Ep. 266 How Naturopathic Medicine Is Changing Lives and Workplaces w/ Dr. Adeola Mead

[00:00:00] is dedicated to helping women who want to analyze, apply and amplify their God-given gifts.

[00:00:21] We accomplish this by discussing topics such as business, self-improvement, health and beauty

[00:00:27] and my random thoughts about life from a Christian perspective.

[00:00:30] I'm your host, Latasha Johnson.

[00:00:34] In this episode I have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Adiola Mead.

[00:00:38] Dr. Adiola has more than 15 years of clinical experience and has worked with countless individuals

[00:00:44] who want to perform at their peak in all aspects of their lives.

[00:00:49] To achieve this level of productivity, Dr. Mead helps clients identify the areas of their

[00:00:54] health that require the most attention.

[00:00:56] Together, they develop a database self-care strategy to meet those needs consistently.

[00:01:03] Welcome to the show, Adiola.

[00:01:05] Thank you so much.

[00:01:06] Thanks for having me.

[00:01:08] Thank you.

[00:01:09] Thank you.

[00:01:10] Again, one of the reasons why I wanted to have you on this show is because you have quite

[00:01:13] an impressive background and I had a feeling that the audience would definitely benefit

[00:01:18] from having you on the show.

[00:01:19] So why don't you tell us about yourself?

[00:01:22] Thank you so much.

[00:01:23] So I am a naturopathic physician.

[00:01:25] I've been practicing for over 15 years now.

[00:01:28] So for those of us who aren't familiar with naturopathic medicine, it's really

[00:01:32] primary care with a focus on a whole person.

[00:01:36] So not just what are these symptoms, more like who is it that has these symptoms?

[00:01:40] We're really getting to know our patients and understanding how the body functions in

[00:01:44] relation to the mind and to the spirit and then using natural medicine to bring all of

[00:01:49] those into harmony.

[00:01:51] Wow.

[00:01:52] Okay.

[00:01:53] So what inspired you or who inspired you to pursue mental and metabolic health?

[00:02:00] You know, I think mostly my patients.

[00:02:05] Practicing for several years in areas where there's a lot of hustle, like the name of

[00:02:11] your podcast.

[00:02:12] So practicing in Seattle, Washington and in San Francisco Bay Area and Vancouver, BC

[00:02:18] and Canada, seeing lots of professionals who are just working hard and trying to

[00:02:22] achieve all levels of life and then seeing that their symptoms were really where there

[00:02:29] was a dev tail of both mental health concerns and metabolic health because there is

[00:02:33] no separation between your mind and your body.

[00:02:36] But I found that there was a separation how those things were being treated.

[00:02:39] So I decided to tailor my approach to include both of those things so that people could

[00:02:45] have the best results.

[00:02:47] And really it was my patients who inspired me.

[00:02:49] The more we looked more holistically and brought those two pieces together in their

[00:02:53] treatment, the better they got.

[00:02:55] And I just love to see people thrive.

[00:02:58] Fantastic.

[00:02:59] Fantastic.

[00:03:00] You know, I love how you have the combination of everything.

[00:03:05] Why do you feel that so many doctors separate the two?

[00:03:09] Because that makes to me what you just said makes complete perfect sense.

[00:03:12] But a lot of doctors don't treat the person that way.

[00:03:16] Why is that?

[00:03:17] Yeah.

[00:03:18] I think it's the training.

[00:03:19] You know, when you go into conventional medical school training, you learn how

[00:03:24] different systems work, you know, kind of independent of each other.

[00:03:28] And then you specialize often on one form of treatment, maybe you're a radiologist or

[00:03:33] maybe you're a family physician or maybe you specialize in anesthesiology.

[00:03:37] But you hyper focus on this one modality of treatment and you have a certain tool

[00:03:43] set, right?

[00:03:44] A toolkit.

[00:03:46] But in naturopathic medicine and very much in my background as an individual in my

[00:03:51] family background and my cultural ethnic roots, everything is always together.

[00:03:57] So it made sense to me to practice in a way where diagnosis is holistic, treatment is

[00:04:02] holistic.

[00:04:04] And then how people move forward in their treatment plans is also holistic.

[00:04:07] So bringing in community and natural medicine and sort of ways that are accessible

[00:04:12] to people to heal.

[00:04:13] So I think it's partly the training is hyper focused on one thing and getting

[00:04:18] very good at one thing, which can be a lifesaver.

[00:04:20] You know, you know, I want a surgeon who knows that surgery.

[00:04:26] And if I need surgery, I'm not necessarily a generalist who's maybe.

[00:04:30] Yeah.

[00:04:31] I want someone who's in it all day every day.

[00:04:34] Yeah.

[00:04:35] Yeah.

[00:04:36] There is the benefit to that.

[00:04:37] But when you're talking about like chronic disease, which most of the diseases

[00:04:40] that most people are dealing with are chronic long term diseases that cause

[00:04:45] long term inflammation and long term suffering.

[00:04:47] It's so much better to have a more holistic view.

[00:04:50] Sure.

[00:04:51] No, I completely agree.

[00:04:53] Completely agree.

[00:04:54] You know, I stuck weighing into a little bit of a different topic.

[00:04:58] What are some common issues that affect women in the workplace?

[00:05:02] Again, everything you just spoke about is trying to make sure that we're

[00:05:06] the whole person, right?

[00:05:07] But sometimes in the workplace, depending upon where you work in,

[00:05:12] you know, that could be detrimental to your health and not helping.

[00:05:17] That's true.

[00:05:18] That's true.

[00:05:18] I think in the workplace, women are the way women always are.

[00:05:23] Like we tend towards caregiving roles.

[00:05:27] So we tend to bring that, you know, gift of femininity into the workplace too.

[00:05:32] So we're not just doing our jobs.

[00:05:34] We're trying to do it the best way we possibly can.

[00:05:36] And then if someone else is struggling, we're trying to help them.

[00:05:39] If there is a committee that needs to be head,

[00:05:43] we're trying to take care of that.

[00:05:44] We're always just taking things on and then we get home.

[00:05:48] And we are taking care of maybe young children.

[00:05:50] We're taking care of elders.

[00:05:51] We're taking care of partners.

[00:05:53] We're always taking care.

[00:05:54] So I think one of the main issues that women face in the workplace is not having

[00:05:58] as much support as we need because we take on a lot, but we don't always have

[00:06:03] the support to just kind of dissipate the pressure that we feel a lot of times.

[00:06:09] So that's one thing is not getting support we need to take on all the rules.

[00:06:13] Sometimes it's not being acknowledged for all the things that we're doing.

[00:06:17] That happens often enough where people are doing the most in their workplace.

[00:06:24] They're exceeding expectations, but they're not being acknowledged.

[00:06:28] And maybe then they're not they're being passed up for

[00:06:33] promotions and for raises and things like that.

[00:06:36] And that adds an extra financial struggle and also sort of emotionally,

[00:06:41] you know, you're doing well, you know, you're good at what you're doing,

[00:06:43] but that's not being reflected back to you.

[00:06:45] So there's a lot of stress that comes from that one taking things on and

[00:06:49] then not being acknowledged and like fairly compensated for what you're taking on.

[00:06:53] And that stress doesn't just translate into, you know, having a hard time

[00:06:57] doing your job it again, there's no separation between your mind and your body.

[00:07:01] So if you're feeling stressed and like you're not being fairly compensated

[00:07:05] acknowledged, that goes into the body as well.

[00:07:08] So now what I tend to see in the office is lots of cardiovascular health

[00:07:12] disease, digestive concerns, reproductive health concerns and fatigue,

[00:07:19] things like that to kind of start with.

[00:07:21] And people don't always know that those are connected, but they absolutely are.

[00:07:25] Hmm, interesting.

[00:07:27] And so I want to piggyback off of that.

[00:07:29] What from a workplace perspective is the onus on?

[00:07:34] Well, obviously we should be in control of our careers,

[00:07:37] but is there something that organizations can do to help their employees

[00:07:42] have a better kind of like work-life balance or just to promote some of the things

[00:07:47] that you were discussing in order to make sure that our employees are staying

[00:07:51] as healthy as they can?

[00:07:52] Yeah, I think the first thing is just to acknowledge that people have lives

[00:07:56] outside of work, so respecting their time outside of work.

[00:08:01] That would be a good place to start.

[00:08:03] Not sending emails and expecting people to be on all the time, especially now

[00:08:07] like post-pandemic a lot of people have hybrid work or work mostly remotely.

[00:08:12] And employees sometimes expect people to be at their screens eight, nine hours a day.

[00:08:17] That is too long to be at a screen that's going to affect your mental health.

[00:08:21] It's definitely going to affect your physical health.

[00:08:23] We need to move.

[00:08:24] We are we're animated beings.

[00:08:26] We need to move.

[00:08:27] And if you're in front of a screen all day, that's going to affect your

[00:08:31] physical, your structure, your metabolic health, your mental health.

[00:08:35] So being reminded that and acknowledging that people have lives

[00:08:41] outside of their work is a very good place to start.

[00:08:44] And then figuring out where people need support outside of work, too.

[00:08:49] So, for example, a lot of women are innocent, which generation where they're

[00:08:53] caring for children and elders and how can you support them in that so that

[00:09:00] they can bring their full selves to work?

[00:09:03] If what you care about is getting the job done,

[00:09:05] they need to make sure that people can bring their full selves to work

[00:09:07] because I'm thinking about my kids and my mom or my in-laws,

[00:09:12] that it's very hard for me to focus right now.

[00:09:14] A lot of people are especially women.

[00:09:16] So and I read the study recently that was done in the Netherlands during the

[00:09:20] pandemic and it was figuring out how to define and improve team resilience

[00:09:28] and how it was different from individual resilience.

[00:09:31] And to improve team resilience, one of the major factors was to,

[00:09:35] one, improve familiarity.

[00:09:37] So making sure that people work well together.

[00:09:40] So that's one thing if you want to improve work like balance is make sure

[00:09:45] that people on teams connect well.

[00:09:48] So make sure that you are thinking about a social aspect to being at work,

[00:09:54] whether you're hybrid or virtual or all in person, create a culture where

[00:09:58] people can connect and get to know one another to be respectful and work

[00:10:01] well with one another.

[00:10:03] And the other factor was family support, not so much that people have

[00:10:08] emotional support from family, but support that means that people have things

[00:10:12] taken care of at home so that they can bring their full selves.

[00:10:16] So first thing that came to mind was dependent care.

[00:10:20] Right.

[00:10:21] And just all those other little things that people are always taking care of.

[00:10:24] How can employers invest in giving resources so that those things are better

[00:10:29] taken care of so people can bring their full selves because it is shown to help

[00:10:33] with team resilience in general, people work better together,

[00:10:36] better results and they're more resilient when there changes.

[00:10:40] And this is an ever changing like dynamic workforce that we're in right now.

[00:10:44] Sure.

[00:10:45] Sure.

[00:10:46] I love that.

[00:10:47] I love that.

[00:10:47] So, you know, we're constantly want to make sure this question is a little long.

[00:10:51] So we're constantly hearing stories about health care inequities, right?

[00:10:57] So, I think that's the most important thing.

[00:10:59] I think that's the most important thing is what we're doing.

[00:11:03] We're not just talking about the health care issue among people of color,

[00:11:08] but especially among black women.

[00:11:11] So how do you believe that we can go about bridging this gap?

[00:11:16] I think the most important thing is to know our worth in the marketplace.

[00:11:21] Right.

[00:11:22] I think a lot of times we will just kind of take what we can get.

[00:11:26] We need to be relative to other demographic groups, right?

[00:11:29] So I think we need to own that.

[00:11:31] We've gone through a lot of school.

[00:11:32] We've gotten very good at what we do.

[00:11:34] And even if a position or an employer doesn't see us that way,

[00:11:39] we need to make sure we present ourselves that way.

[00:11:42] Right.

[00:11:42] Sure.

[00:11:43] And a lot of times people will see the way you present yourself and make a case

[00:11:48] for what you're bringing, the value that you bring to an organization.

[00:11:51] So I think that's one thing is just really knowing your worth.

[00:11:55] And the next is asking for it.

[00:11:57] Right.

[00:11:58] So just saying here, credentials, here's what I know and doing our homework.

[00:12:03] Here's what I know this position is earning and is the earning potential with

[00:12:09] this position. Here's how I exceed the

[00:12:13] qualifications.

[00:12:15] So how do we make sure that this is a well compensated role so that you can

[00:12:19] get the best out of me based on my expertise?

[00:12:23] And this is fair and I'm happy here because I know that I'm being well compensated.

[00:12:27] And I think just being very matter of fact about that is I know what I'm worth.

[00:12:31] And so I'm going to ask for my worth and here's the proof of what I'm worth.

[00:12:35] Not so much just kind of going in and demanding.

[00:12:38] Yeah, it doesn't work in any scenario.

[00:12:41] You got to have the results to back it up.

[00:12:43] We have to have the receipts and black women have the receipts.

[00:12:46] So just bring your receipts in and saying here's what I'm bringing.

[00:12:49] Here's the compensation is that is expected of this role.

[00:12:53] So how do we find a middle ground that works really well that reflects our worth?

[00:12:58] And then the other thing is to support one another.

[00:13:01] I think black women are incredible at creating cultures and bringing people up

[00:13:08] along with us, but I think to really be intentional in supporting other young

[00:13:13] black women coming up in spaces and making sure that there isn't any

[00:13:17] competition or making people feel like they need to pay their dues.

[00:13:22] The more each one of us gets ahead, the more as a collective, as women,

[00:13:27] as black women, as professionals, we all get ahead.

[00:13:31] So just maintaining that already kind of

[00:13:36] ingrained culture within black women to bring others along with us.

[00:13:41] I think it's a great place to start and to make allies too.

[00:13:45] Right? Like we can't do everything on our own.

[00:13:47] I think it's important to be strategic in the people that we

[00:13:52] associate with and especially in networking.

[00:13:55] I think it's important to network and for people to know you not just as a

[00:13:58] professional, but as a person and to be able to vouch for you too.

[00:14:02] Because a lot of times we are getting roles

[00:14:06] and being presented with opportunities because someone else spoke our name

[00:14:11] in a room that we weren't in. Right?

[00:14:13] So how do we continue to network and build our networks to be what they

[00:14:17] say, like your net worth?

[00:14:18] Right? So making sure that you're

[00:14:20] associating people that are where you want to be or can help you get to where you

[00:14:24] want to be.

[00:14:25] I love that. Love that. Love that.

[00:14:27] And again, kind of piggybacking off of the whole corporate world aspect,

[00:14:32] a lot of women, especially black women suffer in silence with PMS and PCOS.

[00:14:41] What signs should we be out and be on the lookout for?

[00:14:44] And what are ways to alleviate these symptoms?

[00:14:47] Because again, so many of us wear like that superwoman cape.

[00:14:50] Right? And so a lot of us are suffering in silence with these particular,

[00:14:54] especially these particular things that I just named.

[00:14:57] So just curious what your thoughts are regarding that.

[00:15:00] Yeah. Thank you.

[00:15:02] So those are very specific women's health issues.

[00:15:05] And I think it's important to be really well educated.

[00:15:08] What is PMS? What is PCOS?

[00:15:11] Are we making sure that we are working with a doctor who can keep an eye on

[00:15:17] hormone levels because these are both hormone imbalances, right?

[00:15:21] And to not this could be a very long answer, but

[00:15:26] hormone imbalances often come from or are

[00:15:32] worsened by stress.

[00:15:33] So we have to look at how much stress that we're having too.

[00:15:37] Right?

[00:15:38] And that's not just like psychological stress from our environment,

[00:15:41] but also like physical stress.

[00:15:43] So a lot of times if people are eating, for example, inflammatory foods,

[00:15:48] then that's going to cause more information in the body, shift hormone

[00:15:52] production and make it so that we're more likely to have

[00:15:55] some of these symptoms that are related to PMS or PCOS.

[00:15:59] I've had lots of patients who are having.

[00:16:01] So for PMS, some of the signs and symptoms are

[00:16:04] cramping, heavy periods, irregular periods,

[00:16:09] lots like very, very heavy flow,

[00:16:12] lots of pain, lots of fatigue, lots and lots of fatigue and mood swings as well.

[00:16:18] Or digestive changes too.

[00:16:20] So that can be happening every single month.

[00:16:22] And that is definitely going to take your focus off of your work in your life

[00:16:27] and draw it inward to how you're going to manage these symptoms with PCOS.

[00:16:32] That is a different hormone imbalance,

[00:16:36] but that is related to insulin resistance.

[00:16:39] So a difficulty in managing blood sugar over time.

[00:16:43] And then also with high, like sort of typically male hormones.

[00:16:49] So again, this is like

[00:16:51] hormone imbalance, so high androgens, for example, which can cause

[00:16:56] herceutism or just lots of facial hair or body hair.

[00:17:00] So that's another thing to look out for.

[00:17:02] Any regular periods too with PCOS or difficulty with fertility as well.

[00:17:07] So if you're trying to conceive and having a difficult time and have some of these

[00:17:10] other symptoms too, that would be a good time to get testing done and look at

[00:17:14] hormone levels from PCOS.

[00:17:16] But a lot of those symptoms are alleviated by nutrition and lifestyle.

[00:17:22] So making sure we're managing stress, making sure

[00:17:25] that we are eating an anti-inflammatory diet.

[00:17:29] So avoiding foods that commonly cause inflammation.

[00:17:33] And they're like typically like seven of them are better common.

[00:17:36] So it's like sugar, gluten and wheat, dairy, soy, corn, yeast, yeast.

[00:17:44] There might be one more eggs.

[00:17:47] Those are the typical ones.

[00:17:49] OK, soy is interesting because a lot of people, I mean, soy milk.

[00:17:54] I mean, a lot of people use all of these different alternatives.

[00:17:57] Soy for a lot of things.

[00:17:58] So soy is not necessarily good for you?

[00:18:01] Not always and it really depends on the person.

[00:18:03] Right.

[00:18:04] OK, so for some people and I've seen fairly typically it's eggs and eggs are

[00:18:10] our healthy food, right?

[00:18:12] You know, but there are a lot of people who I had one patient years ago who had

[00:18:16] kind of lifelong dark circles under her eyes and terrible digestive issues.

[00:18:21] And she had just dealt with it for years when she came in and saw me.

[00:18:24] And we actually did food sensitivity testing,

[00:18:27] which is a great way to go if you're just not sure you're eating healthy foods,

[00:18:31] but you're not sure what's causing your symptoms of chronic inflammation.

[00:18:35] So we did testing and the highest in sensitivity that she had was to eggs.

[00:18:41] So we just simply took eggs out of her diet for like three weeks.

[00:18:45] And the dark circles that she had since she was a little girl went away

[00:18:48] for the first time in her whole life.

[00:18:50] It was eggs, this consistent exposure to eggs.

[00:18:53] I mean, yes, her digestion got better.

[00:18:55] I've had a lot of like really, really severe skin lesions.

[00:19:01] Like, I mean, it's hard to describe.

[00:19:04] It's not acne, just like source open source all over their faces and all over

[00:19:09] their arms.

[00:19:11] This one patient I'm thinking about had it for years, didn't growing up

[00:19:15] necessarily and it just got progressively worse.

[00:19:17] And they're trying to use also some topical applications.

[00:19:20] And it just wasn't working.

[00:19:21] And we did, again, to figure out what is going in your body that's causing

[00:19:26] inflammation on your skin.

[00:19:28] So of course, we can look at how is your body processing

[00:19:32] food and so on and so forth.

[00:19:34] But if you're always putting things in your body that are causing

[00:19:36] inflammation, then you're not going to make a lot of headway.

[00:19:38] So we figured this out and we forgot the list of foods that are causing

[00:19:42] issues for her and within I think it was like two or three months.

[00:19:45] So this has had been years of sores on my face.

[00:19:48] Within like two or three months of eating her specific anti-inflammatory diet,

[00:19:52] her skin was like a baby skin.

[00:19:54] It was the most remarkable thing.

[00:19:55] Like it was completely cleared up, completely smooth.

[00:19:59] And we just have to remember that, you know, we're not these like

[00:20:03] separate entities.

[00:20:04] The skin isn't here and the digestion over here and your mental over here.

[00:20:08] Everything is together.

[00:20:10] So first thing is just to minimize or avoid things that are going to cause

[00:20:14] problems and then deal with what's left.

[00:20:16] So a lot of times, like with some of the hormonal balances you're talking about

[00:20:20] too, it's first what can we avoid that is causing problems and a great place

[00:20:28] to start is food to reduce inflammation.

[00:20:31] That is absolutely fascinating to me.

[00:20:33] So is that something if I'm not mistaken, I believe you're based in Washington?

[00:20:39] Right. Is that something that you

[00:20:43] can you can you diagnose like via virtually or like how does how do your

[00:20:48] services work? Just curious, because that's amazing.

[00:20:50] Yeah. So I can typically meet with someone and kind of understand for a

[00:20:55] consult and understand where they are.

[00:20:58] I usually if I'm not working with someone in Washington state,

[00:21:02] we'll refer them to either a doctor or their state they can work closely with.

[00:21:06] If it's something as simple as maybe ordering just the food sensitivity

[00:21:11] testing for them to see what would be a good anti inflammatory diet for them,

[00:21:14] then I could start them off that way in order, but then connect them with someone

[00:21:18] they can work with more closely.

[00:21:20] But it really just starts with the consult and understanding who they are,

[00:21:24] what they're dealing with to figure out what our next step would be.

[00:21:28] OK, I had to ask that because I know a lot of folks are going to be like,

[00:21:31] what that sounds magical.

[00:21:33] Like I'm just asking the most obvious question that I know other folks

[00:21:39] want to know.

[00:21:40] Yeah, you would be surprised at things that clear up when we're very intentional

[00:21:45] and listen to our bodies about what we consume.

[00:21:49] And that's food wise, but also environmentally, emotionally, spiritually.

[00:21:54] What are we taking in and how is it affecting us?

[00:21:57] When we start to pay attention to that, the results can be transformational.

[00:22:01] Absolutely amazing.

[00:22:03] Amazing. And here's another issue that

[00:22:06] affects women in general, but once again, primarily affects black women.

[00:22:11] And that's fibroids, right?

[00:22:12] So oftentimes and I've been reading, I'm kind of a health care nut.

[00:22:16] It's not my background anyway, shape or form, but I love reading those types

[00:22:20] of studies, but oftentimes surgery is the alternative suggested to remove

[00:22:25] the fibroids.

[00:22:26] However, are there any alternatives like from a natural perspective

[00:22:30] to address the issue?

[00:22:31] Yeah.

[00:22:32] So it depends on the type of fibroid, the size of the fibroid.

[00:22:38] So if a woman is diagnosed with a small fibroid that is not causing problems

[00:22:44] with the rest of the reproductive tract, then some of the things we talked about

[00:22:48] with balancing hormones can make a huge difference to shrink the size of the

[00:22:53] fibroid because they are hormone sensitive.

[00:22:55] I'll tell you a personal story.

[00:22:57] I didn't know I had fibroids.

[00:22:59] And then when I was pregnant with my oldest because of the surge in hormones,

[00:23:03] I had a fibroid that grew through the pregnancy.

[00:23:06] Now, I had it.

[00:23:08] My body does not play apparently.

[00:23:12] So I had a lot of hormones and this fibroid grew to I think it was five

[00:23:18] pounds in the size of a volleyball.

[00:23:22] OK, it was huge.

[00:23:23] So it was sitting on top of my baby during this pregnancy.

[00:23:28] So I had like a baby, a bump, right?

[00:23:31] And then I had another bump on top of my bump.

[00:23:34] It was OK.

[00:23:36] So I have my baby and he's totally fine because the fibroid is on

[00:23:41] on the outside of my uterus, right?

[00:23:43] So they can be on the outside of your uterus.

[00:23:45] They can be on a little stalk.

[00:23:46] It can be inside the muscle of the uterus.

[00:23:49] So again, it really kind of depends on where what type and where and what size.

[00:23:53] So if it probably started as just like a small thing, because I never noticed it.

[00:23:57] So I had noticed it through this pregnancy, then probably you could go in and just

[00:24:02] snip it off this little stalk, just cut it.

[00:24:04] It would be totally fine.

[00:24:05] But because of the size of it, it had to be operated on right.

[00:24:09] And but while I was waiting for the surgery, I was able to shift my nutrition

[00:24:17] and shift my hormones to reduce

[00:24:20] the exposure of the fibroid hormones so that it could shrink some for surgery.

[00:24:25] So that's an important thing to remember is that there are ways to

[00:24:29] to shift the exposure of the fibroid hormones and shrink them sometimes.

[00:24:34] You're not always the case if they're not

[00:24:37] bothering a woman, they're not huge, they're not causing heavy periods or

[00:24:41] something like that, then that's a great way to go.

[00:24:43] If they are causing trouble with your

[00:24:45] productive health or difficulty with fertility and conception, then surgery

[00:24:50] is often the best way to go because if it's not shrinking and it's

[00:24:55] in a position that is detrimental for the plans of the woman, then yes,

[00:24:59] surgery is a good way to go.

[00:25:00] But prevention really is the best cure when it comes to those and a lot of

[00:25:04] black women are exposed almost our entire lives to endocrine

[00:25:11] disrupting products, be it skin products or hair products too.

[00:25:15] So there hasn't been any any I don't think definitive study that like

[00:25:22] hair relax is, for example, disrupt hormones.

[00:25:27] But it has been a consideration over time.

[00:25:29] So and there are lots of

[00:25:32] loose lawsuits against that right now.

[00:25:34] There are Japanese that are so there's got to be something there, right?

[00:25:39] Like there's definitely something there.

[00:25:41] And also just like

[00:25:43] a lot of black women aren't necessarily

[00:25:48] growing up with the best environments for the healthiest nutrition.

[00:25:55] Right? So we have a lot of us who grew up like in food deserts where they're just

[00:26:00] is there are not enough resources for healthy balanced nutrition.

[00:26:04] So you're going to be skewed towards a more inflammatory type of nutrition

[00:26:09] that shifts hormones and makes it so that we're more likely to have these

[00:26:13] like hormone sensitive type groups that like a fibroid.

[00:26:17] So there's so many like multifactorial

[00:26:21] reasons why black women in particular can experience more fibroids.

[00:26:27] But prevention, when it comes to helping to reduce inflammation, reducing stress,

[00:26:33] working with nutrition and lifestyle can go a long ways.

[00:26:36] But beyond that, if you're dealing with a size and a type of fibroid that is

[00:26:41] causing a problem, then surgery is the standard of care.

[00:26:45] OK.

[00:26:46] I want to piggyback off of that again.

[00:26:48] So in the event that a woman is kind of like pushed towards the surgery route,

[00:26:53] is there I guess is there a chance that the fibroid could grow back or like what

[00:26:59] happens from that point?

[00:27:01] Yeah, the best thing at that point too is kind of start from zero and start to

[00:27:06] minimize inflammation and minimize excessive

[00:27:11] exposure to hormones.

[00:27:13] No thing to do that.

[00:27:14] A lot of us are on like hormonal birth control, right?

[00:27:18] And this is exogenous.

[00:27:20] So not hormones that our bodies producing, but hormones that are coming from a pill

[00:27:25] or from an implant or whatnot.

[00:27:27] And now our bodies are having this exposure to hormones that are now coming

[00:27:32] from our body and that can definitely make it so that we are more likely

[00:27:36] to have these like hormone imbalances and hormone kind of sensitive issues.

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[00:28:21] Back to the show.

[00:28:25] So that's another thing too is like so if if someone has a fiber remove,

[00:28:30] but they still have high levels of exogenous hormonal exposure, then it's

[00:28:35] possible not necessarily that one would grow back, but maybe other ones would

[00:28:39] grow back because you're still having this high exposure to hormones.

[00:28:43] So that's something to keep in mind too is what are ways that as a culture and as

[00:28:48] black women, we can move away from hormone disrupting exposures, right?

[00:28:55] Topical hair, skin, all that environmental.

[00:28:58] But then also what we consume and what we take as medicine,

[00:29:01] can we move away from these external forms of hormones that are impacting our bodies?

[00:29:07] Yeah, yeah. No, that's really great information because it's something I've

[00:29:12] been hearing more and more about like fibroids.

[00:29:15] And I always wonder why is it just one particular demographic that seems to

[00:29:20] suffer from certain things more so than others?

[00:29:22] So that's that's a really good point.

[00:29:24] Thank you for that.

[00:29:25] So yeah.

[00:29:27] I mean, there are kind of race specific to a certain extent conditions

[00:29:34] like black people, whether they're in the United States or in the Caribbean or

[00:29:40] in Africa or more likely to have cardiovascular health conditions.

[00:29:44] Right? So that there might just be like a genetic propensity there,

[00:29:47] but there are lots of things that we can do when we look holistically to minimize

[00:29:52] some of those genetic inclinations.

[00:29:54] And it might just be that black women too, like we tend to have more

[00:29:58] muscular bodies and the uterus is just a big muscle.

[00:30:02] So we might just tend genetically to have more hypertrophy, you call it, or just like

[00:30:09] greater proliferation or growth of muscular cells.

[00:30:13] And that might just be part of why we tend to have more fibroids as well.

[00:30:18] So it could be lots of different reasons, but those are some that we can have

[00:30:22] some control over is like inflammation overall.

[00:30:27] No, I love that.

[00:30:28] And I know you mentioned something about genetics.

[00:30:31] And so I do I understand your comment, but I also want to challenge

[00:30:36] the medical community not to be lazy and just rely on oh, it's just genetics.

[00:30:40] Because a lot of times a lot of people just want to say,

[00:30:43] oh, maybe it's just a propensity with that particular demographic and then do

[00:30:48] nothing with it like no, we need to dig a little bit deeper.

[00:30:51] Yes. And that is absolutely dangerous is the problem.

[00:30:56] And a lot of people end up having very poor,

[00:31:00] a poor standard of care because they because of that assumption

[00:31:05] on the on the count of a medical professional.

[00:31:08] And it's it's really sad and it's dangerous and it's quite rampant.

[00:31:11] I think it's important in the back of our minds to understand that there are

[00:31:15] differences in demographics that might be genetic that might be generational and

[00:31:21] environmental, but we need to focus on the person in front of us.

[00:31:25] Right. So that's that is the responsibility of every

[00:31:30] health practitioner like, yes, this might be related to what I've read and what

[00:31:37] is in the research, but what's going on with you.

[00:31:39] And let's make sure we do a full workup.

[00:31:41] That is a responsibility of a provider.

[00:31:44] I love that.

[00:31:44] And the only reason they got me thinking about that is because I can't remember

[00:31:48] which company this is. It could be Advil or I don't know who it is,

[00:31:52] but they they literally have purchased different in caps that say

[00:31:57] that are acknowledging the fact that like black people experience pain the way

[00:32:02] other people experience pain. Does that make sense?

[00:32:05] Like they actually purchased an in cap.

[00:32:07] They were in certain stores where it says, you know, I'm in pain.

[00:32:11] Like as to reaffirm the fact that we believe people when they say that

[00:32:16] they're in pain and I'm like one on one hand, kudos for acknowledging that

[00:32:21] that is an issue. But on the other hand,

[00:32:25] like we have to clarify that.

[00:32:31] But I've read in certain cases, like a lot of physicians don't.

[00:32:37] They just have this assumption that black people have a higher pain tolerance.

[00:32:42] And I'm like, last time I checked the skin is the same man.

[00:32:44] It is just a different color.

[00:32:45] Melody, I just yeah, that is like some in green systemic racism.

[00:32:50] And it's very it's detrimental on every level.

[00:32:53] And it's really it's detrimental to provider too, because now you're not even

[00:32:57] equipped with the information that you need to care for your patients well.

[00:33:01] So you're you're giving a poor standard of care.

[00:33:04] But in like maternal health that happens.

[00:33:08] So a woman goes in and she's having contractions.

[00:33:11] And if she's a black woman, she might not be believed.

[00:33:13] Oh, it's not that bad.

[00:33:14] We're going to wait on to give to give them an epidural or to address this pain.

[00:33:19] And then a lot of women just suffer, suffer needlessly because of this

[00:33:24] ridiculous assumption.

[00:33:26] And it's it's good that it's coming to light, but it never have ever been that way.

[00:33:32] Yeah, it doesn't make sense.

[00:33:35] Like you're saying like I just talking.

[00:33:38] I was just like, oh, this is so

[00:33:40] it that ad just popped into my head because I saw that on LinkedIn.

[00:33:43] I'm just like, OK, anyway.

[00:33:47] Oh, my goodness.

[00:33:49] But you know, again, as women, we all have different issues that we go through.

[00:33:54] And as we grow older, every woman is going to undergo menopause.

[00:33:58] Right. So how can women help prevent or reduce the effects of what

[00:34:05] I jokingly refer to as my mom is having a private summer?

[00:34:11] How can we reduce or prevent those effects of that?

[00:34:16] So the first thing is to one, make sure that leading into the paramedic

[00:34:24] puzzle time that you're having like, I don't see standard, but predictable cycles.

[00:34:33] Right.

[00:34:34] If we're having lots of PMS

[00:34:37] moving into paramedic pause, so that means we're having an imbalance even

[00:34:42] moving into this time where the hormones are going to shift naturally.

[00:34:46] So that's the first thing is to make sure we're dealing with PMS before it turns

[00:34:50] into a really unbearable paramedic pause and menopause.

[00:34:55] Right. That's the first thing.

[00:34:57] So like I said, we're using information managing stress as much as possible.

[00:35:01] And there are lots of different ways to do that.

[00:35:03] So that's one to speaking of stress.

[00:35:06] What I find is that women who going into

[00:35:09] paramedic pause and menopause have high levels of stress, have more difficult

[00:35:14] menopausal symptoms.

[00:35:16] And I think part of that is because as we

[00:35:20] when we are premenopausal, our ovaries produce our estrogen and progesterone

[00:35:25] that help us manage our cycles.

[00:35:27] Right.

[00:35:28] When we are under quite a bit of stress,

[00:35:31] our bodies will shift hormone production to produce less progesterone, for example,

[00:35:37] and more cortisol to help us manage stress because we are meant to survive.

[00:35:41] We're built to survive.

[00:35:43] So the bodies of sight forget about reproductive function.

[00:35:47] Let's shunt all the energy into managing stress because this is a struggle.

[00:35:52] OK, so it's doing that just to help us manage.

[00:35:55] But that means you have where progesterone should be balancing estrogen on a monthly

[00:36:02] level, you're getting less of that because you're using the same

[00:36:05] resource that you use to make progesterone to make cortisol.

[00:36:09] So you're stealing from your resource to make progesterone to make cortisol.

[00:36:14] But now that means your estrogen is way higher relatively to your progesterone.

[00:36:20] You should be making way more progesterone than you are.

[00:36:23] But now it's relatively way higher.

[00:36:25] And that is where you have terrible PMS symptoms and lots of information

[00:36:30] difficulty with that.

[00:36:30] So we're already experiencing that and you're producing more cortisol to help

[00:36:34] you manage this stress.

[00:36:36] OK, this is all happening into menopause and menopause.

[00:36:40] Once your ovaries stop producing estrogen and progesterone at what was

[00:36:46] premenopausal levels, what's supposed to naturally happen is that your adrenal

[00:36:50] glands that produce cortisol are supposed to start producing little bits of estrogen,

[00:36:56] little bits of progesterone to help you manage.

[00:36:59] But they're so exhausted from producing all this cortisol for so long

[00:37:05] that they're not able to help you balance very well.

[00:37:08] So what I do find is one managing stress moving into that

[00:37:13] premenopausal stage helps a ton.

[00:37:16] What I usually recommend is for women to do all the things with your calendar

[00:37:22] with your to help you minimize keeping too many things on your plate for sure,

[00:37:27] implement healthy boundaries, absolutely.

[00:37:31] Figure out what sorts of mental emotional spiritual practices help you stay

[00:37:34] positive as much as possible.

[00:37:37] But I often recommend to a class of herbs and nutrients that are called

[00:37:42] adaptogens and what they do is help your body adapt.

[00:37:46] So it helps minimize cortisol that's too high.

[00:37:49] It helps raise cortisol if it's too low to you.

[00:37:54] So there are people who have just been

[00:37:56] so much cortisol helping them manage stress that they are not able to produce it

[00:38:00] at high enough levels anymore.

[00:38:02] And now they're exhausted all the time.

[00:38:05] This is very hard to cope.

[00:38:07] And it can feel like exhaustion, fatigue, depression, that sort of thing.

[00:38:11] So adaptogens help your body get to a place, work and adapt.

[00:38:16] Do you need less of this or more of the other thing?

[00:38:18] And they work non specifically.

[00:38:20] So it's not going to work just on adrenal glands or just on your nervous

[00:38:24] system or just on your reproductive glands or reproductive system.

[00:38:31] They work everywhere where your body needs the support.

[00:38:34] So there are different kinds of them and everyone I think could use a different

[00:38:39] combination or one based on what their specific need is.

[00:38:44] But I would recommend looking to adaptogenic herbs and foods

[00:38:48] and ones that help to improve the immune system as well, because when you boost

[00:38:52] immune function, you reduce inflammation.

[00:38:56] So those are some things that I start to tell women as they're going to

[00:38:59] paramedopause is looking at how your body is managing hormones now will

[00:39:05] help usher you into an easier transition.

[00:39:08] And then also remember that our liver is the organ that it's like your body's

[00:39:15] trash can, so it helps you process everything.

[00:39:20] So whatever food you eat is processed and then before it can,

[00:39:25] the nutrients can go into your bloodstream and throughout the body.

[00:39:30] It goes through the liver.

[00:39:31] All of your hormones are processed in the liver too.

[00:39:36] So your thyroid that focuses on managing your metabolism,

[00:39:40] it's converted, your thyroid hormones converted from inactive form to the

[00:39:44] active form in the liver cortisol processed in the liver, blood sugar or your blood

[00:39:51] sugar stores are stored in the liver.

[00:39:54] You have all your food is processed there.

[00:39:56] Cholesterol also processed in the liver.

[00:39:58] So that's another focus where I make sure that we're making sure that

[00:40:02] your liver health is the best it can possibly be because it works really, really hard.

[00:40:08] It processes every intake.

[00:40:11] If you have like a toxic exposure, for example,

[00:40:14] the liver has to process and detoxify that too.

[00:40:16] So and it's a major digestion as well.

[00:40:19] So focusing and improving the liver health through supplements are helpful,

[00:40:23] but food as well and even some topical applications can be helpful too.

[00:40:27] So those are the kind of things that we usually will look at.

[00:40:30] Like how can we better balance these hormones,

[00:40:33] both with things that you can do, but also helping your body internally to find a

[00:40:38] better balance?

[00:40:40] Super interesting.

[00:40:41] And you mentioned a term that I've never heard before, adaptogens.

[00:40:44] Is there like what exactly is that?

[00:40:47] Is that like an herb like, I don't know, like thyme or garlic or what is that?

[00:40:52] Yeah, adaptogens are classes of herbs,

[00:40:55] sometimes foods that help your body kind of non specifically adapt to stresses.

[00:41:02] So they can improve immune function.

[00:41:04] They can help to modulate how your body uses hormones, especially like cortisol.

[00:41:08] They can help with your nervous system.

[00:41:10] So we have two modes of our nervous system.

[00:41:14] There is your rest and digest mode.

[00:41:16] And then there's your fight, flight or freeze mode.

[00:41:20] Right? So a lot of us when we're under stress, we're always in this fight or fight.

[00:41:24] I feel like I'm in that area a lot.

[00:41:26] We're over here and that's where you're going to have

[00:41:30] to think about when you are fighting or or or flighting or fleeing, right?

[00:41:35] All the blood is going to rush from your core to your extremities so you can run.

[00:41:41] Right? Yeah.

[00:41:42] You're not going to digest very well.

[00:41:44] Right. So then that's where a lot of people have

[00:41:46] digestive concerns because their blood is always out here and never going to

[00:41:51] digest their gut so they can like fully digest their food.

[00:41:55] It's very hard if you're stressed and you're fighting or fleeing,

[00:42:00] you're not going to sleep very well.

[00:42:01] Are you? This is not a good time to sleep or fighting for our lives here.

[00:42:06] So you can start have more insomnia.

[00:42:08] If you don't sleep well, your immune system doesn't have a chance to kind

[00:42:13] of reset itself so your immune function is going to be low.

[00:42:16] And that means you're going to have more information in the body.

[00:42:18] So all these things are interrelated.

[00:42:21] So adaptogens adaptogens can also help bring your nervous system out of this

[00:42:26] fight or flight mode into a rest and digest mode.

[00:42:29] So now your nervous system is making it so you're telling your body we're good,

[00:42:33] we're good, we're not under attack.

[00:42:36] Use the hormones at the right levels.

[00:42:38] You can digest your food.

[00:42:39] You can rest.

[00:42:41] So those are some of the things and they're fastening.

[00:42:44] They can help improve energy.

[00:42:45] Some of them are neurotropics, so they help with your cognitive function.

[00:42:49] They can help with memory.

[00:42:51] And that's a big thing with women in menopause.

[00:42:53] This is like, I just can't remember that word I was going to use or brain fog,

[00:42:59] things like that. So some of those have so many different functions that they

[00:43:04] can help on many different levels.

[00:43:06] The adaptogens.

[00:43:07] So I would highly recommend people look into them, talk to your doctor about

[00:43:11] whether or not there would be one or a combination or a product that would be

[00:43:16] a good fit for you.

[00:43:18] Definitely reach out if you have questions about it, because they can do

[00:43:21] incredible transformative work in bodies.

[00:43:26] Oh my goodness.

[00:43:27] I need to borrow a couple of those little guys.

[00:43:29] They sound amazing.

[00:43:31] They are amazing.

[00:43:32] Sound amazing.

[00:43:33] They are amazing.

[00:43:34] They do a great job.

[00:43:36] And again, but they're not it's not like a substitute for sure.

[00:43:40] Sure.

[00:43:40] Sure.

[00:43:40] You know, control over and that's where we end up getting ourselves into trouble.

[00:43:46] So it's where we need to get ourselves out of trouble too.

[00:43:48] Yeah.

[00:43:49] No, perfect, perfect.

[00:43:51] And you know, this is a perfect segue to the next question because as someone

[00:43:55] who has suffered from digestive issues many, many years,

[00:43:58] I quickly realized like how much my diet can affect my mood.

[00:44:02] And again, I came across came across your information.

[00:44:05] So can you tell us a little bit more about your 40 day fresh start program?

[00:44:10] Yeah.

[00:44:10] So where a lot of times, well, all the times your mental metabolic health

[00:44:17] deptails is in the gut.

[00:44:18] So we have trillions of microbiota microorganisms that live in our gut that

[00:44:25] impact not just our digestion, but our mental health, our immune health,

[00:44:31] reproductive health, so on and so forth.

[00:44:33] So making sure that your gut health is a priority really means that you are

[00:44:39] looking at improving the function of every other type of health that focuses on the gut too.

[00:44:46] Sure.

[00:44:47] So my 40 day fresh start program was kind of born out of my

[00:44:52] typical treatment plan for patients who were having this

[00:44:57] constellation of symptoms that where mental metabolic health kind of dovetailed.

[00:45:03] Right.

[00:45:03] So it's like inviting depression, maybe lots of bloating and gas

[00:45:08] or diarrhea or constipation or just like abdominal pain and lots of stress that is

[00:45:15] underlying all these things, maybe frequent illnesses, maybe autoimmune disease,

[00:45:20] maybe reproductive issues or even just skin issues too.

[00:45:24] So what we would do then is just start with nutrition lifestyle.

[00:45:28] We might do the focus like anti-inflammatory nutrition based on testing.

[00:45:34] So food sensitivity testing.

[00:45:36] But then there's so there's that and we look at labs too.

[00:45:40] Right. So let's just look at your lab work.

[00:45:42] How is your blood sugar?

[00:45:44] How is your vitamin D, which is a big part of your immune system and your mood?

[00:45:48] How are your hormones balanced?

[00:45:52] What else do we look at?

[00:45:54] We look at thyroid health.

[00:45:55] We look at red blood cells, white blood cells.

[00:45:59] So we do get screened to see

[00:46:01] metabolically where are you and how's that reflected in your blood?

[00:46:05] Then we forgot the nutrition piece and we start if you need, for example,

[00:46:10] adaptogens or other types of treatments that are natural and easy accessible.

[00:46:14] It could be food as medicine.

[00:46:17] Then we just started a treatment plan that works for your body specifically where

[00:46:20] you are. But again, a lot of this

[00:46:23] that gets you out of the woods of this state of chronic disease is lifestyle.

[00:46:29] So I have like a simple course where you will consume some content that I put

[00:46:33] together that was really second to patient education over the years.

[00:46:37] And then we meet once a week because accountability is king or queen.

[00:46:42] We're just going to tell ourselves, oh, I'm going to start this program and

[00:46:46] then we'll start it and then it's like, oh, something happens today or tomorrow.

[00:46:50] I didn't get around to it.

[00:46:51] We're human. These things happen.

[00:46:53] But if you know that your meeting once a week with a group or with a provider,

[00:46:57] then it's more likely you stay on track and I want people to receive

[00:47:02] the results and I know they can.

[00:47:03] So either they joined a group for accountability that

[00:47:08] myself or someone on my team will moderate or they meet with me one to one.

[00:47:12] And then we make sure that they're moving forward on

[00:47:14] things like using food as medicine and getting the education they need so

[00:47:18] they can really create a life where their healthy body can thrive.

[00:47:23] So that's my 40 day fresh start program.

[00:47:25] And I just found that just within 40 days,

[00:47:28] people were having transformational results.

[00:47:31] So people were, I mean, I don't know how to even start with some of them.

[00:47:35] So changes in skin definitely like resetting their digestion.

[00:47:39] People's long life, long digestive issues were seeing relief within like two or

[00:47:44] three weeks, right? So people with cardiovascular concerns.

[00:47:48] I have one patient who had high blood pressure.

[00:47:52] Like after having her first baby, she had high blood pressure.

[00:47:55] So it was put on medication.

[00:47:56] The medication didn't quite agree with her.

[00:47:58] She stopped taking it, but her blood pressure was consistently high.

[00:48:01] And within one week of treatment,

[00:48:04] her blood pressure was normal and it stayed normal.

[00:48:06] And this was after like a year postpartum of consistent high blood pressure

[00:48:10] trying things and it didn't work.

[00:48:12] So I just find that when you find the right combination of like holistic tools,

[00:48:19] you can get significant results very quickly,

[00:48:23] especially if you're doing the work to again,

[00:48:25] create a life where you can actually thrive.

[00:48:28] So a lot of that is habits and that's what that course is.

[00:48:31] How do we change habits so that all the clinical work we're doing can really shine

[00:48:37] at the end of the six weeks and you have now a life where you have healthy habits

[00:48:41] and your body is ready to go.

[00:48:44] That sounds amazing.

[00:48:46] That really sounds amazing.

[00:48:47] And like I said, I took a look at it.

[00:48:49] I was just like, this sounds very interesting.

[00:48:51] Again, I wanted to have you on the show.

[00:48:55] I knew this would be very informative for the audience.

[00:48:58] Thank you.

[00:48:59] And again, the program sounds amazing, but I'm curious,

[00:49:02] what are some of the most rewarding results you have seen in your patients?

[00:49:07] You've named so many, but is there one particular

[00:49:09] patient's results that you're like, oh my goodness, like the shock, even me?

[00:49:14] There's so many.

[00:49:16] For example, the patient who had that high blood pressure

[00:49:19] postpartum in our course.

[00:49:22] So we're meeting once a week and one of the things we talked about was this

[00:49:26] healthy boundaries, right?

[00:49:28] And so there's this week the theme is healthy boundaries.

[00:49:32] So we talked about for her what does that look like?

[00:49:35] So she had a very stressful consuming job.

[00:49:39] So we talked about closing her computer at a certain time at night,

[00:49:43] putting it away, focusing on her family.

[00:49:45] So she said there was one day where she had done that.

[00:49:48] She put her computer away.

[00:49:50] She was actually going to do which can be very hard if you're a very driven person.

[00:49:53] You're used to working all the time.

[00:49:55] So she did it and she said her one year old at the time fell asleep on her.

[00:49:59] And she said she realized that it had been months since he had done that.

[00:50:03] And she just was able to hold her baby.

[00:50:06] And she said she started crying, you know, because she had missed that in all

[00:50:10] that time and I started crying too.

[00:50:12] OK, so I'm just like, it's so beautiful because it's not just that your body

[00:50:17] is feeling better, but there's this like reprioritization of what really matters

[00:50:22] and noticing what really matters because when we're in it,

[00:50:25] all that matters is this one discreet call.

[00:50:27] You know, I want to succeed.

[00:50:29] I want to move forward in the corporate ladder.

[00:50:32] I want to earn and help take care of my family.

[00:50:35] And it's this very like myopic blinders on goal.

[00:50:39] And we forget that we're doing it for a reason and you want to do it

[00:50:44] sustainably because of those important reasons.

[00:50:47] So that always just comes to mind as like a beautiful result of someone changing.

[00:50:52] I had another patient who went through the program and had had

[00:50:57] incredible amounts of stress, family stress, work stress and

[00:51:02] had been diagnosed with a chronic pain syndrome, which her mother had been

[00:51:08] diagnosed with as well, but she was a fitness instructor.

[00:51:12] And then all this combination of stresses in her life and pain,

[00:51:18] the diagnosis of pain in her body meant that she was no longer able to train

[00:51:23] people in fitness anymore.

[00:51:24] And then she was almost unable to walk like it was hard for her to get up most days.

[00:51:28] She's using pain, which was a complete she like gained a lot of weight

[00:51:33] because she wasn't as mobile and this affected her whole metabolic health

[00:51:37] and definitely her mental health as well.

[00:51:39] So this is big shift for her.

[00:51:43] And so she went through the program and she started implementing some of the

[00:51:46] some of the key, you know, habits.

[00:51:51] And then we did the clinical work as well.

[00:51:53] And I'm so proud to say that she stuck with it.

[00:51:57] And now she's back to training fitness.

[00:52:01] She is a lead fitness trainer in the clinic or the space that she works

[00:52:07] in, so she's been able to like surpass what she was able to do before.

[00:52:10] And now she's dancing with her husband and she they had like canceled all their

[00:52:15] plans for the big, you know, they were going to have, you know,

[00:52:19] hike and do all these like huge things because they had their kids young.

[00:52:23] So like, oh, we'll still be pretty young inspired by the time these guys leave

[00:52:26] home, we're gonna travel, we're gonna do it.

[00:52:28] And they just like cancel all those things because she could hardly move

[00:52:32] for a year.

[00:52:34] But then going through the program, now they're going out dancing again.

[00:52:37] So it's like this, you know, it's not just the physical health.

[00:52:41] It's the life when I'm seeing

[00:52:43] live lives that are thriving.

[00:52:46] There's just nothing more rewarding for me.

[00:52:50] That is absolutely amazing.

[00:52:52] I love hearing stories like that.

[00:52:55] And again, thank you for taking the time to actually

[00:53:00] look at medicine from a different perspective, right?

[00:53:02] Because a lot of people don't necessarily take the time to do that.

[00:53:08] Sadly, that's why a lot of people are needlessly suffering.

[00:53:11] Right? So yeah, thank you for that.

[00:53:14] That's amazing.

[00:53:15] Yeah, I'm just I'm grateful for just like for the training and, you know,

[00:53:21] for all the the shoulders that I stand on, people that showed that looking

[00:53:26] holistically thinking about community and looking at both mind, body and spirit

[00:53:31] are way to the most abundant health.

[00:53:36] So I'm just grateful for everyone that's poured into me and for everyone that I'm

[00:53:40] able to pour into now.

[00:53:42] Fantastic, fantastic.

[00:53:43] Well, we are literally today is day 100 out of the three sixty five.

[00:53:49] I don't know about you, but I feel like I remember saying happy New Year.

[00:53:54] Right?

[00:53:54] Today is literally day 100.

[00:53:58] So I don't know.

[00:54:00] That was my boggling to me.

[00:54:01] I look that up crazy.

[00:54:03] But if you had to choose one word to represent your goals for this year,

[00:54:08] what would it be and why?

[00:54:10] You know, I usually do have a word of the year and towards the end of last

[00:54:15] year, the word that kept coming up for me was light.

[00:54:19] So I started kind of to meditate on that.

[00:54:22] Like I had a lot going on the past few years and I felt like I just needed

[00:54:28] a lighter heart, a lighter load to be very intentional about what I was choosing.

[00:54:35] And that has so far just been really lovely.

[00:54:38] There's been lots of lighthearted things that have happened.

[00:54:41] I've gotten to see my family and spend time with my little ones more.

[00:54:45] And my workflow has felt more light as well, I think.

[00:54:51] So it I think that's the main thing is one to keep sort of this level

[00:54:57] of levity and sense of I don't know about ease necessarily, but just like accessibility.

[00:55:04] Like I can do this.

[00:55:05] This is a real house.

[00:55:06] I'm taking good care of myself as I do what I need to do.

[00:55:10] But then also like light as far as like illumination.

[00:55:13] So like I'm trying to learn as much as I can.

[00:55:17] And I'm a person of faith.

[00:55:18] So I'm trying to just let God's light shine through me as well.

[00:55:23] So you have to.

[00:55:24] I think we can see that.

[00:55:26] So just letting letting my light shine, letting what I feel like is coming through

[00:55:35] me shine through so that everyone can be blessed and benefit from what is what

[00:55:41] is coming through and what's available really to all of us.

[00:55:44] I love that. I love that light.

[00:55:46] That's a good one. I do like that.

[00:55:48] I love that.

[00:55:50] So I have thoroughly enjoyed our conversations.

[00:55:53] But as with all things in life, good things have to come to an end.

[00:55:57] But what's but not least, what's the best piece of advice that you have for women

[00:56:03] who would love to pursue a metabolic medicine career?

[00:56:07] Oh, yeah.

[00:56:07] So I am trained in naturopathic medicine.

[00:56:11] So I went to naturopathic medical school here in Washington state.

[00:56:16] And I would say first is to learn as much about it as you possibly can.

[00:56:21] So interview current practicing doctors and get a mentor that you trust,

[00:56:28] you know, someone who's doing the kind of things that you think you might like to do.

[00:56:32] Things change over time.

[00:56:33] You might want to specialize in something different.

[00:56:36] You might decide there's one aspect of this type of medicine that you'd like

[00:56:43] to focus on, but I would say just get as much information as possible.

[00:56:47] And also it's not easy.

[00:56:49] Right.

[00:56:50] You know, it's not necessarily easy.

[00:56:52] You have lots of education to get through and then just to figure out how you want

[00:56:59] to use these tools.

[00:57:00] So I would always recommend that people connect with their sense of calling.

[00:57:05] Am I just doing this because it's kind of interesting or do I feel like this

[00:57:09] deep calling because that's what keeps you going when it feels hard and when

[00:57:14] it feels like there are challenges that you were not expecting is that sense

[00:57:19] of this is absolutely where I need to be.

[00:57:21] This is where I know I'm you know,

[00:57:25] called to be that my my skills would be best used.

[00:57:30] And that brings you back that sense of motivation to keep going.

[00:57:34] So that would be my other recommendation is make sure you feel called to it.

[00:57:38] Get lots of information and just go.

[00:57:42] Love that love that.

[00:57:43] I have thoroughly enjoyed our conversation.

[00:57:46] And I know our audience has as well in the event that they would like to connect

[00:57:51] with you, how can they go about doing so?

[00:57:53] The best way is just via email and through my website.

[00:57:57] So my email address is info at dradiolemme.com.

[00:58:01] And my website is www.dradiolemme.com.

[00:58:05] So if you Google me, you'll find me.

[00:58:08] Fantastic, fantastic.

[00:58:09] Well, Adiola, I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation.

[00:58:13] I know the audience did as well.

[00:58:15] Thank you so much for coming on to the show.

[00:58:17] Thank you so much for having me.