March Notes from Dr. Klug

Planting snap peas on the first day of March always lifts my mood and puts the darkness of January and February behind me. With the days visibly longer and omicron on the wane, my husband and I have opened up a bit. We viewed our first movie in a cinema since March 2020 and are enjoying eating at restaurants again. For the protection of our high-risk patients and those who still wish to avoid the virus, we will continue to wear masks in our office a bit longer, though.

Here are a few things that caught my attention since I last wrote.

Emotions are Contagious

Feeling fearful, anxious, depressed? You may have “caught” these feelings, just like catching a bug. Psychotherapist Jude LaClaire writes about emotional contagion and how you can protect yourself. One obvious way: limit internet, TV and social media.

Let’s End Daylight Savings Time

The switch to and from daylight savings time is tough for me and I know I’m not the only one. Studies have shown heart attacks, work injuries and automobile accidents increase around the change to daylight savings time. The United States Senate unanimously passed a bill Tuesday to end the switch in 2023. The House of Representative now must pass the bill and the President must sign it. Please consider signing the petition.

Switch to Local Organic

For me, the season opener has nothing to do with baseball. Instead, the farmers market season opens with the Eat Local and Organic Expo at Johnson County Community College from 9 am – 4 pm on April 9, 2022. Shop local farms, purchase a weekly farm share, start your garden with locally raised plants, chat up the experts and bring the kids. If you taken the step to buying organic at the grocery store, take then next big step to local organic. I have observed that it takes local organic food 1 – 2 weeks to look like grocery store organic. The freshness and flavor of local organic will make your cells and taste buds dance!

Functional Medicine on TV’s Today

The power of a gluten and dairy-free diet to reverse auto-immune disease and functional medicine made the television show Today. This short clip is a great way to share what you are doing with family and friends.

Reduce Long COVID Risk with Nutrition

Leo Galland, MD has been a leader in functional medicine before the term came to be. His methods are grounded in basic science and research. He recently published a paper about a protocol he developed for the treatment of COVID-19 disease. Only 2 – 3% of his patients developed long COVID-19 compared to 35% in the general population. Wanting to know more, I found this interview with Mark Hyman, MD. It is chock full of information on how to reduce your risk of moderate to severe COVID-19 disease and long COVID-19, as well as on the political landscape that ignores nutritional approaches in favor of vaccines and drugs of limited value. The only thing missing was osteopathic treatment, my favored treatment for persistent symptoms after COVID-19 illness or vaccination.

“What Happens When We Die? We Don’t Die!”

My spiritual teacher Thich Nhat Hanh passed away in January. His teachings were simple, often funny as in the heading above, and profoundly life-changing. If you have benefited from mindfulness practice, thank Thich Nhat Hanh. Learn more about him and his teachings in this tribute from Forbes magazine.


Dr. Bethany Klug has practiced holistic and functional medicine since 2003, after it resolved health challenges that conventional medicine could not address for her. She is known for taking time to listen and to tease out the root causes that when addressed lead to more vibrant health. The name of her practice, HealthSpan, was inspired by her wish for everyone to enjoy lifelong vibrant health, instead of a long life plagued by chronic disease. She is known as an osteopath, and for her skill in natural medicine and bioidentical hormone replacement. Her practice is located in Prairie Village, KS, a suburb of Kansas City. Learn more at HealthSpanKC.com.

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