a salon, located at the back of the space, along with rooms dedicated to massage and other spa treatments. The services include massage, esthetics like facials and waxing, as well as salon services including haircuts, color, style, and beard trims. 

Inside the space, guests are greeted by the pastel hues and soft seating in the waiting area. For clients wishing to receive spa treatments, the private rooms are inviting, with warm lighting, calming music, and neutral toned decor to help keep guests relaxed during their visit, while the salon space features lots of colorful accent pieces. 

The waiting area at Essence Salon & Spa. Photo credit: Ashley Wycoff

Owner Ashley Wycoff opened Essence Salon & Spa seven years ago, and previously worked in the ER and Mercy Physical Therapy department and for some time as a first responder. Ashley’s a licensed esthetician, and has been a licensed massage therapist for almost twenty years. Throughout her time in the industry she’s used the skills gained through continued education to add to the ways she can use massage to help others. 

Some of the massage methods she’s focused on since starting her journey include lymphatic drainage massage, psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) massage, and her most recent modality is hospice massage, to aid in decreasing pain levels and increasing peace and relaxation during this time. 

The private massage rooms feature massage tables, warm lighting, and calming music that plays softly in the background, to help clients relax throughout the experience. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

Since massage treatments can often be looked upon as a way to relax, Ashley’s goal is to remind people that massages, and even facials, can be right for everyone and it’s about more than unwinding, although that can be a significant side effect. 

“Some people think it’s just pampering or relaxation, but it’s also for job related muscle stress, mental stress, and physical ailments,” Ashley says of the massage treatments. 

A client can add to those experiences by adding on various elements like warm towels and aromatherapy, or adding hot stones or warm bamboo sticks that are rolled over various points of the body during a massage session. 

Clients have the option to add warm bamboo sticks, which are rolled over various points of the body to enhance their massage experience. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

A mission to provide services for all

Getting a massage, facial, or even a new hairstyle can seem like simple ways to reduce your stress, help alleviate pain, and improve your confidence, but these services can often come at price points that not everyone can afford. Although they provide different services to their respective clientele, Ashley and Essence salon stylist Magan Matthews operate with a shared mission in mind.

“We have both dug ourselves out of hard times, and neither of us thought we would have come this far as we are now,” Ashley explains. Since she and Magan have experienced tough times first hand, they believe in keeping their prices low, yet quality high. 

Stylist Magan Matthews providing a client with a haircut. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

But that commitment to providing quality experiences extends beyond making services available to people from as many financial backgrounds as possible. Guests may take note of pieces in the business that share details about Ashley’s Christian faith. Whether that’s the hand painted nativity scene that adorns the storefront windows during the Christmas season, or the large painting depicting Jesus in one of the massage rooms, providing a welcoming, judgement free space to all is a way she feels she can live out her beliefs everyday. 

And, by building a rapport with clients, she can modify the massage experience for clients who don’t wish to fully undress when receiving a massage due to religious beliefs or modesty reasons, or by providing a space that’s welcoming to any couple that comes in for a couples massage or couples facial sessions at Essence Salon & Spa. 

Giving back 

The team also believes in giving back to the community in both big and small ways. With her background in the medical field, during the height of the pandemic, Ashley and her lead massage therapist Amber Camp preformed massages for staff at Mercy Hospital in Washington, as well as the staff at Mercy Hospital in Jefferson County. They have previously offered massages for the Union School District Staff and Magan annually does free hair cuts during the back to school fair for the Union School District.

The salon and spa team also helps raise money for St. Jude’s Research Hospital, through volunteering their hours and offering their services at a discounted price for one day, with all proceeds from that day going to the non-profit organization. 

Essence Salon & Spa is located at 709 US-50 in Union. To learn more about the business, follow its Facebook page, visit it on the web, or reach out by phone at 636-744-1770. Or drop by the Health Fair happening at The Ridge Church in Villa Ridge Sunday, May 4, where Ashley and her team will have a vendor booth.