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On Thursday, November 13th an open
house and ribbon cut celebrated the grand opening of Salus Health &
Wellness in Lincoln. The new integrated medicine office is located
at 691 Pekin Street. For those who are unfamiliar, this is the terra
cotta colored stone building at the corner of North Kickapoo and
Pekin Streets in Lincoln.
The entry to Salus is a glass door facing the Pekin Street side of
the building, toward the back.
From the left: Carrie Lynch, Marni Pratt, Sarah Herron, and Aaron
Pickett The business is owned by
Sarah Heron and Aaron Pickett. Staff includes nurse Carrie Lynch and
office assistant Marni Pratt. Herron is the nurse practitioner and
medical professional for the practice. Herron’s spouse Aaron Pickett
handles the marketing for the practice.
Some readers may recognize Herron as being a part of Elixir IV that
was located in the Burwell Building not far from the Humane Society
of Logan County animal shelter. Herron opened that business with
Tara Morris in early 2025. The practice quickly became popular among
Logan County residents. However, Pickett said that there had been a
lot of challenges with scheduling office hours because both women
had other commitments. The decision was made to dissolve that
practice with Herron and re-open as Salus Health & Wellness.
Both Herron and Pickett have a passion for what they are doing in
their practice. Herron explained that she had began her medical
career as a CNA then moved on to become a Registered nurse. She had
worked in emergency medicine and saw a good many patients come in
with illnesses that might have been prevented if the person had been
living a more wholesome lifestyle.
Herron went on to get her degree as a Nurse Practitioner, all the
while thinking about the many times holistic medicine and good
wellness practices coupled with conventional medicine could make
patients feel better without overdoing the medications side of their
illness.
She said that there are so many parts of our body that with a
healthy lifestyle and wellness practices can become less susceptible
to illness. There are also issues that arise that can be handled
better with that whole body approach.
As an example, one aspect of her
practice involves women’s health, specifically issues with
menopause. Herron said that sometimes even the word is taboo for
women when visiting their doctors. They don’t want to admit that
they are struggling with a change in life that is natural and
unavoidable. Herron said while yes, all women go through it, it
doesn’t have to be a difficult as it is. There is more to addressing
that particular transition in life than just pills.
Another issue she addresses in the similar situation in males.
Though it is not quite the same, as men age they do see reductions
in natural hormones that need to be addressed.
Other areas of concern include obesity and the health concerns that
come with it. Herron will be working with patients utilizing GLP1
medications. She said that the use of the medication is not just
about weight loss. It is also about having a better control on blood
pressure and avoiding complications that come with that problem.
The practice also helps with issues of the gut. This is an area of
discussion where Pickett was happy to share his owns experiences. He
was attempting to live well and eat well, reducing meat intake and
increasing in his vegetable consumption. However, he wasn’t feeling
better as he had expected to, and he was experiencing digestive
issues. A food sensitivity study found that many of the foods he was
eating to get healthier were the ones that were making him ill.
He adjusted his diet and started to feel better. But it doesn’t stop
there. Herron said that when there are food sensitivities, in order
to feel better sooner, it may be necessary to flush the system of
the toxins in the gut as a result of the sensitivity. The best part
of this story, according to Pickett is that once the system has been
cleansed, many times the foods that started the problem can be
re-introduced in small amounts with good success.
Pickett said that was his case. Once
he was free from the irritants in his gut, he was able to start
eating smaller less frequent amounts of the green vegetables he
enjoyed without consequence.
Herron is also going to be offering at Salus Health & Wellness the
same IV elixir program that was offered at the other office. She
said IV usage for everything from hydration to joint health has
advantages because the treatments go directly into the blood system
and the patient experiences the benefits more rapidly.
Another part of the practice is micro-needling. Herron said this is
a process that opens the pores and encourages the natural
reproduction of collagen in the skin. She said for the best results,
a client should have the process done three times in a row at short
intervals, then they can spread out the treatments. She said that it
is one of those practices that make us feel better about ourselves
and when we have good feelings about ourselves, we are more likely
to feel good all around.
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On Thursday evening, sons Luke Meyer,
Parker Meyer and Matthew McGownd joined Herron and Picket behind the
ribbon along with Herron’s mother Shirley Carter, Nurse Carrie
Lynch, and office assistant Marni Pratt. Also gathering behind the
ribbon was Lincoln Mayor Tracy Welch and Logan County Board member
Lance Conahan. City Clerk Peggy Bateman assisted LDN’s Karen
Castelein in holding the ribbon.
The cut was held inside the Integrity
Data ground floor common area, with landlords Patrick and April
Doolin also in attendance.
Mayor Welch was asked to offer a few
words to the new business owners. He thanked them for bringing their
expertise to Lincoln, and acknowledged that they are presenting
something unique in the practice of integrated medicine. He noted
that he had visited with Pickett ahead of the cut and had already
learned much about the value of looking at whole health approaches.
He wished them the best of luck in their future endeavors.
Herron spoke for the practice saying first that she wasn’t one for
public speaking, so she would keep her comments brief. She said she
wanted to thank the community for accepting her new business with
open arms. She said she does have a passion for what she is doing
and is delighted that she is able to bring a long-held dream to
fruition.
With comments concluded, the group
posed for the traditional photo then joined in the countdown and the
snipping of the ribbon by Herron and Pickett.
Afterward guests were invited to
linger, enjoy refreshments, enter for some drawings, and get better
acquainted with Herron, Pickett and the staff.
Salus Health and Wellness is currently open two Thursdays a month in
Lincoln and have another office in Washington, IL.
To learn more about the practice and schedule an appointment visit
the website.
[Nila Smith] |
