Functional Medicine for Overwhelmed Women and Tired Moms

Introducing Dr. Emma Andre

Hear Dr. Emma Andre talk about her History and unique approach to medicine.

Video

Audio

Transcript:

Kellie: [00:00:00] Should I get my ukulele?

Emma: [00:00:02] Yes. I want a musical introduction.

[Musical Introduction] [00:00:16]

Kellie: [00:00:18] Hello to everyone, and welcome to those who are new at Revive. My name is Kellie and I'm the marketing and social media go to around here. What I really wanted to do today is kickstart a series of doc talks here and introduce, in my unbiased opinion, some of the best doctors around. First, we have dr. Derek who is the founder and original doctor here at revive.

And we wanted to do a big introduction to our newest doc, dr. Emma, and she has been in practice before coming to revive for many, many years. So take it away, dr. Derek and dr. Emma.

Derek: Great, thanks Kellie for the intro. I had this idea to have a conversation with you, Emma, with Kellie here kind of moderating, to have a little back and forth over what you're all about.  I know we see a lot of things, very similarly from a medicine view, but also. Bring our different experiences and perspectives to the table. And I think that that comes across best in a little bit of a conversation. And while I know a lot of, I still don't actually know all the deep little things that you do and the nuances that kind of come with that.

And I think that's what makes us unique as doctors. And really anyone, it's not just about the nuts and bolts of how do you practice, but how do you actually make that happen with the person. And I think that's what is a unique component, of how you work with people.

So I wanted to have a little bit of a conversation about that. Before we jump into that, as Kellie said, Revive is my clinic. It has been my baby since 2013. And, I love working here. We've been in Carlsbad since then. And, and I really appreciate the kind of patient base we've been able to build here.

Brief, a little bit about myself, most of my patients. And if you can't tell already I am Canadian, I don't have a huge accent, but every once in a while it comes out when I say, sorry, or something else, but you'll, you'll hear it. Here at revive we've seen everything kind of across the board, but most of my emphasis is in metabolic health, weight loss, heart disease, heart disease prevention, as well as some of these chronic cases that just aren't getting well.  I think that's what shows up a lot at naturopathic doctors offices, and it certainly is something that we see here.

But I don't want to spend too much time talking about myself. what I want to get going with Emma is just give us an understanding of, one: how you got down to Carlsbad. There more recently, I think it's been a little bit of a whirlwind; and two, maybe a little bit about how you got into this kind of medicine, and let's evolve that into then saying throughout your career, what you've really come to love to see, to love to treat and what you've been good at. So, share with everybody your whirlwind of the last couple of months of getting down here to Carlsbad.

Emma: [00:03:49] Yeah. That's been an interesting adventure for sure. So as you guys mentioned, I practiced in Portland for about a decade as a ND in my own private practice. And recently we felt called to the sun, the beaches and family down here in San Diego County. And we are so happy to be here. It's been a little more challenging with the current state of things, but, we made it down--that includes myself and my husband and my two kids. They're nine and five girl and a boy and my mom and we absolutely love it here. And am I am building my practice at revive right now and really focusing on other moms.

How I got into naturopathic medicine, I. Actually, it was on the road to conventional medicine to be an MD, and I did all the schooling and prerequisites, and then I worked in a hospital to get experience. And I realized in working there, how, as an anesthesia technician, I worked total seven years there. And that was a great experience because I got to see how disease focused conventional medicine is. And I wanted to get into health focused medicine. And at the time my dad was an MD and I was going to follow in his footsteps.

Derek: [00:05:14] I don't think I knew that!

Emma: [00:05:15] Yeah, he was, and my mom was an acupuncturist who was before that, a physical therapist. So I found myself somewhere kind of in the middle of the two, I realized in working at a hospital, this is not what I'm going for.

The doctors themselves. I watched how they would take care of themselves. And I thought, man, this really has nothing to do with health. This is wonderful disease management, but that's not where I want to put my focus.

Derek: [00:05:42] Yeah!  And  I'll interrupt you for just a sec too, because I didn't quite realize that, but so much of that story is exactly what I got as well. My dad is in medicine, he's a radiologist and presents you a really unique perspective because you got to see the great parts of it. You got to see where it was awesome: life changing, life saving and I've a great deal of respect for what he does. And I have a ton of friends in medicine and I have a great deal of respect for what they do. What it was also able to illuminate is what they do really well, and then what they do very poorly. And then, like you, I had these original goals of going into medicine. I mean, I'm in it, but [goals of going into] conventional medicine and then Naturopathy or naturopathic medicine came into my reality as "this exists." And I didn't really know that at the time, and the side of the equation that it worked on, not the disease side, but the health side...it made so much sense to me, and the slightly broadened, not slightly, the MUCH more broadened toolbox that you were available to have was great. I remember when we were  (we went to the same medical school), I remember when we were at NCNM now NUNM, and I learned at that moment that I think it was in first year when we were starting to talk with them, that I was going to be doing GYN exams and, prostate exams, and biopsies and minor surgery. I didn't know. Naturopathic doctors did that at that time until I showed up in Portland already being like," I want to do this." And it was like: "Oh, I'm going to do that too?!" And, there's a little bit of excitement plus "Oh, okay. Sure!" So yeah, we have a unique and  a shared path in that respect. I actually didn't really know that.

Emma: [00:07:54] Yeah. It's funny, at first, my mom was like, "well, what about acupuncture?" This was like 14 years ago, so I've changed a lot since, but at that time I said, "no that's way too right-brained for me." That was my answer, and it just felt way too far away from the path I've been on with all the science I've been taking. And instead, she h:anded me a book that was written by a doctor who was going through different cases: like, miraculous cases and turnarounds, and this was more of a functional medicine doctor.

And I read that book and was like, "This is what I've been looking for." And then she put another book in my hand and said, "Well, there's this school right here in Portland." I had never even heard of that school at the time because back then, this was the beginning  of that wave of awareness. There wasn't even a conversation about ND's back then in the general public, and that switched a lot while we were in school. But reading that I was like, "Oh my gosh, this is it. This is the philosophy I've been looking for about true health; how to get sustainable health; ways to get your body to work for itself by listening to it; getting it to heal itself." And that's what I truly believed in, and I think the philosophy in conventional medicine was really more about the doctor fixing the patient--which made sense when I worked in the operating room, because that is what they were doing. They were lifesaving, and fixing. But when we're talking about functional things, when we're talking about somebody who was just tired a doctor can't go in and just fix that for them. It's a bigger mystery. You have to put all the puzzle pieces together. And that's what I was interested in is helping people to solve that mystery and learn to really take care of themselves so they can feel exactly how they want to feel. That was lifesaving in the hospital but just not my thing.

Derek: [00:09:54] What was that book that your mom gave you?

Emma: [00:09:56] Oh, I can't even remember.

Derek: [00:09:58] I know for sure anybody listening to this  () if anybody's listening to this), they're gonna be like, "What was that book?"

Emma: [00:10:06] I'll have to dig it out! I mean, we just moved. we've always had an enormous library in our house. We've always had tons of books. My Parents would buy books and never get rid of them. So we would, I mean, I don't even know how many thousands of books we probably have. So I know we purged before we came. Maybe that one's still left. I don't know. I mean, we have two bookshelves full of just health and wellness and spirituality. Like all of that blended together. That is my family's...we  just love that stuff.

Kellie: [00:10:39] [Emma, what is it that] you treat most, I know that I've had the opportunity to talk with you. And a lot of the stuff that you were saying was resonating with me personally, and I'm just like shaking my head, like, "Yes! Yes! This is my doctor!" Or I'm thinking of people I know who had been looking for someone like you. So if you could just touch briefly on who it is that you generally treat and what your approach is.

Emma: [00:11:03] Yeah, absolutely. My practice in Portland, I was, I was there for a decade, so I started really broad and in the last few years I've really started to narrow in, on supporting moms or women just like me. I ended up getting, in my practice, lots of moms who were exhausted, who felt like as soon as they had kids, everything kind of flipped--their hormones flipped, their energy went down, their libido disappeared, their hair started falling out, they're gaining weight in new places. It's like their whole health picture flipped.

And that happened to me. I got so tired after I had kids. More tired than what is normal from the sleep deprivation and how much we give of ourselves, and of our body and of our energy. And I found myself in this hole. And I was so tired when my daughter was one and a half or two. I was so tired I couldn't even play with her. I would just lay on the floor while she played. And I was like, "What is wrong with me? What is going on?" And I, at the time being already a doctor when I had her, still hadn't figured out what it was that would turn that around. And I couldn't find any good resources, honestly.

So I found that that was the thing I needed to focus on. So I figured out my own health issues got that taken care of and decided that that was where I needed to focus and help other women. Cause clearly they weren't getting the help they needed either. If I couldn't even find the resources and I was educated about this, where was that for everyone else?  So I zeroed in on that.

I would say, mainly, I love being a support for overwhelmed moms who are finding themselves.  They're also in that pit. And the culture in this country teaches us from day one that the thing to do is to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, figure it out, just do it yourself.  And when it comes to health, That doesn't really work. We actually need others to help us put the puzzle pieces together and to solve this. And I want to be that ladder for somebody to get out of the hole.

Derek: [00:13:28] Yeah. That's a great way to put it. It takes, you know, it's like the village mentality. It's something that I reflect to a lot of my patients when I speak to them, whether they're, whether they're new ones or ones, I've had a long time, there may be a need to have members on your team that affect things differently. I think the cool thing about what you do, and I want you to speak to this a little bit as well. Emma is you have the capacity to be a really solid resource for a lot of people, and women in particular. partially because of some of the holistic counseling that you also do. And I think that that is a unique piece where inevitably, when we start to get to know people, we do a lot of counseling, not necessarily on purpose, just because we're asking questions.

And I think you've taken that even further to a degree that you've armed yourself with a toolbox to actually say, "okay, well, if we're going to dig into some stuff, I can get us out of this pit." Can you speak a little bit more to that too?

Emma: [00:14:39] Yeah, absolutely. So my journey and the tools that I've gathered that I think are the most helpful for women in this situation reflect completely the journey that I went through personally, meaning I've, I've been there. I know what it feels like to be overwhelmed and to feel alone in this. And I don't want other women to feel that that way. So I started with the physical layer. I started to address what were the nutrients that were missing. I was inflamed and achy and I was low in iron like so many women are, it was, there was all those physical things, dealing with gut health, getting my sleep in check and all of those things were so important.

The thing was that I had my daughter and I handled the physical piece and then I had my son and I went right back to where I was that first time. So even getting the physical piece dialed in, although it was helpful, I still found myself back in that same spot. So the physical wasn't really enough. And that's when I started looking into the mental-emotional piece.  And I started getting involved in getting coaching for myself on that level. And I started training in holistic counseling, which, probably requires a whole other phone call to explain what that is out there. It's something totally different, but it's, it's a really great way to get down to where it is that we operate in a way that may not be what's in our best interest for our health.

So that was the next layer: the mental-emotional piece. And after that, the next piece is spiritual layer. We are all physical beings. We are also mental, emotional beings and we're spiritual beings. And you can't really separate those out. And many women are quite used to being treated like, "okay, we're going to look at your body like it's this machinery that we just have to put together. And we just fix this for you, we just plop this pill in and we'll just fix it."

Derek: [00:16:39] "Cut this out."

Emma: [00:16:43] Yeah, "cut this out, remove that and boom, we fixed it for you. You don't have to do a thin." And this just doesn't reflect reality. We're all those pieces. And so as NDs, I feel like our strength is really to step back and to look at the whole picture. That's instead of specialists who are really good at zooming in on the one thing, and we need that, but our strength as an ND is to really step back and look at all of those pieces and I am fascinated with those pieces and how they fit into somebody's health picture.

So I ask those questions. I ask questions that people are not used to being asked by their doctor because they matter, because how we do life, if we operate from a place of feeling stressed out of feeling overwhelmed of feeling like there is no space for us--which, is how a lot of moms feel. They are at the bottom of the totem pole every single time--we can the scales by turning that around and saying, "okay, this is the thing that I need to do for me." Because in the back of every mom's head, she knows: "If I'm not at my best, I'm not giving my family, I'm not giving my workspace, I'm not giving everybody else my best." And that's often where a lot of them feel the worst, not just for themselves, but they're not giving their kids their best if they're cranky, tired and overwhelmed. And so the hardest part is to take that initial step to make space for your health.

Derek: [00:18:18] Yeah. It's being able to marry all of those things together. making sure there's not something big, bad going on, making sure your thyroid is right, your irons, right. Beause you're not going to get well, if that's not corrected, but using that as the first step and not the only step, and being able to have that kind of game plan.

Kellie: [00:18:45] So what can I, as the patient coming in to see you expect from our first visit? And then subsequently all of the visits afterwards.

Emma: [00:19:00] Generally the first visit is gathering a lot of information. We ask a lot of questions and the unique thing about working with us is you get the full hour to talk to us, which for a lot of people is a brand new experience. So in that hour, especially in the first one, Of course, it depends on what someone's coming in for everyone's favorite answer, but we do get to ask a lot of questions. I like to hear a lot about somebody's history. Part of that goes into the intake, but then I want to hear it from them when they come in, then we talk about what labs to order. And as we were just saying, we kind of start with the physical pieces because those are the foundation for addressing and allowing all those other layers to be healed as well.

So we'll start by figuring out which labs we're going to order, and then I usually like to give people a sense of, "Okay, here's our short term plan, and then here's our longterm plan. And this is what I'm guessing and it's going to look like, but a lot of it is gathering information and getting to know you as an individual." So much of what we do is so individualized and it's based on your history and your needs at that moment.

Derek: [00:20:13] Relationship building, right? I think that's something that is unique to our profession in a lot of respects where you actually have a relationship with your doc--a professional one, but still something that is above just a five minutes, 10 minutes, physical exam, lab work, annual lab work, and: "Alright, you're okay." Or an instrument inserted somewhere doing something. So, I think that's a good summary of a way in which I try to work with folks as well. From a, to be a little bit more specific on the investigations when you talk about labs. So are you talking about blood work? Are you talking hormones? What in particular is on the buffet in front of you if you need to go there.

Emma: [00:21:18] I mean, "Yes." The blood work, which sometimes it's the kind of blood work that people are used to doing with their primary care, except that we tend to like a broader picture. For example, well, if we're looking at the thyroid, we have other markers that we like to order to get a more complete and whole picture of how somebody's thyroid is actually doing. And then also there are, there's a whole spread of functional labs, things most MDs don't know about and won't order either because they don't really have the time to go through it or the training to decipher these things. That's where we spend our time in our training is to try to get a more functional understanding of, for example, your gut or your hormones, or probably some of the more in depth heart health panels that you would do in your practice. So there's a whole spread  of things.

Derek: [00:22:22] Great. So, Kellie, why don't you share a little bit about how, if someone's interested in seeing Dr. Emma or myself, what are the avenues to make that happen?

Kellie: [00:22:36] So we've kept it pretty simple: either go to our website: revivenatmed.com. And there's a little green button on there. That's "Requested appointment" You can request your 15 minute appointment with Emma or Derek. Or you can give us a call (760) 306-4842. @ReviveNatMed - Both Facebook and Instagram.

Derek: [00:23:01] Perfect. Thanks, Emma. This was great. We'll be doing it again. And Kellie, thank you for organizing that. Hopefully this is the beginning of many dives  we can take into different topics, because I think that the more we can share a perspective, that resonates, that makes people feel like "Yeah, that's me!" Because I think that's just like that book you read, you're like, "Yes! This is the thing I want." I think that we can provide that same kind of trigger for a lot of people out there.

Emma: [00:23:47] Having the right fit with somebody is so important. It's so important and that's, it's so cool that revive offers these free 15 minute consults so that we can have a conversation and see whether it feels like a good fit. I love that.

Derek: [00:24:02] Perfect. Alright, thank you both!

3 Tips to Avoid Overeating

Are you prone to overeating? I can be at times. It's not a fantastic habit or amazing for metabolism. First, if we eat too fast, we put in more calories than we need in a certain meal before feeling full. Secondly, it's also not great for the gut or the microbiome. It can cause indigestion, gas, and bloating, just like laborious digestion. So here are three tips to try to prevent overeating when you sit down to eat some food:

One, chew your food. Alright, I know that sounds crazy, but chew it. Chew it 35 times. Why 35? Because I said so. It will slow you down. Give yourself more of an opportunity to feel full.

Two, put your fork or spoon down between each bite. That will slow you down and give you a greater chance of getting those important sensations of feeling full and satisfied.

The third point is something that I did effectively today, and that is: eating some scalding hot soup and burning the shit out of your tongue and the roof of your mouth. That will inevitably slow down how fast you eat and ruin food for you for the next two to three days—so I'm looking forward to that.

The soup was excellent. By the way, I'll put my little recipe, a shout-out to Dr. Brian Myers below.

So, slow down.

This recipe has 7 different vegetables, lots of protein, some starch carbs, and nice, fatty richness from the coconut milk—big fan.

Brian soup:
Mild Italian Chicken Sausage (2 lbs) - I like lots of meat in my soup
Yellow Onion (1), chopped.
Carrots (2), chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
Stalks Celery (3), chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
Kale (1 bunch), chopped in medium size pieces
Green Beans (1/2 lb), trimmed and cut into 1" long pieces
Baby Potatoes (10), quartered or halved if small.
Garlic (4-5 cloves), chopped
Chicken Stock (6 cups)
Full Fat Coconut Milk (1 can)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)

Brown the chicken in a pan or saute mode in an Instant Pot. Break it into pieces that will fit on a spoon but are not too small.

Once the chicken is browned, set it aside in a bowl. Add the onions to the pan and cook on medium until they caramelize (~8-10 minutes), don't burn them!

Once the onions are about done, add the carrots, and celery and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add garlic to cook for 1-2 minutes until soft.

Add the chicken sausage back to the instant pot, or move all the cooked ingredients to the instant pot. Add the broth.

Turn the instant pot to Soup and set the time for 10 minutes.

Once the 10 minutes is up, "quick release" the instant pot.

At this point, add the coconut milk and green beans and stir until incorporated. Put the lid back on while instant pot is on "Keep Warm," and let the green beans cook until a desired doneness (I like them with some crunch).

Season with salt and pepper to taste. If you use salted broth, it will be less salty; if you use unsalted broth, it will be more. Use your judgement. You can't take salt back, but you can always add more.

Add chili flakes if you want some heat.

Let it cool before eating, or you'll burn your mouth like I did.

Knock yourself out (just not by burning your tongue). 👅🔥

Supplements: You get what you pay for

Do you ever wonder why the “same supplement” online or from your local superstore costs so much less than at the pharmacy or doctor’s office? Especially when it comes to supplements, you will see why the adage is true: you get what you pay for!

Supplements are a billion dollar industry

In 2021, the United States dietary supplement market size was over $150 billion (1). This is a massive industry with little to no regulation, operating essentially on an honor system. This leaves the general population vulnerable to misrepresentation and potentially harmful ingredients. For example, Labdoor, a research company that tests dietary supplements, has found that some manufacturers skew their ingredient labels so that the amounts on the label may not be the same as what’s actually in each capsule.

Freshness ought not be overlooked

Most things purchased online from mass retailers come from large warehouses and not from the manufacturer itself. That means your product may be at or near its expiration date upon your receiving it. It could also have been exposed to damaging light or temperatures during storage or transit – since many require a modicum of climate control for potency – that some of these facilities are not equipped to handle. Probiotics are an easy example of one such supplement where freshness is important because the number of Colony Forming Units (CFUs), the unit of measure for probiotics, declines over time and with exposure to extreme temperatures.

Quality is worth it

The rise of e-commerce stores have essentially helped create millions of online counterfeit stores. There has been plenty written on the topic. Particularly regarding Amazon. These counterfeit stores pop up into existence faster than they can be found and shut down and flood the market with inferior products. All supplements are not created equal. Understanding labels for ingredients is important. Some are loaded with fillers and others use the same herb or vitamin or mineral, but in a form that is non-bioavailable (i.e. useless, but cheaper) to us as humans. You are literally throwing your money down the drain. 

Beyond the common online retailers, big retailers such as GNC, Walmart, Walgreens, and Target have all been called out in the past for selling “snake oil” (2). A 2015 study spearheaded by New York Attorney General Schneiderman revealed that supplements sold at these big name retailers did not actually contain the ingredients advertised, but were instead filled with powdered vegetables. Even some labeled “gluten free” products contained wheat. High quality professional lines are important because they ensure your product contains exactly what’s on the label and nothing more. (3).

Safety

I tell all of my patients that the ultimate goal is to not need supplements and medications. Ideally, we ought to get everything we need from our food, sleep, exercise, community, and stress management, but sometimes we need some help. With that in mind I am specific with what I recommend and prescribe – often at a therapeutic strength for a specific period of time as opposed to the recommended daily amount or the manufacturer’s recommendation. I am not one to tell people to just take something forever. As if that isn’t reason enough, many supplements and medications interact with each other and may be contraindicated for individuals with specific medical conditions. It is ill-advised to ask a vitamin aisle clerk for health advice. 

How to Choose Good Quality Supplements

I don’t eat at fast food joints and I don’t get my supplements from superstores – which I see as a similar comparison. I don’t seek quantity, but rather quality with what I choose to put into my body and I recommend the same for my patients. Supplements can be a great addition to a treatment plan and they can help get your body back to optimal health, but only if used safely. Your health is the wisest investment you can make. In this instance, quality is value.

For supplement comparisons and rankings check out websites like labdoor.com. Our clinic often uses Fullscipt - a trusted source for professional-grade products where you can browse the catalog. Finally, you’re always welcome to request an appointment with one of our doctors for further advice.

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