Natural Tricks to Jet Lag or Resetting Your Circadian Rhythms

I have been traveling more than ever the past couple months and it seems that everywhere I go changes time zones.  I happen to be fairly lucky in the department of falling asleep and adjusting quickly; however, there are natural tricks that you can use to your advantage if you suffer from time changes.  Try to stay away from habit-forming pharmaceuticals that artificially alter your sleep-wake patterns because they end up doing you more harm than good long term.

  1. Eat on schedule.  Have breakfast when you want your body to start waking up and quit eating a couple hours before you want to fall asleep.  Even if this means eating at weird times as you a traveling back.  Much of your sleep/wake cycle is regulated by hormones and chemicals that your gut bacteria play a part in creating.  The bacteria living in your gut can’t see light though, so they use signals from you to tell what time it is.  When you eat, it signals to them that it is waking hours and they follow suit.
  2. Wear glasses that block blue light.  Many people are familiar with the glasses like Felix Gray that block blue light from computer screens, but most probably don’t use this to their advantage for jet lag.  Just like eating signals to your gut bacteria that it’s time to be awake, blue light exposure tells them and your body that it is daylight.  This is why people wear glasses to block computer light at night.  If they don’t, they can have trouble sleeping because that light is a signal to your internal clock to produce cortisol.  Cortisol is a hormone in the body that spikes when you wake up and gradually decreases throughout the day until it hits rock bottom at night.  When it is low, you get sleepy.  (If you’re a person that suffers from mid-day fatigue, then you may see this dip in cortisol happen in the middle of the day on labs, which explains why you’re ready for a nap!)  If you wear blue blocking lenses when you want to start falling asleep and keep them off when you want to be wide awake, it will help adjust those cortisol patterns.
  3. Take melatonin.  Just like blue light stimulates cortisol to make you feel awake, lack of blue light dampens cortisol and allows melatonin to rise.  When the sun goes down and your cortisol plummets, that’s melatonin’s signal to increase.  You should have high melatonin around the time you want to go to bed.  You can artificially mimic this by taking melatonin supplements before you want to go to bed.  This will make people drowsy.  Melatonin is a hormone, so you would not want to rely on this for long-term sleep aid, but it is helpful in resetting jet lag.  If you take too much, you could end up having vivid dreams or waking up with a “hang over.”  So, start with small doses and work your way up as needed.
  4. Go outside.  Following the suns schedule is a powerful tool to get in synch with the normal rhythms of the Earth.  If you get up to watch the sunrise and go out to watch the sunset, you’d be amazed how quickly you fall into place.  This happens mostly because of the light exposure having an impact on your cortisol and melatonin ratios.
  5. Exercise intensely when you want me to waking up. When you exercise, it raises cortisol levels just like light does, so if you time your exercise for when you want to be awake first thing, then your body will tend towards a cortisol spike during that time.  This will wake your body up, and help you fall asleep at night when the time is right.
  6. Have caffeine in the morning.  Once again, we want cortisol to be spiking when you would be waking up.  Caffeine stimulates cortisol production, so having a cup of coffee when you WANT your body to be waking up will help put that circadian rhythm back on track.  That also means avoiding it when you would want your body to be getting sleepy.

These practical tips are easy to do if you think about them ahead of time and plan.  I can’t emphasize enough how important light exposure is in trying to reset your internal clock, so if you can do things that make your body think it’s light when you want to be awake and dark when you want to sleep, the better off you’ll be.  Shift work and time zone changes is one of the hardest thing you can do your body and actually contributes to earlier death and heart attacks.  So, while this is somewhat necessary at times for work or travel, you should try to avoid it as much as possible.  Your immune system actually functions on this same rhythm, so having your body produce cortisol at the wrong times will actually dampen your immune system during those times, too.  This is one reason many people get sick when traveling.  Not only are you often stuck on a plane with recycled air from tons of individuals, but you are throwing off your body’s normal rhythm to fight infections and create immune cells.  This is something to really consider especially if you have disorders of the immune system, like autoimmunity.  Your immune system reacts to your cues, so try to make them as easily translatable as you can to what normal cycles are.

I hope this helps!


What’s Your Currency?

Just like we all have love languages that dictate what we look for that makes us feel loved, we also have a currency in life. What do I mean by that? I mean that you make decisions in your life based on what you will gain from it. You unconsciously make decisions to gain more of the currency you prefer. For many people, currency is money or power. I think this is probably the case because our culture sets it up that way! You do so many things in life to get you to a marketable position in hopes of employment to make you the most money or power. We then measure how successful you are by how much money you are able to obtain or how many people you are “over”! However, what if your currency isn’t money?

I have been thinking about this a lot lately after having some conversations with colleagues about why they make certain career decisions and their assumptions about why other people would make the decisions they make. For example, what if you had a job opportunity presented to you and the salary was actually less than you make now? Is your instinct to say “Why would I take a job for less money? No thanks.”? Or do you want to know more. Does that job allow me more freedom? Does that job fulfill my life’s purpose? Will that job force me to grow? If you are asking more questions, the things you want to know about are probably your currency! For me, my currency is experience and growth. No matter how scared I am, how off the wall it seems, how “beneath” my education level it is, I say “yes” to the things that will gain me experiences and growth as a person and doctor.

I remember one day in high school when I was doing a project researching careers. This exercise was meant to let students explore the possibilities and decide what they may want to pursue. I remember looking at one thing: salary. If the salary was low, I quickly moved to the next option until I saw a number that I thought was a lot of money (which is usually relative to what you grew up around btw). So, I started college without a clue what I was going to do, but I was confident, it would pay a lot. As I progressed, my currency changed. It wasn’t about a career that made the most money, because at that point, I had been to several countries and realized much of the world is happier with LESS money! My currency then became prestige. I chose my major (when they forced me) based on what the most difficult career attainment could be. I needed to prove I could do it. Watch me. Then started the pursuit of becoming a medical doctor…until the moment came when I needed to start medical school. I had the wherewithal to ask myself how this career was going to fulfill me, and I had some real doubts because my work would fundamentally work against my belief system of health. It was going to make lots of money and have lots of prestige, but when those things were no longer my currency, it sounded miserable.

Today, my currency is experience and growth, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. What does this mean? This means that I have pursued tasks “beneath” my career status for the experience. This means that I have taken jobs for less money for the ability to grow from them. This means that when opportunities are presented to me, I evaluate whether I am going to do them based on the growth and experiences they will afford. This means making career decisions that many people don’t understand! If someone’s currency is true currency, then it sounds ludicrous to choose a career with a pay cut. Right?!

Think about this. What is your currency? Truly what you want out of life at the end of the day. If you can identify that currency and make decisions through life based on acquiring it, you will likely be much happier with what you do day-to-day! If your currency is improving the world, then you may not want to take the job that gives you more money to create tv remote parts! Nothing wrong with designing tv remote parts, and if your currency is money, and it pays more money, then it’s perfect! But if your currency is making a difference in the world, then asking if it fulfills your currency will give you a heavy thumbs down pretty quickly. I am throwing this out there because often times people will say things like “You are so lucky to have such an amazing fulfilling career.” I want other people to be as happy doing their work as myself, but the answer isn’t to all become doctors. Some people would hate that because it doesn’t fit their currency! I encourage all of my patients to think about their currency through certain exercises I assign them. In these exercises, it often clears up what they want in life, how to know what opportunities to pursue, and when to say “no thanks.” Then the things that start filling their life, fulfill them because they are acquiring their currency.

If reading this does nothing else other than make you think about what persuades the decisions that ultimately determine what you do for 70% of your life (aka time spent in your career), then it was worth asking the question: What is your currency?


Gallbladder Issues or Removal: Natural Solutions

You wouldn’t believe how many people I know who have had gallbladder issues in their lifetime.  Sometimes, gallbladder removal is suggested, sometimes it’s just a diagnosis of a sluggish gallbladder, and sometimes gallstones is what the doctor ordered.  No matter how you slice it, people typically find out there’s an issue with their gallbladder because it’s so painful they go to the emergency room. Since it is located just under your ribcage on the right side, that’s usually where most people feel it; however, many people experience pain in their right shoulder blade area!  At the point when you want to head to the ER, it’s usually too late.  So, let’s have a quick conversation about what the gallbladder is, how it can malfunction, and natural remedies for gallstones.

The very first thing I will mention is how important it is to have an appropriately-functioning stomach that is producing enough acid.  Hydrochloric acid found in the stomach is essential to proper digestion and elimination of bacteria before it reaches the intestines.  Without this important step, everything downstream suffers.  How might you know that you are suffering from low stomach acid?  Often times people will feel really full after meals and say they have a “heavy stomach.”  Many people will also experience brittle nails and even sometimes hair loss!  Ironically, one of the symptoms of low stomach acid is acid reflux.  Having adequate stomach acid signal to the esophageal sphincter to close, and without that signal…HELLO reflux.

Let’s jump downstream a little.  There is a hormone that senses fats and stimulates your gallbladder to release bile into the bile duct.  When that bile is emptied into your intestines, it’s job is to emulsify fats.  Interestingly enough, it has been shown that gluten sensitivity can seriously depress the production of that hormone that stimulates your gallbladder, called cholescytokinin.  (Notice the first part of the word looks like Cholesterol? We will get to that.)  When something like low stomach acid or gluten sensitivity are present, it can lead to sluggish bile, or technically speaking “biliary stagnation.” This eventually ends in glallstones (biliary stagnation). You guys know how big I am on gut health, and one other cause that can impair gallbaldder hormone signaling is damage of the little finger-like projections in your intestines called “villi.”  Guess what causes villi damage?  Chemotherapy, alcohol, medications, infections; it’s bad news, guys.

Without adequate fat breakdown, you will also see impaired assimilation of the fat soluble vitamins that accompany fats.  Vitamins A, D, E, and K.  Vitamin A is essential for your immune system, for you gut lining, you skin health, and so much more.  Vitamin D acts as a hormone in the body and low in almost everyone with cancer and autoimmunity.  Vitamin K deficiencies can be a part of arterial calcifications and bone density loss.  This is real stuff!

If you eat a low fat diet, this can cause the issue of “use it or lose it.”  It’s important to demand the process of fat digestion to keep the bile flowing.  Having said that, if you are in a full blown gallbladder attack or suffering from stones, this may be the appropriate time to usher in the low-fat diet for a while.  If you are caught in the midst of a gallbladder attack, try your best to avoid having your gallbladder removed.  Having it removed can cause long-term issues with fat breakdown, fat soluble vitamin assimilation, hormone production, and even fatigue.

Here are a list of supplements to consider if you are having gallbladder issues or have had it removed:

  • Ox bile- let a supplement help you breakdown those fats when eat meals with fat
  • Vitamin D- letting this fat soluble vitamin get low can cause depression, autoimmunity, and cancer
  • Hydrochloric acid (HCl and pepsin)- this will help you optimize stomach acid, which will allow things to function better downstream *This should be done under doctor supervision because there are times when you would not want to take HCl or would need to combine it with other things to take it safely)
  • Phosphoric acid- this can help breakdown calcium gallstones naturally (if still have gallbladder)
  • Malic acid-this can help soften cholesterol gallstones naturally and thin the bile (if still have gallbladder)

This is a huge issue in the United States, and I wouldn’t even be surprised with we started to see campaigns around “save the gallbladders.”  You know, a play on “save the tatas.”  It doesn’t feel really serious to have it removed at the moment, but it could have real long-term health consequences.  I hope this was helpful!


Hair Loss: What Ladies Need to Consider

Did you know that 30% of women report substantial hair loss by the time they are 30?  By the time they are 50, the stat jumps to half.  Half of women have a complaint that is somewhat of a vanity concern, but it could very well be a real health condition , as well.  I want to visit a few reasons why women may be dealing with hair loss, what you may do to address the root cause, and what you may want to do in the meantime to keep those strands on your head.  Before we start, I just want to say, you would still be beautiful if you were bald.  Ok.  I’m ready.

Causes of hairloss in women:

  • high androgens (male dominant hormones)-do you also have acne? deflated breast tissue? increased body odor?
  • low iron-are you also fatigued?
  • thyroid conditions-do you have TSH levels above 2.5?  Have you every had antibodies tested? Are you also constipated? Dry? Weight gain?
  • insulin resistance- Do you have belly fat? PCOS? diabetes?
  • stress-induced-Do you find yourself with lots of anxiety?  Putting too much on your plate? Emotional frequently?
  • autoimmunity- Have you ever had your ANA levels tested?

Tests you can run to decide if any of these things are your issue:

  • ferritin levels- this assesses your iron stores
  • TSH, T3, T4, reverse T3, both antibodies- these will look at thyroid function and rule out autoimmunity
  • cortisol panels- this can peek into your ability to handle your stress
  • glucose levels or A1C- these are pictures of how your blood sugar is doing
  • hormone panels- this can tell you if you are dominant in testosterone

Depending on what the root cause is, there will be some things that are important you could start regardless of knowing a definitive diagnosis:

  • increase fiber- this important for the removal of excess hormones like testosterone so they can be removed by the body and not reabsorbed
  • decrease sugar intake- this does nothing good for your blood sugar
  • start some type of exercise- weight loss can be important because it’s often associated with PCOS, diabetes, and hormone imbalance
  • eliminate dairy- dairy and even eggs can drive inflammation, which can pump up androgens like testosterone
  • consider supplement support or eating liver to cover your bases of minerals and iron

Let’s say you are in the process of identifying and treating the root cause, but don’t want to be bald and beautiful while you’re patiently waiting, here is a list of some things you can consider:

  • topical therapies that stimulate oxygen and blood flow to the scalp
  • get a massage and have them do some work on your head
  • use products that don’t have chemicals
  • drink red clover tea, spearmint tea, and decrease caffeine- these could have positive influence on hormone imbalance if androgens are the cause

Just like anything, the best solution is based on a good diagnosis.  If you have positive results with some topical stuff, keep searching for the root cause, because the hair loss is likely just one symptom of a bigger problem. To some extent, it’s somewhat normal to have some fluctuations in things like hair and skin as you age.  Don’t neglect your lifestyle, because that is often the last thing people look to but has the largest impact.  Hope this helps!


Flu Prevention 101

2018 Flu Pandemic.  In full swing.  What should we do?

Well, flu statistics tell us that February is the month with the highest rate on infections.  So, the worst is yet to come.  Pharmacies are having difficulties keeping Tamiflu in stock, and they are saying this could be the worst flu season since the bird flu scare.  As a functional medicine practitioner, I have never been a fan of the flu shot for a couple reasons:

  1. The flu shot is a vaccine that we produce BEFORE flu season.  This means that we GUESS which pathogen will be the issue, and we are notoriously wrong.  That means that massive amounts of people are convinced to get a shot that includes adjuvants.  What are those?  Things that wake up the immune system.  Often times they use things like components of an egg.  It always makes me wonder if they has anything to do with why so many people have egg allergies now.  It’s just not normal to have egg anything in the bloodstream and it actually makes sense that the immune system would recognize this as abnormal and produce antibodies against it.  Hello food sensitivities.   Anyway, that’s exactly what happened this year.  We dispersed vaccines against a strain that was not the correct one.  So, even if you had a flu shot, you are just as susceptible as everyone else.  Sorry, Charlie.
  2. The flu vaccine was created specifically for immunocompromised populations.  The elderly, HIV patients, you know, people that will DIE if they catch the flu.  However, a healthy individual may be down for a few days, but then they will be fine.  We shouldn’t need to intervene with toxic therapies.

We can’t take back the fact that the vaccine was against the wrong strain.  So, is there anything we can do now?  Yup.  Here are my tips for preventing and treating the flu naturally and effectively:

  1. Wash Your Hands.  When you go around touching surfaces and then touching your face, you expose your mucus membranes to all the organisms that may have been resting on those ledges, hand rails, door handles, dollar bills, pens, you name it. So, washing your hands before you eat is huge deal right now.  Just do it.
  2. Eat plenty of plants and organ meats.  Plants are full of phytochemicals that keep your immune system robust.  Spices also contain compounds that can stimulate the immune system, so use them generously.  Organ meats (from appropriately-raised animals) are full of fat soluble vitamins like A and D.  These are heavy-hitters for the immune system.  They also have minerals like Zinc.  Zinc is a well-known immune-supporting mineral, which is why zinc lozenges adorn the shelves of every pharmacy.
  3. Get 8 hours of sleep.  When you sleep, cortisol levels go down.  When you wake up, cortisol levels go up.  Cortisol levels are inversely related to immune system function.  That means that you immune system is allowed to its best work at night when cortisol is down.  If you deprive yourself of sleep, then you don’t do much to support your immune system’s ability to fight infection.  Why do you think people just want to stay in bed when they are sick?  Sleep matters.
  4. Take supplements.  I’m not a huge supplement person, but there are a couple supplements to consider in these types of situations.  The first one is colostrum.  Colostrum contains antibodies.  The antibodies have the ability to bind up viral antigens like those present in influenza to eliminate them before they would get into your bloodstream.  The other supplement is one that has a mixture of herbs and nutrients that specifically support immune function.  You should be looking for beta-carotene, zinc, Vitamin C alongside herbs like Echinacea and Andrographis.  If you feel the slightest tickle in your throat or “off-ness” start taking an immune stimulating formula right away.

A word of advice:

The flu is caused by a virus, which means antibiotics have absolutely zero impact on it’s treatment.  If you have confirmed flu, consider denying the antibiotics and letting it run its course if you are healthy.  Most people will be just fine.  Keep hydrated, get rest, get some nutrients, and consider taking some supplements to boost immune function, but DO NOT take antibiotics and expect them to treat your flu.  What they will do is wipe out the healthy bacteria in your gut that is fighting for you  It will take 3 months to rebuild that bacteria, so think about it!

Cheers to a happy and healthy winter season!


Herbal Series: Echinacea for Cold and Flu

This photo of a purple coneflower was taken over a year ago before I even realized it was Echinacea!  Often times, we have medicinal plants growing all around us, and we are completely unaware.  Therefore, I wanted to highlight some of the herbs you may see around or that may pop up in your supplements.  I’ll let you know what they are, what they’re good for, and anything you should consider when taking them!

What is Echinacea?

Echinacea is a wildflower native exclusively to North America, and Indians used it therapeutically more than any other herb. In 1895, an Ohio drug firm manufactured the first preparations of Echinacea in the US, and by 1994, German physicians had prescribed Echinacea over 2.5 million times.  To this day, it remains popular in Europe, and is used most to shorten the duration of the common cold and flu.

What is it good for?

Echinacea is one of the most studied herbs in herbal medicine and it has shown many effects on the immune system.  It increases antibody responses to viruses and it signals to WBCs to fight infection.  This is a great tool to take when you feel as though you may be coming down with something, but it’s not that great for prevention.  So, look for Echinacea to use short-term during cold season.

Precautions

Autoimmunity: Echinacea boosts the immune system and unfortunately, in today’s world, there are many people that suffer from autoimmune conditions.  These people have an over-activated immune system and should be careful using herbal remedies that boost immune activity, such as Echinacea.  These patients would do better using beta-glucans instead.

Medications: Echinacea can have an effect on liver enzymes and increase blood levels of certain medications including statins, allergy medications, and birth control.  Like I have mentioned before, herbs can work just as well as medications and therefore can react with medications or affect their ability to work properly.  The more you can rely on herbs PRIOR to using medications, the less interactions you have to worry about.

*This is not intended to diagnose or treat any conditions.  Please consult with a knowledgeable physician to decide it is right for you.

 


Cancer, Chemo…Now What?

I want to start this post by saying there are thousands of people who have been touched by cancer, and I can’t imagine the decisions that have to be made under such circumstances.  Regardless of your stance on standard cancer treatments, there is a huge population of people, our people, that have been through it and deserve to know there are things they can afterwards that will help restore some of the health lost in collateral damage while going through treatment to save their life.  This post is for those people who have been there, done it, can’t change the past, but want to set up the best future possible for their health moving forward.  This is not a recommendation for cancer therapy, treatment, or anything of that nature.  This is the plan moving forward.

Are you with me? 

What is chemo and what does it affect?

Chemotherapy is just the name of drug therapy aimed at killing cancer cells under the premise that they multiply quickly and we don’t want them to spread.  However, it is not selective to cancer cells.  It has a major impact on ALL cells that grow quickly like certain blood cells and especially the cells of the intestines. Chemotherapy drugs and their byproducts are also toxic to these little organelles in our cells called mitochondria.  Mitochondria are responsible for producing cellular energy called ATP.  Now, that’s great, but what does this have to do with me!?  If you have been through chemo, you know these things are happening because the bowel issues that arise, and the fatigue that takes over.  And that’s ok.  You were fighting for your life!  But now we need to nurse those two things back to health if we don’t want recurrence, formation of neuropathy, autoimmune diseases, etc.  There is a chance you will never have 100% function in these areas again, but we can try our best!

How can I start healing my gut?

It’s not really a secret to health professionals that chemo changes the gut, but what I was surprised to find out while researching journals for specific measures of damage is that just one single day of chemotherapy increases the permeability of the intestines by 7 fold.  ONE DAY!  We are concerned about that permeability because damaging the cells in the intestines allows things that should stay in the intestines to get into the blood.  When they end up in the blood, your immune system freaks out and produces antibodies against them…rightfully so.  However, this is how we end up with certain systemic infections, allergies, and autoimmunity that has the potential to damage any organ’s tissue.  If the organ with the most depleted nutrients in reserve is your thyroid, then we may see Hashimoto’s.  If the organ is joint tissue, then maybe Rheumatoid arthritis.  This is an incredibly important issue to address.  Some very basic guidelines as to HOW to address this permeability are:

  • eat gluten-free
  • eat dairy-free
  • eat bone broth daily
  • eat fermented foods or take probiotics
  • consider supplements with growth factors like that signal cell repair like colostrum
  • don’t exercise too intensely
  • reduce stress
  • avoid alcohol and caffeine
  • get in the sun or supplement with vitamin D3
  • sleep 8 hours a night
  • consider periods of intermittent fasting to allow the GI tract to rest from digestion
  • juice fresh vegetables daily

How can I restore my energy?

We have almost all heard that we have 10 times the amount of bacteria in our body than we do cells.  A statistic you may not have heard is that we exponentially more mitochondria than bacteria!  Without these little guys in our cells, they don’t function.  It’s amazing to me that you can pluck the nucleus out of a cell, which contains the DNA, and the cell can still function because of the presence of mitochondria!  However, if you pluck out the mitochondria, it ends in certain, quick cell death.  So, these things are super important and are often the missing link behind conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, migraines, fibromyalgia, etc.  Today though, we are talking about how chemo negatively impacts your mitochondria.  Side note that certain antibiotics also have a negative impact on mitochondria…. Ok, back to what to do about it:

  • do burst exercise (it not only improves their function, but causes them to multiply)
  • intermittent fast
  • eat balanced macros (protein, fat, carbs) but try to slowly transition to lower carb for a while
  • eat some grassfed red meat
  • eat lots of organic, colorful vegetables and their juices
  • reconsider the use of statins or supplement with COQ10
  • use saunas
  • consider laser therapy

These are two areas that need your support in order to restore function to the best of your body’s ability.  It is ALWAYS essential to have a plant-based, whole food diet, good sleep, adequate exercise, and successful stress management.  However, those things are hard to implement sometimes without tools and a little direction.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  Remember that may mean looking to a different provider.  When we have fires, we call firemen.  When we need the building restored after the fire, we call contractors and carpenters.  Alternative care providers are not experts at putting out the fire necessarily, but they are the expert at RESTORING AND MAINTAINING HEALTH.  There are always additional things that can increase healing beyond basic lifestyle, and don’t be afraid to explore those things either.  Things such as massage, chiropractic, supplementation, infrared saunas, detoxification baths, etc.  They all have a place, and it’s your job to explore and find what feels right and works for you.  I hope this was helpful, although somewhat basic, it gets the basics across. ;)

*This is not intended to diagnose, treat, or direct care for any patient.  Consult your physician for information that would be right for your case.


Will the Real Angela Please Stand Up?

Many people that follow me online see me post everyday.  They see what I eat, what workouts I did, what my opinions are on the latest healthcare concern…but do they know me?  Is that the real Angela?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately because as I meet people in the real world and they become my friend on facebook or instagram, I find myself saying this: “It’s my professional page, so it’s not real.  I mean it’s all real, but it’s not personal.”

Why do I feel the need to say that?  Is it because I don’t think I am portraying my real self and they will notice this when they see my posts?  Is it because I’m trying to hide myself from internet land?  Am I fake?!!?

The answer to that question goes something like this:

I am the least fake person you will ever meet.  Everything you see on facebook, instagram, my blog, etc is all real.  What you won’t see are things about intimate parts of my life.  I am a very private person, and up until a few years ago never had an iPhone or facebook and certainly no intention of ever doing so.  I would even go as far as to stay out of pictures with people if I knew they were going to post them on the internet even though they couldn’t tag me.  So, when people meet you in real life and become your friend on internet life, they sort of expect to see what they met in real life….just a whole lot more of it!  Since people won’t see that, I feel the need to warn them.  When I think about what this may mean to those that only know me on internet land, I have seriously questioned whether I am being authentic.  I quickly put that thought out of my mind though because the reason I decided to create an online platform was to be a resource for health information, inspire and give hope to those with health struggles, and to reach my audience that I never seemed to have enough face-to-face time with.

Does this pose a problem, this real Angela vs. Dr. Angela?

I don’t know, really.  In some ways, I try to share enough of myself and my thoughts that people feel as though they can connect to me.  I am a brand in some ways, but I am also a private person that values real connection.  When you run into people that you know from the internet, in some ways you feel as though you know them, maybe have a ton in common, maybe you even know when they went on vacation, with who, and where.  BUT, when you see them face-to-face and say “Omg, I see ALL YOUR POSTS and YOU CHANGED MY LIFE!” the person will feel grateful, humbled, and honestly…disconnected. (Maybe it’s just me.)  If you met this person in real life and had conversations, shared struggles, went on the journey of discovery TOGETHER, you would BOTH feel that way.   I am not saying this to discourage anyone from finding inspiration on the internet, but I am speaking to my tribe when I say that many of you have met me outside of your screen, we have talked, spent time, you have felt my vibe, and maybe you know a little about my life.  For those of you that haven’t, I save all that for when there’s an opportunity to connect.

I am that person at a gathering that gets into deep conversation and often times that means with one individual and I will talk all night!  That sort of thing fills me up.  I want to ask questions, I want to learn about you, I want to see you.  That’s just how I am.  I think many times we see the entire story unfold online and when we meet that person, it’s one-sided, and hard to connect.  There are some people that thrive on sharing the intimacy of their lives and feel connected to people by sharing their story.  I am just not one of them.

So, how do you manage to be an extremely private person, that truly values the dance of conversation and body language to end up in a connected spot, that has a shared journey, and still be on the internet?   I do that by posting everyday, on my platform, about things that I feel are worthy and valuable to the health of my community, and I hold back the real Angela for real life.  There’s nothing more that I want than to inspire people, show them a side of me that gives them hope, and to be authentic in doing so.  I just also want to go on the journey of discovery WITH you should we meet in person.  So, the next time you scroll through my feed and wonder why you don’t see a lot of information about my life, know that I have consciously decided to leave some in the tank for that time I can connect and converse in person.  It is me.  It’s all real.  It’s just not the whole story…

 


Patient Journey: Hormone Imbalance

  1. What health issues were you struggling with when you began to work with Dr. Angela?

I had/have been really working through a few different issues. Mainly, trying to have a menstrual cycle without the use of drugs along with my mental well-being. I have struggled a great deal with self-image, self-worth, depression and anxiety for many years and am exhausted from the strain of these mental issues.

  1. What treatment methods had you tried prior to Dr. Angela’s program?

My main treatment for these issues was medicine – a pill for my period, a pill for my depression & anxiety, and yet another pill for my distracted and “busy” brain.

I had also been to see a few different therapists who were helpful at the time but never seemed to permanently resolve my issues.

  1. What health benefits did you gain from working with Dr. Angela?
  • Natural weight loss
  • More energy
  • Better sleep
  • Confidence in my state of mind
  • How to improve my self-worth

4. What was your biggest struggle during the transition to a healthier lifestyle?

The biggest struggle was learning/knowing what to eat and planning ahead in order to prepare meals.

I also struggled with not letting the very anxiety I was trying to get rid of, hold me back from getting better. It was scary to learn the truth about the meds and I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to give them up. I had no idea how to act or who I was supposed to be without my meds.

5. What did you find most beneficial to you in the program?

My favorite and most helpful parts of the program were the face to face meetings and the homework given.

Dr. A. gave me so much perspective and really helped me work on my frame of mind. The transition to a healthier lifestyle was less confusing and less frustrating knowing that she was there to help us!

6. Did your food options taste good?

The food took some getting used too but once my mind and taste buds got used to the change, the natural foods tasted delicious. I love eating fruits and veggies along with other clean food options and find myself seeking out those foods more – even at gatherings where other dishes are in abundance.

7. Did you have an ah-ha moment that helped you commit to the change? If so, what was it?

This has been such a huge transition in my life and because of that there was not been just one single “ah-ha” moment, there were several. A few of those being…

  • watching my husband become himself again with his improved mental and physical health
  • On a random day discovering that I feel strong and healthy mentally and knowing that it isn’t just a phase but who I really am ;)
  • Stepping on the scale after several months only to discover, without even paying attention, I had lost weight!
  • Really feeling and understanding what sleeping well does for me

8. If you were going to give a piece of advice to someone on the fence of following a program like Dr. Angela’s, what would you say to them in order to help them decide?

Please give the program a chance and just try it!!!

Be honest with yourself about who you are (or who you think you are) and where you REALLY want to go. Love Ok, at least try to “like” yourself enough to sit and just listen to what Dr. A. has to say – you just might be amazed what you can learn about yourself…

Dr. Angela’s perspective:

There were a lot of moving parts to this case including anxiety, hormone imbalance, low self-esteem, and many medications.   This case happened to have issues with low progesterone.  It took some tweaking with her supplementation to balance that, restore her period, and maintain normal cycles.  Along with her hormone balance came symptoms of weight gain, hair distribution issues, skin issues, mood disturbance, and blood pressure concerns. It was definitely more than supplementing to get hormones in balance; it was lifestyle work AND HEAD WORK.  What you tell yourself on a daily basis creates your reality.  It was such a pleasure to watch this entire family transform before my eyes.  I often did these appointments on Friday nights, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.  It capped my week off with a full feeling because of their ability to be honest, vulnerable, and willing to examine all the aspects of life we brought to light.  Although many medication paths will lead women to believe there are quick pill fixes, or that it’s just your biology, I am here to tell you otherwise.  Your hormones decide so much about how you feel and look, and they should not be relegated to a mere band-aid solution.


Patient Journey: Eczema

  1. What health issues were you struggling with when you began to work with Dr. Angela?

I had food sensitivities like getting a headache within minutes after eating something sweet.  If I ate a mainly pasta meal, I would go into what I call a “Food Coma.”  This felt like I had been majorly drugged with plummeting energy levels and brain fog.  This would last about 15-20 minutes and my heartbeat would pound really hard.  After 20 minutes I would start to come out of it and about 20 minutes later feel completely normal, but sometimes I would have like a numb tingling all over my body for about a half hour afterwards.  I also would get terrible hemorrhoids.  My digestion was an issue.  Some foods I wouldn’t digest at all.  My energy levels were way down and it was awful to get up in the morning.  I would have to drink an energy drink just to get through the morning.  I was also slowly gaining weight.  And I had Eczema which is a horrible itchy skin problem.   If I didn’t put on my medicated steroid prescription cream for a week my skin would start breaking out.  Felt like someone was stabbing me from the inside of my skin, and the only thing that provided even a minute of relief was to scratch and scratch to the point of ripping my skin open.   I had Cystic Acne around my neck and ears and had Psoriasis on my scalp from time to time.

 

  1. What treatment methods had you tried prior to Dr. Angela’s program?                                                      When I was a kid a dermatologist prescribed a steroid cream to control my skin problem and it worked as long as I kept putting it on.   I had also learned a few principles of healthy eating and was taking vitamins and fish oil but nothing really worked that great.

 

  1. What health benefits did you gain from working with Dr. Angela?

My Eczema is gone!!!  My energy levels are up, and I lost 20-25 pounds with very little exercise.  I am not bloated anymore.  Didn’t realize I was continuously bloated until about 3 weeks into the program when the bloating left. My physical stamina has gone up and I can run farther and longer than I ever have in my life without getting side aches.  I am a professional juggler, and it used to take about an hour of practice to warm up before a show, now I only need about 10-20 minutes tops.

4. What was your biggest struggle during the transition to a healthier lifestyle?                                    Friends and family who didn’t believe this program would help me.   But as long as I had support from Dr. A who promised to stick with me for a full year and answer any questions I had through text messages, then it didn’t matter what my friends and family said.

5. What did you find most beneficial to you in the program?

The scientific physiological explanations as to why my body is doing what it is doing like leaky gut syndrome, and how that leads to an autoimmune response.   Also understanding how stress and not enough sleep plays a huge big role in physical health breakdown.  Understanding “WHY?” is what most helped me get onto the path of healing. The documentaries and books where helpful to fill in the gaps of the food industry.

6. Did your food options taste good?                                                                                                                                       Yes!!  Very much so. I eat waaaayyyy better tasting food now then I used too!

7. Did you have an ah-ha moment that helped you commit to the change? If so, what was it?           Yes 2 of them.    When Dr. A explained why the steroid cream worked to control my Eczema, and what it was doing in my body I was so upset that I was literally in tears the next day because of the realization of how I had been unknowingly abusing my body!!   2.  After I cut out processed sugar and then later restricted the amount of fruit I was eating and then cut out fruit all together for a little while, I was astounded at how the excess weight just fell off.

8. If you were going to give a piece of advice to someone on the fence of following a program like Dr. Angela’s, what would you say to them in order to help them decide?                                                                         If you are skeptical about Angela’s program I understand and totally relate.  It took me a long time to think it over and decide to do it.  There is a lot of medical quackery in the natural health world and lots of people in it who don’t know what they are talking about.   After taking Dr. A’s program I was able to see that I had learned a distorted version of the truth in the past when I first started studying natural health.  A has first hand experience helping many people overcome physical conditions.  She has all of the training any medical doctor has as well as an understanding of how the body works and how nutrition affects all parts of the body.  She doesn’t treat symptoms like my family doctor did to me.  She treats the underlying causes and takes time to get to understand you and your situation and your needs so that she can give you the care you need. When you talk to Dr. A, you’re not talking to an uneducated inexperienced novice.   With all of that said, it can be scary to make changes.  Food can be emotional for some people.  But I want to encourage you that it’s worth it!!  Dr. A gave me a quality of life I will enjoy the rest of my life.