The Archive

“How long?”

It’s a valuable question; relevant to anyone starting a journey.

Knowing the length of a journey prepares us for the road ahead, psychologically and practically.

It’s SO important, we’ve already released a podcast episode on the hero’s journey and how it relates to health!

In health, especially in gut health, asking how long tends to get you a shoulder shrug. An evasive answer. Sometimes even a definite answer (‘for the rest of your life’).

It’s my goal to provide something more tangible in response to this question. As a student of health and of my clients, I keep close notes on how many and what type of clients are healing at what rate.

What’s a reasonable rate of healing to share with someone when they ask (or are at least wondering) how long this will take? What can I share from knowledge, and what can I share from experience?

After two years of working with clients doing functional lab testing, my team and I recently updated our signature program, the Foundations Program. The update mirrors what we’ve found to be true about the time it takes to heal from gut health problems, plus the specific, consistent stages of healing that we’re seeing in our clients.

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People are more willing to talk about politics, religion, or sex - than we are willing to talk about money.

Did you grow up in a household where it was impolite to talk about money?

Do you feel shame about how much money you have, or don’t have, or wished you had?

Have you noticed that, no matter how much money you make, you still feel anxiety around money?

Have you ever felt shame or guilt about a decision you made with money - especially in your health?

If so - today’s podcast is for you!

On today’s episode, we’re talking with Financial Therapist Lindsay Bryan-Podvin about the emotional side of money. Money is way more than just a budget and spreadsheet. Money is also about the thoughts and emotions we have behind it. Our history forms our relationship with it, and that relationship can impact our future!

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According to the Center for Disease Control in America, Fibromyalgia currently affects about 4 million US adults, or about 2% of the American population.

Of these cases, 75-90% of those diagnosed with Fibromyalgia are women.

Fibromyalgia is a pain disorder with unknown causes and origins, and for anyone diagnosed with it in the US, most solutions to fibromyalgia are focused on mediating pain - not healing it.

On today’s episode, I interviewed my client Sharon, who was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in her 40’s. Since then, she has tried everything she knew to try to help her chronic fatigue, pain, stiffness, and brain fog. Diet, food restrictions, doctors, medications, supplements, hydrotherapy, massage - you name it.

Now, just three months into working with me in my signature Foundations Program, Sharon has NO pain, is able to exercise 5 days a week, and she has achieved her main goal in our work - to be able to attend her granddaughter’s soccer games.

I am SO excited to share today's podcast episode with you!

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I'm so excited to announce Blood Lab Bootcamp is open for enrollment this week, for one week only from January 5th to 12th!

Are you uncertain Blood Lab Bootcamp is right for you?

If so, this episode is for you!

Whether your objections to this course are fueled by fear, finances, uncertainty, or even disbelief, this episode covers it!

In health, testing requires an investment of time and money.

However, guessing ALSO requires an investment.

Often the investment of guessing can include emotions, lost time, no sense of direction, sunk costs of treatments that didn’t help or were a symptom bandaid.

If you ARE uncertain, I have one question for you:

What is the cost of not moving forward?

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Have you ever wondered what lab tests you need?

Have you ever felt previous lab results didn't bring the answers you were seeking?

Do you wish for clarity in your health?

If so, this episode is for YOU!

At Better Belly Therapies, we value testing NOT guessing.

Testing often begins with blood chemistry!

As part of re-launching the Blood Lab Bootcamp course, I've been sharing all things blood chemistry on the podcast this fall. This episode is the second to last episode in this series before the launch!

Let's discuss the hierarchy of lab tests today. This hierarchy is the natural order of progression we use for our clients to see results.

Tune in to learn why we order labs in this order and a few ways lab results can kickstart healing!

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Our current episode series is all about how being able to read your own blood work from your doctor is a MUST for every woman.

Every episode topic, from the thyroid to acid reflux to client testimonials, has led to the upcoming launch of Blood Lab Bootcamp. This online course is going LIVE for registration very soon at the turn of the new year - Jan 5th through 12th.

Today, I’m sharing another testimonial on how bloodwork changed a life. But this time - it’s mine!

Last year, I got pregnant for the first time. And on the week of Christmas 2020, I found out that my pregnancy was not viable.

I used two simple blood markers on my blood labs from my doctor in the months after my miscarriage to guide my care for myself and prep my body for my next pregnancy - to keep and to hold to full term.

I’ve already shared some of my journey with ya’ll on Episodes 27 and 56. Those episodes are linked in the show notes, but if you’re ready to begin on the HAPPY side of this story - keep on listening. We’re about to dive in!

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Have you ever noticed that no matter how many times or how often you take Iron and Vitamin D, your doctor keeps telling you that they’re low?

Even after you bought the supplements and did everything you were supposed to?

Supplements are an investment, especially if you’re trying hard in your health through supplementation.

The sunk cost of supplements that don’t make a difference in your health adds up!

Tune in if you’ve been unable to restore your Iron or Vitamin D levels to learn more!

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Our doctors constantly hammer us about our cholesterol. Are we eating too much meat? Red meat? Fatty meat? Egg yolks?

If our cholesterol is high, there’s shame and stigma surrounding that number. (PS. I have tons of slender, even “healthy”, clients with high cholesterol. Their doctors literally don’t know what to do with them).

If our cholesterol is fine, right now, we’re terrified of if it ever goes high.

If our cholesterol is low - doctor’s don’t even talk too much about that. But it happens. And it is something my clients - and you - may be dealing with.

I was really touched when one of our students on a Blood Lab Bootcamp live call shared that both she and her mom had high cholesterol. They were recommended by their doctors to take statins. They were hesitant to do so because statins have SO MANY SIDE EFFECTS and are a for-life drug.

This client of mine was FASCINATED by how much information was included in Blood Lab Bootcamp about all the reasons that cholesterol can be high and HOW MANY OPTIONS SHE HAD TO HELP LOWER IT. Options that were unrelated to statins, medication, OR shaming oneself into lower cholesterol!

In today's episode, I’m debunking cholesterol myths about:

• Cholesterol’s link to food (it’s not linked to fatty food)

• How cholesterol gets raised (and lowered!)

• How balancing your cholesterol levels actually improves your ENTIRE HEALTH (not just heart health!)

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Do you struggle with acid reflux?

Between 20-30% of Americans have acid reflux symptoms every week. That’s almost one third of Americans every week!

According to the World Journal of Gastroenterology in a study of more than 6,000 patients, 63% of people with IBS ALSO have acid reflux / or GERD.

On top of that, IBS affects women in a 2:1 ratio compared to men. So the overwhelming majority of people with IBS are women, and the majority of these women with IBS also have GERD.

Safe to say - I have a lot of clients with acid reflux and ALL the symptoms that come with it.

It’s a common problem, with a common solution - that doesn’t work. Acid reducing medications - PPI’s, or antacids - never SOLVE the problem of acid reflux. They merely mask it, or make it manageable. Sort of.

However, with every client I’ve worked with, we’ve been able to reduce their acid reflux 70-100% by following our unique pathway and assessment process we have for acid reflux.

One of the first steps in this process is something you can do RIGHT NOW with basic blood work you have at home, and it’s something I teach IN DEPTH in my course Blood Lab Bootcamp, which is reopening for registration on January 5. Blood Lab Bootcamp is all about you learning how to analyze your most common blood lab work ordered by your doctor using functional medicine analysis methods so you can find the ROOT cause of your health problems and stop spinning your wheels between supplements and doctor appointments.

In today’s episode, I’m going to do a quick fly-by on 10 markers that I consistently use to find the root cause of acid reflux. Are you guys ready? Let’s jump in.

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With Blood Lab Bootcamp reopening on Jan 5th in the new year, 2022, I wanted to introduce y’all to some of my clients whose lives have changed by being able to read their blood labs using functional analysis methods!

On today’s episode, you’ll meet my client, Jessica. When Jessica came to me she had been struggling most of her life with hormonal imbalance, weight gain, skin problems, low energy/mood, and had been diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis.

She had already spent lots of time and money on her health doing all the things conventional doctors had recommended: bloodwork, surgery, and medication.

Tired of her problems and not knowing where to turn, Jessica’s life changed when we analyzed her blood labs from a functional medicine perspective. As she said of the results, “They [lab markers] couldn’t have been normal - not with the way I felt.”

I am so excited to share with you ALL the changes she’s experiencing - and it all started with a little blood work!

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Back in March of this year, 2021, I released a podcast episode titled “Why Your Doctor Says Your Labs Look Normal When You Don’t Feel Normal.”

I recorded this episode on the heels of my first pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage. At the time, I was doing some serious detective work with my blood labs!

The miscarriage and discoveries in my blood labs drove me to record my initial thesis on why doctors are not reading your labs right. Creating that episode got me thinking:

What if every woman could read her blood labs?

What if women, and men, didn’t need to take their doctor’s word for it anymore?

What if we had power, and understanding, in our own hands to negotiate and communicate clearly?

What if we had data that PROVED we were gaslighting ourselves, and stopped all the self-doubt and feelings that we’re making up our symptoms.

We do. We have the data. It’s in our blood. We just don’t know how to read it!

From this, the idea for Blood Lab Bootcamp was born. Today, I’m happy to announce that, as of January 5, 2022, my premier course Blood Lab Bootcamp will be launching a second time for our second round of students.

As part of that announcement, I am going to share with you the 6 reasons your doctor is reading your labs wrong PLUS how YOU can learn how to do it better.

I am so excited for Blood Lab Bootcamp, and it’s my goal that by the end of this episode and over the course of the next two months, you’ll understand why and will be, too!

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PERFECTIONISM…

According to Brene Brown, “Perfectionism is the addictive belief that if we can appear perfect, we can avoid shame.”

Have you ever wondered if what you were doing in your health was driven by a healthy desire to improve?

Or if it was driven by an unbending force demanding you to do everything perfectly?

In this week’s episode, let’s discuss how to identify if fear and shame are manifesting in your health. I’ll also share 4 steps you can take today to slowly get out from under the pressure and demand of perfectionism!

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Are YOU a woman who is trying hard in her health?

Have you BEEN there before?

Then this episode is for you!

This October, we're diving into mindset, coaching, and growth.

For week two of this month, I felt compelled to share this open letter with y'all about our strength, my own experience of trying hard, and all the growth and healing we can step into on this path.

Grab a warm drink, have a seat in your favorite chair, throw on a cozy blanket, and tune in!

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Joining me on the Better Belly Podcast today is Paula Jeffrey, BA, DCHM, CHt.

Paula is a homeopath and hypnotherapist in the pursuit of turning symptoms into solutions.

Her goal is to help you transform the way you understand dis-ease and reconnect with your body so that healing can be a collaborative journey of self-awareness and empowerment.

Her post on instagram, Six Reasons You’re Still Sick, immediately resonated with me and I’m so grateful she joined me to discuss those reasons today!

If you’re wondering why YOU are still sick or could simply benefit from an uplifting message today, tune in!

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Have you ever been given instructions to make a diet change and didn’t know where to start?

Have you ever decided to not join a program you KNEW would help you because you weren’t sure you could make all the diet changes recommended to you?

If so, you will LOVE today’s episode. Joining me is the newest member of the Better Belly Therapies team Shannon Callery, NTP!

Shannon is a nutritional therapist whose role on the team is to help our clients in the Foundations Plus program transition into different diet changes, lifestyle changes, and mindset shifts. Shannon has many tricks up her sleeve and tools in her tool kit to help our clients feel confident and comfortable in their relationship with food!

I’m so excited to be introducing her to y’all today! Meet Shannon, hear her story, and learn why she’s so passionate about helping others in their health.

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Today’s podcast guest is Dr. Paul Anderson, a doctor of naturopathic medicine (NMD)! He is a recognized educator and clinician in integrative and naturopathic medicine with a focus on complex infectious, chronic, and oncologic illness.

Dr. Anderson joins me to discuss his new book, “Cancer… The Journey from Diagnosis to Empowerment.”

Whether you have Crohn's, Cancer, or IBS - today's podcast episode will give you tools and thoughts for how to emotionally approach having chronic illness in a healthy and empowered way.

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Have you ever wondered, “What is the best food sensitivity test for me?”

Have you ever felt that if you JUST got a better food sensitivity test, you’d get better?

Have you ever felt frustrated with food, wondering WHAT was causing your digestive problems?

If you answered YES to any of the above questions, tune in to learn about how to choose the best food sensitivity test for yourself.

Tune in to learn about health conditions that are impacted by food sensitivities, differences between tests, and what to know when choosing one!

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