Latest / Cultural Wars | America Out Loud News / Reclaiming energy and hormone balance through root cause healing

Transcript

Reclaiming energy and hormone balance through root cause healing · Cultural Wars | America Out Loud News

• 0:06
  Welcome to the auto.
• 0:09
  Take a deep breath.
• 0:11
  Take the higher roles.
• 0:13
  What they always say.
• 0:14
  Let's see if they know the way.
• 0:16
  They won't take it from me.
• 0:20
  Don't have a dad self was wrapping just a dream.
• 0:24
  You made your own so kid can scream.
• 0:31
  You never had the chance.
• 0:33
  So watch with calm my friend because this is whoa.
• 0:44
  It's time at this.
• 0:54
  Hello and welcome to the Nurses Report on America Out Loud Talk Radio.
• 1:01
  This is your show host, Melissa Schreibefatter, founder of both the Functional Nurse Academy and the Christian Functional Medicine Academy.
• 1:11
  Welcome everyone.
• 1:12
  It is great to be here with you all.
• 1:15
  Joining me today is Ashley Caputo, who is a functional nurse academy graduate, registered nurse, functional medicine practitioner, and the founder of Rooted Wellness Functional Health.
• 1:31
  After years working in the conventional medicine setting, Ashley realized that symptom management alone wasn't helping people truly heal.
• 1:40
  And then she repeatedly saw patients cycle through treatments without meaningful improvements.
• 1:46
  At the same time, she was navigating her own health challenges and was repeatedly told that she had normal lab results and was offered very little insight on what was actually causing her health issues.
• 2:02
  And her approach to health shifted profoundly while supporting her mother through a battle with cancer, which this experience became a turning point, leading Ashley to pursue a more root cause functional approach to healing.
• 2:19
  She now operates a successful practice called rooted wellness functional health.
• 2:27
  And she developed the root method, which is a four-step framework that serves as the foundation of her work and her programs.
• 2:35
  Welcome, Ashley.
• 2:37
  Thank you so much for having me.
• 2:39
  Yes, absolutely.
• 2:40
  And it is really, it is like just so comforting.
• 2:43
  I love, I love love talking with other nurses that are like-minded in this issue and see that, okay, yes, yes, of course, functional medicine and conventional medicine can coexist.
• 2:57
  And of course, conventional medicine is not all bad, but we really need to consider that conventional medicine is feeling people with chronic illness.
• 3:08
  I mean, it and sometimes I feel like it's so bad you just can't make it up.
• 3:12
  So I love that you are doing something to help people that are really suffering.
• 3:19
  And, you know, I know um in your bio, uh, you had it um mentioned about how you had your own health issues and then your mom had a really significant health issue, which really transformed how you practice.
• 3:32
  Can you tell me a little bit about that journey for you in regards to like your own health issues and the your mother's experience with cancer and how that was in the navigating the conventional system?
• 3:47
  Yeah, I um, you know, I've I've always been pretty healthy.
• 3:51
  And um after my second baby, which he is he just turned five, so about five years ago, I um, you know, right after I had him, I actually lost a whole bunch of weight.
• 4:02
  It was crazy.
• 4:03
  And I I was like, oh, good, I don't have to worry about, you know, losing that baby weight.
• 4:08
  But then all of a sudden, I just started gaining weight and gaining weight and gaining weight.
• 4:13
  And I felt depressed, I felt anxious, um, I had no energy, and I really felt like I was just kind of failing as a mom.
• 4:24
  And so I went to my doctor, and I was like, something has to be wrong with me.
• 4:29
  Something's wrong.
• 4:30
  I've, you know, I've had um I've I've lost weight before, and it's never been like this.
• 4:36
  So they ran labs, and um all the labs came back what he said was normal.
• 4:44
  And he told me, well, you just need to eat less and move more, and everything, you know, will be fine.
• 4:50
  And um, when I went back to him and said, like, you know, none of this is working, and I really feel like something is off.
• 4:58
  Um, I said, I I think I should do more, you know, can we check a full thyroid panel?
• 5:05
  Can we see um, you know, what my hormones are doing?
• 5:09
  And he said, Oh, well, I can't do any of that.
• 5:12
  You'd have to go see a specialist.
• 5:13
  I just don't know how to help you.
• 5:16
  And so I felt so defeated, and um, I felt like something was wrong, but everybody was telling me everything was fine.
• 5:24
  And I finally did get some additional labs done.
• 5:27
  And um, I had my fasting insulin checked, and that was a little high, but it was normal, you know, per the lab, but um, it was at seven.
• 5:39
  So there was some insulin resistance going on.
• 5:42
  Um, and then otherwise they said, well, you know, you're you're just fine, just eat less.
• 5:49
  And so I just continued like in this cycle of a blaming myself, you know, like I must have been doing something wrong.
• 5:57
  And um, it wasn't until I spoke with a dietitian, and she's like, Well, we need to address your insulin resistance.
• 6:05
  You've been through a lot of stress.
• 6:06
  Your adrenal glands are probably fatigued, and you probably have some nutrient deficiencies.
• 6:12
  And lo and behold, I had um low vitamin D, low vitamin B.
• 6:17
  Um, my cortisol levels were, you know, low when they should have been high, and they were high when they should have been low.
• 6:24
  And so there was all this stuff going on that for years I was just kind of banging my head against the wall, thinking, you know, what what's wrong with me if everything's fine?
• 6:35
  Um, to come to find out that there was actually underlying problems going on.
• 6:39
  And the doctors couldn't tell me that.
• 6:41
  And so that that just kind of led me to know that there's gotta be more.
• 6:45
  You know, that this there's gotta be more of how we treat people and help people.
• 6:50
  And um, that's that's when I started looking into functional medicine.
• 6:54
  Um it it makes sense.
• 6:58
  It from a nursing standpoint, it makes sense to find the root cause, not just wait till something's wrong, um, or just treating the symptoms to really find out what's driving those symptoms.
• 7:12
  Um, so that's that's one of the reasons why I love functional medicine so much.
• 7:17
  You know, and with my mom, unfortunately, it was um not a good outcome.
• 7:23
  She it took us a while to get her diagnosed.
• 7:28
  Um, she was having a lot of back pain, and everybody kept dismissing her.
• 7:32
  She went to the ER, they told her you have sciatica.
• 7:35
  She um, she was in menopause, and she was having bleeding.
• 7:41
  And so one doctor even told her, well, we we probably need to do a pap smear, but come back when you're not bleeding, and we'll get that test done.
• 7:51
  And they just kept putting her off, putting her off, putting her off, and finally we found out she did have stage four endometrial cancer that had spread to her spine and basically every organ in her body.
• 8:04
  And it was so frustrating because there were symptoms leading up to this.
• 8:09
  She was so dismissed, nobody listened, nobody took the time to really find out what was going on.
• 8:15
  And that was probably that pivotal moment where I said, I I've got to find something better.
• 8:21
  I can't keep doing, you know, I don't want to practice medicine like this.
• 8:26
  But she um, you know, it unfortunately she didn't have a good good outcome.
• 8:31
  I just I can't help but think if if we had diagnosed her sooner, you know, maybe we would have had a different outcome.
• 8:38
  I am so sorry to hear that.
• 8:40
  Um, I just, you know, there's so many shortcomings in the system.
• 8:45
  And I feel like there's so much pushback when we talk about things like functional medicine.
• 8:51
  And we know that functional medicine has been shown to lower overall to lower health care costs and improve patient outcomes.
• 8:59
  And I did have a question for you about that situation.
• 9:02
  So you mentioned that she had some ongoing bleeding, and because of the bleeding, the testing to really figure out what was going on was what was with was withheld.
• 9:15
  How long did that bleeding go on for?
• 9:18
  So it was in September of 2023, is when it started, and at first it was just spotting, and it it should have been a big red flag, but she kind of wrote it off for a little while.
• 9:31
  So that was, you know, she didn't tell anybody.
• 9:34
  And then when the bleeding got heavier and there was pain associated, that's when she started seeing providers.
• 9:42
  So from September until January, she went undiagnosed.
• 9:46
  I'm so sorry.
• 9:47
  And you know, and again, the system, and we all I think if you're listening to the show, you know, you know good and well that the system's really just not designed to heal people.
• 9:57
  And then we have this insurance system, and a lot of
• 10:00
  Of people also are not aware that the insurance companies make more money the sicker that we are because they are from deductibles and all of these things.
• 10:08
  So it's really not a system that even, you know, is rewarding providers for good outcomes.
• 10:16
  And yeah, like when you have 15 minutes, sometimes even less to see your patient, what are we going to get done in that time frame?
• 10:28
  And then we know that providers are just not trained efficiently.
• 10:31
  There's so many things outdated.
• 10:33
  And also with um with your situation.
• 10:36
  So when you mentioned that you had you had the baby and then you can't lose weight, um, that is I cannot think of anything like more outdated than telling these women that truly are having metabolic issues.
• 10:49
  Oh, just eat less.
• 10:51
  You know, and I I just I'm like, I I I just can't even, you know, because we know that our hormones are complicated just like we are, and there are like nutrient and mineral precursors for those hormones.
• 11:06
  And so many women are already at a baseline, struggling with nutrient deficiency because our crops have changed over the years.
• 11:16
  People have gut issues, people have, you know, certain um toxic exposures that we are that a hundred years ago people were not exposed to.
• 11:25
  All of those things create an environment for nutrient deficiency.
• 11:30
  So when a woman grows a beautiful baby, which I mean, that's a miracle, but those beautiful babies, they're amazing, but they take up a lot of our nutrient stores.
• 11:40
  So it is still amazing to me that these women postpartum are not able just to get like simple micronutrient panels.
• 11:50
  And for our listeners, if you are not using your insurance, you can run a vitamin D level for less than 20 dollars.
• 11:58
  You can run a B12 level for like around $10 and magnesium for $10.
• 12:03
  These are not these like crazy expensive, like inaccessible tests.
• 12:08
  But I'm glad that you were able to find someone to actually really uh help you.
• 12:14
  And then tell me after you went the functional medicine route.
• 12:18
  I mean, how long was it until you were able to see progress?
• 12:21
  I mean, honestly, I really started seeing improvement right away, not necessarily with the weight loss.
• 12:27
  The weight loss took a little bit longer, but I started getting more energy back.
• 12:32
  I mean, and just simple things like um vitamin B.
• 12:36
  I would take that in the morning and some adrenal support.
• 12:39
  And then all of a sudden I'm like, oh, look, I have all this energy during the day, you know, and um getting more sunlight and getting my vitamin D levels up and not um over-exercising, because the doctor said, eat less, move more.
• 12:56
  You know, you gotta go to the gym, you gotta work out, you gotta do all these things.
• 12:59
  And I did.
• 13:00
  I got a gym membership and I would go and I would do cardio and I would lift weights and I would um work out so hard.
• 13:08
  And so I remember somebody was like, so much because I was barely eating and I was working out and I was gaining weight and it didn't make any sense.
• 13:20
  So I stopped.
• 13:21
  I did some simple strength training.
• 13:23
  I started doing yoga, um, meditation and prayer and just really um paying attention to what my body needed and drinking water because that's so I was still breastfeeding.
• 13:36
  So I was probably dehydrated, you know, all the time.
• 13:40
  Um, and then when I was trying to eat less, the baby was probably taking everything left that I had.
• 13:46
  So I actually started eating more.
• 13:48
  And when I started eating more, I started losing weight.
• 13:52
  You know, and that's the opposite of what they tell you to do.
• 13:56
  It's just it's mind-blowing, the horrible advice that doctors, and I don't think that it's not malicious.
• 14:02
  They just don't know.
• 14:03
  I feel the same way because I've worked with so many, I've worked with so many physicians.
• 14:08
  And I I really do not believe that the average physician is just out to hurt their patients.
• 14:14
  A lot of the times the problem is with their training, but we also all know this.
• 14:19
  I feel like as nurses, we can say this.
• 14:21
  There is a bit of a complex that sometimes comes along with the uh with being a medical doctor, you know.
• 14:29
  And I feel like in our society, I think that we should respect physicians.
• 14:32
  I mean, they go through so much training, you know, they really do.
• 14:36
  But I have worked with one too many providers that they think that like everything that there is to learn, they learn that in medical school.
• 14:43
  And it's really hard for them to understand that, like, okay, maybe something that you learn in school isn't correct, you know.
• 14:50
  Yeah.
• 14:50
  So I, and and again, that's why, and I do know wonderful, wonderful providers out there, but you know, time and time again.
• 14:58
  I mean, I think that nurse practitioners are doing an amazing job as primary care providers.
• 15:03
  I I really do.
• 15:04
  And again, like the physician who the functional medicine physician who diagnosed me with Lyme was a medical doctor.
• 15:12
  So again, everyone is different, but um, but yeah, like there's um, and something else I see when I'm working with clients and what I tell my students is it is so I I am just I think the body, the way that God designed the body, I mean, hands down, like it is so miraculous because just working with someone on the simple interventions, like working on your nervous system, getting enough protein, getting enough water, uh, eating nourishing foods and um, you know, targeted nutraceuticals when appropriate.
• 15:45
  I usually see, you know, the first thing that people start to notice within four weeks is they're like, oh, I've I've got my energy back.
• 15:54
  They start feeling better on the body needs energy to heal.
• 15:59
  So uh yeah, I think that's great that, you know, you were able to experience healing.
• 16:06
  And um also tell me about your, I think that you have a really interesting niche.
• 16:13
  I actually love your niche because again, um, I mean, who has not been to the doctor and the doctor's like, your labs are normal.
• 16:22
  Um, or I've even had, I've even heard people tell me of their doctor was like, no, you're just fat and need to lose weight.
• 16:29
  And I'm just like, how are like I just I just can't imagine, like saying that, you know, to um a uh husband or client.
• 16:36
  But anyway, not everyone has good bedside manner.
• 16:40
  So tell me about your business.
• 16:42
  Um, I I noticed that your niche is metabolic health, uh, perimenopause and and menopause.
• 16:48
  So um, can you tell me about how long your business has been open and and how that's going.
• 16:54
  Well, I'm fairly new because I, you know, I did functional nurse academy, and then I thought to myself, like, there's no way I could do this, you know, uh just kind of self-doubt.
• 17:09
  And so I drug my feet a little bit, but I was so um just fed up with the traditional medical model and the the constant just watching people get sicker and sicker.
• 17:25
  And I felt good when I was, you know, watching um your videos on functional nurse academy.
• 17:32
  I'm like, I would get excited about it and I was passionate about it and I would talk to people about it.
• 17:37
  And so finally I just said, you know, I I gotta do it.
• 17:39
  I gotta, I gotta just jump in.
• 17:42
  And so I started my business last year and um in like May of last year, and just kind of started slowly because I still had a lot of that self-doubt, just thinking, there's no way I know enough.
• 17:55
  There's no way I'm gonna be able to do this.
• 17:57
  But I kept getting um, you know, people would reach out to me and ask for advice or you know, send me messages, and then I'd get to talking to them and they're like, you have helped me more than any doctor I've ever seen in the last 10 years.
• 18:10
  You've told me more in five minutes than anybody else, you know.
• 18:14
  And so I just knew that that's um where God was leading me to be to be able to help people really find out what was going on with them.
• 18:24
  And women are so I think misunderstood and dismissed that I really wanted to focus on helping um women, especially during perimenopause and menopause, because um it's such a hard time and so many doctors don't really understand it and they write off the symptoms.
• 18:42
  It's like it's like a rite of passage, you know, you you're gonna be miserable, you're gonna have hot flashes, you're gonna gain weight.
• 18:49
  Um, it's just a part of the change.
• 18:50
  And so you feel defeated.
• 18:53
  And I wanted to give women hope that they don't have to go through that.
• 18:57
  It doesn't have to be miserable, you know, it's menopause isn't necessarily like a diagnosis, it's a signal, you know, it's a transition, but the symptoms that you're experiencing during that change are signaling to imbalance in the body.
• 19:11
  It's not just something that that you have to deal with.
• 19:15
  You know, and so and it's so true that just because something is common does not mean it is normal.
• 19:24
  And in the United States, we have among one of the sickest populations when we compare the US to other developed countries.
• 19:33
  And something that is is interesting is women, you know, used to be able to transition just fine through perimenopause and menopause.
• 19:45
  And and now we're seeing these women that they're really suffering, you know, they're suffering to the point where there's a lot of divorces that occur during this time, or there may be mental health diagnosis, or um, more alcohol consumption.
• 20:00
  And things like that just to cope because they are so miserable and they're being told this is just your life now.
• 20:07
  This is just the symptoms, or they're only being prescribed medications.
• 20:13
  And again, I'm not, I'm not against hormone therapy replacement if it is needed, absolutely needed.
• 20:19
  But a lot of times, you know, they're so quick to go to the prescription pad.
• 20:24
  And something that I like to teach about is when a female body is shifting, going through perimenopause and menopause, that is like a big deal in the body because the ovaries have been the primary producer of sex hormones.
• 20:42
  And during this transition, the adrenal glands are then taking over primary production.
• 20:49
  And a lot of women cannot handle that because of nutrient deficiencies and upregulated stress responses and increased toxic burden to where a lot of women, their HPA access, which is basically their brain, you know, telling their adrenal glands to secrete cortisol and do all of these wonderful things.
• 21:11
  Um, that is dysfunctional already.
• 21:14
  And then the adrenal glands are being told to produce more hormones, and then the body cannot keep up.
• 21:22
  So I really like that you mentioned before about um cortisol, because again, you know, cortisol are our master stress hormone.
• 21:30
  Like if we're having a hard time with that production, it's like a domino effect for our other hormones.
• 21:37
  And again, like I do not typically see providers testing women for cortisol or even doing any any more in-depth testing.
• 21:47
  So from on your side of how you've been helping um women through this transition.
• 21:54
  You know, what are some things that you like to teach your clients about that can really help to support their bodies?
• 22:02
  So I do like to offer a Dutch test.
• 22:04
  Um, that way we know kind of where to focus.
• 22:08
  Um, and that's not always attainable for everybody.
• 22:11
  I do um include that in my program.
• 22:14
  And then that, and that can just kind of guide us where to start.
• 22:17
  But there's a lot of like basic things that people can start doing that women can start doing um even uh as early as in your 30s because perimenopause can start in your 30s.
• 22:30
  And I think it's frustrating too because the the definition of menopause is when you haven't had a period in 12 months.
• 22:39
  But so if you have two periods in 12 months, you're not in menopause yet.
• 22:44
  And it doesn't mean that there's not things going on.
• 22:48
  So I think starting with, I think strength training is just a must because we lose bone density as our estrogen um starts to decrease.
• 23:01
  So I think I think strength training is super important for women.
• 23:05
  Um, and then also focusing on your gut, gut health, you know, um, estrogen metabolism happens in the gut.
• 23:12
  And so if we have um uh our gut is off, then we're not regulating our hormones the way that we should.
• 23:21
  And so many women are constipated and almost consider it normal.
• 23:26
  You know, I I spoke with someone the other day.
• 23:28
  She was like, well, I have like three bowel movements a week.
• 23:32
  My doctor says that's okay as long as I'm going.
• 23:34
  And I was just kind of taken aback because that's that's not normal at all, you know.
• 23:40
  Um, so we started focusing on um, you know, healing her gut and looking at nutrient deficiencies, and that can be easily fixed.
• 23:50
  Supplements, you know, definitely have a place, but a lot of the times, um, just adjusting the diet a little bit can help.
• 23:58
  Um, we like, I like to look at your sleep patterns.
• 24:01
  Are you getting enough sleep?
• 24:03
  So many women have um insomnia or wake up at like three in the morning and can't go back.
• 24:10
  And that's a big red flag that it's either your cortisol or blood sugar, you know, that you're waking up at three in the morning.
• 24:17
  Um, and then, you know, just focusing on self-care too, because as women, we take care of everybody else and we put ourselves last.
• 24:27
  So making sure that you are taking care of yourself, that you're eating enough protein, that you're eating.
• 24:34
  I mean, I can't, as a mom, I can tell you there's been days where it's three, four o'clock in the afternoon, and I'm like, oh, I've I've fed everybody all day, and I have not fed myself.
• 24:44
  And that can be really detrimental, you know, to your health, just kind of stressing your body.
• 24:49
  So I like to find out where people are really struggling and kind of start there because it can be really overwhelming to tell somebody, let's change your whole life, you know.
• 25:01
  So I I like to find like one area to start with and focus on that a little bit at a time.
• 25:07
  So it's not overwhelming.
• 25:08
  Oh, I oh, I so love that.
• 25:10
  And I I really like that you're uh taking so many of these concepts through functional nurse academy and and applying it because, you know, they're really with functional medicine, and we learn about all of these interventions that we can use to help people and certain root causes, but applying it is a whole it's also an additional skill set.
• 25:32
  So I really like that.
• 25:34
  And I also, it's another reason why I think nurses are so suitable for this, is because we naturally are coaches.
• 25:42
  You know, we help individuals with these things all the time.
• 25:46
  And we have to, and I think nurses naturally understand that, you know, when we're trying to work with someone through lifestyle changes, we have we gotta be realistic, you know.
• 25:57
  I mean, we have to give people things that are realistic and actually attainable for them, or they just feel defeated.
• 26:03
  And uh, one other thing I wanted to mention, I love that you are offering Dutch testing.
• 26:07
  I always tell my students, I'm like, if you get savvy at Dutch testing, you will get busy.
• 26:13
  Um, and for our listeners that aren't um have not heard of Dutch testing, this is actually uh stands for dried urinary test for comprehensive hormones.
• 26:23
  And again, you know, say that you're having hormonal issues and you go to the doctor and you get the blood test for your hormones.
• 26:30
  I'm not saying that that's not valuable, but uh that test is just checking to see what your hormone levels were when the needle was in the arm.
• 26:39
  But we know our hormone levels, they kind of fluctuate all day long, you know.
• 26:43
  And I also see a lot of like a like a provider mishap, it's sometimes they will for like cycling females, sometimes they will not check the sex hormones and the appropriate phase of the cycle to be able to capture the progesterone peak.
• 27:00
  But anyway, we have these tasks like per functional medicine tests like the Dutch that have actually been clinically validated.
• 27:09
  But again, we also have that massive time lag per medical literature to when things get implemented.
• 27:17
  So a lot of providers don't have access to that test because it's not offered, you know, under insurance, usually.
• 27:23
  It's something out of pocket.
• 27:25
  And also, um, I, you know, when we're looking at hormones, we need to look at the cortisol.
• 27:30
  I mean, I just I don't even know how providers are evaluating hormones without looking at cortisol, because that's so central.
• 27:38
  So um, anyway, we are about time to take a break.
• 27:42
  So I do want to remind our listeners.
• 27:45
  If you are a nurse that is fed up with the system, I can absolutely train you at the Functional Nurse Academy.
• 27:52
  I offer the most comprehensive training on the market, specifically designed for nurses.
• 27:59
  All of our graduates receive 90 nursing CEs, eligibility for multiple functional medicine board certification titles, as well as business mentorship.
• 28:10
  So be sure to check out functional nurseacademy.com.
• 28:14
  To all of our America out loud listeners, I do want to let you all know that America that chemical free body is offering a generous discount to America out loud listeners.
• 28:28
  So head over to the America Out Loud shop and then use the coupon code out loud for 20% off of your purchase.
• 28:35
  I will see you on the other side of the break.
• 28:38
  All right, this is Colonel Mike from the National Security hour, calling all patriots to join me initial on July 2nd, third, and fourth for America Out Loud News 250 10th anniversary in Nashville.
• 28:49
  Go get them, cowboys.
• 28:51
  Along with CLEAR, the wellness company.
• 28:54
  We're celebrating two big milestones, 250 years of America and 10 years of AmericOut Loud News.
• 29:00
  That's where you come to hear military and intel experts on the national security hour and where you get freedom of speech with liberty and justice for all.
• 29:08
  Not like anywhere else.
• 29:10
  This is a once-in-a-lifetime celebration.
• 29:12
  We will have inspiring entertainment, incredible fireworks, nationally recognized speakers who proudly stand for freedom.
• 29:19
  Just like you and us.
• 29:20
  Let's unite to salute and celebrate the history of our great nation and collaborate to protect the future.
• 29:26
  Join us and register now at America Out Loud.news Nashville.
• 29:31
  Struggling with your health energy and constantly feeling hungry, want to save money on the rising cost of groceries and dramatically improve your health, go to chemicalfree body.com forward slash out loud today, get nature's super multivitamin doctor formulated green 85 juice formula, empower your immune system, cut your grocery bill, and save 20% on your first order.
• 29:53
  Struggling with rising health care costs, health insurance premiums are up 47%.
• 29:59
  Enter the one.
• 30:00
  Wellness elite membership for 100 per month.
• 30:03
  You get two free nutraceuticals, free prescriptions on 800 plus meds and 24-7 telemedicine.
• 30:10
  America Out Loud listeners getting exclusive 20% discount.
• 30:14
  Go to TWC.
• 30:18
  Oral hygiene hasn't changed in 50 years.
• 30:21
  But our diet and the way we eat has creating an environment in your mouth for bacteria to wreck havoc on your teeth and gums.
• 30:28
  For better oral health, get sprayed dental defense, an oral care line designed to combat acid-creating bacteria.
• 30:36
  The toothpaste, mouthwash, mints, and gum all contain xylitol and natural ingredients shown to dramatically improve oral health.
• 30:44
  Sprite can be found online and at all fine natural retailers.
• 30:51
  Well, only when the government vows to the people will America become great again.
• 30:58
  Join me in pushing back against censorship, my fellow America.
• 31:03
  Right at the top of America of Love Doc News are the words.
• 31:09
  One freedom.
• 31:16
  Now is our time, my fellow Americans.
• 31:19
  America of Moud News.
• 31:22
  Liberty and justice for all.
• 31:27
  Hello.
• 31:28
  And welcome back to the Nurses Report on America Out Loud Top Radio.
• 31:34
  This is your show host, Melissa Shreve Fatter.
• 31:37
  I am joined today by Ashley Caputo, who is the founder of Rooted Wellness Functional Health.
• 31:46
  And we are talking about all of these wonderful ways that we can help women through the transition of things like perimenopause and menopause.
• 31:57
  Welcome back, Ashley.
• 31:59
  Thank you.
• 32:01
  So I know we were just talking about that that this amazing testing that you're offering.
• 32:07
  I think that it is highly valuable to work with a nurse that has the capability to do Dutch testing to really see what's going on with your hormones in a comprehensive manner.
• 32:20
  So I love that you're doing that.
• 32:22
  And I did want to touch on your experience at the functional nurse academy.
• 32:30
  Can you tell me how FNA helped you build your business?
• 32:34
  Yes.
• 32:35
  So I was I was searching for something.
• 32:39
  I didn't know what it was at first, but I was so fed up with everything.
• 32:44
  And so I was like, what else can I do?
• 32:47
  So we were actually, we were driving to Florida, and me and my husband and the kids.
• 32:51
  So I, of course, don't drive.
• 32:53
  I was in the passenger seat on Google, looking for the answer.
• 32:58
  And I couldn't find nothing felt right, nothing seemed right.
• 33:02
  And then I found the functional nurse academy.
• 33:05
  And when I started looking at it, I was like, this is it.
• 33:08
  Like I just felt a pull towards it.
• 33:12
  I it just felt where I needed to be.
• 33:14
  So I literally signed up as we're driving in the car, stuck my ear pods in, AirPods, whatever they're called, and started listening to your lectures right away.
• 33:25
  And I've never felt so um aligned with any like school or anything else that I've ever done because it was what I was searching for, and I didn't even know that it's what I was searching for, you know.
• 33:39
  Um, it makes so much sense.
• 33:42
  And and the concepts that were covered were so helpful because it's things that we see every day.
• 33:49
  And as nurses, I think they're things that we see and get frustrated with because we only treat the symptoms.
• 33:58
  And then you took it a step further where you're helping us get to the root cause of where those symptoms are coming from and actually offer help that can get people back to balance and back to health.
• 34:13
  And it's something that I felt was missing my whole career as a nurse was that I just I kept feeling like I was keeping people well enough.
• 34:25
  They were sick, and I I would help them get well enough to get out of the hospital.
• 34:29
  And then that was it.
• 34:30
  That's where it ended.
• 34:32
  And it just felt like there was something missing.
• 34:34
  And then the functional nurse academy just kind of filled that missing piece and gave me the tools that I needed to be able to help people get to the root cause and make changes.
• 34:45
  Um, and then you also laid out how to get your business started, which was amazing.
• 34:51
  Because that was one of the things that deterred me away from some of the other schools is as soon as the school's over, there's no support.
• 34:58
  And, or you had to pay extra to learn how to build your business.
• 35:02
  And you just kind of laid out all the tools right there.
• 35:05
  So I felt um, like I had everything that I needed to be able to be successful, um, which was I think made you stand out over a lot of the other schools that were out there for sure.
• 35:20
  And I still have ongoing support, you know, with the the monthly mentorship, which is amazing because you get to talk to other people and um, you know, you have different educational topics.
• 35:33
  So I just I feel like I'm still in school, you know, and being able to continue to learn.
• 35:37
  Um, so all of that's been I I had a really good experience.
• 35:41
  I loved it so much.
• 35:44
  Oh, wonderful.
• 35:45
  I'm I'm so glad that you had a good experience.
• 35:47
  And yeah, like we are always learning.
• 35:50
  And you know, I remember when I first started out as a functional nurse.
• 35:55
  I did not know of any other nurses that were practicing this way.
• 35:58
  And I remember just kind of feeling like out on my own.
• 36:02
  And I was like, I had to figure everything out on my own.
• 36:05
  So that was another reason why I really wanted to make sure that you guys, you know, felt well supported, not just on like the clinical side, but also on the business side, because again, I mean, nurses, we are so well suited for this.
• 36:20
  And it is like the best thing ever when you start practicing as a functional nurse and you actually see people get better, because we don't usually do this in the conventional setting.
• 36:30
  And I did have one other question.
• 36:32
  Yeah.
• 36:33
  Um, how did were you able to get your return on investment back after you finished the program?
• 36:40
  I did.
• 36:40
  Yeah.
• 36:41
  I um I so I started first with clients just kind of pro bono, right?
• 36:48
  Because I just wanted to kind of get the feel for it and get um some feedback and things like that.
• 36:54
  And um, that kind of led to more clients and more business.
• 37:00
  And then I joined Remnet Healthcare as well and got even more business.
• 37:05
  So the the return was pretty quick because the cost of the school is not uh it's not crazy, um, especially compared to a lot of the other offerings out there.
• 37:18
  And what you offer as a functional medicine nurse, I mean, these packages are including labs and including um, you know, health coaching and ongoing support for even up to like four months.
• 37:33
  So just one or two clients, you already have your return.
• 37:37
  So it was well worth it.
• 37:38
  I don't think um, you know, I I never felt like I I didn't make my money back, that's for sure.
• 37:45
  And just even the knowledge alone was was more than enough.
• 37:52
  Okay, wonderful.
• 37:53
  I'm just it always makes you happy to hear that people have you know good experiences and that you're able to like use the knowledge to go forth and help other people get well, you know.
• 38:04
  And um, and two, I remember when I first got started.
• 38:07
  It really was helping a couple of women get well.
• 38:11
  And then, you know, women like women are very chatty with other women.
• 38:16
  So I mean, if you actually help someone get better, they're going to tell everyone that they know, and then next thing you know, they're sending their friends, their cousins, their husbands.
• 38:26
  I mean, I have had so many women I've worked with, like send their husbands to come see me too, you know.
• 38:31
  So um, well, I would love to learn more about the root method.
• 38:38
  So I I'm at your website right now, and I think this is great that you are even offering a free course.
• 38:46
  But could you tell me about the um root method?
• 38:50
  Sure.
• 38:51
  Um, and it's I think it's very simple, which is one thing that I love because I think all of this should be simple for people.
• 38:59
  And this just kind of breaks down the steps that I take with women or with anyone, not just women, but the um the R and root is reveal.
• 39:11
  So first we're kind of looking for what the imbalances are, where they're coming from.
• 39:16
  Um, because once we have a better understanding of that, we can um figure out how to move forward.
• 39:22
  And then so that would lead to the next step, optimize.
• 39:26
  So we want to optimize nutrition, um, optimize lifestyle, and just make sure that you're getting everything that you need.
• 39:34
  And then um, overcome is the next O.
• 39:38
  So overcoming stress and life, because life, you know, gets in the way, and making time to focus on yourself and making healthy choices can sometimes be difficult.
• 39:50
  So I do help people kind of navigate just how to find balance in their life.
• 39:56
  Um, and all of that kind of leads to the T thrive.
• 40:00
  So, you know, once you can get back into balance and you're feeling better, you have more energy and you're you're reaching your goals, you're um, you know, my end goal with with all of my clients is for them to thrive um without me, you know, to to be able to go on and and do well in their life.
• 40:21
  Yeah.
• 40:21
  And again, and another thing too, we want, and I know when I work with clients, my goal for them is to get so healthy that they don't, they don't need to see me all the time anymore.
• 40:33
  But in but instead, and then like how I then get clients is they refer their friends and their family to me and other individuals.
• 40:41
  But, you know, whereas we know that the system, the system kind of creates dependency, you know, and we see this in conventional medicine.
• 40:49
  Someone starts on one medication and then they're on the thermobile and then they have to go on more medications and have more procedures.
• 40:56
  So I really like how this system, um, you're really teaching people how to get the body back into homeostasis, offering some testing to give some insight of what could be going on and then kind of moving forward with working to get them healthy and independent.
• 41:15
  But I also think it's great, you know, say if you work with a functional nurse and that functional nurse helps you get tremendously better, that you then can go from having to see someone on a consistent basis to maybe doing a check-in like once a year or so just to then make sure that you're optimal.
• 41:33
  And uh tell me, but yeah, I just think that like I'm looking at this and I'm thinking, this is so clever.
• 41:40
  I love their root method.
• 41:41
  And it's just like an easy acronym.
• 41:43
  And uh tell me about the free course that you're offering.
• 41:47
  Yeah.
• 41:47
  So I uh since I'm focusing on um, you know, women's hormones and I wanted to offer something that's free.
• 41:56
  You know, I I think people get deterred a lot by um all of the information out there is, you know, you you join a class and it's all to get you to sign up, you know.
• 42:08
  And so to get the rest of the information, you have to sign up for some class or pay some money.
• 42:13
  And I really, I mean, ultimately, I just I really want to help people understand what's going on in their body and to be able to do simple things to help themselves feel better.
• 42:24
  So I think a lot of that can start when you truly understand what's going on in your body.
• 42:31
  So in the free course, they just kind of break down the hormones and what their role is in the body and when they're dysregulated, some of the symptoms that you can um experience, and then just some simple things that you can do at home to help start to get those back in balance.
• 42:47
  So um, I'm gonna hopefully be offering more education and through Remnet Healthcare, we're working on some more education that we can offer to the public for free because, you know, it it's it's so important in our my goal is just uh help people get healthy, you know, and um working one-on-one with somebody obviously can be super beneficial, but sometimes you you need to get to know somebody before you work with them.
• 43:14
  So that's another thing.
• 43:16
  I think if um people can kind of join me on these webinars and and free education, they get to know who I am and how I approach it and um just develop more trust with working with me.
• 43:30
  Yeah, I really do love that.
• 43:31
  And and another thing about being in business.
• 43:33
  So, you know, of course we're not going to just offer all of our services for free because and we're not gonna have a business.
• 43:40
  But I also think it is so important to be generous when you are able to, you know, especially when you have a skill set and then you can make something that is either low cost or could be a free offering that could really help people because again, and and one thing I always say is I'm like, you know, money is not my God.
• 44:02
  God is my God.
• 44:03
  So, but I think that sometimes in in business, and I think you can, I think that you can be successful in business and still put God first.
• 44:11
  But this is one thing uh about functional medicine that um I I really I really do wish that there was more coverage in this area.
• 44:20
  Now we're seeing that people are able to use HSAs, FSAs, payment plans, even some health shares are now covering functional medicine services.
• 44:30
  But in general, insurance does not like to cover functional medicine, which I know that just shocks everyone.
• 44:37
  But it puts people in a situation where um people who may be low socioeconomic status are unable to access these services because it does it does cost money to do the functional testing.
• 44:52
  And then when we are doing real functional medicine, we're spending a lot of time reviewing these tests and collaborating and advocating and writing up plans and doing research.
• 45:02
  So I think it is nice just to like put something out there that is just free to be able to help those populations that may not be able to access those services yet.
• 45:13
  And I I do have hope.
• 45:15
  I have hope that in the future maybe we may see more coverage.
• 45:19
  And um, I did notice that you do have a make America Healthy again hat on.
• 45:24
  So before we started the call, I was like, oh, I really like your hat.
• 45:28
  But anyway, I did want to ask you as far as like a like a maha related question, you know, do you think with the new administration that we're going to see more like expanded options for, you know, functional services and possibly more coverage and things like that.
• 45:45
  I really hoped so.
• 45:47
  Um I think that it's not as easy as I wish it could be.
• 45:54
  You know, I was hoping um this administration would come in and just overnight everything could change.
• 46:00
  And obviously, when you're talking about politics, none of that happens.
• 46:04
  So I can only imagine the kind of pushback that RFK Junior and everybody's receiving.
• 46:09
  I mean, you see online, you know, people are upset about um the new food pyramid.
• 46:15
  And I'm like, this is none of this information is new.
• 46:19
  It's stuff that we've been screaming for years, it's just now finally, I think politics, you know, the government's finally catching up.
• 46:27
  But I hope with the passion for things like functional medicine and just health in general, that um, they're gonna start to realize like insurance and and things like that is gonna start to realize like we have to start covering this because people are going to leave.
• 46:45
  People already are looking for alternatives, doctors are already offering concierge.
• 46:51
  Um like my pediatrician does not take insurance anymore.
• 46:55
  They did when we started and they don't anymore.
• 46:58
  So I think there's a wave, you know, like they're people are moving towards that.
• 47:02
  And eventually they're gonna catch up and realize that they have to offer this stuff.
• 47:07
  I mean, even um, if you think about it, like um some of the the gut testing, like for H.
• 47:14
  pylori and and things like that, they weren't doing before.
• 47:18
  And now now you can get it from your provider.
• 47:21
  It's just like you said, for them to catch up, it it takes so long.
• 47:26
  So I think that's my worry is that this movement is started, but how long is it gonna take for the industry to really catch up to what's being needed and wanted by the public?
• 47:38
  Ultimately, it should be what's what's best for people, but that's, you know, money's the driver.
• 47:45
  Yeah, yeah.
• 47:46
  It's it's uh it's very unfortunate.
• 47:48
  But you know, I am um seeing some more things that are are making me helpful because again, I I do think that the COVID vaccines, it just broke so many people it's really broken trust.
• 48:01
  And again, the pandemic response, I mean, like, how do you mess something up that bad?
• 48:07
  But anyway, um, that really has fractured trust from the public for public health agencies.
• 48:13
  And I think that the trust was so broken that that is how we ended up with RFK as our HHS secretary.
• 48:21
  So, but uh, but I'm seeing as more and more people are leaving the insurance model, there's more of these, you know, health shares and you know, um, like crowd sourcing funds for health care expenses that are more tailored to holistic modalities.
• 48:40
  And I remember I had one client I worked with that she was in some type of, I think it was like a Christian health share.
• 48:46
  And she told me that with the health share that she had, which again is um kind of in a way like an alternative to insurance, she said that this company actually preferred that their members seek holistic and functional medicine services because then those individuals are less likely to need long-term medical care.
• 49:08
  And and those systems are really set up in a really cool way because that system actually functions better the healthier their members are, you know.
• 49:18
  And I do think that we need to have some changes from the top.
• 49:21
  Like if, you know, um, providers in the system are then rewarded, not based on, you know, how many vaccines they're given and how many statins they're prescribing and things like that.
• 49:35
  But if they're actually rewarded on improved patient health outcomes, I think that we will see true meaningful changes.
• 49:42
  So, and uh, well, I did want to ask, um, you know, we have gosh, like maybe five-ish minutes left.
• 49:51
  Do you have any, do you have any, you know, do you have like a success story that you'd like to share from someone that you've worked with?
• 49:59
  Um,
• 50:00
  So, well, I have a couple of women that I've I've just I've had really good success, you know, where they've come to me just feeling so defeated and like there were no answers.
• 50:12
  Um, but I had I had one woman that she um she kept going to her doctor.
• 50:19
  She was fatigued.
• 50:20
  She was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome.
• 50:23
  She was um pre-diabetic.
• 50:26
  She had high blood pressure.
• 50:28
  She was on all these medications.
• 50:31
  And she kept telling the doctor every time, you know, because they were seeing her like every three months, and she was on a handful of medications, and they kept telling her the same thing over and over again, you know, stop eating low fat diet, don't eat salt.
• 50:48
  Um, you need to start working out, you need to lose weight.
• 50:51
  And when she came to me, she said, you know, what's really frustrating is that I'm doing exactly what my doctors are telling me to do.
• 50:59
  And I'm not getting any good results at all.
• 51:02
  And matter of fact, I keep every time I go, they increase the medication or put me on a new one.
• 51:07
  And so she was like, I just don't understand why I do what they say.
• 51:11
  And she goes, I think they think that I'm lying because they keep telling me the same thing.
• 51:16
  And she's like, I think I think they think that I'm going home and not doing these things, but I'm doing exactly what they're telling me to do.
• 51:22
  So we took a completely different approach.
• 51:25
  Now she was like financially drained.
• 51:28
  So I worked with her more on just diet and lifestyle, and we held off on labs because she just couldn't afford them.
• 51:36
  And I tell you, simple changes that we made in her life made such a huge difference.
• 51:44
  Um, I'm still working with her, but she was able to come down on her blood pressure medication.
• 51:51
  She's losing weight.
• 51:53
  Um, she is no longer pre-diabetic, which they said that was all due to the Metformin and they want her, you know, to keep taking it.
• 52:00
  But she made the choice to come off of it and she's been doing fabulous.
• 52:05
  Um, and she has energy and her mood is better.
• 52:09
  So we started just focusing on her gut, is where we started and her insulin resistance.
• 52:16
  So I worked with her just kind of on a diet plan and um started some very gentle like strength training and just walking, you know, getting out in the fresh air and taking walks every single day.
• 52:29
  We just came up with a simple plan.
• 52:32
  And um she because she had such great results, she wanted to continue working together.
• 52:39
  And um, we're gonna be moving forward and doing some more labs because she wants to check her hormones and she wants to um, you know, find out what else is going on that maybe we could focus on.
• 52:49
  But it was so satisfying and just fulfilling to know that someone felt like nobody was hearing them, nobody could help them.
• 53:00
  And all I did was listen.
• 53:03
  You know, I listened to what was going on with her, and we started at the very basics and made some huge improvements.
• 53:10
  It's just so mind blowing that the providers can't see this.
• 53:14
  You know, they keep telling people to do the same thing and they're getting bad results.
• 53:18
  I mean, I isn't that the definition of insanity.
• 53:21
  Like I don't know how we keep telling people that we keep telling them, just do the same thing and then uh and you never get better.
• 53:29
  It it just doesn't make sense.
• 53:31
  Yeah, it's so amazing to me that you you would think that, you know, if you keep telling people to do the same thing and it's not working that you would change what you are doing.
• 53:41
  And again, that's why, you know, I feel like some of the worst ideas sometimes in society come from the most educated people.
• 53:50
  But I I do think that there's so many that they're just so indoctrinated into that system and they really believe in those guidelines.
• 53:57
  And usually it's not malicious.
• 54:01
  Yeah, yeah.
• 54:01
  But again, I I also feel like I mean, I don't want to be like too down on them, but I'm a little me.
• 54:09
  How do you how do you not know to like not tell these women that they're just fat and you just need to eat less?
• 54:16
  I mean, there are so many things that can cause dysfunction in the body that cause the body to hold on to weight.
• 54:21
  So I just I'm so excited about what you are doing.
• 54:25
  And I really like it's just great to see nurses out there that are actually changing people's lives and getting people well.
• 54:32
  And so tell me, um, you know, tell our listeners if they would like to work with you, um, where can they go to get in touch with you?
• 54:42
  So you can go to my website, which is rooted wellness functional health.com.
• 54:47
  Um, you can also find me on Instagram, rooted wellness RN.
• 54:52
  And um, and those are the two best places to find me.
• 54:56
  Um, and you can book a call, a free discovery call with me right through my website.
• 55:02
  Um, and I offer that initial consultation at no cost.
• 55:06
  And um that way we can make sure that, you know, we're it's the right fit and what I have to offer.
• 55:12
  So um, but yeah, so my website or or Instagram are the best.
• 55:17
  Awesome.
• 55:18
  So what I will be doing for everyone, uh, because I I do love it when I have functional nurses on and they are offering those initial free discovery calls because I I do think that it is important that you jive well with your practitioner.
• 55:32
  And I also think when you get someone on the phone and and you're looking to hire someone to help you with your health, I do think it is important that you're able to talk to that person first, you know.
• 55:43
  I mean, I remember when I was going through the ringer and in functional medicine, like I would maybe um call and talk to like a salesperson or, you know, and and again, like I know that there are uh clinics that are much larger and the provider's not able to do all of these calls, but I think that this is something really special about these concierge functional nursing services is a lot of these businesses are set up in a way to where the functional nurse can can do an initial call with you to ensure that it is a good fit.
• 56:17
  And and I think that, you know, doing these types of calls.
• 56:20
  If you are that sick, suffering individual and you get someone on the phone with you, you kind of get that feeling in your soul, that gut feeling if this person is like the right person to help you.
• 56:32
  So, well, thank you so much for your time today.
• 56:35
  This was such a great show, and I appreciate your time.
• 56:39
  And to all of our listeners, I do want to remind you that I am officially training all other healthcare professionals as well as certified health and wellness coaches at the Christian Functional Medicine Academy.
• 56:54
  All of our graduates from this program are eligible for multiple board certification titles and functional medicine.
• 57:02
  And they also receive business mentorship on how to launch their functional medicine business.
• 57:08
  So be sure to check out that program at Christian FNA.com.
• 57:14
  And again, that is Christian Functional Medicine Academy.
• 57:18
  To all of our America Out Loud listeners, thank you so much for tuning in.
• 57:22
  And please remember that at the Nurses Report, we are here five days per week at 10 a.m.
• 57:29
  Eastern Standard Time.
• 57:30
  And you can follow us on any major podcast app.
• 57:35
  Until next time, be safe, be well, and God bless.
• 57:39
  It's time.