June 18, 2024 • 12 mins
Can reducing screen time before bed really enhance your sleep quality? Learn from Dr. Jessica Patella as she shares transformative lifestyle tips that promote better mental and physical well-being for women in maternal health; and really for all.From the secrets of improved sleep hygiene through melatonin production to the importance of setting healthy boundaries with digital devices, this episode is packed with practical advice. Dr. Patella and Dr. Bola Sogade also discuss how engaging in outdoor exercise and connecting with nature can significantly reduce stress, fostering a sense of community and spiritual well-being, especially for new mothers.
Celebrate the miracle of motherhood with us as Dr. Patella highlights the extraordinary capabilities of the female body. We delve into the profound blessings women bring to the world, emphasizing the role of natural health in this awe-inspiring journey. Dr. Sogade’s commitment to her profession shines through, and we express our gratitude for the deep insights shared in this heartfelt discussion. Tune in for an enlightening conversation that will leave you inspired and appreciative of the incredible impact of maternal health and naturopathic medicine.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr Jessica Patella (00:00):
There's something to be said about
praying to a higher power rightand recognizing that we don't
have to carry this weight.
We don't have to carry thisload alone.
Dr Bola Sogade (00:24):
Hello and welcome to CocoaPods podcast.
My name is Dr Bola Sogade.
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.
Dr Jessica Patella (00:44):
So I'm teaching at the classical school
during the day.
Dr Bola Sogade (00:47):
As somebody that does lifestyle counseling, how
do you work with people, withpatients, to make positive
lifestyle changes, includingstress management?
You know life event, stressmanagement, exercise and sleep
hygiene.
Dr Jessica Patella (01:07):
Yes, absolutely.
I think I'm going to kind oftake that in reverse and start
with sleep hygiene.
So we know now almost everybodyhas a screen of some sort in
front of them almost all thetime and we know that affects,
you know, that light is cominginto the eye which is affecting,
you know, the brain and themelatonin production, and so one
(01:28):
of the best things to do forsleep hygiene is try to turn
those screens off before youbefore you're going to bed.
And if you have a hard timewinding down even just having a,
you know, a lamp and getting anold fashioned book and reading
that to help before bed, buttrying to get away from that
screen and lower the lights isvery, very helpful as far as
(01:49):
sleep hygiene goes.
And that kind of leads into someof that stress.
There's a lot of stress thatcomes from having a device,
whether it's some of youryounger patients and there's
like the stress of the socialmedia and the comparison, or if
it's as people are getting olderand it's just.
You know you used to be at work.
I mean it's a little bitdifferent for doctors, but you
(02:11):
were at work and it's the end ofyour day and you're done and
you get to go home and then yougo back the next day, but when
you're at home it's all shut off, right.
And now people want you all thetime, right, they're going to
send an email at 10 o'clock atnight and they expect an answer.
Now again, obviously it'sdifferent.
You're on call as a physicianfor mothers that are laboring,
but I feel like having thosehealthy boundaries.
(02:33):
If women can have that boundaryand say you know, listen, I, I
go home and then my job becomesmother, wife, you know, auntie,
friend, whatever it is right.
There's another role thathappens outside of work and
trying to keep those boundariesas far as not being available
all the time.
I think that helps with stressas well.
(02:55):
And then obviously, theexercise.
I feel like there's such abenefit of getting outside and
obviously that you know ifsomebody can get to a park, if
they feel like the park is safeenough to spend time, and you
know that is going to help withyour sleep hygiene because now
your brain is being outside,it's, you know it's connecting
with the natural light.
You're breathing the fresh air,you're being, you know, around
(03:18):
the plants which provide moreoxygen.
So it's, it's very beneficialto have the time in nature, more
oxygen.
So it's it's very beneficial tohave the time in nature and
then kind of the.
To go back to the other question, as far as stress, I would
always ask my patients abouttheir spiritual practice and I
think we can become again, goingback to that device, we it's
(03:38):
like, well, we're connected topeople, but only through that,
and there's such a benefit andstrength that comes from being
involved in community, and a lotof times that community is
related around somebody's churchor their place of worship, and
we know, right.
Going back to your researchquestion, we know from research
(03:59):
that those that attend servicesactually live longer I forget
how many, but it's years longerjust from being in that
community.
There's something to be saidabout praying to a higher power,
right, and recognizing that wedon't have to carry this weight.
We don't have to carry thisload alone.
And when you're in thatcommunity, hopefully then
(04:21):
especially if it's a single mamathat you have or somebody
that's trying to do all of thison their own hopefully then they
have community that they canreach out to when they need it,
because none of us can do all ofthis alone, right?
All of us need support, all ofus need people that are behind
us.
No matter what your walk oflife is and what your profession
we all are going to have hardtimes that we need people to
(04:44):
come around us and support us,and so I think that's really
important to have patientsunderstand, right, like, what is
your support system, who canyou call on, especially in those
early days of being a mama whenyou are like sleep deprived and
you don't know what's day,what's night, what's happening,
right.
So having you know, that's thatidea of the community of women,
(05:06):
right, having other people comealongside you, whether it's to
bring you food or something.
If you can have that and havethat community, it helps so much
with stress.
Dr Bola Sogade (05:16):
Well, thank you so much for that, and you did
kind of talk about the mind-bodyconnection, so there's
definitely a mind-bodyconnection.
What are the techniquesincorporated into naturopathic
care to address mental andemotional well-being?
To address mental and emotionalwellbeing.
Dr Jessica Patella (05:36):
Again, this is one of the things I love
about homeopathic medicine isbecause it is it addresses so
much of that mental emotionalpicture versus just whatever the
physical symptom is.
When we did shifts in medicalschool on for homeopathy, we had
the DSM, which is essentiallythe diagnostic tool that's used
for mental health, and we wouldhave that out and we'd be saying
(06:01):
, okay, what does this look like?
You know, what is the mostlikely diagnosis here?
Are these typical symptoms?
And that would help lead us toknow what homeopathic remedy
might be the best fit for thatperson.
So I think all of that kind oflines into that.
And then with the mentalemotional health, again, just I
really truly believe gettingoutside, you know, even walking
(06:24):
around barefoot, right, we're inthe South, we can do that and
feeling the earth underneath youand feeling that connection and
you know, finding a park thatis a good place to be.
It helps your mental health tohave that, that little bit of
space, even if it's just, youknow, 10 minutes outside,
getting the natural sunlight,the vitamin D, it.
(06:45):
It helps your overall state ofhealth, wellbeing, your mind and
, again, having that, thatspiritual practice helps as well
mind and, again, having that,that spiritual practice helps as
well.
Dr Bola Sogade (06:59):
Yeah, you know, for the woman, apart from
getting outside, if they thinkthe mental stress and emotional
stress is too much, we want themdefinitely to find a
professional and talk to aprofessional and we keep looking
for areas of collaboration, youknow, because I would love that
and we keep looking for areasof collaboration.
Yes, I would love that and Ithink definitely, with what you
do, you should be a stakeholderin maternity care, looking for
(07:31):
the big collaboration.
You know, not just open mindspsychologists, mental health
specialists, and you know, Idon't even think they know
enough about naturopathicdoctors to include them because
they talk about lactationspecialists.
And you know, I don't eventhink they know enough about
naturopathic doctors to includethem because they talk about
lactation specialists.
So many other things dietitians, doulas.
There's also this part of theholistic approach, which is
naturopathic medicine.
Dr Jessica Patella (07:48):
So all we can do is try and, you know,
just go from there.
I mean, I feel like that's thebiggest frustration, just
because there's nowhere in theSouth that recognizes it.
And you're like chiropractorsthey're recognized or
acupuncturists, which arerecognized, and, like you said,
doulas, right, we have doctorsthat won't even let them in the
room here, and so you know, Ihave, I have education.
(08:12):
It is a bit frustrating, but wejust have to stay positive and
keep hoping that eventually, youknow, I'm to the point where
I'm like, well, maybe it'll befor the next generation and not
for me, but it probably will be.
Dr Bola Sogade (08:25):
At least we're paving the way.
We're paving the way for that,you know.
That's right, that's right.
So you know, as we close, Iwant to ask you where can a
woman find a naturopathic doctorin her area and I guess maybe
we'd follow the lines of findinga therapist or a mental health
counselor, and you know where isjust a good place to find
(08:49):
resources on all the points wetouched on today.
Dr Jessica Patella (08:55):
Absolutely so.
If it's for a naturopathicdoctor, I would recommend that
they could do a simple searchnaturopathic doctor and then put
the town that they're in andjust check the school that they
graduated from.
If it's an unlicensed state butour national organization has a
lot of information It'll helpyou to know whether the state is
licensed or not, whether thestate has different insurance
(09:17):
programs or not, and that'snaturopathicorg, which is the
American Association ofNaturopathic Physicians.
So that has a wealth ofknowledge for the woman that's
interested in finding out moreabout naturopathic medicine.
Dr Bola Sogade (09:34):
But as we go to closing thoughts, we really want
to thank Dr Jessica Patella forcoming on CocoaPods podcast
today.
So do you have any final adviceor words of encouragement for
people who may be listening andwanting to know more about
non-conventional medicine?
Dr Jessica Patella (09:57):
Yes, well, thank you so much for having me.
I'm so grateful to be here.
I would say to the woman that'sinterested in this just keep,
keep staying strong, keepresearching, keep looking,
because there are those of usout there that have that same
mindset, and hopefully you canfind an amazing naturopathic
doctor to connect to in yourarea, and hopefully some medical
(10:20):
doctors will find some, too, toconnect with.
And my biggest thing that Iwant to leave the women with
today is just remember what anabsolute miracle your body is.
You have the ability to createlife within you and that is just
, it's the most awe-inspiringgift.
I know that.
That's why Dr Sogade is in theprofession she's in, because
(10:43):
every time a child is born, it'sa miracle and it's this
beautiful gift that you justcan't help but you just can't
help but feeling that from yourheart.
And so just remember that youare a blessing to this world,
that your body is a miracle, andwe are so grateful that you are
here and interested in naturalhealth.
Dr Bola Sogade (11:04):
Wow, wow.
Thank you very much.
I want to extend my most grandappreciation to you, dr Jessica
Patella, in the Florida area,for your willingness to
participate in a podcast thatcan make change.
We're very grateful to you andshed a lot of light on this
topic for us.
Thank you for coming toCocoaPods podcast.
Dr Jessica Patella (11:25):
Thank you.
There's something to be said about
praying to a higher power rightand recognizing that we don't
have to carry this weight.
We don't have to carry thisload alone.
Dr Bola Sogade (00:24):
Hello and welcome to CocoaPods podcast.
My name is Dr Bola Sogade.
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.
Dr Jessica Patella (00:44):
So I'm teaching at the classical school
during the day.
Dr Bola Sogade (00:47):
As somebody that does lifestyle counseling, how
do you work with people, withpatients, to make positive
lifestyle changes, includingstress management?
You know life event, stressmanagement, exercise and sleep
hygiene.
Dr Jessica Patella (01:07):
Yes, absolutely.
I think I'm going to kind oftake that in reverse and start
with sleep hygiene.
So we know now almost everybodyhas a screen of some sort in
front of them almost all thetime and we know that affects,
you know, that light is cominginto the eye which is affecting,
you know, the brain and themelatonin production, and so one
(01:28):
of the best things to do forsleep hygiene is try to turn
those screens off before youbefore you're going to bed.
And if you have a hard timewinding down even just having a,
you know, a lamp and getting anold fashioned book and reading
that to help before bed, buttrying to get away from that
screen and lower the lights isvery, very helpful as far as
(01:49):
sleep hygiene goes.
And that kind of leads into someof that stress.
There's a lot of stress thatcomes from having a device,
whether it's some of youryounger patients and there's
like the stress of the socialmedia and the comparison, or if
it's as people are getting olderand it's just.
You know you used to be at work.
I mean it's a little bitdifferent for doctors, but you
(02:11):
were at work and it's the end ofyour day and you're done and
you get to go home and then yougo back the next day, but when
you're at home it's all shut off, right.
And now people want you all thetime, right, they're going to
send an email at 10 o'clock atnight and they expect an answer.
Now again, obviously it'sdifferent.
You're on call as a physicianfor mothers that are laboring,
but I feel like having thosehealthy boundaries.
(02:33):
If women can have that boundaryand say you know, listen, I, I
go home and then my job becomesmother, wife, you know, auntie,
friend, whatever it is right.
There's another role thathappens outside of work and
trying to keep those boundariesas far as not being available
all the time.
I think that helps with stressas well.
(02:55):
And then obviously, theexercise.
I feel like there's such abenefit of getting outside and
obviously that you know ifsomebody can get to a park, if
they feel like the park is safeenough to spend time, and you
know that is going to help withyour sleep hygiene because now
your brain is being outside,it's, you know it's connecting
with the natural light.
You're breathing the fresh air,you're being, you know, around
(03:18):
the plants which provide moreoxygen.
So it's, it's very beneficialto have the time in nature, more
oxygen.
So it's it's very beneficial tohave the time in nature and
then kind of the.
To go back to the other question, as far as stress, I would
always ask my patients abouttheir spiritual practice and I
think we can become again, goingback to that device, we it's
(03:38):
like, well, we're connected topeople, but only through that,
and there's such a benefit andstrength that comes from being
involved in community, and a lotof times that community is
related around somebody's churchor their place of worship, and
we know, right.
Going back to your researchquestion, we know from research
(03:59):
that those that attend servicesactually live longer I forget
how many, but it's years longerjust from being in that
community.
There's something to be saidabout praying to a higher power,
right, and recognizing that wedon't have to carry this weight.
We don't have to carry thisload alone.
And when you're in thatcommunity, hopefully then
(04:21):
especially if it's a single mamathat you have or somebody
that's trying to do all of thison their own hopefully then they
have community that they canreach out to when they need it,
because none of us can do all ofthis alone, right?
All of us need support, all ofus need people that are behind
us.
No matter what your walk oflife is and what your profession
we all are going to have hardtimes that we need people to
(04:44):
come around us and support us,and so I think that's really
important to have patientsunderstand, right, like, what is
your support system, who canyou call on, especially in those
early days of being a mama whenyou are like sleep deprived and
you don't know what's day,what's night, what's happening,
right.
So having you know, that's thatidea of the community of women,
(05:06):
right, having other people comealongside you, whether it's to
bring you food or something.
If you can have that and havethat community, it helps so much
with stress.
Dr Bola Sogade (05:16):
Well, thank you so much for that, and you did
kind of talk about the mind-bodyconnection, so there's
definitely a mind-bodyconnection.
What are the techniquesincorporated into naturopathic
care to address mental andemotional well-being?
To address mental and emotionalwellbeing.
Dr Jessica Patella (05:36):
Again, this is one of the things I love
about homeopathic medicine isbecause it is it addresses so
much of that mental emotionalpicture versus just whatever the
physical symptom is.
When we did shifts in medicalschool on for homeopathy, we had
the DSM, which is essentiallythe diagnostic tool that's used
for mental health, and we wouldhave that out and we'd be saying
(06:01):
, okay, what does this look like?
You know, what is the mostlikely diagnosis here?
Are these typical symptoms?
And that would help lead us toknow what homeopathic remedy
might be the best fit for thatperson.
So I think all of that kind oflines into that.
And then with the mentalemotional health, again, just I
really truly believe gettingoutside, you know, even walking
(06:24):
around barefoot, right, we're inthe South, we can do that and
feeling the earth underneath youand feeling that connection and
you know, finding a park thatis a good place to be.
It helps your mental health tohave that, that little bit of
space, even if it's just, youknow, 10 minutes outside,
getting the natural sunlight,the vitamin D, it.
(06:45):
It helps your overall state ofhealth, wellbeing, your mind and
, again, having that, thatspiritual practice helps as well
mind and, again, having that,that spiritual practice helps as
well.
Dr Bola Sogade (06:59):
Yeah, you know, for the woman, apart from
getting outside, if they thinkthe mental stress and emotional
stress is too much, we want themdefinitely to find a
professional and talk to aprofessional and we keep looking
for areas of collaboration, youknow, because I would love that
and we keep looking for areasof collaboration.
Yes, I would love that and Ithink definitely, with what you
do, you should be a stakeholderin maternity care, looking for
(07:31):
the big collaboration.
You know, not just open mindspsychologists, mental health
specialists, and you know, Idon't even think they know
enough about naturopathicdoctors to include them because
they talk about lactationspecialists.
And you know, I don't eventhink they know enough about
naturopathic doctors to includethem because they talk about
lactation specialists.
So many other things dietitians, doulas.
There's also this part of theholistic approach, which is
naturopathic medicine.
Dr Jessica Patella (07:48):
So all we can do is try and, you know,
just go from there.
I mean, I feel like that's thebiggest frustration, just
because there's nowhere in theSouth that recognizes it.
And you're like chiropractorsthey're recognized or
acupuncturists, which arerecognized, and, like you said,
doulas, right, we have doctorsthat won't even let them in the
room here, and so you know, Ihave, I have education.
(08:12):
It is a bit frustrating, but wejust have to stay positive and
keep hoping that eventually, youknow, I'm to the point where
I'm like, well, maybe it'll befor the next generation and not
for me, but it probably will be.
Dr Bola Sogade (08:25):
At least we're paving the way.
We're paving the way for that,you know.
That's right, that's right.
So you know, as we close, Iwant to ask you where can a
woman find a naturopathic doctorin her area and I guess maybe
we'd follow the lines of findinga therapist or a mental health
counselor, and you know where isjust a good place to find
(08:49):
resources on all the points wetouched on today.
Dr Jessica Patella (08:55):
Absolutely so.
If it's for a naturopathicdoctor, I would recommend that
they could do a simple searchnaturopathic doctor and then put
the town that they're in andjust check the school that they
graduated from.
If it's an unlicensed state butour national organization has a
lot of information It'll helpyou to know whether the state is
licensed or not, whether thestate has different insurance
(09:17):
programs or not, and that'snaturopathicorg, which is the
American Association ofNaturopathic Physicians.
So that has a wealth ofknowledge for the woman that's
interested in finding out moreabout naturopathic medicine.
Dr Bola Sogade (09:34):
But as we go to closing thoughts, we really want
to thank Dr Jessica Patella forcoming on CocoaPods podcast
today.
So do you have any final adviceor words of encouragement for
people who may be listening andwanting to know more about
non-conventional medicine?
Dr Jessica Patella (09:57):
Yes, well, thank you so much for having me.
I'm so grateful to be here.
I would say to the woman that'sinterested in this just keep,
keep staying strong, keepresearching, keep looking,
because there are those of usout there that have that same
mindset, and hopefully you canfind an amazing naturopathic
doctor to connect to in yourarea, and hopefully some medical
(10:20):
doctors will find some, too, toconnect with.
And my biggest thing that Iwant to leave the women with
today is just remember what anabsolute miracle your body is.
You have the ability to createlife within you and that is just
, it's the most awe-inspiringgift.
I know that.
That's why Dr Sogade is in theprofession she's in, because
(10:43):
every time a child is born, it'sa miracle and it's this
beautiful gift that you justcan't help but you just can't
help but feeling that from yourheart.
And so just remember that youare a blessing to this world,
that your body is a miracle, andwe are so grateful that you are
here and interested in naturalhealth.
Dr Bola Sogade (11:04):
Wow, wow.
Thank you very much.
I want to extend my most grandappreciation to you, dr Jessica
Patella, in the Florida area,for your willingness to
participate in a podcast thatcan make change.
We're very grateful to you andshed a lot of light on this
topic for us.
Thank you for coming toCocoaPods podcast.
Dr Jessica Patella (11:25):
Thank you.
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