Hopewell Family Care- Integrative Medicine

11/24/2022

05/12/2021

What is happening with our cycles?! I have heard of more issues in the last few months then ever before. Women’s bodies are speaking loudly! Is it the jab? Is it the stress we’ve been in for over a year? Was it the super moon? We could probably ask what or why & not really get many concrete answers for a long time.
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I think the unknown could be fear provoking and our hormones don’t do well when we are afraid or stressed. Here’s what we also know to be true. Our hormones are regularly under fire. We are surrounded by endocrine disruptors & constantly on the look out to eliminate the ones we are still being exposed too. While we don’t have control over everything let’s examine what we CAN do to support our reproductive systems.
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Circulation can be a big issue due to structural issues, tissue damage, sedentary lifestyle, and muscle tension. The pumping of blood to/through our reproductive organs can be something that we take for granted. If our whole body is tense and tight, circulation will be impaired.
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Circulation is not only what carries nutrients and oxygen but also gets our HORMONES to where they need to go, whether that’s to an organ or out of the body. Poor circulation can mean hormone imbalance or hormone immobility.
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Movement, trampoline time, dry brushing, sauna, Mayan massage, magnesium for muscle relaxation & ELT are all great interventions for circulation and get our hormones going where they need to go.
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Cortisol is a hormone that is produced in times of stress. Over production of cortisol creates a situation where our adrenals “steal” progesterone and deplete us of it. This is because cortisol IS PRODUCED FROM PROGESTERONE! Progesterone helps soothe the nervous system and decreases inflammation. Estrogen does the opposite, creating irritability/inflammation and becomes unchecked when progesterone is low. Headaches, migraines, and anxiety can also be common in this situation.
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Ashwaganda, ginseng for adrenal support and Vitex for progesterone support are very effective. Breastfeeding/pregnancy friendly adrenal supports include passionflower, B3, B5, B6, B12, Magnesium, Fish oil & Vitamin C.

Want more on this topic? Let me know 👇🏼

05/11/2021

Hi everyone! 20K! That’s just crazy seeing as this was just supposed to be another resource for me to provide my current patients with more education. So many of you have jumped on this crazy adventure with me! Thank you!
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I’ve always loved teaching. I love watching someone take the info I offer and make it there’s. An idea become alive in someones else’s hands! They experience more life! We all win!
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I’ve always felt that healthcare workers should be teachers first and medical providers second. Empowering people, rather than just telling them what to do takes time but the outcomes are just too good to ignore!
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Anyway, thank you for taking the time to follow and interact with me. When y’all tell me how this little platform has made a difference in your precious lives, it makes it all worth it. I hope your week is wonderful!
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05/09/2021

Mother’s Day. This day is full of emotions for me. I’m missing the mothers that have gone before me, both sisters, friends, & grandmothers. Thinking about all the beautiful mothers who are doing their best in this crazy climate & those who are still waiting for a baby to reach their arms. I’m in between having gratitude for my four, beautiful children, while simultaneously thinking about my three angel babies & who they might have been.
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MTFHR has so many implications for mothers & mothers to be. 50% of the population is walking around with variants that impact detoxification, blood clotting, & the conversion of folate.
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I think the medical industry is so full of fear & I do not believe that if you have MTHFR, that you should be afraid. Here are some of my thoughts concerning this mutation and it’s effect on motherhood. In no particular order:
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Everyone should test for their genetic SNP in regard to methylation. I recommend the Max function test from
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Do preconception testing of homocysteine to see if you are methylating well. You may want to bring your homocysteine levels back to normal before conception. Checking for folate, vitamin B12, & vitamin B6 deficiencies are also important.
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MTHFR in some cases can cause clotting an early miscarriage. Taking a daily aspirin should be a decision that you make with your care provider. In some instances some OB’s will even elect to use Lovenox injections.
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Avoid prenatals with folic acid. Those with MTFHR can’t convert folic acid to folate and in addition folic acid will compete for binding sites. It’s like a game of musical chairs. If the folic acid is in the game with folate, when the music stops folic acid will compete for a chair.
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Avoid folic acid fortified products. In 1998, the FDA introduced folic acid into common foods such as pastas, breads, and cereals to prevent spina bifida from folic acid deficiency. While it was an admirable regulation, they didn’t know much about the MTHFR population. Read the labels to check.
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Strive to avoid situations that strip glutathione. These include: flying, x-rays, nitrous oxide, excess copper, stress, NSAIDS, sickness, toxins, & unhealthy diet.

05/08/2021

Adrenal dysfunction. Do you know that in some cultures it doesn’t even exist? It’s been termed “busy, white woman disease”. As we try to compete with males (& even other females), all we want is kindness and equality. But think about what our daughters are seeing. I hope to God my girls don’t ever feel the need to run themselves into the ground.
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My kids go to an AMAZING school. There they teach the children, “rest when it’s time to rest, & make sure to take time to enjoy your family and friends.” It’s “keeping the Sabbath” made practical for kids.
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In a success driven society it doesn’t take much imagination to see why we are all suffering from fatigue and feeling run down. In a society that requires women to wear way too many hats in order to “have it all together”, it’s burning us to the ground. Let’s look at a few patient fact patterns that I see frequently.
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“I drink coffee but I don’t have time to eat breakfast”.

"I workout in the morning on an empty stomach”.

“I’m not hungry in the morning so I don’t ever eat breakfast”

“I calorie restrict in order to lose weight”

“I’m inconsistent with my vitamins”

"My schedule is packed this week”

“I haven’t eaten all day”

“I don’t sleep well”

“I don’t go to bed until 12PM and I get up at 6AM.”

“I went through something traumatic but I never thought of counseling.”

“My stomach has been hurting for years but I’ve never figured out why.”

“I look four months pregnant sometimes but have no idea why I’m bloated.”

“I’ve been chronically constipated but no doctor has ever figured out why.”

“I know non-toxic products are best but I haven’t completely checked all of mine out.”

“I wake up in the middle of the night between 2-4.”

“I had several children in a row and now feel like I just don’t have any energy.”

“I’m anxious.”

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If any of these are you, your body is crying out for nourishment & rest! It’s ok to slow down & not be “productive”. You are allowed to rest & nourish yourself. You are allowed to seek counseling for mental health & not be considered “crazy”. You are allowed to not make your brain & body run off of fumes. I’ll be doing a live about what these symptoms are showing us. Stay tuned.

05/08/2021

Adrenal dysfunction. Do you know that in some cultures it doesn’t even exist? It’s been termed “busy white woman disease”. As we try to compete with males (& even other females), all we want is kindness and equity. But also think about what our daughters are seeing. I hope to God my girls don’t ever feel the need to run themselves into the ground.
💚
My kids go to an AMAZING school. There they teach the children, “rest when it’s time to rest, & make sure to take time to enjoy your family and friends.” It’s “keeping the Sabbath” made practical for kids.
💚
In a success driven society it doesn’t take much imagination to see why we are all suffering from fatigue and feeling run down. In a society that requires women to wear way too many hats in order to “have it all together”, it’s burning us to the ground. Let’s look at a few patient fact patterns that I see frequently.
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“I drink coffee but I don’t have time to eat breakfast”.

"I workout in the morning on an empty stomach”.

“I’m not hungry in the morning so I don’t ever eat breakfast”

“I calorie restrict in order to lose weight”

“I’m inconsistent with my vitamins”

"My schedule is packed this week”

“I haven’t eaten all day”

“I don’t sleep well”

“I don’t go to bed until 12PM and I get up at 6AM.”

“I went through something traumatic but I never thought of counseling.”

“My stomach has been hurting for years but I’ve never figured out why.”

“I look four months pregnant sometimes but have no idea why I’m bloated.”

“I’ve been chronically constipated but no doctor has ever figured out why.”

“I know non-toxic products are best but I haven’t completely checked all of mine out.”

“I wake up in the middle of the night between 2-4.”

“I had several children in a row and now feel like I just don’t have any energy.”

“I’m anxious.”

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If any of these are you, your body is crying out for nourishment & rest! It’s ok to slow down & not be “productive”. You are allowed to rest & nourish yourself. You are allowed to seek counseling for mental health & not be considered “crazy”. You are allowed to not make your brain & body run off of fumes. I’ll be doing a live about what these symptoms are showing us. Stay tuned.

05/03/2021

What’s the magic ratio supposed to be on our plate of carb, protein and fat?? I want to say a few things first.
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1. Counting macros isn’t for everyone.

2. Having macro awareness is generally a good idea.

3. Not everyone is coming from a place of calorie depletion but might have their food quality and ratios off.

4. Others are coming from a calorie deficit and many aren’t eating due to any sort of intermittent fasting theory…they just aren’t eating because they have a busy fill in the blank.

5. Some people are eating a lot of foods that have chemicals/anti-nutrients the body can’t recognize.
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Moving your body back to using carbs for fuel cannot be accomplished overnight, especially if you’ve been depriving yourself of carbs for a long time or have gut issues that make digesting carbs difficult. In order to get your body back to a place where it uses protein for building, fats for hormones, and carbs for fuel consider the following:

1.Hiring a coach who can consider your gut health, stress levels, bowel movements, overall inflammation, and activity level. Where my coaches at?

2. Consider asking your doctor for a continuous glucose monitor. I’ve been sending in the Freestyle libre. There’s no needles, sometimes covered by insurance, and great for those who’s blood sugars may be a little more brittle when changing fuels. Also great to see which foods your body responds to the best.

3. If you thought to yourself, I’ve got the concepts under point 1 and 2 under lock, then you might do well using My Fitness Pal APP to gauge your needed macros.
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Remember if you are coming from a place of long term deprivation, it’s going to take a minute before your body trusts you to keep your blood sugar balanced. This can mean in the meantime a few things.

1.You gain a few healing pounds.

2.You will need to go slow as you increase your calories.

3.Increase all macros at once, not just one a time.

4.You will need to tackle your gut issues that cause your carb intolerance.

5.You will need to prepare for it to take a long time.

6.You can’t change your macro composition over night.

7.You will have to gauge your success in the beginning by how it makes you feel!

05/01/2021

We have been successfully acculturated to think that our weight is the biggest factor in determining our health. Thanks so much fashion industry. I blame you.
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Nourishment gets isolated to what we eat. I did a reel about other forms of nourishment and it had 18 comments. I mention that keto may be terrible for menstruating women and I get 108 comments. 🤷🏻‍♀️
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We need to do the things that help us digest food well, absorb it, & use it. Using the right food equation does not equal that it even gets to your cells or that your body responds to it correctly.
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Florence Nightingale advocated for the environmental theory, “the act of utilizing the patient’s environment to assist him in his recovery.” This included light, fresh air, pure water; etc. As this idea has been expanded upon, environmental variables are now recognized as absolute human need.

We NEED:
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Adequate DAYTIME light is necessary for digestion. Research also shows that too much bright light in the evening actually effects utilization of night time carbs. So candle lit dinner it is.
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There’s MUCH to say about sleep but what I want to emphasize is that if we don’t have enough sleep our body doesn’t sufficiently suppress the production of cortisol. This not only messes with our gut bacteria but also shunts blood away from our digestion & to our muscles/nerves chronically prepared for flight.
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Exercise is key not only because it keeps peristalsis moving with abdominal contractions but it also increases gut circulation. It also improves insulin sensitivity, meaning fuel gets where it needs to go inside our cells.
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Mental stimulation is important in digestion but the key is WHAT KIND of input we are receiving. If it’s toxic then it is counter productive for digestion. And if a discussion or activity is calming & suppresses cortisol and increases our feel good hormones, this will help.
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Digestion is impacted by our independence from others. We eat alone in the car, in front of the TV, or desk. Our “timesaving” & “multi-tasking” strategies actually hurt us. We are more likely to eat higher quality food with others & laugh which produces oxytocin that lowers cortisol & boosts digestion.

04/29/2021

Part 2 on eating for your body.
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Are you dieting? Are you flourishing? If you missed the previous post go back and read it and then come back here.
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Before we jump into HOW to eat for our bodies, I want to focus one more post on WHY we need to eat for our bodies. What is our goal in all of this?
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I think it’s worth saying that while I do think we should strive to maintain a healthy weight it’s likely not for the reasons you think. In an appearance crazed culture where the size of your jeans ascribes you more or less worth, we have to break away from this idea that a certain shape is healthy.
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Bodies that look chiseled can be healthy (I know a few) but more often than not they are hiding anxiety, nutrient deficiencies, hair loss, poor sleep, imbalanced hormones, poor focus, and fatigue.
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You know when my patients come in for their wellness visits their weight goes into a tiny little check box next to heart rate and length. Why is so much emphasis placed on one biomarker?
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The following list of questions is what REALLY helps me determine a female’s health status.
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Do you menstruate? Are you regular? Do you have a heavy flow? Do you have intense PMS? Are you ovulating? Do you struggle with infertility? How’s your libido? Do you have acne?
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How’s your digestion? Do you bloat? Are you pooping 2 times a day? Are you intolerant to certain foods? Do you have any allergies?
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Do you sleep well? Do you wake up energized? Can you focus well through out the day? Are you productive? Do you crash? Can you exercise moderately without feeling fatigued?
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Does your hair fall out? Does it grow? Do you have eyebrows? Does your skin look lackluster? Do you have circles under your eyes or puffy face?
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Are you anxious or depressed? Do you get easily triggered? Do you have a temper? Are you easily overwhelmed?
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Let’s stop letting one biomarker make all our decisions for us. The other parts of us are equally important. If any coach or doctor puts the rest of your health at risk for the sake of your weight, they are completely misguided.