March Blog Post

Medicine Cabinet Musts

First things first: reach for a colorful variety of organic fruits and veggies. Your body will love this. For your kiddos who tend to hide their veggies under the table or feed them to your dog… incorporate the veggies in a tasty smoothie! We also have a few recommended supplements to have on deck:

• Vitamin D: We love Vit D. Unless your kiddo is running around outside in the sun for 6-8 hrs, then they’re not likely getting enough Vit D. Vit D is great for musculoskeletal health, cardiovascular health, and immune function. Safe for all ages and a great daily vitamin. For our Shine families, ask your provider or message us in Klara for age appropriate dosing!
• Plain Epsom Salt: Add a 1/2 cup – 1 cup to your warm bath for everyday detox and when you’re not feeling well. It can be helpful for post surgery detox, bug bites, diaper rash, urinary concerns, post-vaccines, and more! Fun tip: Add a 1-2 drops of your favorite essential oil to the epsom salt before you put it in the bath. I personally love a drop of Lavender in my bath to calm my nervous system at the end of the day.
• Multivitamin: Especially beneficial if nutritional needs are not always met by your diet. We like Mary Ruth’s! Smarty Pants is also a favorite and easy to find over the counter. 
• Probiotics: Designed to safely meet your family’s metabolic, intestinal, and immune support needs. Talk to your provider about finding the right probiotic for the right situation. If your child is having regular BM’s and has good gut health, pass on the probiotics. You don’t need to start them yet
• Fish oil: I can still remember the strong taste of fish oil when I was a kid. Thank goodness for better brands these days…ha! We recommend DHA at 500 mg- 1000 mg for your kids. You can start on the lower end for infants and increase as they get older. DHA is safe and awesome for brain health, so go ahead and get started! You can ask your Shine provider if you have more questions about dosing.

Of course, there are so many supplements out there! Your Shine Pediatrics provider would love to chat through any and all of your questions.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy @ Shine 

Shine has offered Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) since April 2021. And, we think it’s pretty awesome. Our chamber is a cozy space where you can access increased levels of oxygen that help fuel the most important functions of your body. The list of benefits from HBOT is lengthy. For our high performance athletes and students in academically rigorous programs, we recommend setting aside the performance enhancing drugs and trying Oxygen! 

Did you know that HBOT can be helpful for our kiddos diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? HBOT has been shown to decrease inflammation and increase cognitive functions. It’s by no means a silver bullet, but when supplemented with other wellness practices, it has proven added health benefits. To learn more about Autism & the use of HBOT, please visit https://www.ihausa.org/autism.html.

• So, how exactly does HBOT work? Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is the medical use of oxygen in a pressurized environment, at a level higher than 1 atmosphere absolute (ATA). Increased pressure allows for oxygen to come off the red blood cell and saturate the blood, which yields a broad variety of positive effects like increased energy, repairing the effects of injury on our bodies, and giving our cells the basic nutrition of oxygen. This noninvasive, safe therapy is the most trusted way to increase oxygen levels to all organs of the body. The typical treatment lasts for 60-80 minutes, during which the patient lies down and breathes normally.
• Where is Shine’s HBOT Chamber? Our Vitaeris 320 chamber is housed at the Center for Holistic Healing. A Shine Pediatrics Medical Assistant will meet you in the lobby at the time of your appointment. They are located at 12800 Hillcrest Rd Ste A207, Dallas, TX 75230.  Hours of operation: Monday-Thursday from 9 am – 4 pm. Contact: 469-333-1543 ext 312.
• How can I get started? Please consult your Shine provider before starting HBOT. You can call us at 469-333-1543 ext 312 to schedule your first appointment! Once you’re scheduled, the HBOT technician will send you consent forms. We ask that you complete those forms at least 24 hrs prior to your first appointment. 

Is your child of driving age, but not driving?

Driving is a milestone in our teenage years which introduces independence and is a natural progression toward becoming an awesome contributor to our society! We understand that life is busy and teaching your teen to drive is a big undertaking. 

Don’t be surprised if your Shine provider asks your teen more questions like: Are you afraid of driving? Are you relying on others for transportation? Do you have a desire to start driving? You might wonder why your Pediatrician is asking this, but a crucial aspect of our integrative model is knowing the whole picture. If it’s fear-based, we want to partner with your family and equip your child with tools to overcome the fear. If it’s because they rely on others for transportation, we’ll encourage them to take initiative toward becoming independent. 

Whatever the reason may be, we want you to know that Shine isn’t here just to make sure your child is meeting their physical milestones. We care deeply about the whole picture, and it’s our mission to educate and equip the next generation to become innovative contributors to society.

Today’s Tech Tip

This one isn’t just for teens. It’s for all of us! Do you know how many times a day you pick up your phone? I bet it’s higher than you think…The average person picks up their phone 69 times a day. 69 times. Woof! If you have an iPhone, you can check your own data. There’s no shame, but it’s a good thing to be held accountable. Go to Settings-> Screen Time -> See All Activity & scroll down to Pick Ups. It’s all right there. 

Now that we’ve found a problem, how can we work towards fixing it? 

Turn off your notifications! 

The first pop up after any app download is almost always  “App would like to send you notifications,” then you can either choose Don’t Allow or Allow. Consider clicking “Don’t Allow” this time. Notifications exist to get you to pick up your phone. And, they work. Why else do people text and drive? The message notification can be irresistible. 

How much more susceptible is your teen to these notifications? Snapchat and Tik Tok want them to use their app. That’s how they make their money. So, they’re gently going to nudge your teen to pick up their phone especially if the AI notices your teen hasn’t looked at Tik Tok in a few hours. Crazy, right? 

TL;DR Turn off those pesky notifications

Dr. Anne Ngobia, DO

Dr. Anne Ngobia is a board-certified pediatrician who was born and raised in Kenya before moving to Dallas, Texas with her family in 2003. She completed her undergraduate degree at Dallas Baptist University, graduating Magna Cum Laude, with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Afterward, she earned her medical degree from the University of North Texas, Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her pediatric residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. After completing residency, she moved back to Texas and worked at Medical City Children’s Hospital Urgent Care, taking care of pediatric patients with various illnesses for 7 years.

Dr. Ngobia believes in viewing patients as a whole and not a diagnosis, incorporating the social, economic, and family dynamics/stressors into the care plan, as these factors tend to play a key role in disease processes and how to treat them. She also believes in the fundamentals of functional medicine and getting to the root cause of disease. Her practice ideology stems from a firm belief that the body is woven and created intricately, and is quite proficient in dealing with disease and detoxification processes when appropriately supported from a holistic approach. Dr. Ngobia works collaboratively with families to create individualized treatment plans rather than generalized treatment approaches, in order to optimally support each patient in their healing journey. It is thus a great privilege for her to be part of a pediatric practice such as  Shine Pediatrics and Wellness Center.

Dr. Ngobia currently resides in Anna, Texas with her wonderful family. She enjoys spending time with her family, Bible study with friends, learning natural remedies and interventions, traveling, and trying foods from different cultures. Her favorite is Indian food! 

Dr. Ngobia is joining our Richardson office, and we’re so happy to have her. 

Shazia Lackey, FNP

Shazia obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2008. She has worked in the field of pediatrics ever since. In addition to her nursing career in pediatrics, she worked as a Certified Childbirth and Breastfeeding Educator and taught newborn and postpartum care classes at a local birth center for over 4 years. She is passionate about holistic healthcare for women and children. She co-led a breastfeeding support group for mothers, and loves to help moms achieve their breastfeeding goals. Shazia has been married to her husband since 2006 and together they have 2 boys. Her journey through pregnancy, natural birth, breastfeeding, and parenting led her to a passion in holistic health and wellness. She completed her 200-hour RYT yoga certification, studied Ayurveda, and completed prenatal yoga teacher certification. Shazia then made the decision to advance her nursing education, and returned to her alma mater, the University of Texas at Arlington, and obtained her Master of Science in Nursing in Pediatric Primary Care. She is board certified as a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care through the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board. After working in integrative primary care, she realized she was interested in getting back to the source of children’s health. She and her family moved away from DFW in 2020 and now live in the country and operate an organic farm. Shazia enjoys maintaining patient care through the telehealth platform while gardening, raising goats and chickens, and homeschooling her two boys. 

Shazia is a homeschooling momma of two boys. She and her family live in ETX where they have started an organic farm and in addition to growing food, they have goats, chickens, pigs, dogs, and cats. Shazia loves her family, Jesus, animals, and music. 

Shazia is our telehealth-only provider. She’s becoming an expert in TytoCare visits and is an awesome fit for it.