May 9, 2024 • 22 mins
Transform your health by tuning into our enlightening discussion with Dr. Jessica Patella, a leading naturopathic physician, as we uncover the simple yet profound benefits of naturopathic medicine. Discover how swapping sugary drinks for water can revolutionize your cellular health and learn about the integration of evidence-based practices within naturopathy, especially in maternal health. Dr. Patella highlights the importance of harmonious collaboration between naturopathic and conventional medical practitioners, emphasizing mutual respect and the enhancement of patient care through shared expertise. We also dissect the practicalities of naturopathic care, from treatment durations and costs to the often daunting hurdles of insurance coverage, advocating for a deeper understanding and education among healthcare providers.
Dive into the complexities of menopause management with homeopathic remedies tailored to individual needs, and uncover the power of diet and lifestyle changes in alleviating symptoms like mood swings and hot flashes. Explore the efficacy of botanical medicines such as black cohosh and African yam, and understand the long-term benefits they offer. Our conversation sheds light on the struggles faced by underserved women in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, offering tangible solutions like indoor walking and community gardens. We also stress the importance of holistic health practices, including stress management and adequate sleep hygiene, to achieve optimal health outcomes. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in bridging the gap between different healthcare approaches for comprehensive, integrative wellness.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr Jessica Patella (00:00):
One thing that is completely free.
If you could just do one thingand that's to remove all of that
soda or sugary drink whateverit is sweet tea in the South,
right.
And if you can just getsomebody to replace all of their
fluid intake to be water,that's free.
The other things cost money andthat is a huge, huge difference
(00:22):
in the health right.
And we know that the cellscommunicate, right, your cells
are filled with water and somaking sure that you're, you
know, getting that healthyamount of water is literally
going to help the cells andtheir ability to communicate in
your body and that you can dowithout costing any amount of
money.
That would be very beneficial.
Dr Bola Sogade (00:56):
Hello and welcome to CocoaPods podcast.
My name is Dr Bola Sugade.
I'm a women's health specialist.
We have been talking to DrJessica Patella, a naturopathic
physician, who has been talkingto us about naturopathic
medicine with respect tomaternal health.
So you know, now we want tolook at evidence-based practices
(01:19):
and some latest research innaturopathic medicine.
Does the naturopathic doctorintegrate evidence-based
practices into their treatment?
Dr Jessica Patella (01:30):
Yes, absolutely, and I'm so glad you
brought this up because I thinkthere just needs to be so much
more knowledge around this topic.
And so, as naturopathic doctors, we're trained not only to
reach out to our medicalcolleagues, so reaching out to
the medical doctor, so that waywe can work together.
(01:53):
I think the best patientmedicine comes when you have
somebody that's well-educated inthe natural and holistic sense,
that also can work with themedical doctor, and it can
almost become a team for thatpatient.
So, you know, I feel like thatis a great resource.
But then we also, you know,read the medical journals and
(02:13):
look at what is the most up todate with different supplements,
herbal medicine, homeopathicmedicine and how those are being
used to treat differentconditions and different disease
states.
So, absolutely, using medicalresearch to guide what we're
doing is absolutely used acrossthe profession.
Dr Bola Sogade (02:35):
Thank you.
Thank you, and so it's best tohave collaboration with people
in what we call conventionalmedicine, or is there a lack of
it most of the time?
And I want to look into therelationship between
naturopathic and conventionalmedicine.
So is the naturopathic doctoropen to collaborating with the
(02:58):
conventional medicalpractitioners and vice versa?
Have you seen anything?
Dr Jessica Patella (03:05):
Yes, the majority I mean I can't speak
for everybody, you know, we'reall different, but I know that
that's how we were trained isthat it's best to work as a team
to help that patient andrecognizing the differences in
our education and background,right.
And so you know, I fullyrecognize that I'm not an OBGYN
and those are, you know, thoseare different skill sets that I
(03:28):
don't have and I'm not able todo those things, but I can help
with homeopathic remedies, right.
So having that team to worktogether to help the mother in
all those different aspects isvery helpful.
Now, this is just my personalopinion.
I do feel like, as naturopathicdoctors, we're more open to
(03:51):
that collaboration.
You know, even with medicaldoctors that I, you know, have
worked with and I adore, there'sa lot of like misunderstanding
as far as the education and thebackground, and so I feel like
sometimes that's a harder thingto jump, because they're like
well, you know, you don't doanything that has any research
and it's like well, we do.
And there are medical journalsthat focus on a lot of the
health related supplements andnutrition and diets.
(04:14):
So, you know, I think it's justthe more we learn and the
better educated we become,hopefully the stronger that
connection and thatcommunication can become.
Dr Bola Sogade (04:30):
Yeah, and I think everybody has to respect
everybody else's line ofexpertise.
And it would be nice to havenaturopathic doctors present at
the annual meetings, the annualconventions of OBGYNs, and vice
versa.
No knowledge is wasted.
You know every knowledge isgood.
But you know, just moving on,there's the issue in terms of
the duration of treatment, thefrequency of visits and a
(04:54):
personalized treatment plan.
So you know, the women outthere will want to know what are
the costs associated withnaturopathic care.
Does insurance covernaturopathic treatments and, if
not, what are the paymentoptions?
And I know naturopathic doctorsput an emphasis on holistic and
(05:18):
individualized care.
So what are patients looking atcost-wise?
So what are patients looking atcost wise?
Dr Jessica Patella (05:25):
Great question.
So the first visit with anaturopathic doctor and again,
this varies based on the person,but that first visit is
typically an hour to two hourslong.
It just depends on who you'remeeting with.
So a lot of time is spentunderstanding that patient,
trying to understand what it'slike to be in their shoes and to
(05:45):
make the treatment planindividualized to them based on
what their concerns are.
A lot of times when I was inNorth Carolina, most of my time
would be spent explaining labsand that they had two patients.
So a lot of it comes down tospending time educating within
that visit and trying tounderstand that person.
(06:07):
And then follow-up visits getshorter you know 30 minutes,
sometimes 20, because it kind ofdepends on what is needed for
that person.
And then as far as payment,most of it is cash-based,
depending on the state.
There are a handful of statesout of the 26 where naturopathic
doctors are on differentinsurance plans.
(06:28):
So it kind of depends whetheryou are in a state that licenses
naturopathic doctors.
So if it's a licensed state,then some of those states do
have insurance options fornaturopathic doctors.
So it's just going to varybased on where the where the
woman is in the country.
Dr Bola Sogade (06:47):
Yeah, this is almost like the problem we run
into with birthing centers.
Is it that the insurancecompanies just don't understand
what naturopathic doctors do, orwhat freestanding birthing
centers do, or what is involvedin holistic care?
Because why do you think mostof the care is cash-based when
(07:08):
it comes to payment?
Dr Jessica Patella (07:10):
I know it's a great question and I feel like
it's mostly poorly understood,right, like you know that the
services that you're providingare actually saving a ton of
money by having them in yourcenter.
It becomes a more intimatesituation, right, it's a more
peaceful situation overall.
So they have this amazingbenefit and probably even a
(07:34):
little bit more of your time andattention, because it's it's
done with that as the heartbehind it.
So I can't even begin to tellyou that I understand insurance
companies and why things arecovered and why things aren't.
But again, I just think most ofwhat we do as naturopathic
doctors right, if it wasunderstood, the, the idea is
that we save a lot of money forpeople in the long run.
(07:56):
You know, I've had patientsbefore where it's just teaching
them about their body and how tokind of be aware of what
they're eating and the differentsymptoms they have, and once
they have that knowledge, that'sthere for the rest of their
life, you know.
So maybe it was an investmentof a few hundred dollars over a
period of time to come in andsee me as we work through those
(08:17):
things, but then that's lifeknowledge and they have that
forever, versus just a scriptthat you take and you pay that a
few hundred dollars and youtake it a few times.
They now have a base knowledgethat they can come back to at
any time in their life.
So yeah, it's just verydifferent and I think probably
most of it's just notunderstanding the benefit of the
(08:41):
difference in a burning centerin naturopathic medicine and how
much it does offer.
Dr Bola Sogade (08:47):
Thank you for that.
The use of herbal medicine,botanicals, is a common practice
in naturopathic medicine, thatis, you may prescribe other
remedies to address a range ofhealth issues, and this brings
me to the condition of menopause.
Okay, how can homeopathicremedies address common symptoms
(09:09):
of menopause, like the hotflashes, the night sweats, the
mood swings, the sleepdisturbances, the dryness in the
female parts?
Are there specific homeopathicremedies that cater to
individualized symptomsexperienced during menopause?
Dr Jessica Patella (09:29):
Yes, this is a great question.
So and this helps me todescribe a little bit about the
kind of the list of remediesthat I shared with you for labor
and delivery A lot of times wesee if it's an acute situation,
right, like labor and deliveryis acute, it's going to be very
intense and it's going to last ashort period of time.
We see that certain remedieskind of show up and have that
(09:52):
picture and we can kind of inacute, like almost like first
aid type situations, things tendto follow the same symptoms, so
it's easier to say like, okay,these would be the top remedies.
When it comes to menopause,right now, we're looking at more
of a chronic thing, right.
So perimenopause can last foryears.
Some people it's a decade rightOf their life as they're
(10:15):
transitioning out of theirmenses.
So that becomes more of achronic remedy in the sense that
every person that comes in withsymptoms of menopause are
likely leaving with a differentremedy, because some people are
having the mood swings andthey're very irritable, but it's
different things that aremaking them irritable, so that
(10:38):
would indicate differentremedies.
As far as hot flashes, itdepends almost where the heat is
coming from in the body, right?
Some people describe that itcomes from like their abdomen
and their core and it moves uptheir whole body.
For other people it's like itstarts at their head and it's
moving down.
For other people it's like itstarts at their head and it's
moving down.
So all of those differentthings go into trying to figure
(11:02):
out an individualizedhomeopathic remedy for that
woman going through menopause.
So it's a little bit differentbecause it's more of a chronic
state.
So that would take a differentindividualizing that to that
woman for that period ofmenopause.
So yes, you can still usehomeopathic remedies quite well,
but it becomes a more in-depthprocess as far as finding it,
(11:25):
because it's not like acute towhere everybody gets the same
exact symptoms.
Dr Bola Sogade (11:31):
So can homeopathy provide relief from
hormonal imbalances associatedwith menopause and lifestyle
changes.
Dietary recommendations thatcan complement homeopathic
treatments for men diet.
Dr Jessica Patella (11:55):
So almost every time I speak with somebody
it's diet and supporting withthat, so trying to get in.
I mean it comes down to thebasics, right.
Usually it's trying to get inmore vegetables, less sugar,
less processed food.
I mean that's kind of thebasics of overall food.
(12:16):
I mean that's kind of thebasics of overall.
And you know, then varying thatbased on the person and what
they might be sensitive to ornot sensitive to, you could
totally work, depending on thestate right.
So some naturopathic doctorsare able to prescribe, you know,
bioidentical hormones, othersare not right.
So there's another way thatcollaboration can be really
helpful of looking at thedifferent labs and what the
(12:37):
hormone levels are andcollaborating with a medical
doctor that can prescribe that,but then also adding that diet
and also adding the homeopathicremedy into.
So really collaborating on thatI think would be the best,
depending on, of course, whatstate you're in.
Dr Bola Sogade (12:54):
Well, I've had, you know, African women like
talk about the African yam andthe skin of the African yam
helping with menopause, andthere's black cohosh out there.
I mean, you know, what are someof the things that the actual
things in homeopathic medicinethat we could use in menopause,
(13:18):
and are there side effects?
How long does it take for themto kick in?
Dr Jessica Patella (13:23):
Yes, no, black cohosh and yam are both
great remedies.
So again, that's more of thebotanical medicine.
With botanical medicine it cantake longer.
In botanical medicine it cantake one, two, sometimes three
months to see that change.
I think of it as almost like amore.
It's almost like a more mildform, right.
(13:46):
So it can kind of take a littlebit longer to see those results
when you're using it.
Some people are very sensitiveand they'll react fairly quickly
.
But with botanicals just beprepared that sometimes it can
take a few months in order toexperience the benefits of
taking those.
Dr Bola Sogade (14:04):
Thank you.
You know you did talk aboutobesity and weight and we are
experiencing an obesity epidemicin America.
This is a field I believeespecially emphasizes preventive
health care, that is,homeopathy, and it promotes
overall wellness and diseaseprevention.
(14:26):
So how does the dietary adviceyou give and the recommendations
for nutritional supplementshelp support health and address
specific conditions such asobesity?
Dr Jessica Patella (14:42):
Yes, I did my research actually at Florida
State on this, so let me try toremember the you know we have to
give all these wordy titles toresearch.
So it was lifestylemodification in lower
socioeconomic, overweight andobese women with yes, I'm like,
(15:04):
is that all the words, that Iput them all in there.
And so this was like right whenpedometers were coming out, and
so we were researching, youknow, in exercise physiology,
how much could movement helpwith these things?
And I specifically wanted tolook at glycosylated hemoglobin
and see, okay, will movementhelp with, essentially, blood
(15:24):
sugar?
So like looking at diabetesthere, essentially, and it was
really an eye-opening experience.
So we went into an area that wasmore underserved in Tallahassee
, at Florida State, and a lot ofour visit was like are you
wearing this?
I mean some, some of the stepsfor the whole day were three to
(15:48):
400 steps for the day, and so Idon't know if you've counted
your steps before, but that'skind of just getting up to go to
the bathroom and that's aboutit for your whole day.
So I think so much of it is ismovement right?
We have to move.
Our bodies were made to move.
Our bodies were made to moveand do physical labor, which we
(16:12):
don't really do much anymore,right?
So most of us are sitting atdesks most of our day and we get
very little walking.
So any opportunity there is tobe outside walking, I think
being outside helps so much withstress, no matter what the age,
from young children all the wayup to adulthood, right?
(16:32):
So having that ability to justbe outside, moving and walking
as much as possible, and thenwith diet.
So, you know, having thisbackground in nutrition and I
and I teach nutrition tostudents, and so I a lot of
times I'll have them analyzedifferent diets, because we get
(16:53):
so much information and they'reone of their final projects is
usually to compare two differentdiets and I tell them you know,
choose some that are theopposite ends of the spectrum,
you know, choose a vegan dietversus, like, an omnivore diet.
So like almost it's completelyopposite as you can get, because
when you read these things,they're all going to say that
(17:14):
their way is the best, right,that what they're presenting is
the best way, you know.
So over the years I've read andstudied so many different diets
, typically across the board.
Almost all of them remove sugaror limit it significantly.
Most of them are removing moreof the processed foods and
(17:36):
grains and increasing our fruitsand vegetables.
So, across the board, with thatknowledge, if people can add
that in with with movement, Ithink that's really important.
The challenge becomes theaffordability right, it's very
affordable.
(17:56):
Well, I feel like this isstarting to change.
It's getting very expensive inour state of our economy right
now, but it's more affordablefor somebody to go to fast food
and be able to use you know five, $10 to get a very calorie
dense meal versus how manyfruits and vegetables can they
buy with that.
You know it's very expensive.
The thing of blueberriessometimes now is, you know, five
(18:20):
to $7 versus you can go to goget a whole fast food meal.
So this is where that likediscussion I think needs to come
in on creating like, almostlike victory gardens that they
had during World War II, where acommunity would come together
and create a garden just to helpwith having those fresh things
available for the littleneighborhood.
(18:40):
Essentially.
Dr Bola Sogade (18:43):
Yeah, because that's a fact, because at times
the underserved women or peoplewith limited resources number
one, they say you know theycan't walk outside because the
neighborhood is not safe.
So we encourage them to, youknow, maybe you know, walk
within, indoors, within theapartment complex, up and down
the steps, or find a park thatthey can go to.
(19:03):
And some of them say, well, Ijust can't afford to eat
healthily, I just, like you said, it's just so expensive.
And I think you know thevictory gardens, the community
gardens, and you know, even whenthey get support from the
government, making healthychoices, you know, can all help,
you know, towards this better,healthy living.
(19:26):
And you know weight managementand obesity prevention.
I mean you would agree withthat right.
Dr Jessica Patella (19:32):
Yes, and even you know, it just pops into
my mind one thing that iscompletely free if you could
just do one thing, and that's toremove all of that soda or or
sugary drink, whatever it issweet tea in the South right,
every soda or or sugary drink,whatever it is sweet tea in the
South right, every that's hardto take away from somebody, and
if you can just get somebody toreplace all of their fluid
(19:54):
intake to be water, that's, youknow that's free.
The other things cost money andthat is a huge, huge difference
in the health right.
And we know that the cellscommunicate right, your cells
are filled with water, and somaking sure that cells
communicate right, your cellsare filled with water, and so
making sure that you're, youknow, getting that healthy
amount of water is literallygoing to help the cells and
their ability to communicate inyour body, and that you can do
(20:18):
without costing any amount ofmoney.
That would be very beneficial.
Dr Bola Sogade (20:22):
Yeah, yeah, thank you.
Thank you for that.
You know I don't believeconventional medicine adequately
addresses stress like lifestress.
Dr Jessica Patella (20:32):
You know so as also a lifestyle counselor, I
believe you are also alifestyle degree or
certification in that but thatis a lot of what we do as
naturopathic doctors is talkingabout what life stress is and
(20:52):
what's going on.
Dr Bola Sogade (20:54):
In our upcoming episode?
Yeah, so well.
As somebody who does lifestylecounseling, how do you work with
patients to make positivelifestyle changes, including,
you know, stress management,exercise sleep hygiene.
You know dealing with lifecrisis.
You know issues in life withall the ramifications of that.
(21:17):
Thank you.
One thing that is completely free.
If you could just do one thingand that's to remove all of that
soda or sugary drink whateverit is sweet tea in the South,
right.
And if you can just getsomebody to replace all of their
fluid intake to be water,that's free.
The other things cost money andthat is a huge, huge difference
(00:22):
in the health right.
And we know that the cellscommunicate, right, your cells
are filled with water and somaking sure that you're, you
know, getting that healthyamount of water is literally
going to help the cells andtheir ability to communicate in
your body and that you can dowithout costing any amount of
money.
That would be very beneficial.
Dr Bola Sogade (00:56):
Hello and welcome to CocoaPods podcast.
My name is Dr Bola Sugade.
I'm a women's health specialist.
We have been talking to DrJessica Patella, a naturopathic
physician, who has been talkingto us about naturopathic
medicine with respect tomaternal health.
So you know, now we want tolook at evidence-based practices
(01:19):
and some latest research innaturopathic medicine.
Does the naturopathic doctorintegrate evidence-based
practices into their treatment?
Dr Jessica Patella (01:30):
Yes, absolutely, and I'm so glad you
brought this up because I thinkthere just needs to be so much
more knowledge around this topic.
And so, as naturopathic doctors, we're trained not only to
reach out to our medicalcolleagues, so reaching out to
the medical doctor, so that waywe can work together.
(01:53):
I think the best patientmedicine comes when you have
somebody that's well-educated inthe natural and holistic sense,
that also can work with themedical doctor, and it can
almost become a team for thatpatient.
So, you know, I feel like thatis a great resource.
But then we also, you know,read the medical journals and
(02:13):
look at what is the most up todate with different supplements,
herbal medicine, homeopathicmedicine and how those are being
used to treat differentconditions and different disease
states.
So, absolutely, using medicalresearch to guide what we're
doing is absolutely used acrossthe profession.
Dr Bola Sogade (02:35):
Thank you.
Thank you, and so it's best tohave collaboration with people
in what we call conventionalmedicine, or is there a lack of
it most of the time?
And I want to look into therelationship between
naturopathic and conventionalmedicine.
So is the naturopathic doctoropen to collaborating with the
(02:58):
conventional medicalpractitioners and vice versa?
Have you seen anything?
Dr Jessica Patella (03:05):
Yes, the majority I mean I can't speak
for everybody, you know, we'reall different, but I know that
that's how we were trained isthat it's best to work as a team
to help that patient andrecognizing the differences in
our education and background,right.
And so you know, I fullyrecognize that I'm not an OBGYN
and those are, you know, thoseare different skill sets that I
(03:28):
don't have and I'm not able todo those things, but I can help
with homeopathic remedies, right.
So having that team to worktogether to help the mother in
all those different aspects isvery helpful.
Now, this is just my personalopinion.
I do feel like, as naturopathicdoctors, we're more open to
(03:51):
that collaboration.
You know, even with medicaldoctors that I, you know, have
worked with and I adore, there'sa lot of like misunderstanding
as far as the education and thebackground, and so I feel like
sometimes that's a harder thingto jump, because they're like
well, you know, you don't doanything that has any research
and it's like well, we do.
And there are medical journalsthat focus on a lot of the
health related supplements andnutrition and diets.
(04:14):
So, you know, I think it's justthe more we learn and the
better educated we become,hopefully the stronger that
connection and thatcommunication can become.
Dr Bola Sogade (04:30):
Yeah, and I think everybody has to respect
everybody else's line ofexpertise.
And it would be nice to havenaturopathic doctors present at
the annual meetings, the annualconventions of OBGYNs, and vice
versa.
No knowledge is wasted.
You know every knowledge isgood.
But you know, just moving on,there's the issue in terms of
the duration of treatment, thefrequency of visits and a
(04:54):
personalized treatment plan.
So you know, the women outthere will want to know what are
the costs associated withnaturopathic care.
Does insurance covernaturopathic treatments and, if
not, what are the paymentoptions?
And I know naturopathic doctorsput an emphasis on holistic and
(05:18):
individualized care.
So what are patients looking atcost-wise?
So what are patients looking atcost wise?
Dr Jessica Patella (05:25):
Great question.
So the first visit with anaturopathic doctor and again,
this varies based on the person,but that first visit is
typically an hour to two hourslong.
It just depends on who you'remeeting with.
So a lot of time is spentunderstanding that patient,
trying to understand what it'slike to be in their shoes and to
(05:45):
make the treatment planindividualized to them based on
what their concerns are.
A lot of times when I was inNorth Carolina, most of my time
would be spent explaining labsand that they had two patients.
So a lot of it comes down tospending time educating within
that visit and trying tounderstand that person.
(06:07):
And then follow-up visits getshorter you know 30 minutes,
sometimes 20, because it kind ofdepends on what is needed for
that person.
And then as far as payment,most of it is cash-based,
depending on the state.
There are a handful of statesout of the 26 where naturopathic
doctors are on differentinsurance plans.
(06:28):
So it kind of depends whetheryou are in a state that licenses
naturopathic doctors.
So if it's a licensed state,then some of those states do
have insurance options fornaturopathic doctors.
So it's just going to varybased on where the where the
woman is in the country.
Dr Bola Sogade (06:47):
Yeah, this is almost like the problem we run
into with birthing centers.
Is it that the insurancecompanies just don't understand
what naturopathic doctors do, orwhat freestanding birthing
centers do, or what is involvedin holistic care?
Because why do you think mostof the care is cash-based when
(07:08):
it comes to payment?
Dr Jessica Patella (07:10):
I know it's a great question and I feel like
it's mostly poorly understood,right, like you know that the
services that you're providingare actually saving a ton of
money by having them in yourcenter.
It becomes a more intimatesituation, right, it's a more
peaceful situation overall.
So they have this amazingbenefit and probably even a
(07:34):
little bit more of your time andattention, because it's it's
done with that as the heartbehind it.
So I can't even begin to tellyou that I understand insurance
companies and why things arecovered and why things aren't.
But again, I just think most ofwhat we do as naturopathic
doctors right, if it wasunderstood, the, the idea is
that we save a lot of money forpeople in the long run.
(07:56):
You know, I've had patientsbefore where it's just teaching
them about their body and how tokind of be aware of what
they're eating and the differentsymptoms they have, and once
they have that knowledge, that'sthere for the rest of their
life, you know.
So maybe it was an investmentof a few hundred dollars over a
period of time to come in andsee me as we work through those
(08:17):
things, but then that's lifeknowledge and they have that
forever, versus just a scriptthat you take and you pay that a
few hundred dollars and youtake it a few times.
They now have a base knowledgethat they can come back to at
any time in their life.
So yeah, it's just verydifferent and I think probably
most of it's just notunderstanding the benefit of the
(08:41):
difference in a burning centerin naturopathic medicine and how
much it does offer.
Dr Bola Sogade (08:47):
Thank you for that.
The use of herbal medicine,botanicals, is a common practice
in naturopathic medicine, thatis, you may prescribe other
remedies to address a range ofhealth issues, and this brings
me to the condition of menopause.
Okay, how can homeopathicremedies address common symptoms
(09:09):
of menopause, like the hotflashes, the night sweats, the
mood swings, the sleepdisturbances, the dryness in the
female parts?
Are there specific homeopathicremedies that cater to
individualized symptomsexperienced during menopause?
Dr Jessica Patella (09:29):
Yes, this is a great question.
So and this helps me todescribe a little bit about the
kind of the list of remediesthat I shared with you for labor
and delivery A lot of times wesee if it's an acute situation,
right, like labor and deliveryis acute, it's going to be very
intense and it's going to last ashort period of time.
We see that certain remedieskind of show up and have that
(09:52):
picture and we can kind of inacute, like almost like first
aid type situations, things tendto follow the same symptoms, so
it's easier to say like, okay,these would be the top remedies.
When it comes to menopause,right now, we're looking at more
of a chronic thing, right.
So perimenopause can last foryears.
Some people it's a decade rightOf their life as they're
(10:15):
transitioning out of theirmenses.
So that becomes more of achronic remedy in the sense that
every person that comes in withsymptoms of menopause are
likely leaving with a differentremedy, because some people are
having the mood swings andthey're very irritable, but it's
different things that aremaking them irritable, so that
(10:38):
would indicate differentremedies.
As far as hot flashes, itdepends almost where the heat is
coming from in the body, right?
Some people describe that itcomes from like their abdomen
and their core and it moves uptheir whole body.
For other people it's like itstarts at their head and it's
moving down.
For other people it's like itstarts at their head and it's
moving down.
So all of those differentthings go into trying to figure
(11:02):
out an individualizedhomeopathic remedy for that
woman going through menopause.
So it's a little bit differentbecause it's more of a chronic
state.
So that would take a differentindividualizing that to that
woman for that period ofmenopause.
So yes, you can still usehomeopathic remedies quite well,
but it becomes a more in-depthprocess as far as finding it,
(11:25):
because it's not like acute towhere everybody gets the same
exact symptoms.
Dr Bola Sogade (11:31):
So can homeopathy provide relief from
hormonal imbalances associatedwith menopause and lifestyle
changes.
Dietary recommendations thatcan complement homeopathic
treatments for men diet.
Dr Jessica Patella (11:55):
So almost every time I speak with somebody
it's diet and supporting withthat, so trying to get in.
I mean it comes down to thebasics, right.
Usually it's trying to get inmore vegetables, less sugar,
less processed food.
I mean that's kind of thebasics of overall food.
(12:16):
I mean that's kind of thebasics of overall.
And you know, then varying thatbased on the person and what
they might be sensitive to ornot sensitive to, you could
totally work, depending on thestate right.
So some naturopathic doctorsare able to prescribe, you know,
bioidentical hormones, othersare not right.
So there's another way thatcollaboration can be really
helpful of looking at thedifferent labs and what the
(12:37):
hormone levels are andcollaborating with a medical
doctor that can prescribe that,but then also adding that diet
and also adding the homeopathicremedy into.
So really collaborating on thatI think would be the best,
depending on, of course, whatstate you're in.
Dr Bola Sogade (12:54):
Well, I've had, you know, African women like
talk about the African yam andthe skin of the African yam
helping with menopause, andthere's black cohosh out there.
I mean, you know, what are someof the things that the actual
things in homeopathic medicinethat we could use in menopause,
(13:18):
and are there side effects?
How long does it take for themto kick in?
Dr Jessica Patella (13:23):
Yes, no, black cohosh and yam are both
great remedies.
So again, that's more of thebotanical medicine.
With botanical medicine it cantake longer.
In botanical medicine it cantake one, two, sometimes three
months to see that change.
I think of it as almost like amore.
It's almost like a more mildform, right.
(13:46):
So it can kind of take a littlebit longer to see those results
when you're using it.
Some people are very sensitiveand they'll react fairly quickly
.
But with botanicals just beprepared that sometimes it can
take a few months in order toexperience the benefits of
taking those.
Dr Bola Sogade (14:04):
Thank you.
You know you did talk aboutobesity and weight and we are
experiencing an obesity epidemicin America.
This is a field I believeespecially emphasizes preventive
health care, that is,homeopathy, and it promotes
overall wellness and diseaseprevention.
(14:26):
So how does the dietary adviceyou give and the recommendations
for nutritional supplementshelp support health and address
specific conditions such asobesity?
Dr Jessica Patella (14:42):
Yes, I did my research actually at Florida
State on this, so let me try toremember the you know we have to
give all these wordy titles toresearch.
So it was lifestylemodification in lower
socioeconomic, overweight andobese women with yes, I'm like,
(15:04):
is that all the words, that Iput them all in there.
And so this was like right whenpedometers were coming out, and
so we were researching, youknow, in exercise physiology,
how much could movement helpwith these things?
And I specifically wanted tolook at glycosylated hemoglobin
and see, okay, will movementhelp with, essentially, blood
(15:24):
sugar?
So like looking at diabetesthere, essentially, and it was
really an eye-opening experience.
So we went into an area that wasmore underserved in Tallahassee
, at Florida State, and a lot ofour visit was like are you
wearing this?
I mean some, some of the stepsfor the whole day were three to
(15:48):
400 steps for the day, and so Idon't know if you've counted
your steps before, but that'skind of just getting up to go to
the bathroom and that's aboutit for your whole day.
So I think so much of it is ismovement right?
We have to move.
Our bodies were made to move.
Our bodies were made to moveand do physical labor, which we
(16:12):
don't really do much anymore,right?
So most of us are sitting atdesks most of our day and we get
very little walking.
So any opportunity there is tobe outside walking, I think
being outside helps so much withstress, no matter what the age,
from young children all the wayup to adulthood, right?
(16:32):
So having that ability to justbe outside, moving and walking
as much as possible, and thenwith diet.
So, you know, having thisbackground in nutrition and I
and I teach nutrition tostudents, and so I a lot of
times I'll have them analyzedifferent diets, because we get
(16:53):
so much information and they'reone of their final projects is
usually to compare two differentdiets and I tell them you know,
choose some that are theopposite ends of the spectrum,
you know, choose a vegan dietversus, like, an omnivore diet.
So like almost it's completelyopposite as you can get, because
when you read these things,they're all going to say that
(17:14):
their way is the best, right,that what they're presenting is
the best way, you know.
So over the years I've read andstudied so many different diets
, typically across the board.
Almost all of them remove sugaror limit it significantly.
Most of them are removing moreof the processed foods and
(17:36):
grains and increasing our fruitsand vegetables.
So, across the board, with thatknowledge, if people can add
that in with with movement, Ithink that's really important.
The challenge becomes theaffordability right, it's very
affordable.
(17:56):
Well, I feel like this isstarting to change.
It's getting very expensive inour state of our economy right
now, but it's more affordablefor somebody to go to fast food
and be able to use you know five, $10 to get a very calorie
dense meal versus how manyfruits and vegetables can they
buy with that.
You know it's very expensive.
The thing of blueberriessometimes now is, you know, five
(18:20):
to $7 versus you can go to goget a whole fast food meal.
So this is where that likediscussion I think needs to come
in on creating like, almostlike victory gardens that they
had during World War II, where acommunity would come together
and create a garden just to helpwith having those fresh things
available for the littleneighborhood.
(18:40):
Essentially.
Dr Bola Sogade (18:43):
Yeah, because that's a fact, because at times
the underserved women or peoplewith limited resources number
one, they say you know theycan't walk outside because the
neighborhood is not safe.
So we encourage them to, youknow, maybe you know, walk
within, indoors, within theapartment complex, up and down
the steps, or find a park thatthey can go to.
(19:03):
And some of them say, well, Ijust can't afford to eat
healthily, I just, like you said, it's just so expensive.
And I think you know thevictory gardens, the community
gardens, and you know, even whenthey get support from the
government, making healthychoices, you know, can all help,
you know, towards this better,healthy living.
(19:26):
And you know weight managementand obesity prevention.
I mean you would agree withthat right.
Dr Jessica Patella (19:32):
Yes, and even you know, it just pops into
my mind one thing that iscompletely free if you could
just do one thing, and that's toremove all of that soda or or
sugary drink, whatever it issweet tea in the South right,
every soda or or sugary drink,whatever it is sweet tea in the
South right, every that's hardto take away from somebody, and
if you can just get somebody toreplace all of their fluid
(19:54):
intake to be water, that's, youknow that's free.
The other things cost money andthat is a huge, huge difference
in the health right.
And we know that the cellscommunicate right, your cells
are filled with water, and somaking sure that cells
communicate right, your cellsare filled with water, and so
making sure that you're, youknow, getting that healthy
amount of water is literallygoing to help the cells and
their ability to communicate inyour body, and that you can do
(20:18):
without costing any amount ofmoney.
That would be very beneficial.
Dr Bola Sogade (20:22):
Yeah, yeah, thank you.
Thank you for that.
You know I don't believeconventional medicine adequately
addresses stress like lifestress.
Dr Jessica Patella (20:32):
You know so as also a lifestyle counselor, I
believe you are also alifestyle degree or
certification in that but thatis a lot of what we do as
naturopathic doctors is talkingabout what life stress is and
(20:52):
what's going on.
Dr Bola Sogade (20:54):
In our upcoming episode?
Yeah, so well.
As somebody who does lifestylecounseling, how do you work with
patients to make positivelifestyle changes, including,
you know, stress management,exercise sleep hygiene.
You know dealing with lifecrisis.
You know issues in life withall the ramifications of that.
(21:17):
Thank you.
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