By Jean Allen
A Healthy Horizon, owned by Donna Hartelius, is a welcoming, calming environment to help people feel well. Donna specializes in functional health, which is a patient- focused approach to healthcare, centering on empowering and educating clients to not only get well, but stay well.
Donna began this journey eight years ago after a thirty-six year career as an ICU nurse. Most ICU nurses burn out in a few short years, due to the stress of the care being given to critical patients, but Donna loved it. However, two factors prompted her to move to a new career – she sustained an injury from a patient which ended her bedside career, and her mother became ill and was in the hospital system.
Donna felt helpless and wanted to do something to improve her mother’s care, certain there was more that could be done to improve her health. One night, as she sat in her mother’s hospital room, searching on the computer, she came across a program that supported patient advocacy. Ultimately, she enrolled in classes offered by the University of Arizona, became an independent registered nurse patient advocate, certified, and learned about functional medicine, holistic health, acupuncture and eastern medicine.
The most prevalent issues that Donna notices people seek relief at A Healthy Horizon are pain and anxiety. Donna and her staff take the time to educate her clients and offer non-narcotic products for pain relief. They also have free educational information such as articles, brochures, recipes and remedy cards, and a monthly newsletter.
The shop is full of carefully chosen professional products. Donna pays close attention to labels to ensure the products are safe and free from fillers and preservatives. Some of the products offered are CBDs, super foods, organic essential oils, clean and natural hair and beauty products, and medicinal teas, such as Kombucha, which is a fermented tea brewed in Missoula and a great source of probiotics for gut health.
Donna also carries a line of Himalayan salt lamps, which can be placed by the head of the bed and are thought to offer relief from allergy and asthma symptoms. They may boost oxygen flow to the brain and help you sleep better, potentially increasing energy levels and lowering stress.
As part of a wide variety of professional supplements, A Healthy Horizon carries magnesium products, such as bath flakes, oral magnesium and topical magnesium. Magnesium contributes to pain relief, muscle and nerve function and a healthy immune system. It helps in keeping a steady heart rate, aids bone health and even improves blood sugar levels.
Another innovation being offered at A Healthy Horizon is a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy offers many benefits for healing by increasing the volume of highly oxygenated blood flowing through the body. It helps the body to heal from brain injuries, sports injuries, and inflammation (such as arthritis) and aids in the detoxification of tissues throughout the body.
As a private patient advocate, Donna helps people navigate the health care system, seeking ways to improve their health outcome. She reviews and researches the patient’s diagnosis and identifies the best treatments available for their specific problem. As an intermediary, she says, “I like to make it good for the health care teams and the patient,” providing all her research to both.
Donna’s thirty-six years as an ICU nurse have proven to be invaluable, as a lot of the people she advocates for are in critical condition. She is independent, is not employed by a health insurance company, does not work for a hospital, and has no special interests beyond those of the patient.
A Healthy Horizon is located at 824 2nd Street South. Stop by today for all your health and wellness needs or call Donna at (406) 268-8480.