Latest / The Well Unfiltered with Dr. Suzanne Vester / Season 1, Episode 6: What's In Your Medicine Cabinet?

Transcript

Season 1, Episode 6: What's In Your Medicine Cabinet? · The Well Unfiltered with Dr. Suzanne Vester

0:22
SPEAKER_00: Well, hi there, and welcome to another episode of The Well Unfiltered.
0:25
SPEAKER_00: I'm Dr.
0:26
SPEAKER_00: Suze, and today we're talking about what's actually in your medicine cabinet.
0:30
SPEAKER_00: I've got a lot of notes, so I want to make sure I don't skip anything or leave anything out.
0:35
SPEAKER_00: But we want to talk today about what you can do that is a little more naturally minded than just reach for what's in your current medicine cabinet.
0:44
SPEAKER_00: We want to go with a couple of different things.
0:46
SPEAKER_00: Um we're going to talk about just one bucket of medicine today.
0:51
SPEAKER_00: We're going to talk about the things that you traditionally reach for on the on the daily.
0:55
SPEAKER_00: We will go into prescription medications like blood pressure and so blood pressure is one for sure.
1:04
SPEAKER_00: And some of the other ones that we're going to talk about are like hormone therapy and different things like that.
1:08
SPEAKER_00: We're going to cover that on another day.
1:10
SPEAKER_00: We're going to get just what's in your medicine cabinet for over-the-counter needs today.
1:15
SPEAKER_00: So one thing I want to set up before we go too terribly far, because I think it matters a lot.
1:20
SPEAKER_00: This is not me saying, throw everything out and you know, eat more kale.
1:26
SPEAKER_00: That is not it.
1:27
SPEAKER_00: That will never be it.
1:28
SPEAKER_00: Uh, rest assured.
1:30
SPEAKER_00: But some medications are genuinely necessary, like I mentioned, blood pressure medications, heart medications, hormone medications, things like that.
1:37
SPEAKER_00: They're genuinely necessary.
1:39
SPEAKER_00: And we don't want to just throw those out and try and replace it with something that is more natural without talking to your provider first.
1:45
SPEAKER_00: What we are gonna talk about are those things we reach for for headaches, for muscle pains, backaches, um, colds, those kinds of things.
1:52
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna talk about those in that bucket today.
1:55
SPEAKER_00: So, what we want to do is look at it in terms of what does my body actually need versus what can I go grab quickly?
2:04
SPEAKER_00: Our inclination is to get rid of the symptom as quickly as possible because it's creating discomfort or pain for us.
2:10
SPEAKER_00: And what we often need to look at is okay, what is my body telling me in this moment?
2:15
SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna give you some simple tips on that today as well.
2:18
SPEAKER_00: So let's go ahead and dive in.
2:21
SPEAKER_00: Like I said, we're gonna be talking about conventional medicine that you can reach for, and it's an over-the-counter.
2:26
SPEAKER_00: This is not about prescription medications today.
2:29
SPEAKER_00: And just for your ease and convenience, I did create a full guide that you can download.
2:34
SPEAKER_00: You can get that on the website at thewellnc.com.
2:37
SPEAKER_00: And I'm also gonna have it linked into the session notes.
2:39
SPEAKER_00: So I want to make sure that you get a hold of that.
2:41
SPEAKER_00: It'll actually be easy if you want to follow along with it as we're going through it.
2:45
SPEAKER_00: You won't have to worry about taking a lot of crazy notes.
2:48
SPEAKER_00: But what we want to do is look at things that we do for pain, for sleep, for allergies, digestion, immune support, all those kinds of things are what we're gonna talk about right now.
3:00
SPEAKER_00: In another episode, we're gonna talk about the things that we we put into the chronic support bucket.
3:06
SPEAKER_00: That includes things like blood sugar, blood pressure, mood, thyroid hormones, all of those.
3:10
SPEAKER_00: That is not on the table for today.
3:13
SPEAKER_00: So let's start with pain specifically.
3:15
SPEAKER_00: When we talk about the everyday medicine cabinet, this is the one that comes up the most.
3:20
SPEAKER_00: It comes up with things like um headaches, it comes up with sore muscles, it comes up with backache, all of those things.
3:26
SPEAKER_00: And when we get to a place where we're uncomfortable, our inclination is to go and grab something that is going to get rid of it as quickly as possible.
3:34
SPEAKER_00: What I'm going to invite you to do instead of that is think about what is your body waving the red flag over?
3:41
SPEAKER_00: What is it saying, hey, let's take a minute and let's reassess.
3:45
SPEAKER_00: I need a little support here.
3:47
SPEAKER_00: It's usually things like dehydration, poor sleep, stress sitting in your neck and your shoulders.
3:54
SPEAKER_00: It could be from sitting at a desk too long.
3:56
SPEAKER_00: It could be the cumulative effect of a diet that has been just asking your body to constantly manage inflammation through what you're putting in your mouth every day.
4:05
SPEAKER_00: Could be a lot of things.
4:06
SPEAKER_00: So when we grab an ibuprofen, we're we're actually silencing that red flag that our body is giving us, not answering it, not helping to solve the problem underneath.
4:16
SPEAKER_00: And there's absolutely a time and place for that.
4:18
SPEAKER_00: But the first move every single time probably shouldn't be that.
4:22
SPEAKER_00: It probably should be hey, let me look and see.
4:24
SPEAKER_00: Am I hydrated?
4:25
SPEAKER_00: How is my sleep?
4:26
SPEAKER_00: Am I sitting too long?
4:27
SPEAKER_00: Do I need to get up and move?
4:28
SPEAKER_00: Do I need more sunshine?
4:29
SPEAKER_00: Lots of different alternatives there.
4:31
SPEAKER_00: So what we need to understand is our body is absolutely not sending pain to create an inconvenience for you.
4:38
SPEAKER_00: It's trying to tell you something, and the move isn't always to silence it quickly.
4:43
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the move is to understand it first.
4:46
SPEAKER_00: So, what is what does a different move look like?
4:48
SPEAKER_00: What should you be doing?
4:50
SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm going to tell you this, and it's probably not going to be the most helpful or obvious to some people because you're not going to like it.
4:56
SPEAKER_00: But the first place you probably ought to go is looking at water.
5:00
SPEAKER_00: Are you hydrated?
5:01
SPEAKER_00: When was the last time you had some water?
5:03
SPEAKER_00: And by water, I don't mean sweet tea, I don't mean a carbonated beverage, I don't mean an energy drink, I don't mean any of those things.
5:10
SPEAKER_00: I mean actual water.
5:12
SPEAKER_00: So real water, not just a sip, okay?
5:15
SPEAKER_00: Drink a full glass and then wait 15 minutes.
5:18
SPEAKER_00: And at 15 minutes, you'll you would be amazed at how much that will change.
5:22
SPEAKER_00: But if 15 minutes goes by and it's still not working for you, then consider something else.
5:28
SPEAKER_00: Then consider your next option.
5:30
SPEAKER_00: You would really be shocked at how much that actually works.
5:33
SPEAKER_00: For sleep, um, magnesium, gentle movement.
5:36
SPEAKER_00: And then if you still need something else, there are lots of beautiful options.
5:40
SPEAKER_00: You've got things like um turmeric and ginger for inflammation, boswellia for joints, topical magnesium for muscle tension and headaches.
5:48
SPEAKER_00: You've got a lot of different options.
5:50
SPEAKER_00: I keep earthly products in the office.
5:52
SPEAKER_00: They have some amazing things.
5:54
SPEAKER_00: Pain Potion and the anti-inflammatory are two that I love, and they always stay in my medicine cabinet.
5:59
SPEAKER_00: Their magnesium lotion is something that is really great, and I something I actually constantly reach for, especially during training for 29 or 29.
6:07
SPEAKER_00: It really helps your body to get into a place of less tension, more relaxation.
6:13
SPEAKER_00: And when that happens, your body is actually able to function more efficiently, more effectively, and you're more comfortable just in general.
6:21
SPEAKER_00: So, one real caution here anytime you are taking high doses of turmeric or white willow bark, that is going to thin your blood out some.
6:32
SPEAKER_00: So be really mindful, especially if you're on prescription blood thinners, to be mindful of that.
6:37
SPEAKER_00: You don't want to overdo a good thing in that space.
6:40
SPEAKER_00: You might actually want to even consider an alternative from the two that I mentioned.
6:44
SPEAKER_00: This would be on a case-by-case basis, so reach out if you've got questions.
6:48
SPEAKER_00: So let's move on to sleep.
6:50
SPEAKER_00: Sleep is a really big one for so, so many people.
6:54
SPEAKER_00: So I know a lot of people take a Benadryl at night or they'll take some melatonin or a Zequel or something else over the counter just to kind of get you through.
7:03
SPEAKER_00: And while I understand that that could be a real cry of desperation for you when it's 2 a.m.
7:09
SPEAKER_00: and you've not fallen asleep yet and you know you've got to get up the next morning, it's a real thing.
7:13
SPEAKER_00: And I don't want to gloss over it as though it's not.
7:16
SPEAKER_00: But I do want you to understand that those things are not going to do much more than sedate you.
7:23
SPEAKER_00: So they're going to make you sleepy, they're going to make you drowsy, but they're not creating good sleep.
7:27
SPEAKER_00: There's a difference.
7:28
SPEAKER_00: And you want to make sure that you're actually getting quality sleep.
7:32
SPEAKER_00: So diphenhydramine, which is the active ingredient in most of the over-counter sleep aids, that's going to leave a little bit of a residue in your system.
7:39
SPEAKER_00: So a bit of a medication hangover, if you will, it's actually going to make you feel worse the next day.
7:45
SPEAKER_00: And it's literally over time going to make the problem worse because it's going to be drying you out.
7:51
SPEAKER_00: So you might be taking it to go to sleep, but you might often in in the long run end up with really dry sinuses, very uncomfortable, you know, chronic sinus infections, nosebleeds, and the like, because that's what it's doing to your body over time.
8:04
SPEAKER_00: So just be mindful of that.
8:05
SPEAKER_00: In a pinch, on occasion, if you need to reach for something like that, obviously I understand you really want to get some rest because you have a full day ahead of you.
8:13
SPEAKER_00: But as a consistent night after night alternative, I would say let's shift gears and look a different direction.
8:20
SPEAKER_00: So real sleep is about building the right conditions.
8:23
SPEAKER_00: So you want to get good morning light first thing in the morning.
8:27
SPEAKER_00: I know it sounds really simple, but it's going to actually start your circadian rhythm in a really good pattern.
8:32
SPEAKER_00: It's enormously powerful.
8:34
SPEAKER_00: So we want to make sure that we're getting good morning light.
8:37
SPEAKER_00: And then you want to make sure that you're getting, you know, that bright light within 30 minutes of waking up.
8:42
SPEAKER_00: And then it's going to actually help you start producing natural melatonin in your own body as the day goes on.
8:49
SPEAKER_00: Now, when you get to those evening hours, there's a window of time, you're going to start feeling a little drowsy.
8:55
SPEAKER_00: And I would also advise hard caffeine cutoff.
8:59
SPEAKER_00: If you are drinking coffee and energy drinks and sodas and stuff throughout the entire day, even up until bedtime, I'm going to encourage you to set a hard limit early in the afternoon.
9:10
SPEAKER_00: For some people, they can't do it after lunch.
9:12
SPEAKER_00: For some people, it's after four.
9:14
SPEAKER_00: It just depends on your personal tolerance and your ability to have a good sleep pattern.
9:18
SPEAKER_00: But just make sure that you're not consuming caffeine all the way until bedtime because that's just going to keep you in a state of alertness that you really don't need.
9:26
SPEAKER_00: You won't be able to relax.
9:28
SPEAKER_00: So we're going to get our good light in, we're going to have our caffeine cut off, get our circadian rhythm rhythm producing that natural melatonin for us.
9:36
SPEAKER_00: And then we're going to find ourselves a cool dark room.
9:40
SPEAKER_00: So this is encouraging you to put down your devices, not watch TV until you fall asleep, but go get in a cool temperature room and turn the lights down very low.
9:51
SPEAKER_00: Now, if you want to read a book, if you want to do something like that, awesome.
9:55
SPEAKER_00: Highly encourage it.
9:56
SPEAKER_00: Just try to stay off of your devices because that blue light is going to give you a sense of alertness and awaken, and it's going to make it harder for you to fall asleep.
10:04
SPEAKER_00: Good sleep hygiene is really, really important.
10:08
SPEAKER_00: And if you're not sure if yours is good or you need some help with that, reach out.
10:11
SPEAKER_00: Happy to help you with it.
10:13
SPEAKER_00: We also want to make sure that we are having good sugar, blood sugar stability later in the evening.
10:19
SPEAKER_00: So what that's going to look like is you're going to want to have some protein and some fat before bed instead of just you know carbohydrates alone.
10:26
SPEAKER_00: So while that pasta with you know the marinara might sound really good, you're probably going to want to pair that with something with a little bit more protein and a little heavier fat content to help set you up for good sleep and a better bedtime.
10:40
SPEAKER_00: So these are just a couple of things that you can do to build better sleep from the inside out.
10:45
SPEAKER_00: Now, if you need extra support, we have lots of natural options.
10:49
SPEAKER_00: We have things like a passion flower, skull cap, catnip, all very gentle nerving herbs that are going to help ease you towards rest without sedating you and without that hangover the next day, that residue that's left over.
11:01
SPEAKER_00: Earthly products that I recommend for this.
11:04
SPEAKER_00: We have a sleepy time tincture, we have good night lotion, which is their magnesium lotion, which I really, really like.
11:10
SPEAKER_00: These are things that I recommend as kind of like that first step.
11:13
SPEAKER_00: If you've done melatonin, you've done all the over, all the other over-the-counter options, these are two that I encourage people to ease their way into.
11:23
SPEAKER_00: Now, you'll probably notice on that first night, you may not see a lot of a difference.
11:27
SPEAKER_00: Second night, same thing.
11:28
SPEAKER_00: It's going to be a gradual process as your body works through what you've been giving it and readjusts to the new things you're giving it.
11:34
SPEAKER_00: So just be patient.
11:36
SPEAKER_00: It might take a little time, but I think that you will really, really like the results.
11:40
SPEAKER_00: Because what we don't want to do over time is just keep doing things that we know aren't really serving us best in the chasing of trying to do better.
11:49
SPEAKER_00: All right.
11:49
SPEAKER_00: So we've talked about sleep, we've talked about pain.
11:52
SPEAKER_00: Let's move on to allergies.
11:54
SPEAKER_00: This is a big one, especially for me, because I have terrible seasonal allergies and it's been a real struggle.
12:00
SPEAKER_00: So you have your allergy over-the-counters, things like Zertec, Claritin, Benadryl.
12:04
SPEAKER_00: This is another thing where people just grab what's available without really thinking about am I getting worse year over year?
12:13
SPEAKER_00: Do these things seem to be like more um more of a problem for me this year than they were last or the year before, and so on?
12:20
SPEAKER_00: What we really want to address is it's not really about the pollen.
12:24
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it is about the pollen, but that's not the root of it.
12:28
SPEAKER_00: The pollen is the trigger, but the real problem is your body's total histamine load.
12:34
SPEAKER_00: It's probably already too much.
12:36
SPEAKER_00: It's probably maxed out, even before, you know, you have those first spring blooms, you know, and and the flowers and the pine and all the things.
12:45
SPEAKER_00: Your histamine system is probably already just completely at its max, and it's doing the best it can to just help you get through.
12:51
SPEAKER_00: You're fighting for your life in that regard.
12:53
SPEAKER_00: So one of the things that we have to look at in this situation is your gut health.
12:58
SPEAKER_00: We have to look at your stress levels, we have to look at your diet because all of those are going to be contributing to how reactive your immune system is before the sneezy season even begins.
13:10
SPEAKER_00: So got to look at all those different areas.
13:12
SPEAKER_00: I know that sounds like a lot, but trust me, it's really not.
13:16
SPEAKER_00: So in the long game, this is what we're looking at.
13:18
SPEAKER_00: We're looking the long game here.
13:20
SPEAKER_00: What we want to do is we want to look at gut repair and lowering your overall histamine load.
13:25
SPEAKER_00: In the short term, though, there are a couple of things that you can bring into your body that may be helpful, like stinging nettle and cursetin.
13:34
SPEAKER_00: Those act like natural histamines.
13:36
SPEAKER_00: Now, if you're on a medication, you're not sure if that's something that you need to take, ask your provider, ask me.
13:41
SPEAKER_00: I'll be happy to help you logistically work through that.
13:44
SPEAKER_00: But those are two of the things that actually might help to stabilize your mast cells that are releasing all that histamine in the first place.
13:52
SPEAKER_00: So it's a different upstream mechanism.
13:54
SPEAKER_00: So we can't just look at, okay, I need to get rid of the sneezes and I need to get rid of the runny nose.
13:59
SPEAKER_00: Let's look upstream of that and say, okay, why is my body producing so much histamine and how can I actually support it to calm down?
14:08
SPEAKER_00: So we've got a couple of things that we can think about in that regard.
14:11
SPEAKER_00: So Earthly has a great product, it's called Sinus Saver.
14:15
SPEAKER_00: Love it.
14:15
SPEAKER_00: It's something I can't keep on the shelves.
14:17
SPEAKER_00: So many people just really, really find it so beneficial.
14:20
SPEAKER_00: One of the other things, which is probably one of the oldest tricks in the book, is to get raw local honey.
14:26
SPEAKER_00: Whatever the pollinators are in your area are going to be pollinating, helping to make that honey.
14:30
SPEAKER_00: So your body is going to be able to use it to help you feel better.
14:34
SPEAKER_00: So we've talked about pain.
14:36
SPEAKER_00: We have talked about allergies.
14:37
SPEAKER_00: We have talked about sleep.
14:38
SPEAKER_00: And I know we're running through these really fast.
14:41
SPEAKER_00: That's why you really need that handout because it will be very helpful to you.
14:44
SPEAKER_00: The last place I want to touch on before we get into immune system support and cold support is digestion.
14:52
SPEAKER_00: Gut health, such an important thing.
14:55
SPEAKER_00: I can't say it enough.
14:56
SPEAKER_00: Your gut health is really kind of the foundational place to start looking at healing all of the other places.
15:03
SPEAKER_00: So I have very, very strong feelings about PPIs or protein pump inhibitors.
15:09
SPEAKER_00: People take those things like omeprazole, prilosec.
15:12
SPEAKER_00: Those are one of, in my opinion, one of the most over-prescribed categories out there right now.
15:19
SPEAKER_00: What most people don't know is that reflux is usually not a problem of too much acid.
15:25
SPEAKER_00: It's a problem of the wrong acid at the wrong time.
15:28
SPEAKER_00: And when you combine that with low pressure in your valves between the esophagus and the stomach, it's just a perfect storm.
15:35
SPEAKER_00: So when you take a PPI for years, and I know a lot of people who have, I know a lot of people who have, you know, worked their way off of them, what you're actually doing is you're blocking the acid in your body from actually doing what it needs to do during digestion.
15:49
SPEAKER_00: So when you do that, it's going to inhibit mineral absorption.
15:54
SPEAKER_00: It's going to be very hard for you to protect against certain bacterias.
15:59
SPEAKER_00: And the worst part is your body is going to compensate by producing even more acid.
16:05
SPEAKER_00: So what's going to happen over time is you know the thing that you thought was too much acid is going to actually be compounded by more acid.
16:11
SPEAKER_00: And if you were to stop cold turkey, you're going to get this brutal rebound effect.
16:16
SPEAKER_00: Um, it's just not acid being your enemy, it's just biology, it's just the way that your body is working.
16:21
SPEAKER_00: So the real work is finding what your trigger foods are.
16:25
SPEAKER_00: You have to slow down when you eat, you've got to support your digestion instead of just suppressing it.
16:29
SPEAKER_00: A couple of things to think about.
16:31
SPEAKER_00: Um, ginger.
16:32
SPEAKER_00: Gosh, ginger root is extraordinary.
16:34
SPEAKER_00: It improves the motility of the gut, reduces nausea, has real anti-inflammatory properties that I think are just really amazing for the digestive tract.
16:43
SPEAKER_00: You have things like um DGL licorice, slippery elm, they actually coat and soothe the lining so that it can heal.
16:50
SPEAKER_00: And that's one of the things that if you're on a PPI for a really long time and then you decide you don't want to take it or you forget your medication or whatever it is, you're gonna feel that rebound effect.
17:01
SPEAKER_00: Those things can help actually soothe and help you get through it.
17:05
SPEAKER_00: So, one of the companies that I really enjoy, um, down home down home roots herbal has a leaky gut formula and an H.
17:12
SPEAKER_00: pylori blend.
17:13
SPEAKER_00: So a lot of times, and we won't know this until we do further testing, but a lot of times one of the two of those will really help your body get back in gear and really help your digestion get back on track.
17:24
SPEAKER_00: One of the things that you don't want to do is to just kind of like throw in the towel and just say, you know what, I'm just gonna do the best I can.
17:32
SPEAKER_00: Because what happens with that is your absorption gets really bad, and then you might be eating enough, but you might be malnourished or definitely not getting the nutrition that you need from your foods.
17:42
SPEAKER_00: So be super mindful with that.
17:44
SPEAKER_00: The last category that we're gonna touch on, and again, going through these really fast, so definitely get that handout, is immune support and cold support.
17:52
SPEAKER_00: So I hear it all the time, and we're getting ready to get into it now.
17:56
SPEAKER_00: I call it sick season.
17:57
SPEAKER_00: I probably should call it over sugar season because we're gonna be going through all the holidays with all of the sweet treats.
18:03
SPEAKER_00: But one of the things that people come to me about a lot is how can I support my immune system?
18:08
SPEAKER_00: Because I get a cold every year, it lingers and lingers, doesn't seem to ever go away, and then I go straight into my allergies.
18:15
SPEAKER_00: We don't want that for you this year.
18:17
SPEAKER_00: So this is where I think we've made the most progress in terms of public awareness, but we still have a ways to go.
18:23
SPEAKER_00: More people right now are reaching out for things like elderberry and vitamin C at the first sign of something like going a little wrong with their immune system than ever before.
18:33
SPEAKER_00: And that is a definite win.
18:35
SPEAKER_00: But like I said, we still have quite a ways to go with this.
18:38
SPEAKER_00: So I want you to kind of rest easy.
18:41
SPEAKER_00: You know, understand that you know, real medicine is rest.
18:46
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes resting is the best thing you can do for your body.
18:50
SPEAKER_00: Your immune system does its best work and fights for you the hardest if you are rested.
18:55
SPEAKER_00: That's one of the things that leads people to getting sick this time of year, is they're too busy, they're not eating well, they're not paying attention, they're not taking care of themselves, they're not sleeping good, and then they get sick.
19:06
SPEAKER_00: So rest.
19:07
SPEAKER_00: Rest is a top priority.
19:09
SPEAKER_00: Your immune system is gonna do really good things for you if you can get ample sleep.
19:13
SPEAKER_00: So you take your rest, and then you got vitamin D, your vitamin C, and your zinc, you're gonna top that off year round.
19:20
SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be something that you don't want to just do when it's, you know, like I said, sick season, but you want to do it all year long.
19:27
SPEAKER_00: Make sure that your reserves are where they need to be so that you won't end up in a deficit and you have all the tools your body needs to fight the good fight.
19:36
SPEAKER_00: One of the last things that has come up, um, I would say in the last five or six years pretty strongly, um, is elderberry.
19:44
SPEAKER_00: And it's kind of like the first tickle of a sore throat.
19:47
SPEAKER_00: Get some elderberry in.
19:48
SPEAKER_00: You can use garlic, thyme, and honey for cough.
19:52
SPEAKER_00: I know that's not really yummy, but does really good things, very, very effective.
19:56
SPEAKER_00: Earthly has two products that I think are really good.
19:59
SPEAKER_00: You've got your elderberry elixir and your cough be gone.
20:02
SPEAKER_00: Both are magic, honestly, in my opinion.
20:04
SPEAKER_00: They're gonna really help you feel better quickly.
20:06
SPEAKER_00: Then you can think about things from down home roots.
20:09
SPEAKER_00: They also have some really good products.
20:11
SPEAKER_00: They have a biblical blend that is really great.
20:13
SPEAKER_00: I keep it in my cabinet all the time for all the things.
20:16
SPEAKER_00: It's kind of a good go-to.
20:18
SPEAKER_00: So, one clarification I want to always make is when people say things, and I use this in quotes, herbal antibiotics, which is a name that some of the blends that are on the market, herbal blends carry.
20:31
SPEAKER_00: It's a description of their antimicrobial activity.
20:35
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
20:36
SPEAKER_00: They're not actual antibiotics, and they should not be a replacement for prescribed antibiotics in a true bacterial infection.
20:44
SPEAKER_00: So, word of caution there.
20:45
SPEAKER_00: You know, you can think of things like strep throat, UTI, pneumonia, cellulitis, any of those really do require some medical evaluation and some real antibiotics.
20:55
SPEAKER_00: Now, you can do supportive herbs on top of that, absolutely, but definitely get that checked because those are things that we don't want to play around with.
21:04
SPEAKER_00: We are not playing games with those.
21:07
SPEAKER_00: So, this has been a conversation about things that are over the counter that you're gonna have in your medicine cabinet relatively fast and you're gonna be reaching for.
21:15
SPEAKER_00: So I just want to say that when it comes to the everyday stuff, we have a lot of room to say, try this first and reach for that.
21:22
SPEAKER_00: But when we talk about things that we're using for chronic support, the blood pressure medications, diabetes medications, and so on, we have to be really mindful.
21:32
SPEAKER_00: And that's why we're gonna give it its whole episode right by itself, because these are things that you don't want to ever stop cold turkey.
21:39
SPEAKER_00: You want to have a good conversation with your provider, and you want to make sure that everybody is on the same page and you've got somebody monitoring you as you're doing it.
21:47
SPEAKER_00: Some things work well, some don't work so well.
21:50
SPEAKER_00: So you definitely want to have a deeper conversation before getting off of any kind of chronic support.
21:56
SPEAKER_00: So, where do I actually start?
21:59
SPEAKER_00: That's the bigger conversation.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: Question.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: This is what I would say.
22:02
SPEAKER_00: Go to your medicine cabinet, your what I'm going to call your everyday cabinet.
22:06
SPEAKER_00: We're going to have a lot of freedom and the least amount of risk and making some swaps there.
22:10
SPEAKER_00: So I want you to pick one thing that you reach for regularly.
22:13
SPEAKER_00: So think about headaches, sleep, seasonal sniffles, stomach stuff.
22:17
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
22:18
SPEAKER_00: Pick one and then explore one alternative.
22:21
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to give you several in that handout.
22:23
SPEAKER_00: So again, if you don't have it yet, make sure you get it.
22:26
SPEAKER_00: What we want to make sure though is we're not making 17 changes at once.
22:31
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
22:32
SPEAKER_00: Make one change.
22:34
SPEAKER_00: Give it a try.
22:35
SPEAKER_00: See how it works.
22:36
SPEAKER_00: If you're successful, amazing, keep it and move on to the next.
22:40
SPEAKER_00: If you find that while you like it, it doesn't really serve your purpose quite as well as you think it needs to, then find another alternative.
22:47
SPEAKER_00: There are lots of them out there, and sometimes it's about finding just the right one.
22:52
SPEAKER_00: We also want to make sure that we're giving everything a fair trial.
22:55
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
22:56
SPEAKER_00: So that means over a few weeks, not two days.
23:00
SPEAKER_00: That's the biggest complaint I hear when people are switching from an over-the-counter to an herbal or to something natural is well, it didn't work.
23:07
SPEAKER_00: Well, my question back usually is how often did you try it and how long did you give it?
23:12
SPEAKER_00: You really need to give it a fair trial.
23:14
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
23:14
SPEAKER_00: Give it a couple of weeks, not just a couple of days, and then make your assessment.
23:20
SPEAKER_00: So the guide that I mentioned, you want to grab it like for real, grab it.
23:23
SPEAKER_00: The whole picture is all in one place.
23:25
SPEAKER_00: It's got really good alternatives and things that you can find from me fairly easily, or you can find online if you're not close to me.
23:31
SPEAKER_00: We can help work that out.
23:33
SPEAKER_00: You want to print it out, stick it to the inside of a cabinet, really know what your options are when you're going into a situation.
23:39
SPEAKER_00: When you're in a situation, you have a headache, you have a sick child, you have a stomach upset, that's not the time to start exploring natural alternatives.
23:46
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
23:47
SPEAKER_00: You want to have them explored prior to needing them so that you have that resource available and handy, and that is not adding to the stress of the situation.
23:55
SPEAKER_00: So if we need to go deeper, we can go deeper.
23:58
SPEAKER_00: If you want someone to look through your labs, your history, the full picture, give you a really solid roadmap, reach out because that's what we do.
24:07
SPEAKER_00: Happy to walk you through it and help you get a very good wellness plan in place, something that is very specific to you and your wants and your needs.
24:15
SPEAKER_00: We can absolutely do that.
24:16
SPEAKER_00: You'll have our contact details.
24:19
SPEAKER_00: So this is what I want to close you with, without just saying, hey, go get the handout or come make an appointment.
24:25
SPEAKER_00: What I really want you to understand is, you know, our world has got some amazingly incredible tools.
24:31
SPEAKER_00: Conventional medicine is absolutely one of those tools.
24:35
SPEAKER_00: It saves a lot of lives every single day.
24:38
SPEAKER_00: And I am grateful for it.
24:39
SPEAKER_00: Truly, I am.
24:40
SPEAKER_00: I had my gallbladder out about a year ago.
24:42
SPEAKER_00: I was very thankful for conventional medicine during that time.
24:46
SPEAKER_00: But there is a version of medicine that actually asks more of you and is not just one of those things where you take it, you take a medication and things go away.
24:55
SPEAKER_00: It's going to ask you to, you know, really look at your sleep, really look at your food, look at your stress level, look at your community.
25:02
SPEAKER_00: What inputs are you having come in?
25:03
SPEAKER_00: It's going to say, hey, look at the whole system and let's give it some support versus let's just take this to get rid of this symptom.
25:12
SPEAKER_00: So I believe, and it's definitely one of the theological convictions that is an underpinning of everything that we do at the well.
25:20
SPEAKER_00: I believe that we were made with an incredibly vast ability to heal.
25:25
SPEAKER_00: We have to give our bodies the right environments and we have to give our bodies the right support in order to do that.
25:30
SPEAKER_00: But I believe that it's possible.
25:32
SPEAKER_00: And if you will think it's also possible, but you don't know where to start, please reach out.
25:36
SPEAKER_00: I'm happy to have that conversation.
25:38
SPEAKER_00: We do need to understand that our bodies are not our enemy.
25:41
SPEAKER_00: They're not throwing pain at us just, you know, to be an inconvenience.
25:44
SPEAKER_00: Pain, lack of sleep, poor digestion, all of those are signals that your body is sending you to let you know, hey, I need some extra support.
25:52
SPEAKER_00: I need some extra help here.
25:54
SPEAKER_00: You want to make sure that you're answering the deeper question.
25:56
SPEAKER_00: So when something goes wrong, it's usually an invitation to look deeper, okay?
26:01
SPEAKER_00: Not just a problem to be silenced as fast as possible with as little side effects as possible.
26:07
SPEAKER_00: Stewardship of the body is one of the big things at the well.
26:12
SPEAKER_00: We want to make sure that we are playing the long game in everything that we do there.
26:16
SPEAKER_00: We're playing the long game in our mind.
26:18
SPEAKER_00: We're playing the long game in our body.
26:19
SPEAKER_00: We're playing the long game in how we steward things.
26:22
SPEAKER_00: It's all about the long game.
26:23
SPEAKER_00: And we want to help you get there as well.
26:25
SPEAKER_00: So if this is something that you have found to be helpful, you want more information, please reach out, give us a comment, let us know how we can better support you.
26:34
SPEAKER_00: And until next time, we're going to talk about all of the chronic support medications that are out there and conversations to have with your provider so that you might actually get different support naturally.
26:45
SPEAKER_00: Take care.