Hello and welcome to living in the Lehigh Valley, where our focus is your health and wellness.

I'm Brittany Sweeney, and I'm Grover Silcox.

On this episode, we'll take you into the world of wellness and explore the science behind the art of head massage.

That's right.

We'll tackle the often taboo topic of menopause with a group of women who want to share what they think will help others through the change.

And you're only as healthy as your environment.

Well, we'll learn how to keep it clean by disposing of those unwanted electronics in a safe way.

But we are starting from the top down today with a closer look at what most of us can't see ourselves our scalps.

A Lehigh Valley spa is quickly becoming the go to place to get your head health in check.

A wellness space in the Lehigh Valley has found a way to get into people's heads.

I told a lot of my friends and people around me that this is something that they have to do, even if it's like once a year or a couple times a year.

Like, it's it's something I feel like your scalp needs.

Carly Bosak is one of the latest people to try Mane THAIRapy Head Spa in Trexler Town.

The Bethlehem native says she was not only looking to relax, but get some migraine relief.

Just having all of that buildup, I feel like, can cause that.

So as someone with migraines, it's something I really wanted to do.

Just to kind of help my head a little bit better.

We concentrate on scalp health as well as relaxation and just general wellness.

After years of doing hair and educating herself about hair and scalp, health owner Nastassia Pratt decided it was time to open a space dedicated to just that.

We're doing a scalp analysis so we can see how much congestion she has in her roots here.

So then we know what kind of a service we want to do from here.

We do a lot of scalp exfoliation.

So we will start with an analysis of your scalp.

See if you do suffer from the dreaded hard water which most of us have.

Do, that can do things like exasperate your psoriasis or other dry scalp issues.

If you're having hair loss issues, you may have congested pores that you might want to look into.

In this one, you can see this is a previous client.

She had obviously a lot of congestion.

She was here from the valley.

So these are all complex compounds that have kind of gathered here at the root.

And now you can see her after she's nicely exfoliated.

You can see all the way into her pores.

Pratt says through the years, she saw the same problem persist and wreak havoc on the hair of her clients.

A lot of people will come to me after many, many rounds with their other stylists and finding that their hair will continuously go back to being this yellowy, brassy tone.

And I'm always sad to report that it's not the hairdresser.

It's really their water.

You can see there's a little bit of buildup here in her hair strands.

I'm blond and we live in the valley, so the valley is known for having really hard water.

Which would make me orange if I didn't come to her.

So everything that she's done for me has kept me like that.

Fresh blond, kept my scalp, like, detoxify and done all of those things.

Like, to help me maintain, like, my current color.

The process starts with an in-depth look into the head.

So we're just kind of focusing here so we can see different areas of her scalp.

And we're going to collect some photos for the after.

We would start with a scalp analysis and check you out under a microscope.

From there we're going to see how much congestion that you really have in your scalp.

And some of you may have visible flakes that you can see on the surface, but some may have some that you can't see.

So I do get people that will ask me about hair loss.

So we'll check into that as well.

Just seeing the before of your scalp.

You've never seen a picture like that.

So I was kind of thrown off.

But I'm going to lift this up while you get in here.

You will get several rounds of an exfoliating shampoo.

It does have a high level, which is a high in alkalinity that is going to help you in a deeper exfoliation.

So you should actually be able to see into your pores when we're finished, as opposed to just not being able to see them at all because they're so congested with buildup.

This is the halo for the head spa.

This is the portion that everybody really seeks out and that you'll see all through TikTok here.

I feel amazing and relaxed.

And then we finish you with a hot towel and then a blow dry and send you off to be extra relaxed for the day.

I felt like my scalp could breathe.

I've never felt such a fresh scalp, so I literally felt like my scalp was breathing before and after.

Pictures of the scalp are used to show how far the scalp has come during the hour long treatment.

It's definitely my favorite part, where you can really visibly see how crystal clear that their scalp is.

You can literally see into the person's pores, into their follicles, so you know that that has gotten clean all the way into their scalp.

That looks so relaxing.

It sure does.

And it was really relaxing being in the room there.

And there's options to get a treatment alone or with another person.

Those sessions start at around $150.

Here.

Now to talk more on educating yourself about scalp health.

Is spa owner Nastassia Pratt.

Thank you so much for being with us.

Thank you so much.

I'm so thankful to be here.

Thank you for having me.

It's great to see you again.

The staff.

Yeah.

So when did you realize that there was a need for this in the Lehigh Valley?

I know you started your career just doing hair.

I shouldn't say just doing hair, but doing hair.

And then you've moved on to this.

So for me, this journey actually took place many years ago before head spas were even talked about or mentioned, especially in this area.

And it has become such a viral sensation that we kind of lose a little bit of what the focus was.

I understand the halo is just such an attractive part of it, but it goes so much deeper into your scalp and your hair strands.

So, I mean, years ago I started looking into this, but we've been in operation for a little over a year and some change now.

Yeah.

What kind of training have you done?

So I have done mostly training through Malibu.

See, that is the the whole line that we really have, revolved the services around and with them.

They are completely cruelty free.

They're vegan.

Everything in it is all based on vitamin C, so these are all very nutritious minerals that we're going to be putting back into our scalp and into our hair.

So wonderful.

And what's the feedback the feedback been like?

I know that we heard some of the ladies in the story say they loved it.

Yeah.

Is that the general consensus?

I would say we are getting rave reviews.

The people will get it.

They'll go home by several of their friends or family gift cards to come back.

We've had many repeat customers, some like it for just the relaxation, some are having some scalp issues or maybe some migraine issues, that this has been more of a relief for them.

And how often does somebody need to do this?

Well, I would say it's not something I would say you have to do every month, but maybe every few months, like you go get a massage or, you know, a facial or something in the self-care realm.

Wonderful, Nastassia Some really great information.

I was just relaxed watching that.

I need to have that done.

Absolutely.

That's right.

But there's so much to it.

There really is.

Nastassia Pratt, owner of Mane THAIRapy head Health.

Thanks so much for joining us.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate you having me.

Oh you're welcome.

And now, Brittany, I think we have something very important to move on to.

We do.

We're moving on to a topic that not many people have talked about menopause in different stages of life.

There's different information.

When we're young and hitting puberty, there's a health class to teach us about that stage of life.

Then when many people become parents, they often attend labor and delivery classes to teach them about what to expect in that next phase of life.

But as we get older, there's a lack of information on aging and menopause.

And so that's where we open this conversation today.

Joining us now is Doctor Christine Friel from Lehigh Valley Health Network, psychotherapist Shonda morales, Jenica Covington, Kim Bonner and Michelle Adler, who is also a counselor.

Ladies, thank you all so much for joining me.

Thanks for having you, for having us.

So this is a conversation about menopause, something that's not often said out loud, especially in the public forum.

And so, Doctor Friel, why don't you start us off.

What is menopause?

Right at the core.

Sure.

Thanks for having us.

So menopause is really a clinical definition that's defined by one year without a period.

So once a woman goes a full year without a period, she is in menopause, and she will continue to be in menopause for the rest of her life.

Now, not all women will experience that year without a period.

For example, if someone has had a hysterectomy removal of the uterus, if she has a hormonal IUD in place so she might experience her transition a little differently.

I think about menopause, the menopause experience is sort of two big phases.

There's the first initial phase, which about 80% of women will experience those vasomotor symptoms that we talk about hot flashes, problems, sleeping, fatigue, weight gain, lack of libido, just all the things, the list goes on and on.

And every woman's experience during that phase is a little bit different.

And then there's really the second phase of, symptoms that come a little bit later that have to do with vaginal health and bladder health.

And so all women who are born with ovaries will go through this transition at some point in their life.

The average age in America for this to happen is around 5152.

And I think prior to menopause, women spent a lot of time taking care of their family, their kids, their work.

And the one thing I like about the word menopause is that I do think it's an opportunity for women to literally pause and sort of take, ownership of all the things about their life and how they want to think about the next part of their life, or what they can do to, to chart a course for health.

Sure.

Some really great information.

Doctor Friel, I want to bring Shonda into this.

Shonda, you are hearing from women who are experiencing menopause or heading into menopause.

And so what are you hearing from them?

Is there a lack of information right now?

Definitely.

There definitely is.

It's getting to be more common.

We're talking about it a little bit more out in the media and in the world in general, but I'm still hearing that women are not talking about this with their friends, or they just don't have the information and they go to their health care providers and are sometimes not still getting that proper information.

And they're confused.

And so surprise, sometimes it can take months, even years to really realize this is what's going on.

Sure.

And so we've brought some ladies here today together to talk about this and bring it to the forefront.

And I want to ask the ladies, what has been your experience with this kind of different stage in life that that there isn't a lot of information.

Jenica, why don't we start with you?

What's your experience been like?

Yeah.

Well, I, I feel like I was kind of, like, blindsided by it.

I actually thought I was pregnant.

I remember, like, it was yesterday.

It was probably about a couple of years ago, and I had had my cycle.

It was almost like close to three months.

And so I made an appointment and I got an appointment and they did up the bloodwork and everything.

And the doctor, she just came out like, you know, matter of factly like, oh, you know, when women are in menopause, they, you know, experience these things.

You may miss your cycle.

And you know, you're not technically in menopause until you've missed it by, you know, a full year.

And that's when I, I was like, what?

There is no way I am you know, this is not happening to me.

I was for I was like 42, 43 and that I had no idea.

Like, I remember waking up like, like completely drenched.

And I'm just, you know, thinking I had maybe, like, a bad dream or something like that.

I remember getting very, very lack of breath, like having to sit down and, you know, for myself and stuff like that.

But I never had this conversation, you know, with my parent, my mom, my siblings, friends or anything.

And it wasn't.

And until that happened to me and I told all my friends and they're like, well, yeah, well, maybe I'm going through, you know, we're all having the same symptoms.

But that was my experience.

I never really talked about it openly.

And now within the last couple of years, you're here social media.

Oh, my friend Perry.

And, you know, girl, I gotta do this and go get your bamboo sheets and, you know, all these type of things.

But prior to that, absolutely nothing.

Sure.

Kim, what was your experience?

So I, I've actually been post-menopausal or in menopause, I guess.

For 11 years.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 42 and found out I was a carrier or am a carrier.

So I also chose to get a full hysterectomy at that time.

So I, went in full blown into menopause.

One day to the next.

So it was really it was difficult for me because none of my girlfriends were going through it at that time.

I had my mom and her friends to talk to, but like, they weren't my friends.

So, you know, it was kind of weird like that.

People really didn't talk about it.

It was at a time before genetic counseling was really something that was out there a lot.

So I really felt alone and a lot of it, but I did have a lot of, like, the hot flashes.

The brain fog was terrible.

And, I just like my world is now sticky.

Notes.

But otherwise, like, mostly I struggle with the weight gain.

Like, that's just unbelievably frustrating.

Some of the libido pieces that you talked about, like, has really been a strain on, my relationship with my husband and trying to, like, navigate that.

But it's kind of funny now because all my girlfriends are like, they're starting with the hot flashes, and they all come to me be like, what did you do?

You know, how did you manage this?

So at least I feel like I have something to give to them.

I'm sure you have that knowledge to give.

And speaking of knowledge, Michelle, tell us about your experience.

And this is kind of your experience kind of swayed you into a new career path.

It did.

It did.

I, after the death of my son, he died of SIDs at one day old.

And so, as all of the horror that that evokes was true for me, I was then in the throat.

I was having a lot of body stuff, if you can imagine, because he was a late baby.

He was four.

I was 40 when, when we gave birth to him.

And so all of the things that you can imagine, the resources, the social isolation, were not there.

And then when, as I am healing from that depression and all of that stuff, now my body is a stranger to me and I have no idea what's going on.

And, you know, the world was in chaos and I was like, this is not okay.

And so I made it a point to educate myself.

Unfortunately, with the support of an amazing counselor, I saw my way out of that darkness and I was like, wow, this is great.

Everyone should have a counselor.

And so at 45, I went back to school, and even though I have a master's degree in research psychology, I'm not allowed to take the exam.

So I got a master's degree in counseling psychology, and I now have an LA, PC right now, and I see and support women from 35 to 65 through this, menopause transition because like Shonda was talking about the resources for me were just not there.

And Shonda and her amazing work, if I had not had the opportunity to meet her right now, I would not have known about the amazing resources that she provides and what is available.

And hopefully, I'll segue you into being able to talk about more of those resources.

So I won't mention it, but the the ideas around supporting women at this stage in life are so foreign that I couldn't stand for it.

So I wanted to thank you ladies for sharing your stories.

I want to come back over here.

Doctor Friel, these different stories of how each woman experience this stage of life is that common to be so different and so across the board, just varying?

Yeah, it really is.

I mean, there's no, you know, formula for what?

Oh, females menopause experience is going to look like.

But and so speaking to that, I think that there are a variety of options to talk about.

But I think, you know, to honor that this is what's happening to me.

And let's talk about, you know, what your priorities are.

What what's bothering you the most is very important.

It's saddens me and pains me that, you know, it sounds like the medical profession hasn't done some of of of you guys justice.

I do think the tide has changed a lot in the last couple of years.

I think there are many more options nowadays than in the past.

Absolutely.

Shonda, this is something that touches all aspects of life.

You've talked about this in the past, but, what do you tell your patients about menopause and their relationships or menopause and the workplace.

Yeah.

So it can obviously spill over to the workplace.

It's we don't live in a vacuum or we can't shut this off.

And so what my experiences with women is that, on the surface it looks like everything's okay.

They're still performing really well.

They're getting all the things done that they need to get done.

But underneath it's a struggle, and they're feeling like they're just keeping their heads above water.

It's requiring so much extra effort and energy to maintain that pace, or all of the responsibilities that came more easily to them.

Before perimenopause hit.

Sure.

And we talk about menopause versus perimenopause.

Can you clear that up for us?

What's the difference?

Sure.

So, you know, as I said, menopause is defined really as one year without a period, sort of the several years before that is sort of the perimenopause transition.

So that is, you know, you know, women's reproductive life includes puberty.

Then the reproductive years were cycles are relatively regular and normal coming, you know, every 21 to 35 days.

And then things start to change and things can start to change, even up to ten years before that 12 year, 12 month mark of no period.

And that's really this perimenopause transition.

And for for medicine.

I mean, now we have a little bit of an idea of what to do with that.

Most of the symptoms in perimenopause, are because of the widely fluctuating levels of hormones.

And it's those fluctuating levels of hormones that lead to a lot of the symptoms that women experience.

And it's part of the reason why a lot of women will ask, well, check my hormones, tell me where I am.

But during the perimenopause, it's not really make sense to do that because you can check a woman's levels on, you know, this day and then a week later and they're very different.

So it's not very helpful.

So it's really about managing the symptoms and what makes sense based on what's bothering a woman the most.

I want to ask the ladies who have gone through this, what do you wish you knew ahead of time?

Danica, I think I just wish I knew, like, everything she just said, you know, just information to help us manage.

Like knowing that, you know, if I wake up in a night sweat, this is what, you know, something that you can do to prevent that or help you manage through it.

Just just knowing even the basics, the basic of what it is to to give us knowledge about it.

And I just think, you know, like me, I was 42 years old and thinking, I'm pregnant.

And as much as my friends know me, I would have had that baby.

You know, I welcome all the babies, but it's kind of frightened you like, because you don't know.

So to just know something, it would it would have been helpful.

Kim, if you could give one nugget of information to women out there, what would you give them?

Be kind to yourself.

Oh, really?

I think that's that was been that's been like something I've struggled with and putting myself first and doing the self-care and just giving myself some grace.

Absolutely.

Giving yourself grace.

That's a good one.

And Michelle, what's the one thing that you tell your clients and share with them from your personal experience?

I think finding the community, finding space that you feel safe and welcomed, and you can talk about your night sweats and vaginal dryness and how that is impacting relationships.

And you're you're 50, you're not dead.

You're like, it's okay.

And, you know, a lot of women enter into the rage phase is something that they've talked about before.

And we I talk about resources.

There are rage rooms in Berks County and in, new Jersey.

So, I love that resource that community services are available.

Should that be something you're looking.

There you go.

Absolutely.

And Shonda, speaking of all of these little nuggets of information, there is a place that women can come to and experience and learn about more about menopause and the different stages coming up in this spring.

Can you tell us about the conference that you're holding?

Yes.

Doctor Friel and I are a part of the Pennsylvania Menopause Conference.

It's the first one in the area in the Lehigh Valley at a state and winery.

That'll be May 8th.

Speakers and workshops and breakout sessions and lunch and a beautiful setting.

And so we welcome everyone.

You can get your tickets now.

Wonderful.

It seems like a great place to get some much needed information.

Ladies, thank you all so much for joining us and sharing your stories.

Yeah, welcome.

In today's environmentally conscious world, disposing of old electronics can turn into an ordeal.

Wondering how and where to get rid of that old flat screen TV or computer monitor?

Well, goodwill Keystone, the nonprofit thrift shops in the Lehigh Valley, suggest you bring it to them.

That's right.

They'll take your flat screen that still works and resell it in their thrift shop for between 25 and 50% less than if you bought one new.

They'll also take your broken TVs, or any electronics that don't turn on anymore and recycle them for you at no charge.

They call it fee free e-waste recycling.

Trashing old TVs comes with a price township's often require permits and fees to take electronics.

Scrappers might take that flat screen for parts, but then dump the rest.

Who knows where.

So the environment pays the price now.

Goodwill, Keystone Area, thrift Shops and Re World, a sustainable waste recycling company, have teamed up to offer an alternative.

Thank you for your donation.

Now anyone can drop off their old electronics for free at any one of 42 Goodwill Keystone Area stores, including three in the Lehigh Valley.

So you can see we accept any kind of TV from the old large back tube TVs to flat screens.

There's a toaster oven in there, and I'm sure we have some computers and other household electronics in there as well.

And all of these will be recycled responsibly.

It was kind of amazing to see all this stuff starting to come, because all of a sudden there was this publicized free drop off that said, bring all your stuff and we'll take care of it.

And it came.

We collected through December 1.4 million pounds of electronics in a program that our initial goal for the first year was 500,000 pounds.

We estimate by June we're going to collect over 2 million pounds of electronics.

Broken or unusable electronics go to Re world.

If the items still work, Goodwill Keystone resells them along with all its other lightly used merchandise.

Any time that you donate, your DSR, the representative can give you one of these receipts and the receipt you can claim on your taxes or however else you would use it.

And as part of our e-waste program, we get in a lot of electronics for your kitchen.

We have toasters, we have popcorn makers, coffee makers.

They see about 300 donors a day, a number that's up since they started to accept electronics.

We have irons.

We will have printers.

Almost anything you could possibly think of that you would need in your home.

We may have it here.

The electronic waste program has been doing great.

It has increased our donations.

People are thrilled that they have somewhere where they can bring their items.

We don't limit them on how many items they can bring or how big the items are.

Goodwill Keystone's E-waste Recycling Program compliments its longstanding mission to responsibly recycle, reuse or resell donated clothes, housewares and other items to reduce waste and improve the environment.

We accept between 45 and 46 million pounds of donations on an annual basis.

Of that, roughly 67 almost 70%.

We find some avenue of resell, recycle, reuse in addition to promoting environmental sustainability, goodwill uses the funds generated through sales to help trade in place folks with barriers to employment.

You go out into the public and everybody you see walking around there are customer in one shape or form, whether they be a donor, a shopper, somebody that we helped with job training.

To give you an example, if you went into a Pennsylvania, we all have Pennsylvania driver's license.

And you go in and you have your license taken to get your new license, chances are the person that took your picture and your license is a goodwill point.

Recently, goodwill Keystone and Re world received the William M Heenan Jr. Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Development Award.

It just adds to our mission of being able to advance sustainability.

When we talk about sustainability, we're talking about the environment, the community.

You know, sustainability is many different things.

So it advances all that.

The goodwill brand cultivated for over 100 years continues finding value, especially in people, donors, customers, community and its own employees.

I love coming to work working for Goodwill Keystone Area.

I feel like I have a purpose when I'm at work and I enjoy what we do.

It's rewarding.

I did not know nine years ago what all goodwill was, and now spending nine years here to find out all the good that goodwill does do.

It makes the job something special.

Brockman told me that he and two of his colleagues at Goodwill Keystone initiated the idea of recycling electronics because it seemed a natural complement to the organization's mission to foster human sustainability, to help people thrive and flourish.

It really is a great way for consumers to dispose of their e-waste responsibly and protect the environment.

And the best part is, it's free.

Well, that'll do it for this episode of living in the Lehigh Valley for PBS 39, I'm Grover Silcox and I'm Brittany Sweeney.

Hoping you stay happy and healthy.