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Female Hormone Imbalances- The Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosing & How to Treat Them with Casie Trosclair
6 Plays10 months ago
As women age, our bodies and hormones change. We begin to experience signs and symptoms of imbalances like hair loss, fatigue, weight gain or inability to lose weight, brain fog, heavy periods and so much more. We may feel like we’re going crazy or that this is just the new norm. It’s NOT normal but it IS treatable and it doesn’t have to be with traditional prescription medicine. In this episode, Casie Trosclair, a functional medicine nurse practitioner gives us all the ins and outs of what those symptoms are, how she diagnoses and treats them.
And as always, remember:
YOU ARE STRONG.
YOU ARE CAPABLE.
YOU ARE WORTHY.
I love you and I’m ENDLESSLY rooting for you!
If you would like to schedule an appointment with Casie or follow her on social, here is how you can reach her:
https://www.facebook.com/bayoufm/
info@bayoufm.com
985-438-3245
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Transcript
Introduction and Background
00:00:00
Speaker
So before we dive in today's episode, I just wanted to give you guys a little bit of a backstory for a few reasons. A, so you'll know why I am so passionate about our next guest and what she does.
00:00:18
Speaker
And also because maybe my story might. Help you maybe it's a relatable thing where you can listen to what happened with me and what led me to going meet with this person and how she helped me so.
Pam's Health Struggles and Life Challenges
00:00:37
Speaker
Casey Trossclair is a functional medicine doctor here locally where I live in South Louisiana. And there was a time period where for years, many, many years, I had gone to several doctors because I was experiencing things like
00:00:54
Speaker
hair loss and fatigue and mental fog and It's just several other things that you know I was just like I don't feel right and I was like some things just not I don't feel great I don't feel little things that started happening that I was like, you know, I'm not feeling like my old self and so I started going to whether it was general practitioners or
00:01:20
Speaker
I even went and seen an endocrinologist and my gynecologist and was like, something's not right. And all of them, and granted all of this happened over a span of a few years, they would run all of these blood work tests.
00:01:36
Speaker
They would say, Pam, your blood work is phenomenal. Everything looks great. We don't know why you're feeling like this. I was put on antidepressants and medicine for anxiety. I was put on thyroid medicine at one point. I was told to change my birth control and all of these different things and nothing helped.
00:01:58
Speaker
at all. And I was still taking all of my normal vitamins and things like that. And so in 2019, 2019 at the very end of 2019, early 2020, I got off of birth control.
00:02:13
Speaker
And it was at that time that things really, and mind you, at that time I was in my early thirties, like 31 ish, something like that. And that was when things gradually started to get worse and worse. There were things happening in my personal life as well.
00:02:31
Speaker
Um, I was in a new relationship. My career got crazy busy where I was working very long hours and I, you know, wasn't sleeping enough, but I was still working out and I was still eating right. And my nutrition was on point or what I thought was anyway. And I was like, I'm, I'm healthy. I'm doing all of the right things, but I'm feeling worse and worse with every day.
00:02:56
Speaker
and it got to the point at the very beginning of last year.
Turning to Functional Medicine
00:03:00
Speaker
So at the very beginning of 2023, let me take you back. So in 2022, I actually went see another doctor and at that point I was told that it was hormone related, some of the things that I had going on and that my testosterone level was at zero. So I ended up getting a testosterone supplement and that totally
00:03:22
Speaker
rocked my world in a really bad way. And I know that the testosterone supplements are fantastic for some women. And they do work for a lot of women because there are a lot of women that need them. But for me, that was not it. I went from a one level to another and then back right back down to the point where I it was a crash and burn. And so at the beginning of 2023, a friend of mine was like, Pam, why don't you go see
00:03:49
Speaker
a functional medicine doctor and I'm like, what the heck is that? Like I've gone to all these doctors and you know, they keep telling me and the reason why I was at a point where I was like, it's really, really bad is because it was to the point where I felt like I wasn't even present every day. I felt like I was just going through the motions and if anyone's experiencing this, you know what I'm talking about. I felt like my head was in the clouds. Like I'm here, but I'm not here.
00:04:16
Speaker
And I was I don't even know what I was functioning on the brain fog was so intense The thoughts of I felt like I was going crazy because my short-term memory was Someone could tell me something and two minutes later I was I would they could say I just told you and I'm like, I don't know what you're talking about It was really it was very scary
00:04:40
Speaker
Then it got to the point where I was already having irregular periods heavy periods weeks like a week or two of spotting before my period we would happen and I And then when it would I was bleeding very very heavy For a day or two and then it was just gone my periods are very often then it got to the point right before I went see Casey where I was I
00:05:07
Speaker
passing clots. And, and I know this is TMI, but you were all women and I know that you understand, but it was a lot. And it was, um, something I had never experienced before. And it got worse and worse over a period of a couple of months to the point where the clots were very, very large and coming more frequent. And I was scared. So y'all try to talk about this. And every time I do, like I cry because it's like, it's so crazy how unhealthy I was and the things that I had going on. So anyway, so I went see Casey.
00:05:34
Speaker
And y'all, when I tell you, I have never in my life, and you're going to hear this in the interview with her, I have never in my life had a doctor ask me questions the way that she did. My first appointment with her, she sat with me for two hours, two hours. You tell me when that you've ever gone to a doctor and they sat with you for two hours.
00:05:58
Speaker
And she just asked questions. And some of the questions at first, I was like, why is she even asking me this? Like, what does this have to do with anything that I'm coming to her for? But she wanted to know why. And she wanted to know where all of these problems stem from. What caused all of these things to happen? Not just, hey, what's going on? She wanted to dig deeper. And that alone meant so much to me because
00:06:21
Speaker
It was just for the first time in my life, I felt like I had a doctor who was listening to me. And I know if you've been to a doctor before, like I have or had at that point that just kept saying, you know, there's nothing wrong with you. And I'm like, I'm telling you there's something wrong with me. This isn't, you can't tell me that this is normal for me to feel this way. And so for her to actually listen,
00:06:43
Speaker
like, Oh gosh. And so, and even by the end of that appointment, now granted, it was just my first appointment with her. So we hadn't even run any tests or anything like that, but she was able to give me some answers and to say based on the information that you're telling me and the things that you're saying,
00:07:00
Speaker
I am 100% sure when I run these tests, this, this, this, and this is gonna happen and Pam, it's okay because we're gonna fix it. Pam, you're going to be okay. Pam, you are correct in saying that no, this is not normal. You shouldn't feel this way and I'm gonna help you. Like when I tell you, God, I left her office and I sat in my car and cried because I was like, I have never in my life
00:07:28
Speaker
A, had a doctor who listened to me. B, asked me the questions that she did, like she actually cared. And C, told me that it was fixable and that I didn't have to feel that way. So here I am crying again, y'all. I cannot talk about this without crying because it's if you know, you know. So anyway, she recommended a lot of blood work and a lot of tests and things like that. So I did all of that.
00:07:53
Speaker
And again, that second meeting that I had with her to go over the first round of blood work, because I actually met with her three times, that first round of blood work was just, I will tell you again, I sat with her again for another two hours. And another thing that she did during this appointment that completely blew me away was that she explained the test to me. Typically, when I've gone to any other doctor that I've gone to,
00:08:22
Speaker
If there's anything wrong, or I shouldn't even say that, the nurse calls and was like, oh, hey, we got your blood work back. Everything looks good. Or maybe if there's something wrong, they might say the doctor wants to see you. And then maybe I was prescribed thyroid medicine that I didn't even need or whatever the case may be. So that was it. But no one ever sat me down.
00:08:45
Speaker
printed out the paperwork and literally went through not just not she didn't skip over the things that were good she literally sat there and said you know this is what this level is this is what it means and this is great this is what this level is and this is what it means and this is okay but it could be better
00:09:05
Speaker
And this is what this level is. And this is how this level talks to this other level over here. Yo, like when I tell you it wasn't just telling me what it was, it was explaining to me like what caused what to happen. And you know, this level is low, but it's probably because this level over here isn't right. So it was so much information that I was so, that I left there feeling
00:09:30
Speaker
like a somewhat a little bit overwhelmed because it is a lot to take in and to understand. But at the same time, I left there with answers. I left there understanding why everything was happening. I left there knowing just to see it and to understand it was meant everything to me. And I also left there with a plan of
00:09:58
Speaker
what things I was going to take, what supplements I was going to take, are the ways that I was going to change what I was eating, are the ways that I was going to change the way that I was working out to help me to feel better. And so I had one other appointment with her after that. And that is when you'll hear during the interview, she talks about a Dutch screening that tests hormones and other types of levels. And so I had that third appointment with her and that's whenever I learned about
00:10:24
Speaker
You know, the hormone things that were going on and she gave me another, you know, list of do these things went through all of those results with me. And when I tell y'all within a matter of three months of sticking to everything she told me to take and everything she told me to do, I felt like a new person, like.
00:10:47
Speaker
my old self, like a person that I felt like I had lost for so long. And so y'all, that is what ultimately led to me being able to have the mental capacity and the strength to do more. That is what opened my mind up to
00:11:08
Speaker
really diving hard into journaling and spirituality and ultimately what led to me being able to start MBS Fitco because I can honestly, honestly tell you that had I not gone seeing her and if I would still be in that place of feeling the way that I was feeling and not even being able to remember things that happened within 10 minutes or
00:11:35
Speaker
feeling like I wasn't even there, this would have never happened. I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for her and her advice and everything. So when I tell you that I am passionate about this woman, I am passionate about functional medicine in general. It'll be very hard for someone to ever convince me to go see a regular doctor ever again because I am so passionate about functional medicine.
00:12:04
Speaker
and that there is another way to be treated outside of just traditional prescription medicine. Listen to this episode. Ladies, this episode is for you. It is for every woman because every woman at some point in her life, whether you're going through it now,
00:12:20
Speaker
or you're getting there, or even if you haven't experienced any of this yet, please listen. So that way when you do start experiencing these things, because as a woman, as you get older and your hormone changes and your body changes, you will start experiencing these things that you will know that it is not normal. Do not be like me and spend years and years of letting it get to the point where it's so bad that it takes
00:12:50
Speaker
longer to fix it. So tune in, listen, learn. And if you're like me and are having those same feelings or anything, you are not alone. You are not alone and you are not crazy. It is not normal for you to feel that way. And there is help to be had. So I hope you enjoy this episode today. Casey Trossclaire is
00:13:19
Speaker
Absolutely amazing, and I love her so much. So share it, listen to it, save it, and I hope you enjoy. Hey girl, welcome to Finding My Best Self, the podcast where it's totally okay to show up in your leggings and messy bun, because let's be real, that's our uniform here. The only rule is to be unapologetically yourself. And I'm Mandi, and joining me is Pam, the queen of finding the
Introduction to Casey Trossclair
00:13:44
Speaker
silver linings. We're here to share laughs, tears, and everything in between.
00:13:48
Speaker
Think of us as your new best friends with some stories to tell and wisdom to share. From face palms to victories, we're diving into the journey of self-discovery, wellness, and what it means to truly embrace who you are. So whether you're conquering the world or just trying to find your phone in the black hole, I mean, purse, we've got you covered.
00:14:06
Speaker
Because here it's all about encouraging you to lace up those sneakers or don't, we're not judging. And join us as we explore what is truly means to own your confidence and find your best self. So pour yourself a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and let's get into it.
00:14:24
Speaker
Hello and welcome back to another episode of Finding My Best Self. I'm Pam Rivet, your host, and I have today with me Casey Trossclair. She is a functional medicine provider who, if you've listened to the podcast, you've heard me talk about a functional medicine doctor. This is her. This is the one. She's changed my life. Last year when I went to her, I was experiencing lots of things.
00:14:48
Speaker
that I didn't know what was going on. And I was just like, please help me. And so she did. And that is ultimately a big part of what led me to starting finding my best self and MBS Fit Co. So I'm so excited to have her here today. She's going to share a lot about women's hormones and adrenals and cortisol and how all of that stuff works and talks to each other.
00:15:09
Speaker
Um, cause I think it's something that happens with a lot of women as we age and we don't really know what's going on or what to do or who to talk to. So Casey, um, tell our listeners a little bit about yourself, your children, your family, what you do. Sure. Sure.
00:15:23
Speaker
So, uh, as she said, Casey chose Claire. So, um, I am a board certified family nurse practitioner, uh, by trade. I am from the Bayou. So from Thibodeau and I've, um, graduated from Nichols and then, uh, got my other degree as far as family nurse practitioner at, um, university of South Alabama. And so I married my high school sweetheart, uh, Drake, and then we have two children, uh, Nate and Vera. So Nate is 15 and Vera is going to be 10.
00:15:52
Speaker
And so as far as what I do, as she said, I am a functional nurse practitioner. And so I guess to kind of give you a little bit of backstory as far as how I got there, because I didn't start out there, started more traditional. And so my background really extends from starting out in pediatrics to women's health, eventually got into hospital medicine, as well as internal medicine and urgent care.
00:16:19
Speaker
And then kind of found myself at this crossroads and ended up crossing over into functional medicine after really having some personal issues with my son. So I mentioned he's 15. So he is pretty significant on the autism spectrum. And so I, like you guys, you know, it was kind of always in the traditional realm. I had access to all of the, the, the greatest docs I felt like, you know, worked in a major hospital system and, you know, we follow that traditional pathway. And so,
00:16:50
Speaker
Nate, really, when he was younger, it was a big struggle for us. We were having lots of behavioral issues, gut issues I didn't really recognize other than just a constipation, but we ended up going to neurology. We went to traditional docs. We were doing all the therapies, doing all the things.
00:17:10
Speaker
even to psychiatry. And so we just weren't getting the results that we wanted. So I knew I had to do something different. And so I started, like most of us, we might go online and start doing our own research. And so I came across some parent forums and started digging into more diet, found some literature that supported gluten-free, dairy-free in the autism population. And that really was, that was a big change for us. That basically
00:17:40
Speaker
you know, change his gut health as far as the constipation side, which secondarily helped his behavior. And so that was when my eyes would kind of open. There's something to this. And so I wanted to kind of start looking more into supplementation. And so I did that, but it was still so much, right? There was so much information out there and it was like how to do it. What's safe? You know, am I doing all the right things? And so,
00:18:06
Speaker
it took years for me to kind of realize, you know, I have to have some help here. And so it turned me to go and see an alternative practitioner who ended up being a functional provider. I didn't know what that was, but we went to see her and in that two hour visit, basically I had learned so much that I had really been searching for for the last several years from
00:18:32
Speaker
the chemistries of what was really going on in his body. And she utilized a lot of objective data through labs to kind of support and allow me to understand that. And then really just explain the body in general to me. And so it really opened my eyes to that. I always had a yearning to think that there had to be more and really she explained to me that like, yeah, this is the more. And I left that office with like a renewed spirit and like,
00:18:59
Speaker
you know, how do I do what you do? And she told me, you go back to function medicine school. And that was it. And so hook line and sinker, I applied that fall and was in school by the spring. And you know, my mission was to, you know, to help my son ultimately, and then eventually it's about to help my community.
00:19:18
Speaker
Yeah. So Casey, I just like you had a pass when I just went to regular doctors, right?
Functional Medicine Explained
00:19:27
Speaker
The general practitioner doctors and things like that.
00:19:31
Speaker
after years of experiencing all the things that I was experiencing. And then it got to a point where it was really bad. And that's when my friend was like, you know, have you tried going to a functional medicine doctor? And I was like, what's functional medicine? Like what is like, what is the difference between going to a functional medicine doctor and a regular doctor? So can you kind of elaborate on that on just the exact difference between the two?
00:19:52
Speaker
Sure. So in traditional medicine, uh, we're really good at assessment and diagnosis and in treatment, right? And so it's very much, um, that that's, that's what we do, but we very seldomly actually look retrospectively as to like why this has happened. And so that's where functional medicine is, is a bit different. It's asking the question why. And so I use the analogy a lot of times in,
00:20:21
Speaker
to my patients to say, you know, so the home will get on fire, right? Like, so the house is fully engulfed. And basically that's where my patients are by the time they get to me. I mean, like everything's a mess. They, you know, and so, but basically like, where were the smoke alarms? Why weren't we listening to our body maybe? Or, you know, where were the early signs? And so we don't want to wait until there's a fulminant diagnosis. We need to be looking at
00:20:50
Speaker
you know, listening to our bodies, trying to figure out what's going on, putting these puzzle pieces together before there's a major issue. And so, you know, functional medicine really takes a wide lens view at things. Once again, answers the question why, or at least that's our goal, but focuses on true preventative medicine. You know, once again, trying not to get to the diagnosis. And if we are there and then putting things into place to ask the question,
00:21:17
Speaker
Why did this happen and how can we passively reverse it? Because root cause is really key when it kind of comes down to reversing any type of illness.
00:21:27
Speaker
Yeah, that was the biggest, I want to say eye opener, but it was the one thing that when I left your office, I was wow, really, and truthfully, I told you, I literally left your office that first day, got in my car and sat down and cried. And not because out of anything bad, it was because A, I had answers.
00:21:50
Speaker
B, I finally knew that it wasn't just me and I wasn't crazy. And C, because of the amount of time that you spent with me and the questions that you asked, that was the most mind blowing thing for me. And that is what I picked up the phone. I called and talked to so many people. I'm like, you will not believe the amount of questions that she asked me.
00:22:07
Speaker
And it was the questions at first when i was first thing which you start asking like i'm thinking of myself like why the heck are you asking me this like these don't have any what does it have to do with the fact that i'm telling you that i have all these problems like why are you asking about my childhood and when i got married and when i got divorced and like what does that have to do with anything so it was so.
00:22:27
Speaker
eye opening for you to ask me all of those questions about what happened, when and really trying to get back to when it started or where it possibly started, what caused it to snowball. And that was just so eye, it was so eye opening for me. And so that was when, that was in that moment that I was like, I have never ever in my life had a doctor
00:22:49
Speaker
Sit with me and ask me questions to really understand what was going on and why the why behind it And I'm a very big person on anything like that in my life. I got everything in life. I'm always like why why did this happen? Why why you know in all things in life so for someone to take the time to find out the why behind what caused all of my medical problems was huge for me and
00:23:12
Speaker
So in today, and I know that in functional medicine, you cover any, pretty much anything and everything, but for the specifics of this podcast, cause I know that a lot of women listen.
Life Events and Health
00:23:24
Speaker
So we wanted to talk specific to, you know, just hormones and things that women deal with. Can you explain like what type of questions? So if you have a woman that comes to you and she's saying that I'm having all of these
00:23:36
Speaker
Scent signs and symptoms of all of these things and I'm not too sure what's going on What kind of questions those why questions do you ask to try and diagnose and find out what's going on? Yeah for sure So a timeline of events is so important, you know for one the stage of life, you know, so we have to take in You know what stage of life obviously they're in When like you mentioned when did these symptoms start so whatever whatever the issue is that's so important because a lot of times I
00:24:05
Speaker
basically say like, you know, there's a functional bucket, and basically so much can kind of go in there before like the roof blows off, right. And so, so many of my patients in the whole timeline issue, like we can kind of see where, you know,
00:24:22
Speaker
This diagnosis happened, but like my question is like, so what happened one to two years before that diagnosis? Because typically like that's the straw that broke the camel's back. It was never a fact that maybe things were not under the surface kind of rumbling, having minor symptoms maybe, but nothing that was consistent enough to make you really feel bad.
00:24:42
Speaker
But that one trauma or that one major life event or that one major exposure may have been just enough to push things over the edge. That's a big thing as far as root cause, but also important things, especially when we're talking about hormones. Sleep, a lot of foundations, right? Sleep, nutrition, detoxification.
00:25:04
Speaker
we talk about poop, right? And so that's something that was like, okay, I'm not used to talking about that, but it's so important for me because it tells me like, are you absorbing your nutrients? Or are you holding onto your poop for too long? And so basically that's like not taking out your garbage enough. And so things are going to get stinky and they're going to get toxic and that's putting more stress on the liver. So you're not going to detoxify your hormones so much. So it just tells me a lot and it's very, very foundational.
00:25:33
Speaker
Um, when it kind of comes to kind of figuring out kind of root cause and the interconnectedness of the body, um, you kind of mentioned like trauma history and you know, or maybe sex life, like our, you know, our sex hormones tell us a lot about what's going on in, in our body, you know, so whether it's like lack of libido, um, for male or female, I mean, like that's super important. That's a natural part of our life. And so if there is an issue there,
00:25:59
Speaker
you know, whether it's a psychological or a physical issue, we need to figure out and get to the bottom of it. Because, you know, something went awry somewhere along the way. And we have to dig down and try to figure out like, what happened so we can actually figure out how to reverse it. Yeah. And that was what was so so crazy to me is you explaining that how that it all all of that intertwines. And there are things that cause these things to happen. So it's
00:26:25
Speaker
it helps you to be able to diagnose. And that was very, very eye opening for me. Okay, so let's talk about the hormones because again, for me personally, and then for a lot of women on here, I knew that there were hormones that every woman has the hormones and that there are different types of hormones, but then understanding
00:26:47
Speaker
where they're supposed to be and the way that you put it to me was there is good and then I think you can re-explain it because there's good and then there's optimal or you know the different where what's bad and what's okay and what's optimal and that's what's biggest and then you also explain to me with the cortisol and adrenal levels and how everything kind of talks to each other which I totally and gut health too um how everything talks so if one's off then they're all off and it's like
00:27:17
Speaker
I didn't know that. So yeah. So I guess, you know, to kind of elaborate a little bit on that, I kind of talked about obviously like the stages, right? So trying to figure out what stage of life, you know, are you in? So obviously for, you know, this podcast, most of our listeners are either going to be in their fertile stage, they may be in their perimenopausal stage, or maybe they'll be in their, their menopausal stage. And so like, you know, having
00:27:44
Speaker
Understanding of where they are stage wise that way we can know what is supposed to be optimal and so when i'm doing like an intake i can see certain patterns of whether it's you know pms type symptoms or maybe they're having infertility issues or you know.
00:28:03
Speaker
Spotting, you know, there's so many things I can kind of tell me kind of what's going on. Obviously, we can go and do, you know, testing to kind of get some accurate representation of kind of what's going on. But a history can tell you so much. It's not always just about testing, but really, it's about like listening to your patients, because they know their bodies the most. And so it's just, you know, up to me or your functional practitioner to kind of weed through all of that and to really kind of figure out
00:28:31
Speaker
kind of what's going on. But like you kind of mentioned, it's not about just female hormones or it's not about, you know, just gut health, but everything is interconnected, you know, between
00:28:46
Speaker
thyroid and your gonads, which is your, you know, your female hormones, you know, to your adrenals and even into the brain, hippocampus. So like all of that is talking to each other. And so everything is what I explain is like, like a symphony. We cannot look at
00:29:04
Speaker
um things in silos as far as like okay so you know i just have gut issues and so my gut issues are not connected at all to my mental health issues and my mental health issues are not at all connected to my cardiovascular issues because we know i mean obviously all of that is driving one versus the next and so you really have to have that violence view to to kind of understand
00:29:28
Speaker
So this is interconnected. My body is listening to me and it's just taking cues and clues from the environment and then reacting accordingly. But anyway, hope that's helpful as far as an explanation.
00:29:42
Speaker
Yeah, no. And that's, and that was what was, like I said, the most eye opening for me when it came to the hormone side of it. Cause I was expecting to go to you or I, what I went to you for was because I know some things off with my hormones at this point with all of the symptoms that I had, I was like, I know this is my hormones. And so I went to you and you were like, well, it's not just your hormones. It is, you know, it sounds like at that time, cause we hadn't run any tests yet, but even just based on what I was telling you, you were like, it sounds like.
00:30:11
Speaker
you know, that your adrenals are probably low in your cortisol. And, you know, the big word that you said about your brain that I can't pronounce, you know, all of these other levels. And then you talked about my gut health and explained how if one area is off, then it causes it's like a snowball effect. Everything else goes wrong too, or could go wrong. Or even like you said, it's figuring out which one was the start, which one started it all.
00:30:38
Speaker
that cause everything else to get out of whack and that was so eye opening for me it's like it's not just everything all of a sudden just goes to put one thing kinda gets messed up and as and then it and then there's a snowball that kinda happens after so that was. Again just so so eye opening so what.
00:30:57
Speaker
When a woman starts having symptoms, so like what symptoms are you, because I know personally what symptoms I had, but I know every woman may have some different, and you mentioned some of them, like the spotting and all, but what, at what point do you, would you recommend someone to say you need to come see either whether it's you, if they're local, or just maybe reach out to a functional medicine doctor in general, what symptoms
00:31:20
Speaker
Yeah.
Hormonal Imbalances in Women
00:31:21
Speaker
So I guess I'll kind of break things up into kind of the categories of stages of life to see like, you know, what could be symptoms that there is an internal problem. And so I guess like one of the first stages we can talk about like the fertile stage, right? So whether it's like kind of 18 to 40 ish, depending on kind of where you are,
00:31:40
Speaker
So obviously if there's fertility issues, right? If you're having mood issues, if you're having PMS or PMDD, we kind of consider that as normal nowadays. It's not normal and it shouldn't be accepted as normal. You know, there's,
00:31:58
Speaker
I feel like it's getting more traction, but things such as like estrogen dominance is something that we're definitely seeing more and more nowadays. And so that can definitely look like heavy cycles or maybe irregular cycles, mood swings, fatigue, weight gain.
00:32:15
Speaker
breast tenderness, headaches, insomnia, decreased sex drive. All of these things could be because of an imbalance in hormones. What may be starting out as a hormone issue may be because, let's just say you've been under a lot of stress, and now we started taking
00:32:35
Speaker
you know, headache medicine on a regular basis. And now we're starting to have weight issues. So now we've developed two more diagnoses. And so the headache issues may eventually turn into inset use, which can lead to intestinal permeability, which can lead to food sensitivities. Like you can just see how that snowball effect can snowball quickly become an issue. And we've just talked about really one issue, right? And so that may be some of the issues that
00:33:03
Speaker
you know, patients in their fertile years may be experiencing. And so I guess I'll, I'll kind of touch on like that whole estrogen dominant side. Like, why is that happening in our day and age? And so, um, we have lots of exposures. And so one thing that I tell my patients, your, your skin is a big mouth. Okay. It may be a barrier, um, but it still absorbs, you know, you stick a transdermal medication patch on your skin, you're going to get levels. And so when you are,
00:33:33
Speaker
lathering your lotion on you or putting your cosmetics on your face. You know, you are absorbing a lot of times endocrine disruptors. And so that can be endocrine mimickers. They can be estrogen mimickers. And so that can kind of swing you towards more of an estrogen dominant state. We get lots of hormones in our food. A chicken breast today does not look like a chicken breast.
00:33:58
Speaker
30 years ago, you know, because they're putting antibiotics in there, they're putting hormones in there because, you know, we have always people to feed and the bigger, the faster, the better, or so said, you know, and so that's a big issue.
00:34:13
Speaker
we are probably the fattest we've ever been. And so excess adipose tissue or fat becomes an endocrine organ. And so that produces more estrogen stress. I mean, who's not stressed? Like all of these things could definitely be at play. And I mean, I'm just like brushing the surface, you know, on just some, some issues. And so, but you can see how these everyday things
00:34:41
Speaker
can definitely be altering, you know, your hormones. And then once again, this is one phase of life. You know, now obviously a lot of these can be into play as far as like perimenopause. And so perimenopause is kind of, I think where like I'm starting to get
00:34:58
Speaker
You know, so that can be anywhere from like 35 upwards of like maybe 50. And so that can look like semi-regular cycles, maybe some longer cycles, maybe some shorter cycles. Um, sometimes we can start with hot flashes, mood swings, um, sleep disturbances is a big one. That was a big wake up call for me. Personally, I used to sleep like a champ and I'm not sleeping like a champ as much anymore. Um, and so I'm taking my own interventions and doing some things to kind of help that.
00:35:26
Speaker
vaginal dryness, decreased libido, fatigue, memory issues. That's such a big one for perimenopause. It's like brain fog, memory issues, applied women come in.
00:35:37
Speaker
they think that they're either going crazy or that they have early onset dementia. And some like, okay, before we go there, right? Like let's look at hormones, let's talk about it. And so just something as simple as whether it's an herbal intervention, whether it's doing bioidentical hormones can change your life. And so there's no need to suffer.
00:36:02
Speaker
And so one of the latest courses I took recently, actually, the recommendation was if anyone between the age of like early 30s into 40s comes in with basically any mental health complaints, that progesterone should be the first-line therapy rather than reaching for an SSRI. So like a Prozac or a Zoloft or things along those lines. Because it's not usually that we're lacking serotonin.
00:36:26
Speaker
It's usually that we're going through that change in life. And so if we focus on root cause, then fix the hormone issue rather than, you know, just treating the symptoms because you'll get so many more benefits because it's, it's never multi, it's never one single direction, you know? And so anyway, and I'm not going to leave my menopause ladies out. And so menopause obviously by definition is one complete year.
00:36:53
Speaker
uh, without a cycle. And so typically I think like the average age right now is about 51 for those women. And so, um, you can go as early as like 45 or even younger, but definitely into the fifties. And so, um, for you women that obviously, you know, feel like you fell off the cliff, you can no longer handle, you know, like, like having mood issues, sensations of even overwhelmed.
00:37:20
Speaker
Obviously, all the things we previously mentioned, the weight gain, all the things. Once again, there's no need to suffer. The literature is very clear that bioidenticals are extremely safe and we can help you. It's actually beneficial from not just a mood and weight issues and those things, but from a cardiovascular standpoint, from a brain health standpoint, from a
00:37:45
Speaker
a metabolic standpoint, just so many different things, even anti-cancer. And so lipids, cognitive ... The benefits are ... The list goes on. Yeah. But we have very much been in a culture where, for one, there was a big estrogen scare many, many years ago with the Women's Health Initiative, and that really set women back.
00:38:15
Speaker
in regards to actually being treated for whether it's bioidentical hormones or any kind of hormones in general. That paper has been retracted. But once it was out in the public, it created a lot of scare because the literature basically said it increased cancer and it increased chains for heart attacks. And so no one wanted that. So from a provider's standpoint, from a patient perspective, we were really scared.
00:38:44
Speaker
I think over 25 years since that paper has been retracted and we're still having to push education to this day. And so, you know, really it left a mark on many people's.
00:38:54
Speaker
you know, thought processes in regards to hormone therapy. And so we can, we can do better. And so, you know, if you follow me at all, always use the hashtag no better, do better. And so it's just one of those things we have to continue to educate. And so that is such a huge passion of mine. And so, um, so anyway, I hope that provides a little bit more insight on like the stages of life symptoms you can have and sometimes some wise.
00:39:21
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. And that's the, that's the big thing is like I said, when I went to you, just like you said, patients come to you and they're like, I feel like I'm crazy. Like tell me, cause that was really, and truthfully like that is like, I was like, I'm coming to you because every other doctor has told me there's nothing wrong with me. And every time somebody tells me there's nothing wrong, it gets worse.
00:39:42
Speaker
And at this point, I feel like I'm crazy. I feel like my, I'm making all of this up in my head. I'm like, you know, at this point, everyone around me, like my husband and all these people are like, you're just making that up. Like get over yourself. Stop saying you're tired. Stop saying you have brain fog. Stop saying like all these things, you know? And I'm like, I'm telling you something's wrong. Like I said, like this can't be normal because it gets to the point where I'm just like, okay, everybody feels this way. Apparently everybody thinks that I'm just supposed to feel like this. So right.
00:40:11
Speaker
Yes and all the doctors kept saying everything's normal you're fine you know or not in yeah and so then it got to the point where it was so bad that i was like okay. I know this isn't normal but it's i need someone who's gonna who's gonna help me and that's what my thing was i was like i know something's wrong just please help me you know so it's.
00:40:34
Speaker
for people to know that when they start having those symptoms, if I would have had you all those years ago, I wouldn't have, it wouldn't have gotten so bad. So that's really what I wanted. The reason I wanted you to just kind of talk about the symptoms a little bit is for people to know when you start experiencing these things, that's not normal and it is treatable and it's treatable with
00:40:56
Speaker
In most cases, I know that sometimes you do need actual, you know, prescription medicine, but in most cases it is treatable with just supplements and you can teach your body and help your body with just supplementation to eventually, right, you know, right.
00:41:11
Speaker
Lifestyle, right, lifestyle or supplements. And then eventually, like you told me is, you know, eventually you should be able to get off of some of these supplements and your body just learns to start doing it by itself again. Because once it shuts off, it almost kind of forgets how, right? And so then you put the supplements back in to kind of replenish and then your body's like, oh yeah, I remember now and then keeps doing it by itself. So it's that it's, it's knowing that you don't have to go get a prescription medication. Like your body can heal itself.
00:41:40
Speaker
Yeah. If you know what to take and how to do it. Yeah. And that's so important.
Nutrition and Hormone Health
00:41:45
Speaker
From that standpoint, I'll kind of piggyback on, you know, whether it's nutritional deficiencies, we have been marketed that, you know, I mean, we're very much in a convenience lifestyle. We live a high-paced lifestyle. And so, you know,
00:41:59
Speaker
It's hard to drive through and get a healthy meal nowadays. And a lot of times you find yourself in that dynamic. And so year after year, time after time of having exposure to high calorie, low nutrient dense foods, that's going to leave you with a lot of malnutrition to some extent. And look, there's consequences of that. And so yeah, from a supplementation standpoint, by definition, supplementation means we're supplementing your nutrition.
00:42:29
Speaker
Yeah, like you mentioned, you know, our goal is maybe to dig you out the dirt when we do those labs and we see either whether it's clinical lows or it's what I call like sub optimal values. Let's take out the dirt, get you to normal and then teach you how to
00:42:46
Speaker
bring these nutrients in from a natural standpoint, from a food-based supplementation. Because you don't want to always have to rely on supplements, but sometimes that really helps us. Once again, to kind of dig out the dirt, make you feel better. And then once we get to that optimal, then you can kind of roll over. But yeah, nutrition's at the base of so much, whether it's sex hormones, whether it's thyroid hormones, whether it's anemias. I mean, you name it, the foundation of nutrition is just so important.
00:43:16
Speaker
Yeah. So Casey, and I don't remember exactly what level it was that we looked at, but so you're speaking whenever you said about nutrition and likes again, right? Like you said that, you know, we're fatter than what we've ever been, right? We put on weight and especially living in South Louisiana. I mean, it's what we have here. But for me at the time that I went and see you,
00:43:38
Speaker
I had just come off of many, many years of a very, very strict diet, probably too strict, really too strict. And so it was so funny for me the day that I went home that first visit with after, or maybe once I got my, the second visit, once I got my results back in and you looked at me and you said, you pick every piece of fat off your chicken, don't you?
00:43:59
Speaker
And I was like, I do, I will cut every, I will sit there and I will not eat, whether it's before I cook it or after like some, if I missed any, whenever I go to eat it and you were like, eat the fat Pam. And I was like, do what you want me to eat the fat on the chicken. Like what I've always been told, like don't do that. And I was malnourishing myself to a point where it was too much or on the opposite. Like I wasn't getting enough of some of the nutrients that I thought was bad, right?
00:44:30
Speaker
That's when you were like, it's okay to have some of the fat, leave some of the fat on the chicken because my body was in dire need of something that I was taking out to a point where I was completely depleted. Yeah. Believe it or not.
00:44:45
Speaker
from a, even a cholesterol standpoint, right? So like cholesterol is at the top of the sex hormone cascade. And so, you know, if we're not getting enough fats, which, you know, a large percentage of the brain is just, you know, survives on fat. So that that's
00:45:01
Speaker
really important but then from like a sex hormone standpoint if you are not getting enough from a cholesterol standpoint you cannot produce sex hormones and so it's a problem and we grew up in that 90s you know stage where it was kind of low fat low cal you know it's
00:45:23
Speaker
We know better now, right? Like that's not the end all be all. And I'll never tell anyone that there's like one way to do it because it has to be bio individual. It has to be individualized. What's good for one may not be good for the next. And so that's where it kind of comes into like really listening to your body and learning from it. But yeah, we can see objective data just in a simple CMP. I can see that, you know, whether you're not getting enough protein in.
00:45:50
Speaker
or in a traditional lipid panel, I can see if you're not eating enough fat. I mean, your triglycerides being too, too low is not a healthy thing.
00:46:01
Speaker
So anyway, yeah, I mean, nutrition's important, including the fat sometimes. I'm not talking about margarine, okay? So not those types of fats, but the fat on your steak, sometimes the skin on your chicken, it's not a bad thing for everyone. Okay. Yeah. Yeah.
00:46:23
Speaker
That's what I'm saying. Not that everybody needs it, but for me, in my circumstance, it was that I was restricting myself so much. I was on another end of the spectrum where I was dieting too much, I guess. I didn't think I was, but I was. Yeah, calorie restriction or even malnutrition, it would slow down your metabolism.
00:46:47
Speaker
So do the total opposite of what we're actually trying to accomplish. So most patients, especially women, when they come to me, actually have to up their caloric intake. I'm not big on calories, counting calories. We're looking at real food, right? And we're looking at protein.
00:47:03
Speaker
and making sure you're hitting those goals. And, you know, cause protein, it typically boosts your metabolism and women were not like huge meat eaters or, you know, we're definitely looking at some restriction to the amount of foods that we're eating. And so sometimes it can be counterproductive. And so, you know, having an educated, whether it's a functional provider or a dietician, really kind of hone in on those things are kind of really important for you. Yeah.
00:47:31
Speaker
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Speaker
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Stress and Health
00:48:30
Speaker
Okay. So let's switch gears just a little bit. So we talked about the hormone side. So what it says, so adrenals and cortisol, that was something that I wasn't, it wasn't foreign to me, right? I had heard those words before, but I didn't really understand what they were and what they do. So can you kind of elaborate on that? Sure. So those terms are really kind of used interchangeably slightly. So it is the adrenal gland that produces the cortisol. And so.
00:48:58
Speaker
That's a little stress gland that sits on each of your kidneys. And so it's necessary for survival. When you have that person cut out in front of you and you feel that surge of adrenaline come up, you become laser focused, your blood pressure's up, everything is ready for fight or flight, it's imperative to have that present.
00:49:22
Speaker
So that is where cortisol comes in, but that's supposed to happen only about 20% of the time that we're in this fight or flight dynamic. But unfortunately, what I'll see in practice and I think is really a major problem is we're in this go, go, go lifestyle so much that our nervous system that is just sitting back and taking cues and clues from the environment
00:49:47
Speaker
really honestly thinks we're like running from the lion all the time, right? And so I kind of explained to patients, it would not be smart to be running from the lion because right, we wake up, we're like blowing and going, we're sipping on caffeine all day. There's all these stressful deadlines and you come home and you got to bring your kids to three different activities. And like, then we wonder why we can't sleep at night because our mind is like running, running, running. Sound familiar? You know, like who, you know, we're all kind of in this hamster wheel of things. And so,
00:50:16
Speaker
you know, educating my patients to sometimes we can't take the stress away. But sometimes it's learning how to deal with the stress, whether that's through mindful breathing, whether that is from changing the type of exercise that you do, because if you're running out of day, and then plus your exercise is like
00:50:34
Speaker
high intensity interval training or going for a stressful run. Like that's not securing your survival when it comes down to a nervous system side. And so it just would not make sense for your body to be running from the lion.
00:50:50
Speaker
and want to bring a baby into the world, right? Or running from the lion and allow you to lose that extra weight because when we're in a famine, because we're running from the lion, I mean, like you might need that, right? When's that extra meal gonna come? Like, you know, so many dynamics and I reference that thought a lot of times because it just makes sense. We have to understand that like human evolution, I mean, it's thousands of years. The body has been adapting and learning and
00:51:19
Speaker
you know, now that we have computers and lights and and all these things. And in course, for that matter, like, you know, we live a totally different life than we did, you know, even 100 years ago, but like the human body does not evolve that quickly. And so we have to kind of get back to the basics sometimes and just make sure like we're on point with with stress as much as possible. We're on point with sleep, nutrition, detoxification,
00:51:48
Speaker
um, in movement, you know, that that's definitely foundational and makes such a difference in regards to, um, you know, to circle back to those adrenals. Okay. Uh, because those adrenals are important on multiple, multiple dynamics for every stage of life, but especially in my perimenopausal to menopausal women. Uh, because when we do go through the change, the adrenals are about the only thing we have to kind of get us through to not really
00:52:14
Speaker
as I say, fall off the cliff. And so, but yeah, in my patient sector has been a huge cause for, you know, if you've ever heard of like adrenal fatigue, which is not definitely the science thing, but adrenocortic wind sufficiency, there is a spectrum. And so we can have stages of that. And so as you start to lose some of that
00:52:39
Speaker
Basically at flexibility, you can see signs like weight gain, immune deficiencies, chronic fatigue syndrome, increased pain, depression. So everything can really slow down. Or sometimes I have patients at the beginning stages that they can't stop themselves. They are riding high all the time. And so that can be sometimes just as dangerous or just as compromising to your health. And so it's really trying to,
00:53:09
Speaker
recognize that that is a problem or is a thing. That way you can learn how to modify, whether it's those risk factors or dampening those symptoms that you may have. Because once again, that is part of all of the interconnectedness of things. And so that's going to affect your sex hormones, that's going to affect your thyroid, and so on and so forth.
00:53:32
Speaker
Yeah. So if someone comes to you and once you've done your whole evaluation with them, talk to them and probably maybe did like some baseline blood work or whatever, what other specific to hormones, adrenal, of course, all those things, what types of tests
00:53:51
Speaker
do you recommend if you've, you know, feeling it? Cause I know that there's multiple, I know which one personally was recommended to me, but I know that there's multiple different tests that can be run to really further diagnose or help you to really decide this. Like for me, it was seeing it on paper was so huge for me to know, gosh, like whenever I actually saw it and for you to sit down and explain to me what those were was incredible. Yeah. Yeah.
00:54:17
Speaker
Yeah, being heard, and that's what I hear you saying, right? I didn't realize it was a problem, or I felt like I was crazy, or whatever else. Being heard is so big, but also seeing the data that justifies what you're feeling is just so big. It's such an important point to drive home.
00:54:35
Speaker
Yeah. So the best tests really have two options to do hormones as well as basically look at the adrenals. And so that would be salivary hormone testing. And so that would be one test that you can actually do your female hormones as well as adrenal hormones, you know, so at home tests. So, you know, super convenient. The second test that I recommend is the Dutch test.
00:55:01
Speaker
way more expansive test, but it gives you a lot of insight. It covers the adrenals, it covers all the sex hormones, actually more sex hormones than just the salivary testing, but it also covers what we call like organic acids. So we can see things like neurotransmitters or byproducts of neurotransmitters. You can see like B12 sufficiency. Sometimes you can have an actual okay
00:55:26
Speaker
serum or blood work B12, but it's not an active form or readily available. And so we test that through a methylmalonic acid. So that's a functional marker. B6 can be seen there. So that's like one part of it. But something that's also super impressive for me with the Dutch chest is the fact that we can see your detoxification pathways. So like I can see how you are detoxing your estrogen. So
00:55:49
Speaker
Let's just say we have a patient that is estrogen dominant, okay? They may be having endometriosis, really heavy cycles. They're having, you know, breast cysts, breast pain, tenderness. A lot of times they'll shunt into a certain pathway that basically can tell me, I can help you by doing X, Y, and Z intervention to shunt you out of that pathway and into a healthier pathway. And so doing the testing, for one, if you're going to do hormones, you know, it kind of allows me to kind of hone in,
00:56:19
Speaker
like I wouldn't want to put high dose hormones on a patient that, you know, is experiencing a lot of those symptoms. And we knew that as prescribers, but it's definitely something that, you know, kind of confirms that suspicion. We can also see there is a carcinogenic pathway. And so, you know, if
00:56:37
Speaker
there is definitely maybe a family history of cancer. Um, you know, so that's something I really want to kind of hone in and then there's a healthier pathway. And then the last thing there's a methylation pathway. So you can actually see your detoxification capability that's on a high or a low side. So obviously if you're on a low side, I'm concerned about your ability to excrete toxins, your ability to excrete these hormones. Um, because,
00:57:03
Speaker
Believe it or not, estrogen, as well as all your hormones, has to go through the liver for detoxification, then it has to go through the stool for detoxification. So if you are holding onto that stool too long, that can also be a driver for estrogen dominance because it gets upcycled again, and then that process has to repeat. And so detox is so important. We just live in such a toxic world nowadays, and so that has to be on point. Yeah.
00:57:31
Speaker
You have given like so much information today and I hope that women would, and I hate to say it like this, but I hope that someone, you know, gets answers or whatever because I don't want anyone to have these feelings or feel it, but they are normal. They are natural. So I just hope that anyone who is listening, who is experiencing any of this
00:57:53
Speaker
maybe has had that revelation that I had in going to you that, Oh my gosh, like this isn't normal. And there is hope and there is help that can, you know, that is out there that you can get. So what's one piece of advice that you would give to listeners based on functional medicine and overall piece of advice and functional medicine. Okay. I think we need to sometimes slow down.
00:58:22
Speaker
and actually start listening to our body. Your body speaks to you in what we call signs and symptoms, right? And so,
00:58:31
Speaker
sometimes it takes for the patient to come in and have to fill out my intake paperwork to actually sit down and reflect and be like, wow, I didn't even realize this was such an issue. It's an issue, but it's significant in my life. And so it just kind of brings it to like, but why? And so for one, stop and start to listen to your body. It's trying to talk to you. If you feel like something's not right, it's probably not right. And secondly,
00:59:01
Speaker
advocate for yourself. If you learn and you feel like you're knowing better, ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask questions or to seek alternative help in another dynamic or whatever that might be. We have this inner spirit in us that's intuition that is going to guide us in the right direction. And so sometimes it's just yielding to it. I know it took me years to get to that functional provider. I felt that
00:59:31
Speaker
yearning, but I was told by someone that I trusted at the time that, you know, she was quack, so don't go there. And, you know, I mean, things have changed, you know, time has evolved, functional medicine has obviously shown itself to be, you know, very successful. But, you know, I felt that I needed to do something different. I just didn't know what to do. And I didn't trust myself enough to kind of go out on the limb.
Advocacy and Self-Care
00:59:58
Speaker
And so, you know,
01:00:00
Speaker
Listen to your body. I think that's so huge and advocate for yourself. Yeah. That is so true. That is so, so true. Just listening in. What's the number one thing you would like for listeners to take away from the interview today? There's something that you said.
01:00:20
Speaker
I used that hashtag already, talked about it earlier, like no better do better. After going to functional medicine school and looked back at my previous practice, I was like, oh, my four thyroid patients that had the 10 hypothyroid symptoms. And I told them, but your TSH is normal. Because we were taught to go off of that. This is the standard of care.
01:00:45
Speaker
we know better now it's not just about a tsh there are multiple hormones that would need to be checked and so you know it's not your doctor's fault if they don't know that piece of information i mean it's just what's being taught in the research has shown that it takes twenty five years from something to be
01:01:07
Speaker
you know, found that it's true to actually get into practice because, you know, for one, it has to get into the medical literature and then it has to be taught to the residents and then they have to actually come out into practice and then they actually have to put it into practice. So like it just takes a long time for, for things to change. And so, you know, um, we, we don't all have that time for one,
01:01:34
Speaker
And so, and we have so much access to information, you know, so don't be afraid to, to, you know, listen to podcasts and to educate yourself. And once again, self advocate, I mean, that is, you know, it is super important. And, and I think we all have to be advocates for our own health. Um, when you see your doctor for 15 minutes,
01:01:56
Speaker
they can't touch everything and they can't know everything and they won't know your entire life story, but you are going to know yourself the best. And so you have to push and ask those questions. And once again, bring to light, look, this is what I'm seeing in literature and this is what I think is going on. Are you willing to work with me in that dynamic? And if they are not, then you have to think about seeking care elsewhere.
01:02:24
Speaker
because we have to evolve. We have to know better. We have to do better. And look, the times are changing. I'm seeing traditional docs that are, you know, getting more, even locally, getting more into alternative medicine, getting more into educating themselves on, you know, bioidentical hormones or whatever it might be. So like the tide is changing. It's just going to take a while. And so, um, but until then, educate yourself. Yeah.
01:02:51
Speaker
I like the advocating for yourself. One of my big things that I always say is that you are your longest commitment. Oh, for sure. Out of everything else in life, you should be your number one commitment because you are your longest commitment. So taking care of ourselves in every aspect is so important. Yeah. And for you as a mom or all those moms out there, when we get on the airplane and we are told to mask ourselves first before our kids, it's truth.
01:03:20
Speaker
even to health, right? And so if you are not healthy, it is hard for you to take care of your children and be that mom that you want to be for them. And so, you know, a lot of times I'll see, I'm going to, you know, bring my child in first because they, you know, have these issues or whatever kind of going on. I'll take care of myself afterwards. I get it. I do, but at the same time, you know, you are going to set the example for your child.
01:03:46
Speaker
by putting yourself a priority. You are going to, when we start to see one patient, it does not end with that patient. Those habits
01:03:56
Speaker
become family habits. And then it becomes multi-generational education habits. And so this is about changing community. This is not about just changing one person. And that is what I've seen over the last 16 months or so in business is just it has been amazing to see patients' lives change, but family dynamics change. Because our children, they're great
01:04:23
Speaker
investments in our future, but we have to be there as well. We are their guides, we are their examples, and all your moms out there, they want you to be your best self, and so prioritize yourself. You deserve it.
01:04:39
Speaker
I cannot scream self-care enough and that is the entire purpose of MBS Fitco in this podcast is that like I went to scream self-care from the rooftops. It does not make you a bad mom. It does not make you a bad wife if you take care of you first and if I could
01:04:59
Speaker
beat that into the head of every single person that I know is that because it took me so many years to finally not feel like I was being selfish for wanting to take care of me. And it does not make you a bad mom to take care of yourself first or a bad wife or a bad daughter, whatever it's that is what you have to do in order to continue to do all of the things that you do.
01:05:26
Speaker
In order to be a good mom, in order to be a good wife, in order to be a good daughter, sister, friend, all of those things, you have to take care of you first. Because if you're depleted, then that's all everybody else is getting as a depleted you. And that's not a good you. Couldn't have said it better myself.
01:05:45
Speaker
So just for fun, I like to always close out the podcast with asking you our motto question. So what does finding my best self, the woman beyond the Cape mean to you? Oh wow. It's a loaded question. So like you mentioned, um, self-care has been something that I've had to learn myself and
01:06:10
Speaker
I think prioritizing myself even in, even in my business, right? Like if I'm going to preach it, I have to do it. And so I've had to pull back even in my business to make sure that my health is, is imperative. And, um, in order for me to be an example to my family, be an example to my growing daughter, you know, be the, the wife I need to be, you know, I need to be that good person. And so, you know,
01:06:37
Speaker
my mental health, my spiritual health, my physical health, all those things I think have to be on point for me to be able to wear these multiple capes. I try to keep it real. I'm very vulnerable to my patients. They know a lot about me. I'm very vulnerable even on social media because that's a highlight reel. Let's just face it. It's not reality.
01:07:07
Speaker
you know, so I don't know, you know, as far as if that answered the question or not, but like I, that has been really something that I've been focusing on. Um, I would say, you know, over the last nine months or so is, you know, making sure I'm going to the gym, even if that means I have to cut out, you know, seeing as many patients or, you know, slowing down to make sure that I can,
01:07:28
Speaker
actually have a lunch break and not be seeing patients and squeezing things in. Because I know it's just not healthy for me. It's not healthy for anyone. And so we have to understand if food will be diet medicine, right? Then we have to give the body the time to consume it and so on and so forth. So I'm screaming self-care too for you. Yeah. 100% all the way. Yeah.
01:07:57
Speaker
Casey, thank you again. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I know without a doubt in my mind that this episode is going to reach and help so many women out there. Ladies, if you're listening, if this episode resonated with you in any way,
01:08:12
Speaker
Save it keep it You know that way you have it to fall back on and send it to anyone and everyone You know whether you think that they are going through these things or you don't send it to every woman that you can because I promise you there are a lot of women that are going through things and they're just not talking about it but out of
01:08:30
Speaker
Fear, guilt, shame, and all of the things. So share it because I know that there's a lot of people that need to hear it. If anyone wants to get in touch with Casey, I'll make sure to have all of her information in the show notes. If you would like to schedule an appointment with her, follow her on Facebook for her tips and tricks and things she may post out there. I know that, like I said, she has completely changed my life and I know that she can help you too if you need it.
01:08:57
Speaker
Thanks again for coming today. I truly appreciate you personally in my life and for sharing this information on the interview as well. Sure. Thank you. It's been an honor. All right. Well, that about wraps us up for today. Thanks for joining us and we'll catch you soon.
01:09:16
Speaker
Well, that's a wrap on today's episode of finding my best self. It's been real. It's been fun. We hope you found a piece of your story in ours and feel a little more inspired to chase after your best self. And don't forget to share this episode with someone who needs a little boost today or a good laugh and make sure to subscribe to our podcast. So you never miss an episode. Nothing says owning your confidence, like a new outfit from MBS Fitco. Check out the show notes for the link to shop our luxury athleisure. Go ahead, girl, treat yourself.
01:09:46
Speaker
And if you've got a story to share or a topic you're dying for us to cover, drop us a line. Our email is in the show notes. Just reach out and let's keep the conversation going. So until next time, keep owning your confidence, embracing the chaos. And remember, the best version of you is just an episode away. And again, we love you and we're endlessly rooting for you.