Q: If your patients were to take only one piece of advice to heart, what would you want it to be? A: Talk to your kids about health consequences.

“ER DOCTORS don’t see people on their best days. In fact, we often see them on one of their worst days. We joke that the famous last words before someone ends up here are, ‘Hey, watch this!’ Humans are an impulsive breed every now and then. It’s something that I can’t really fault people for. But sometimes taking a few seconds to think about the consequences can help prevent a fair amount of injuries and even sometimes some illnesses. For example, maybe the cinnamon challenge isn’t the best idea for your lungs, or vaping isn’t as harmless as you think. And jumping off a second story to impress someone is likely not going to go well in the long run.”

— Tyler Stepsis, M.D.

Medical director of emergency medicine with Eskenazi Health

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Q: If your patients were to take only one piece of advice to heart, what would you want it to be? A: Do not skip your annual exam.

“EVEN IF you don’t have symptoms, it’s important to check in regularly. It’s getting a baseline of where your body is at from the perspective of your vital signs, basic screening, and blood work. I think for a lot of people, there’s this sense that if you go to the doctor, you’re going to walk away with a medication. But if you’re proactive with it, you can often prevent the need for medication by correcting something. When your car’s check engine light comes on, you get the engine checked. Let’s try to fix it before there’s a problem and something needs to be repaired. It’s the same with your health. My goal is to avoid medication if possible. The sooner we recognize an issue, the sooner we can address it and make lifestyle modifications, ideally to correct it. The definition of ‘doctor’ in Latin is ‘teacher.’ So our job isn’t to make you do anything. Our job is to help guide you and teach you. So my message to patients is to take control of your own health. Recognize when something’s going on with your body, know when to seek help, and come to us.”

— Greg Specht, D.O.

Family medicine doctor with Franciscan Physician Network

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LIGHT IS the stuff of life. Without it, as Lord Byron describes in his poem “Darkness,” “men [forget] their passions in the dread.” Indeed.

Daylight saving time ends November 3. Once the reality of rising and eating dinner in the dark sets in, you may fall back with the clocks: right into a funk. Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD—social withdrawal, feeling hopeless, sluggishness, carb cravings, and oversleeping—affects millions, most in the northern half of the country. The dearth of daylight is primarily to blame, but the corresponding decrease in vitamin D also plays a part.

It’s been shown that a 15–20 minute walk each day can boost mood. And sun exposure is the natural way to increase vitamin D levels. But with Indy winters so short on walkable days, that’s cold comfort.

The National Institute of Mental Health reports that light therapy can help. In fact, Purdue University has set up a light therapy space for students, where they sit near a light box that mimics sunlight at 10,000 lux. Purdue suggests starting at 10–15 minutes, ideally in the morning, and working up to longer sessions if needed.

Light therapy boxes are sold without a prescription, but can SAD really be treated that easily? “Not necessarily,” says Vanessa Enos, a licensed medical health counselor at Community Fairbanks Behavioral Health. “SAD is actually depression with a seasonal pattern.” And depression can result from factors not easily identified.

If you’ve had the winter blues for two or more consecutive years, Enos strongly suggests talking to a mental health care provider to assess your condition and develop a comprehensive treatment program, which light therapy may be part of, along with talk therapy or medication. Activities that bring you joy are key, says Enos. Most of all, she urges, take your feelings seriously. “Don’t suffer alone! Ask for help.”

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WHEN YOU hear the word “sauna,” your mind likely wanders to group spaces full of strangers in close proximity as they awkwardly try to relax. Perspire Sauna Studio in Clay Terrace is changing that concept with private infrared sauna suites equipped to allow guests to stream their favorite series or listen to music. Franchise owner Louise Hughes was inspired to open Perspire after using an infrared sauna while training for a marathon. Infrared saunas aren’t as hot as traditional saunas, which heat the air. Instead, invisible lightwaves gently warm you. “I thought, Wow, this is pretty cool,” Hughes recalls. “But I wish the feeling that you get … matched the environment.” Perspire is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to accommodate busy schedules.

14400 Clay Terrace Blvd., Carmel, 463-223-9661

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SOMEONE dashing through the woods may get quizzical looks. Why not just hike in the woods or run on nice, flat roads? Yet trail running brings unique benefits to mind and body, building endurance, strengthening joints, and burning more calories than the typical run. It’s estimated that running one mile of trail as an aerobic exercise is the equivalent of running 1.5 miles on asphalt. It’s more challenging, but enthusiasts agree that’s the point. Taking to the forest paths is far more stimulating and less monotonous than jogging on asphalt. Especially as fall settles in, the beauty of the trees and the quiet soothes the soul.

As more Hoosiers choose the roots, sticks, and pebbles of “trail work” over pounding the pavement, trail running, once the stepchild of the mainstream running community, is hitting its stride in Indiana. Tom Fifer, board member of the Indiana Trail Running Association, notes that membership has grown over the past few years to include those who enjoy socializing with friends on an occasional joint jog, as well as serious athletes training for 100-kilometer ultramarathons. Fifer’s go-to trail is at Eagle Creek Park, on the west side of the reservoir at Galyan’s Bear.

Standard running shoes are fine to try out the practice, but it’ll pay to invest in trail shoes. They provide extra weather protection and grip and have thicker toe caps, explains Luke Tormoehlen, avid trail runner and manager of the Athletic Annex in Fishers. “Trail running forces you to be more reactive. It’s a lot more play,” notes Tormoehlen, who can be spotted on the trails at Holliday Park or Fort Harrison State Park. “I run trails as a stress releaser,” shares Fifer. “Try it! Get out there and live.”

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MOST of us spend time and money on our hair while ignoring its source. Hairstylist Kristina Miller flips the focus with the Milbon scalp treatment. “The vast majority come in because of flaking or itching, but a few book purely for the relaxation aspect,” says Miller. The big reason for the uptick in scalp discomfort, she says, is the trend away from shampooing every day toward a few times a week.

Those with oily or thick hair often need more frequent cleansing. “Stretching out washes is great for hair, but the flip side is we’re not sufficiently cleaning our scalps unless we double shampoo, which most don’t.” The treatment, set to spa music as you snuggle under a weighted blanket, is color-safe and employs skincare-grade ingredients. Expect a wash in your choice of rose, vanilla, or citrus; steam to open pores; scalp massage to stimulate blood flow; and more. The 80-minute, $100 service includes a blow style.

Wild Bloom Hair Salon, 9755 Westpoint Dr., Fishers, kristinapaintshair.biz

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BILATERAL BREAST CANCER conqueror Cari Hahn had no family history of the disease. So when she was diagnosed eight years ago, she took a good look at the personal care products she had been using. “I wanted to make sure everything I put on my body was as clean as it could be.” That goal led her, with the help of husband Matt , to start making perfumes, body oils, and soaps. “Playing with fragrance was my healing outlet,” she recalls. “I used perfume to comfort myself during treatment.”

Cari sold her first Clutch and Kindle products at farmers markets, but they now appear in 25 Indianapolis-area retailers. Hand-poured in small batches, her cruelty-free and vegan products are free of a long list of nasties: phthalates, preservatives, parabens, known hormone disruptors, and toxic chemicals. In short, “they’re made with the cleanest ingredients sourced in the United States that I can find,” says Cari.

Newest perfume Adorn, a lightly sweet amber musk, was a huge seller almost immediately. Others that fly off the shelves are Boho, with pistachio, vanilla, and salted caramel notes, and Broke and Bougie, a woody scent with a hint of jasmine.

“Cancer is a huge part of my story,” says Cari. To that end, the Hahns donate 5 percent of profits to local breast cancer charities. Cari also gives back to mental health organizations that serve first responders to honor Matt , a 25-year veteran of the Indianapolis Fire Department. “I’m proud to share that he’s been in recovery and alcohol-free for six years,” says Cari.

When Clutch and Kindle is likened to another local perfumer, the wildly popular Ambre Blends, Cari demurs. “I am definitely a fan! The only similarity is maybe that we both use clean ingredients. I tend toward many more floral and gourmand notes. But I’m honored that people think we could become a well-known fine fragrance brand.”

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WE’VE ALL READ A NOVEL in which a sickly heroine is sent to the seashore for fresh salt air, where she recovers to meet a swarthy lighthouse keeper. The plot device is based on a grain of truth.

After visiting a salt cave in Massachusetts, Skye Winslow, a naturopathic doctor, was inspired. Salt air is charged with negative ions, shown to increase oxygen absorption, reduce symptoms of colds and allergies, and ease respiratory ailments. Thus began a three-year effort to transform a historic home into the Carmel Salt Caves.

They aren’t actual caves but two cave-like rooms. No matter. They’re bewitching, hand-hewn from pink Himalayan salt sustainably sourced from Pakistan. Chill in a zero-gravity recliner or plop down on the salt. Starry lights twinkle, the “fireplace” carved from 300-million-year-old salt glows, and the sound of waves mingled with spa music lulls. Microparticles of pharmaceutical grade salt are dry-misted inside the low humidity, 73-degree caves.

A 50-minute session is like spending four hours at the ocean. Go on, make salt angels.

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A DEVOTED GYMGOER knows both sides of working out: the exercise itself, whether it’s cardio or strength, and the recovery, be it physical, mental, or both. Gemi Ozdemir, a fitness guru who struggled to balance the two as a working father of four, saw a gap that needed bridging. “You need a place to blow off steam and be able to recover and get a minute, relax, and do it again,” Ozdemir explains. He brings his vision to life at Ozwell  Fitness, the posh facility he designed and owns. Guests exercise, then refresh and renew,  under one roof. Amenities include group fitness classes and top-of-the-line workout equipment, as well as regeneration options, such as saunas and compression therapy.

The building formerly housed an HVAC warehouse, and its industrial elements fit seamlessly with the new, modern design. A sleek black-and-white theme flows through the interior of the building, leading to a showpiece retractable dome encapsulating turf that borders the Monon Trail.

Ozdemir spent more than two years making his dream come true after purchasing the property. After the gym opened its doors last December, it attracted a community of busy professionals who appreciate the ease and convenience of his all-in-one concept. “It’s high-level people who just want to work out, recover, and get back to work,” Ozdemir says. “That’s the value of this venture. Saving time and becoming better employees, husbands,
wives, parents. I think that’s the drive for me.” 1077 3rd Ave. SW, Carmel, 463-273-2226

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TRY A NEW place to kick off the weekend with friends: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. At its free Style Parties with wine and snacks Fridays 7–9 p.m., everyone gets a shampoo and a custom styling lesson. “It’s great for people with straight hair wanting to figure out how to get a curl that lasts or with natural curls who want to learn to enhance their texture,” says stylist Hannah Horner. Demos in braids and blowouts are also common requests.

Horner’s favorite party to date included 30 women from Cocktails & Caregivers, a support group for those with sick or aging relatives. “It was amazing to hear their stories, to chat and laugh. We treated them to the kind of experience they rarely enjoy. They left smiling. So did we.”

Book two weeks in advance for a minimum of five people. Attendees get 20 percent off products and 25 percent off future services. 110 W. Main St., Carmel, 317-571-1120; 11547 Yard St., Fishers, 317-915-0100

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