The Bite Size Podcast with Lorayne Michaels
A podcast for anyone wanting to become a better human! We'll discuss everything from faith, to life, to business, mental health and healing. Everyone has a story and a journey. I have created this space for you to come and learn. Hear from other amazing humans and how their mess became their message! We all go through trials and tests but only some surrender and let it be their TESTimony! Welcome to the BITE SIZE Podcast Friends!
The Bite Size Podcast with Lorayne Michaels
From Symptoms to Solutions: Kathryn McAdam's Path to Holistic Health Through Faith and Nutrition
Can diet really be the key to unlocking true wellness? On this episode of the Bite Size Podcast, we chat with Kathryn McAdam, a certified Christian minister and nurse practitioner, who shares her compelling journey from conventional medicine to functional medicine. Kathryn opens up about her personal frustrations with traditional medical approaches that often mask symptoms with medication, rather than addressing the root causes of illnesses. Her transformative experience with a gut protocol and elimination diet not only improved her health but also made her a staunch advocate for the power of diet and lifestyle in achieving holistic wellness.
Explore the fascinating world of gut health as Kathryn explains the critical roles of the mucous membrane and villi in protecting our bloodstream. Discover how imbalances in gut bacteria like Akkermansia can lead to conditions such as leaky gut syndrome, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases. Kathryn provides practical insights into the importance of proper chewing and digestion starting right in the mouth, and why addressing the root causes of gut issues is far more effective than merely treating symptoms with medication.
The conversation takes a spiritual turn as we discuss the integration of faith and functional medicine. Kathryn reveals the profound impact of managing stress and fostering a parasympathetic state through simple techniques like prayer and chanting. Hear how emotional and spiritual well-being are inseparable from physical health, and why healthcare professionals should embrace their role in nurturing all aspects of patient wellness. From overcoming personal struggles to advocating for holistic health, Kathryn journey offers invaluable lessons for anyone seeking to improve their well-being through faith and functional medicine.
Connect with Kathryn HERE
Where you can find me:
My website: https://theboldbeginnings.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LorayneMichaels22
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Lorayne_michaels/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LorayneMichaels
Welcome to the Bite Size Podcast. I'm your host, lorraine Michaels, former EMT and nursing assistant, now business owner and wild entrepreneur. I walked away from over 15 years in medicine to pursue my passion and my God-given talents. Now I get the honor of helping other women discover their passions and purpose. If you're feeling stuck in life, unsure where to go or what to do, welcome. If you're exactly where you want to be great, you're welcome here too. If you have faced any kind of hardship or setback, you have found a safe place here. In other words, no matter who you are or what you've been through or what you're going through, this is the space for you. On the Bite Size podcast, we'll discuss life, business and faith. There's something for everyone. So grab a cup of coffee and something to take notes with, because there will definitely be things you won't want to forget.
Speaker 1:Welcome back to the Bite Size Podcast. I'm your host, lorraine Michaels, and today I have another functional medicine practitioner and I'm so excited because we've been on a roll with this. I just, I absolutely love finding these people, these people in my, in my circle, and I just love bringing them on and hearing and educating my listeners really, you guys out there about functional medicine and I mean this is just an extra treat, but she's also a certified Christian minister. She's a nurse practitioner, the co-founder of Sozo Functional Medicine. She also is the host of the Unstoppable Joy podcast and I'm so excited to have Miss Catherine McAdam on the show today. Thank you for being here.
Speaker 2:I'm happy to be here here.
Speaker 1:We got to finally connect.
Speaker 1:We've been trying to get this for a while. I know I actually met Catherine last year in Raleigh at an event with Tamara Andrus and that was an incredible like-minded entrepreneur business event with other believers and that was a pretty powerful event. So I'm so glad you're here and I want to dive into all the things faith and functional medicine because I feel like that's like the root of who we are. Faith is super important to us and functional medicine obviously is coming to be more of a known topic and we are both very passionate about it. So welcome again and let's dive in. I want to know how did you find and how did you pursue this functional medicine aspect versus conventional medicine? What was the?
Speaker 2:catalyst for that? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you know part of it is just, you know, being kind of disenchanted with the whole conventional side of medicine. You go to your doctor and it's kind of like this mentality a pill for an ill and before you know it you can have a long, long list of medications that you're on and basically expected to be on for life.
Speaker 2:And I just know I've had gut issues in the past and, um, you know, just struggling and and just not feeling good and and going to my doctor and they run blood tests and you know, even had a scan of my belly and they're just like, oh, there's nothing wrong, you know they're. You know everything looks fine, right, they tell you it's, you look fine. You know, um, and then they don't really have much more for you, they don't like that's kind of it. Well, you're fine, we'll just go home, and you know, you know, if it gets worse, come back. And so you know I was just really frustrated by that and just not feeling good. And you know, knowing that they're just knowing my body and knowing there's something wrong, right, there's something that's not functioning right, and you know, being trained in the conventional medicine side of things, you know, I know processes, I know how the body's supposed to function, I know that our bodies have the ability to heal themselves and repair themselves. And you know it's, it's, it's, you know I, and that's what I love about you know, learning about the body and learning about how it's supposed to function, it just it shows me God's handiwork, it shows me his, his innate design that he put in us, to our bodies, to be able to heal themselves. And and so I kind of stumbled on functional medicine.
Speaker 2:I did like what they call a gut protocol, where I did an elimination diet and I was like, oh my gosh, I didn't realize how bad I felt. I didn't realize how bad my symptoms were until they were gone. I had just been living with it and thinking I know there's something not right, I just can't put my finger on it. And when I did that, the that gut protocol, I was like holy cow, I felt some. I lost eight pounds in the first week.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:Just, you know, because of the inflammation and all the stool that was backed up in my system, just like I was like, wow, this is, this is crazy. And you know if, if I'm feeling this way, you know I'm an active person, I eat healthy. I you know what I consider. You know healthy, right, it's just, uh, you know everybody sometimes you think eating healthy and you're not really. But, um, you know, I thought I was doing all the right things, you know, and and I was just, you know, I was just floored by, um, you know, the change in how I felt my skin. Um, you know my mood, my ability to sleep you know they're all connected.
Speaker 2:So that kind of started me on my journey of like, okay, like there's more to this than you know, than meets the eye, and you know. And then having people come into the clinic where I was working in the walk-in clinic and you know, seeing them, and they're saying, yeah, like I don't, I don't, I have all these gut issues and and we've done all these scans, they took out my gallbladder, they did all this stuff and they hadn't once been asked about their diet. And it's just like, what are we doing? Yeah, you know, uh, and and so I just started to feel like gosh, I'm not doing my patients a service by remaining in this space. Um, and so I I started pursuing getting trained um in functional medicine and um, and here we are.
Speaker 1:That's amazing.
Speaker 1:So, I want to go back to. Um, you were frustrated. Correct me if I'm wrong. I want to make sure I heard you correctly. You were frustrated. Correct me if I'm wrong. I want to make sure I heard you correctly. You were frustrated with your own medical journey and you knew something was wrong, but the doctors were telling you, nope, everything checks out fine. So you decided to pursue, trying to find a solution, naturally, and you started eliminating things from your diet. What did that look like? Like, was it just you stopped things cold turkey, or did you just start pulling out what? What was the order of that?
Speaker 2:So so the whole science behind it is um. You may have heard about leaky gut, right there's like a buzzword around leaky gut, leaky gut, and first when I heard it, you know before I knew anything about it. I'm like is someone like pooping themselves Like what is leaky?
Speaker 1:gut.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it sounds like that. Huh, that's not what it is. So what happens is, you know, if we have a what they call dysbiosis, which is an imbalance of the good and bad bacteria in our gut. So we are made up of, you know, cells in our own human cells, but actually more we have more bacteria cells in our bodies than we have our own cells in our, in this, in their all, in our, in, mostly in our gut, and so you know, we are sharing space here, and so the job of those bacteria is, you know, they, they each have their own role, but you know, and we're still, you know, they're still mapping this out.
Speaker 2:They don't, they still haven't gotten to the to the end of how many different strains we have in our in our gut, but you know they each have different roles and you know if those roles are disrupted, like if there's not enough of one type or too much of another, or you can have, like you know, things that make you sick, like strep or staph or C diff, or you know all different kinds of bacteria there's an imbalance, you can get an imbalance and what happens is that there's a mucous membrane that protects your gut, the lining of your gut.
Speaker 1:Hey, it's Lorraine. As you know, it's my joy and passion to teach and encourage others through this podcast, but my heart is actually at live events. Currently, I'm available for booking, so if you're organizing a live event, I'd love to share my story. Your audience will walk away with tangible tools on how to overcome limiting beliefs, break down obstacles and discover their gifts, talents and abilities in order to live a life that God created them to live. It's not the size of the audience that's important. It's the connection and impact that I will bring. For more information, email me at Lorraine at theboldbeginningscom.
Speaker 2:That lining that is protecting underneath, are what they call villi, and so they, like I just my fingers are the best way of describing it right. So so the villi is protected by that mucous membrane that covers over them. Well, if the bacteria there's a bacteria that's actually its job is to maintain that mucous membrane, it's called acromantia. If acromantia is off the kilter, if it's too much or too little, you know it can't do its job of maintaining that good mucus barrier. So what happens is that mucus barrier is degraded and it leaves holes in that protective barrier and it's almost like getting a cut. You know, if you get a cut and you don't wash it, you don't keep a good eye on it bacteria is going to get in there, it's going to get infected.
Speaker 2:Same thing happens with your gut lining. So, but but what's even more important is right on the other side of this villi is your um, is your bloodstream, right your vessels? So these villi, if they're not protected, they have tight junctions, the bacteria, the bacteria that maintains it, is gone. The mucus membrane gets degraded and then these start to open up. Then undigested food and bacteria that shouldn't not be in the bloodstream seep in and get into that bloodstream. So what happens is so it's like. So say, you eat something just like broccoli. Okay, something that's good for you, Something that you've eaten for years and not had issues with. All of a sudden, that undigested broccoli seeps through these tight junctions and gets into your blood stream.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then your body's like oh my gosh, foreign body, what is? This, yeah, and it launches this inflammation, right? Yep, that's the way our body works to heal things. Well, what happens is that leaky gut over time can trigger autoimmune conditions.
Speaker 2:And so it can cause, you know, joint issue and skin issues and obviously gut issues, just fatigue. You can just feel sick all over the place. So the other thing that happens then the next time you have broccoli, your body has tagged it as a foreign body. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And so then next time you have broccoli, your body's like uh-uh, no, and again you have this like like you can have diarrhea, you can have, you know, just bloating, you can have constipation, and so, long story short, like you know, that leaky gut, that's kind of like the basis of a lot of conditions that we that we see today that we're given pills for Right, right, when, if we can fix that gut lining, when we can, you know, rebalance, we don't have that dysbiosis, we balance out that that microbiota in your gut, your body has the ability to heal itself and repair, and so, yeah, and so I think no, I love that.
Speaker 1:That was a beautiful description of it. I wish, if y'all aren't watching this, that was just a beautiful explanation of it. I absolutely love that. But something so in my mind I'm like okay, well, what can cause that? Or other people's mind also Like what is going to cause this dysbiosis? So long-term antibiotics right, that's going to tear your gut up being on medication long-term People that are popping high doses of-.
Speaker 2:Enacids, Tums, all that stuff.
Speaker 1:Yes, all of that stuff. Another thing that they're masking another problem with. They're not fixing their problem, but they're just putting a Band-Aid on it. But what it's really doing is it's ripping your gut apart and it's causing this. So it's just, it's like a rabbit, a rabbit hole into all these other conditions and we're just throwing pills at it, when we just find the root cause.
Speaker 2:Well, the other thing, too, is you know, um, you know digestion starts in the mouth, right? Is? You know, um, you know digestion starts in the mouth, right? So if you are like, if you are somebody who works in the medical field and you're used to like shoveling your food in your mouth, you don't start to chew it, you don't start to break it down, you don't have those digestive enzymes that help you to digest your food, and so what can happen is, you know, people complain of heartburn. Well, if you eat something and you don't have enough stomach acid, right, if your body isn't working correctly, then what happens is that food sits there in your, in your stomach, and it putrefies and you will have that acid reflux and you will have that full feeling and you'll have that, that bloating and that distension, right, yeah.
Speaker 2:So you know things as you know, and and when you are not in that parasympathetic state, when you're eating, so if you're, you know, used to being in a high stress job and you're just shoveling your food in cause, you don't know when the next alarm's going to go off, right, um, then what happens is your, is your body, when you get into, out of the parasympathetic. So our body has kind of like two modes, like the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. And the parasympathetic, that is your rest and digest mode. That is, your body is able to absorb the nutrients that it needs, it correctly processes those nutrients and it moves the food along. You know, in a normal fashion, when we are in that sympathetic mode, that fight or flight when we were just anxious and we're stressed out, which is most of America most of the world.
Speaker 2:You know, especially in our society, like we are, just like everybody's on edge and I don't know if you've noticed it, there's like an undercurrent of anger you know, just everywhere right.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, when you're in that mode, what happens is all your blood leaves the center of your body. So it's not in that rest and digest mode, it goes to your arms. It goes to your arms, it goes to your legs because it's meant to, it's a protective mechanism of your body to get you to able to flee danger, right, yeah, yeah, flee the tiger or the dinosaur or whatever's chasing you, right, yeah? So, um, you know when, when we sit down and we, you know, spend a few moments in prayer. This is where, like I just love when biblical principle meets functional medicine, and because, when you spend that few moments in prayer, it helps you to get into that rest and digest, it helps you to transition from this stressed out, I can't even swallow because I'm so like you know, I'm so right, yeah, yeah, sitting.
Speaker 2:You know not being distracted when you eat. You know really focusing on. You know the act, the moment we say. You know be in the moment. You know you hear, be in the moment, be in the moment, you know be, be present, you know, doing those things to like, help you, your body to like.
Speaker 2:Okay, this is time to eat Like, this is the time that that I am, you know, setting aside to digest my food and spending a few moments in prayer. You know, is the thing that that? That you know? One thing they taught me, obviously the, the, where I got my functional medicine. Training isn't necessarily a Christian place, but but they were like, you know humming, singing, you know chanting before you eat. How should you increase your vagal tone and get you into the sympathetic mode? I'm like, yep, spending a few moments in prayer. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So that's a beautiful segue into my question was going to be how has your faith influenced your approach with functional medicine? Because I know for me personally, being in the hospital and whatnot beforehand, it was very difficult for me because I had to walk this fine line of my faith and being able to talk to patients about my faith. Like I almost had to wait until they opened the door or they said something, because if I said it first I could get in big trouble, Like I could lose my job, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So how has that influenced your approach?
Speaker 2:So, yeah, definitely, you know, I remember hearing you know a long time ago about naturopaths and you know I remember hearing you know a long time ago about naturopaths and you know holistic medication, medicine and and thinking, okay, well, you know, I do like the osteopathic, you know school of thought, you know holistic school of thought, but in practice you don't see a lot of it Like people actually using. Like you know, like what's your spiritual walk? Like you know they don't even discuss that, like it's other than like what, what, which? What kind of faith do you practice? It's like in your intake, maybe when you get to the hospital, but beyond there, like they don't ask you. Like you know, do you have unforgiveness? You know, do you have anger? Do you have, you know, resentment or other things that that's going on in your, in your spiritual walk that can affect what's going on physically, because you cannot separate the two.
Speaker 2:Um, the Bible talks about like bitterness, rotting the bones you know and also says that you know um, the cheerful heart is like good medicine, right and the. And the Bible also says that the Lord wants us to prosper and be in health, even as our soul prospers. We are, you know, body, mind and spirit. You can't separate the one from the other.
Speaker 2:You know apart from when we pass away and get to heaven, like we are, like this, is it right? Yeah, and you know there's so many aspects of our physical well-being that is definitely connected to our spiritual and mental. You know health, you know, if you've ever, you know, for instance, there's. You think about people talking about, oh, I have a nervous stomach, right, I have a nervous stomach, like you know, and now they label that sometimes as IDS. You know irritable bowel syndrome, where, you know, you get anxious, you get uptight and you end up having diarrhea or the opposite, you end up with constipation and so like. So they're, they're, they're talking about it, but they're not really addressing it, right, you know, and sometimes they will give those people, like you know, depressants and that sort of thing.
Speaker 2:But you know there's a spiritual aspect of that. You know when, just like when you sit down to eat, like if you're not in that rest and digest mode, that you're not going to digest your food, well, you know, but yeah, so. So my faith is a huge part of my practice and you know it's right up front. Like, the name is Sozo. So, Sozo is a Greek term that means salvation.
Speaker 1:I didn't know that. Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, so it's, it's, you know, restoration, healing, health, body, mind and spirit, and so that's, you know, that's how we came up with the name for our. Our business is, we don't want to just, you know, here's these supplements or here's this diet plan or here's these lifestyle, like, like, it's like game on right, like I'm so tired of being in the functional or in the conventional medicine realm and having to be like tiptoe, like you said, like you know and in near you know, before I my last job, I would, I'd be like you know what can I pray for you? Like I was just, like you know what, you can fire me if you want. Like I'm going to pray with my patients. I'm going to say, hey, you know, you were meant for more than this.
Speaker 2:Like, especially, you know, if these kids come in and they are, you know they're angry and they are, you know, like I can't remember what, what they were, what issues were having, but, but you could see it all over their face. They're just, they're angry. You know, and these are people that are going through rough things like homelessness, like you know, abuse, all that kind of stuff, and you know the amazing thing about you know, having gone through some of the things I've gone through, you know, because I ended up homeless with my three kids after you know, fleeing from my abusive, drug addicted ex-husband, you know, so many years ago. And so when I encounter people that are homeless or they're struggling with you know, so my dad's an addict or my mom's an addict, I can say, you know what, that doesn't have to be the end of your story. So, anyway, so I digress. But, yeah, definitely, in my practice, you know, I'm praying for my patients, praying with them.
Speaker 2:You know we talk about spiritual things. We talk about like are you, are you spending time meditating on the word of God? Are you taking your anxiety and your burdens to him? Because when we release that sort of thing, it releases healing, it releases life into us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I love that you have brought it up multiple times this mind, body, spirit, spirit, because that is literally the pillars of my coaching and my speaking, and so I'm always talking about it, because you cannot separate them mind body spirit, you can't.
Speaker 1:And people see my Instagram and whatnot and they think that I'm a personal trainer and they see the fitness aspect of it and, yes, that is a very big part of who I am, but that's not all of me. I am not a personal trainer, I'm a speaker, you know, and I talk about all those things mind, body, spirit and how important each one of those are. But most importantly is the spirit aspect, because that is like that is the root of it, that is the, the central nerve of it. All you know, um, and it all intertwines and connects to that. And since, like, having gone back into Western medicine, I now I, I don't care, like I now.
Speaker 1:I am very open about my faith and I do ask people about these. You know, about their spiritual walk and, um, talking about that, and especially in the area that we live, um, there, I see a lot of homelessness and a lot of drugs coming in and my husband works doesn't work, I'm sorry. He volunteers at a shelter, a local shelter, and so I'm always bringing that up and asking about. You know, have you been here, have you tried this? Because they have a program as well that helps you get sober, helps you get on your feet, and so, yeah, and that's another part of it as well is, I have walked through that as well and I know that is not their story.
Speaker 1:And I'm constantly telling people that this is not the end. Like, if you want help, like if you're okay with this, if you're okay with this life, like this is not for you, this is not what God intended for you. But if you want help, like, don't let that be your story, like and don't be ashamed of it. You can get out of it. And God calls us to let go of that shame and, like you said, to find the rest in him and he can take that from you, he can take that addiction from you. He can take all of that, and it's just so much freer and it's so much lighter when, like when you know that you know and you can rest in that. Oh my gosh, I absolutely love being able to tell people about that and and help walk them through that and see that Mm hmm, yeah, it's an amazing opportunity that you know, health care professionals have, like we get to go in places that nobody else gets to go.
Speaker 2:Like, like, like some of that intimate time of, like, bathing somebody you know when, or helping them change their ostomy bag, or whatever it is for the first time. Like you know, those are crucial moments in someone's life and to be there and to be, you know to be you know and to be there and to be, you know to be, you know nurturing and kind and compassionate and you know be willing to say, you know it's going to be okay. Like you know we're going to get through this, you can do this right. And you know we have the opportunity to go into those places. And I think it's been such a disservice for us as Christians. We've been told, like you know, this fear, you know you're going to lose your job, you're going to, you know you can't and it's and it's not blatant. The hospital doesn't come out and say you can't, right, but the undercurrent of like you don't do that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure. What advice would you give someone that is struggling to find the joy and they're going through the these health challenges um, maybe where you once were, and they're not being heard? What would you tell them? How would you encourage them to find the joy in this and get them to realize you know what it is that we talk about and teach about with functional medicine?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you know everything, everything with prayer, right, you know, starting with prayer, starting with. You know, seeking God first. You know, even, even, you know, trying to find a good practitioner, right, be led by the spirit. You know. You know, reach out to me. You know, if I cannot help you, I definitely will send you in the right direction. I know a lot of practitioners around the country that I would recommend. And you know, first things first. Like you know, you have to decide.
Speaker 2:Your health is a priority. Um, and and, just like you said, like you know, people get trapped in thinking that this is the way it is, this is the way I'm supposed to. You know, I'm stuck here. Um, just let them know you're not stuck. Like, there's always something that you can do to improve your health. Um, and, and that's one of the things that I, that I'm really passionate about is for the body of Christ. Like you know, we well, for as a society in general, we've been duped, thinking, you know, we've been lied to about our food. Yeah, you're talking about that leaky gut. Like you know, one of the big things that causes leaky gut is us eating what we call Franken foods, these foods that have been like highly processed, made in a lab. They're not the natural food source that God created and gave to us as a gift. I mean, just think about the fact that you can go up to a plant and pluck these little round colorful sweet balls off of it and eat them, and it's like, oh my gosh, it tastes amazing, right.
Speaker 2:Like yeah how cool is that that God created that for us to eat and enjoy? I mean, yeah, anyway. So for one. You know, just start to look at your diet. I mean that would be square one, right? You know, try to just begin to like. I can't tell you how many people come in and like, oh, I drink lots of water. Well, how much do you drink? Oh, I drink at least two cups a day. I'm like that's just not enough right, yeah your body needs water.
Speaker 2:At least eight cups a day. That's bare minimum. You know, if you're exercising, you know you need more and then you know so. So, water, just simple things. Start with something simple just incorporate some more water into your life and then try to eliminate your packaged foods, try to like, have more fresh fruits and veggies. You know they say, eat the rainbow right, which means eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables of all different colors and textures. And your body needs those nutrients in order to do all the processes that it has, that it has to do, which is repairing itself, giving you energy.
Speaker 2:And you know we, we, we have been duped to think that, well, I just have to take a pill for this, or this is normal aging, or these aches and pains are just the way it, the way my body is just aging. And you know like my stomach ache is. Oh, I, always, I. I can't tell you how many people have said to me oh, I've had this forever, ever since I was a kid, and I'm thinking, nobody's like asked about your diet or or like made some changes for you, or you know like any allergy testing, or you know it's crazy, it's like we've made it so complicated We've made it the whole system has to be. We have to do all of these tests and do all these labs and all we have is pills and we just add more and more heap on more, heap on more, when it's really quite simple, you know get some water. You know breathe, spend some time outside and then try to to eat more fruits and veggies and avoid processed foods.
Speaker 2:But you know it's a process and that's what I do in my practice is we walk you through the process of. You know, let's start incorporating these things into your, into your lifestyle. You know, if we we feel like you need testing, we will do a deep dive and do some, some testing of what's going on in your gut. So you know specifically, um, you know, is this an allergy? We have, the allergy testing we do is different than like.
Speaker 2:So, say, you went to your doctor and they did some allergy testing. They just, they just look for the IgE, um, which is a, a certain um, part of the inflammation process, um, the inflammatory response to, uh, an agent. We look at, you know, the IgG and um, and so we look at, not only like is this a true allergy? Is this just maybe inflammation? Is it this holy heat gut going on and so, even though you're not really allergic to broccoli, your body's reacting to it as if it is allergic to broccoli, and an elimination diet is one of the ways that you can help clear out that inflammation and then you can start to reintroduce those things and see if it's an actually true allergy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Do you find a lot of? So when you do like the elimination diet, is that a first step or is that an after labs type of thing.
Speaker 2:It's actually one thing that I recommend, for you know it's cheap, you know it doesn't cost you anything, right, yeah, you don't have to do labs.
Speaker 1:It'll save you money, actually it will.
Speaker 2:It'll save you money. Actually, it'll save you money it'll save you.
Speaker 2:You know, like, and the problem is a lot of people, um, you know it's it's not easy, it's it's. You know it's a process of knowing like, okay, like, how do I eliminate these things? And then there is a time where you do start to reintroduce things and so, like I said, that's one thing that we help. That's one thing that we do in my clinic is we help people walk through those processes and and help them, track and help them, you know, encourage them along the way. We have you know recipes and you know grocery lists and all that stuff to help them. You know, walk through this process, yeah, and then you know if, if that's, you know, like I said, that's a quick eat, not quick, it's an easy, I shouldn't even say easy.
Speaker 2:It's an expensive way of covering some of this stuff and then seeing how your body responds. You know you are the best judge of. You know, you know your body you're the only one living in there besides all those microbes right? And so you know how your body feels and responds to things, you know. So we think about like food sensitivities, right. We think about like allergies, and you know, not everybody responds to food, to a reaction to a food, in the same way. I mean, some people it causes their heart rate to rise, it'll raise your blood pressure. Some people it gives them fatigue. Some people their skin will break out. Some people have the bloating, some people have the diarrhea, some people have the constipation, some people have the brain fog and so, for instance, for me, like if I eat something that I'm sensitive to, my ears plug up, oh yeah, and it's just like oh well, I know I can't eat that. Wow, I first started noticing it.
Speaker 1:My body would respond like with a very clear sign.
Speaker 2:Yeah. But the thing that's hard about it is you can have a delayed response to something you've eaten, like three, four, five days later, and so that's why it's really hard to figure out at times what's going on, yeah. So that's why we there's like a figure out at times what's going on, yeah. And so that's why there's like a certain sequence that we do with our elimination diet. When we do start to reintroduce things, you know to kind of watch and see what happens in the body.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, that's so interesting, that is so fascinating to me. I just love the way the body works, like I just it's. I love it. I correct me if I'm wrong. I love it. Correct me if I'm wrong. I feel like a challenge is our society. We kind of talked about this earlier. It's a microwave society. They want results now. They want results yesterday, having to reprogram, re-educate patients of okay, do you want to get to the root of this? We can, but it's going to take steps. But it's like, what do you want? Do you want to slap a pill on it and have results now, but it's not getting to the root of it? Or do you want to get to the root of it and actually feel optimal, how you're supposed to feel and work with your body, with the things that it needs and wants? And it's just a matter of taking those steps and, like you said, it's not fast, it takes time and it takes a lot of listening to your body and reprogramming the way you're thinking and everything that we've been taught.
Speaker 1:basically throw it out the window, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm starting from scratch. Like you said, it's like we have this instant gratification. You know, we don't want it to be hard, we don't want it to be challenging and we can even fall into that same thing with, like our spiritual walk. You know like sometimes it's hard to deny self.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Sometimes it's hard to pick up our cross and you know, we I, you know I've been thinking about this, and especially with you. Know, like the book that I'm writing about the blessed body. You know, we, as we, as Christians, we've gotten to be like baby Christians, like we don't, we can't handle that meat, we can't handle that. That. You know. Solid meal Just give us the milk, just give us the milk. You know we don't talk about forgiveness for other people. Forgiveness for me, oh yes, I'm there all day long, every day, right, but when I have to start walking out forgiveness to others, that 70 times seven you know and those hard things you know.
Speaker 2:That's where you know, that's part of health. I can't tell you like how many times that I have like been feeling like crap, like oh, I just feel awful, and then I realized I'm harboring like unforgiveness, and when I let that go, literally I feel like a weight lift off. We kind of gloss over the scripture where Jesus says if you don't forgive others, I can't forgive you. That's hard, that's the truth. Right, we want the Jesus loves you and he accepts you just the way you are.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely, I'm there, a hundred percent. But when he says you know what you got to pick up your cross and follow me, deny yourself. You need to love your enemies and pray for those who who misuse you. Yeah, and, and we, we like we miss it and so like that's one aspect of health. But also, like I feel like in the body of Christ and we're we're just like you know, we go to the front and we're just asking for that healing which, yes, jesus heals us Absolutely. I believe in the healing power of Jesus, but there's also things that we need to do in the natural.
Speaker 2:We can't, we can't be, you know, abusing our body and and and ignoring the fact that we need sleep, that we need water, we need good nutrition, we need exercise, we need movement. You can't be like this baby that just expects Jesus come rescue me and I don't have any responsibility to take care of the temple that you've given me.
Speaker 1:And I expect it to work perfectly.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah. And we've been duped into thinking that you know, oh well, if I'm sick, I just go to the doctor, he gives me a pill on better and I have no responsibility or no ownership of my health.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Oh, man, I can go on forever on that. Talk to me, tell me, I want to hear more about this book, the book that you're working on, the Blessed Body.
Speaker 2:Yes, so you know, it's basically the promise of that. Like I just feel, like I know that there is so much more that Christ has for us. Yeah, you know we come to him and he promises that abundant life. Yeah, how, how abundant is it?
Speaker 2:If you're sick and you can't get off the couch, you can't walk up the stairs without being out of breath, you know, you can't get out and play with your kids. You can't. You can't do the things that you can't be the hands and feet of Jesus to others. Yeah, if you can't even lift your arms, right, if you are so sick and your health is so poor. So I feel like we as a body, I believe that we as a body need to embrace the health and the healing that Jesus has provided for us, but also partner with him in taking care of the temple.
Speaker 2:You know, our temple, our body, is the temple of the Holy Spirit and if we partner with what he has designed for our bodies to do, if we, you know, deny ourselves, right, take up our cross and follow him, you know, it's not, it's not like you have to deny yourself and not eat food, right? Yeah, it's just. Let's cut out the junk food. Yeah, cut out the stuff. And the problem is like the whole food industry is a whole another topic, right? So you know, I think it was like the 1960s. I believe there was a study that was done and Harvard um researchers were paid to lie about the research findings and it was funded by the food industry.
Speaker 2:And basically, instead of coming out and being honest about the fact that sugar is the cause of cardiovascular disease, they lied and said it was fat's fault. I call it the big fat lie, right, yeah, yeah, yeah. And so that I mean for anybody that was around in the 80s, like I was, you know, growing up with all these low fat diets, it was everywhere and it was all fueled by this falsified research. And you know, now it's come out and it's sugar. Sugar is what causes the damage to our vessels.
Speaker 2:It's like shards of glass in your vessels that is causing that, those you know that. Degration of those vessels, yeah, and cholesterol is your body's natural process of healing those things. But it's like you know a crime scene. You know you show up and cholesterol is holding the bag right. Cholesterol got the bad rap. But it wasn't their problem, it wasn't their fault.
Speaker 2:They were just here to help repair the damage that sugar's. Already they've come and gone, right, and so you know. Realizing that, right, yeah, and so you know, realizing that, gosh, we've been lied to, you know, as a society and as you know, you know, you go to church. After church, it's donuts and coffee, right, yeah, Donuts and lemonade, right. Or cupcakes, or whatever it is, and I don't fault the body for wanting to be together and, you know, enjoying a meal, right.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But, or snacks, but, but it's. It's become like that. That one thing that we have been complacent about is our health. Yeah, we, we think you know all these other sins. You know smoking or drinking excessively or any of the other. You know big sins, adultery. You know the things that we see as big sins right Now. The other you know big sins, adultery. You know the things that we see as big sins, right, they, they, they're. Those are the things that we're like, oh no, you know, but, but really, like you know, we're missing it. Like taking care of our temple. We're called to be good stewards of everything that God's given us. And gluttony, you know, I know it's not specifically one of the actual things. That's in the Ten Commandments like don't be a glutton, right?
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, you know, the early church saw it as one of the deadly sins, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah yeah, but yeah, it's become commonplace and normalized and accepted, as you know. Oh, it's not bad to overeat, it's not bad to, you know, not exercise or take care of your body, you know. Oh, it's not bad to overeat, it's not bad to, you know, not exercise or take care of your body, you know. But it all goes along with that, that mentality of, like you know, I can't remember how many patients come in like you know, they're smoking. I'm not going to quit smoking, you know, but I'm getting sick repeatedly because I've got, you know, I've got bronchitis again right, over and over and over again. And you know, I've got bronchitis again right, um, over and over and over again. And you know it's leading them down to a path of ending up on, you know, uh, on oxygen, on, you know, chronic steroid use, you know all this stuff.
Speaker 2:Um. So it's like it's taking that ownership, it's being like you know what? I'm not going to be a baby and think that everybody has to hand me this. It's a victim mentality, it's an entitlement. Almost I shouldn't have to do anything, it should just work. Yeah, fix me.
Speaker 1:You know how to fix me. Yeah, that's super frustrating and unfortunately that's the culture that we live in. It's the society like they have been conditioned that way. So that's why I'm so excited to continue to find other functional practitioners and other functional nutritionists, and I think more of us should link arms and I know it's becoming more and more. I don't want to say popular, but I mean the education it is getting out there and it is, I feel, like it's going to be a new wave and people are tired of it. People are tired of feeling tired.
Speaker 1:People are tired of being lied to you know and I think more and more people are waking up and realizing that we got to take the power back. We got to. You know we have. We were created a certain way and, oh, this actually does work, and so I feel like this is going to be the new wave and people are getting excited about it. You know, and it's that whole empowerment when you know that you have the strength, the power, the will, the might, when you know that you walk differently you know, God gives us that.
Speaker 1:What is that? It's in second Timothy. You know he doesn't give us a spirit of fear and timidity, Like he gives us power, strength, might, like we are able to do this we can do this, and we can have the life that we were created to have, that we were called to have Mind, body, spirit, our health included, like all of it. Walk in abundance. Walk in that power.
Speaker 2:Yeah, god has abundance for us in our health. Yeah, yes, he set us up for it.
Speaker 2:Our bodies are made to be healthy, they are made to repair themselves, and if we just keep on putting junk in there and ignoring you know, or or just, it's just ignorance too. It's just not ignorance, like you know, degrade, like trying to be mean to somebody, but just the bible says that my people lack knowledge. They, they perish for lack of wisdom. Lack of knowledge and and, like, like I said, we've been lied to and we have all these packaged foods that say you know, they, they appear to be healthy yeah they promise.
Speaker 2:You know, oh, this, you know this is protein rich or this is that, and it's full of preservatives and dyes, and you know processed food things that like they don't even resemble God's you know God's design, those little, you know balls of sweetness Like we. Just, you know, whatever it is, you know it's like we, we just don't know, and I, my heart goes out because it's like, like you said, we've been conditioned, right, yeah. But then, on the other hand, you have the people that are just like you know, I don't want to do things. If it's inconveniencing me, I'm not going to do it, yeah. And so we have to take that ownership. We need to wake up because there's some work for us to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And if we can't even get off the couch, if we are so, like you know, thinking that everybody else, you know we're in this spectator sport of life, yeah, oh, somebody else will go reach those people, somebody else will have to do that, you know?
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, somebody else will go reach those people. Somebody else will have to do that, you know. Yeah, oh my goodness. So, um, I want to know where can people find you, where, if someone wants? They heard this and they're like, oh my gosh, I need to talk to Catherine. She, I need the help. How can people reach out to you and where's the best way to contact you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, um, you can reach out to me. You can go to my website, it's sozofunctionalmedicinecom. It's S O Z O functional medicinecom, um, and you can sign up for a free consult. We, um, we talk to people all day long about their health and their journey, and if we can help you, then we, you know, we start to work with you. Otherwise, we have multiple, I guess, resources, you know, for people. I have an elimination diet plan that is kind of like.
Speaker 2:You know, if you want to do it on your own, I have that for you know, obviously I'm a business owner, I'm an entrepreneur, so I have to make some money. I left the hospital, I'm not working there anymore, so, um, you know, these things do come at a cost. But, um, yeah, there there's several price points of different things that you want to work with us. If you want testing, um, we have all those things available. Um, and you know, we've got some incredible like apps that help you walk through, like daily, and give you recipes and meal plans and all that stuff and help you really walk through your journey and empower you body, mind and spirit. So, yeah, so Sozo Functional Medicine is my website. That's the best way to get a hold of me or to to connect with me. You know I am working on my, my book, and I will do be doing pre-sales here. I'll put that up on my website when we get to that point.
Speaker 1:But, um, yeah, congratulations on that. That's exciting. Yes, very excited. Yeah, awesome. Well, I will have all of that in the show notes. Catherine, thank you so much for your time and for educating us and sharing everything. I absolutely love talking about this stuff, so if you have found this episode to be helpful, insightful, if you know someone that needs to hear it, please share it, tag us and, as always, y'all remember you were divinely created for divine purpose and there's no mistake in you. So until next time.