AUSTIN, Texas — More and more people are beginning to feel treatments used outside mainstream therapies are the best medicine for them.
Some people, like Central Texas mom Angela Jay, are turning to holistic medicine in an effort to keep their families healthy. Jay runs about three to five times a week.
"So when I take the time to step outside and to eat right, I notice tremendous changes in my body, from my energy, to better sleep habits," Jay shared.
Jay takes a whole-body approach to health care.
"Holistic medicine to me means whole health, meaning spiritual, emotional and physical," Jay said.
Jay takes fruit and vegetable supplements daily. It is what doctors consider alternative medicine. She has been doing this for more than a decade. But when COVID-19 lockdowns ended, Jay says she and her son started picking up unhealthy habits and their quality of life suffered.
"So once the school year started and my son was back in person, in person learning, life got busy. Suddenly we are rushing to practice before school, picking him up late after school, back and forth. We noticed we started eating out more," Jay said. "And I just started noticing that both of us were becoming more fatigued."
As the New Year approaches, they are getting back on track with their healthy lifestyle.
"We're trying to bring it back in and make sure that healthy greens and dark leafy greens are part of every meal, that we're getting enough vitamin D," Jay said.
Dr. Amy Mersiovsky says Jay is not alone. Dr. Mersiovsky is the director of the department of nursing at A&M-Central Texas.
"You'll see more and more people who are taking vitamins and herbs and things like that," Dr. Mersiovsky said. "And so I think more and more people are looking for that other option that they feel like is healthier for them."
Dr. Mersiovsky says it is important to keep a health professional in the loop.
"Many patients find that they feel better," Dr. Mersiovsky explained. "But they should also still be making sure they have their regular health screenings."