The Walk Of Life With Dr Vi Ho

On this bonus episode of The Walk Of Life podcast, Cheryl Thibault is joined by Dr Vi Ho who has an incredible story to share as well as the chapter she wrote in the book ‘Visionary Women Leaders’ entitled ‘Healthy Food, Healthy Life And Healthy Relationship’.KEY TAKEAWAYS I’m a root canal specialist, but I took a different path and studied biological endodontics – I’m into health, so after I mastered my skill I wanted to look into I can do it better for my patients and what can I improve upon it to give the best work with the least harm to the body. I use materials and tools that do no harm and actually promote healing, such as using lasers to do root canals and using ozone to disinfect the tooth while trying to avoid chemicals. Because of the way I practise, I don’t just see my patients for a root canal then I’m done and goodbye, we view health as an overall connection in the body. Sometimes if a root canal doesn’t heal, it’s not that your endodontist did a bad job, it’s your whole-body connection, your health and everything. I really enjoy sitting down with my patients and talking about health and what links to what and really help them. My family was unusual forma an Asian family, they didn’t push us to become a doctor or an academic, they always used health and happiness as the key. The only requirement was that we’d better be good citizens! “You do you, but if I hear anything bad about you, well have to talk!” I was going to be a nail technician like my mother because in my heart I knew I wasn’t smart like my exams showed that I was, but I got lucky and got a scholarship into college, I failed my first year because I didn’t know how to study, but my mindset was: What is there to lose? So I focussed on learning one step at a time and any mistakes I made were honest and I learned from them. I was never someone who knew what they wanted to be, I was good with my hands and I always want to learn new things. People ask me how I get my kids to eat everything, because I teach them why they have to eat certain things, for example bitter melon – I tried several times for them to eat it and they didn’t like it because it’s so bitter, but I really got them to be motivated – I couldn’t trick them not eating it – there had to be a reason they want to eat it, so I explained to them this and that and now they eat it. BEST MOMENTS‘I have 3 kids and I home-school them as well as run my practice. I grew up with nothing and wanted to give them everything, but one day I realised that they don’t need that, I didn’t need that. What I need to do is teach them about relationships. Being a busy parent, sometimes I don’t have time to do extra-curricular activities, but I do have a tool I can use three times a day to be able to not just take care of them but teach them valuable life lessons, and that’s through cooking.’‘Being present and mindful, to me, is super-important.’‘We may not all like to cook, but we all like to eat and good food can definitely start a conversation and make us happy. You may not be a good cook, but you have to eat anyway, so why not invest the time – not just with your family, but friends as well – eating with people and making a meaningful relationship from that.’‘We all have different medical issues but the first thing, a must, to fix any issue you may have is to fix your nutrition and digestion.’ABOUT THE GUESTDr Vi Ho was born in Vietnam and grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She received her Bachelor Degree in Biology from Texas A&M University. Immediately upon graduation, she entered Creighton University School of Dentistry and graduated in the top 2% of her class. While at Creighton University School of Dentistry, she was selected as a member of the national dental honour society, Omicron Kappa Upsilon. The membership was limited to those dental students who have distinguished themselves by excellence in scholarship, while demonstrating exemplary traits of character and potential qualities for future profess