#4 Strategic Tips for Stress, Immunity and Hormone Balance During a Pandemic from a Naturopathic Women’s Health Expert

The information provided in this podcast is educational and not intended to diagnose or treat medical conditions.

Dr. Donnie Wilson struggled for decades to solve her numerous health issues and heal her body. But with focused determination, she healed herself. And in doing so, she discovered the Dr. Donnie stress recovery Protocol. On this show, you're going to hear from doctors, nutritionists and Experts along with Dr. Donnie, who will give practical advice and wisdom to help heal your body. This is how humans heal.

Hi there, it's Dr. Donnie and I'm very excited to introduce Dr. Zen to you today. She is also a naturopathic doctor, a naturopathic physician. She practices in Scottsdale, Arizona. In fact, her clinic is NMD Wellness in Scottsdale. And I'll be sharing with you her contact information as well. But I one it's a great chance for Dr. Zen and I to connect here and we wanted to talk more about the current situation that's going on in terms of the high stress and this virus that's been happening around the world and talk together about what we're seeing and what we're hearing in our different areas and how to support you with this situation. So tell me more. How's everything going there in Phoenix, In Scottsdale?

Yeah, sure. Well, first I want to say thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. Connecting with you again is always so fun.

So here in Arizona, it's a little bit different. We're starting to see more and more cases come about. I think there is still very much we are doing social distancing and isolating as many patients as possible. Our hospitals are running as quickly as they can, which has been very helpful. We've had outside hospital testing that's starting to become available. So that's also big and huge for a lot of patients. So that's really nice. I'm able to send patients that are sick either to go get a drive through test or actually get it done from home. So that's been really helpful. But I think the main thing that everyone is experiencing during this very trying time is the stress related with, you know, will I get sick? Am I transmitting the disease? What do I do if I am sick? How is that? What does that look like for me? So I think that's something that everyone is facing. They, you know, the symptoms for Covid, we're still learning so much about it, still very, very new.

So I think that seems to be really changing. You know, we're hearing, you know, sometimes I hear the same thing. Sometimes people are. It's starting with this calm cough and fever. Which was what we were originally really watching for. But yes, now there's, you know, sometimes more people. It's fatigue and even digestive symptoms like diarrhea or, you know, even some respiratory, like, you know, sinus congestion type symptoms. So it is, it's a very, it can be very confusing for people, whether it's. They're thinking, is this a cold or is this the coronavirus? And so like you're saying it's. So to be able to have more testing available can make a difference so that you at least know whether you know what you have and how careful to be. Of course, if you have a cold, you don't want to give that to anyone else either.

Right.

And so, you know, just if you're not feeling well, you know, being able to reach out to us. Are you finding that your patients are reaching out and you're able to connect with them by phone or.

Yes, we're doing a lot of telemedicine. Luckily in my practice I do telemedicine already. So that's been really helpful to kind of jump on the curve. I know some doctors have really struggled with that because if your practice isn't formatted for telemedicine, it can take a little bit of adjustment, but we're definitely having patients reach out. The other problem here, and pretty much anywhere but our temperature starting to rise is the plants are in total bloom.

Allergies is really bad right now. So people are asking, could this be a symptom of corona? Is it allergies? So a lot of it comes down to stress and management and really talking to patients. So I hope that people reach out because there's so much on social media, there's so much going on and it can be really difficult to know where to look and who to ask for help for.

Yeah, it's very true. I can be. And it's. Yeah, the allergies here as well on the east coast are really kicking up. So it's a really good point. You know, sometimes you can really get in your mind about what is this and what am I going to do? So let's talk a little bit more about stress. You know, how I love to talk about stress and I'd love to, you know, hear, hear your perspective on what do you encourage for people to do, you know, with all of these uncertainties and unknowns, what are you suggesting that people do as just some sort of basic foundational steps?

Yes. I think one thing to mention is that right now on social media, on the news, everywhere, we're Hearing about immune boosting. Support your immune system, but what does that really mean? And I think I've been telling patients it's really important at this time to go back to basics. Think about what you're eating, what environment you're creating, your stress, what kind of stress management tools are you using, are you hydrating, and how's your quality of sleep? I think those are way more important at this time than any supplement or herb that you can take first. This virus is still very new, so we don't know how it interacts. The other thing I always tell people too, is you want to make sure that you're reaching out to a physician before you start any supplements. Supplements can interact with medications. They can be contraindicated with certain diseases. So just going online and ordering whatever, that could be actually dangerous for your health. So making sure that they're getting the right guidance during this time is really helpful. And as we stay up to date with the information and we learn more about how certain vitamins work, we will be there to start those therapies as quickly as we can. But for now, I think sticking to the basics and food is such an important part of holistic medicine and naturopathic medicine. And really using food to heal your body and to help support your normal immune system.

No, it's such a great. It brings us right back to food as medicine. Right. And this is a perfect chance to really choose your foods carefully. The hard thing is that when we're stressed, we tend to almost go straight to sugar or junk foods because we feel like we need some sort of, like, comfort foods, you know? Right. So it's almost like this paradox. As soon as we most need healthy foods is when it almost seems like it's hardest to choose healthy foods. But I think to some degree, that's an illusion. What do you think about that?

Yes. So a. I think a big part of it too, is our cortisol levels are changing. So as we get more stress, that cortisol level is going up. And so our body feels like it needs more of that salt or sugar. That's a reason or a trigger that we're getting. I think that right now we have a great opportunity to really use meal delivery services to our advantage and choosing those healthy foods to be delivered to our home. That way you have less of that crap food around. It's easy for all of us. We're now all working from home quickly grab a snack in between calls. But if you have access to the foods that are really going to feed your soul, and your body, I think that's going to be huge.

Yeah. So it's like that planning ahead or having the foods available as much as possible. And I know I've been hearing this from patients and I experienced it myself. Sometimes when you even order of food delivery, sometimes there may be a delay before it can arrive or they might not deliver what you're asking for. So let's think of some strategies people can have for that situation. What? You know, like one thing that popped in my mind was I'm really trying to get some like frozen food. So if you can get like maybe frozen organic vegetables or frozen fruits, but what else can. Do you have any other thoughts on how to kind of. I love this idea of being prepared, but how to do that when sometimes it's trickier. It's not as easy as it sounds.

Yes, I think preparation is huge. Something that I've been recommending patients to look into is juicing. So obviously we would love to juice ourselves and all of our own fruits and vegetables or anything that we can find at the store. But if it's limited, there's at least an option that could be a little bit better. So Suja, they're available at Costco. They come in a. They're an all organic juicing company. So that way you can at least get some of that extra nutrient density in a rather quickly, quick fashion. Yeah.

Oh, great, great idea. Yeah. Like things where you can just so you can start to think like a naturopathic doctor when you go shopping, you know, look for where's the nutrients in like a highly efficient way that also, you know, isn't. You can keep say in the freezer or use in a, you know, use before it goes bad kind of a thing. Because I think that's probably, you know, say if you go and you buy a huge amount of some sort of vegetable or fruit, you're not able to eat it all before it goes bad. Right. So it's like how to prepare it. So sometimes what I'll do too is even if, say I buy some vegetables or I make soup then, and if I have more than I'm be able to eat in the next couple days, then again I'll put it in. I get these glass, you know, containers that I can put in the freezer and freeze it. So then I can extend the use of it over time, you know, is another strategy. And it does take a little bit of thinking ahead, you know, to kind of go, okay, what kind of soup am I going to make? Okay, let me make Sure. I get some carrots and celery. And another favorite of mine is shiitake mushrooms. Do you like shiitake mushrooms?

Yes. Very good and very nutrient dense too.

Right. What's your favorite soup ingredients? What do you like to go for?

So I love butternut squash. I think something about it being hearty is very helpful. I always add some turmeric or curry to kind of spice things up. Soups are a great, great option. Bone broths are another one that are pretty easy, you can let simmer throughout the day. You can buy the already pre made ones if that's the only thing that you have available. Those are really helpful, especially when we talk about stress and how to support your body with stress. I think watching your protein intake is really important too, making sure that you're getting enough protein. And I love protein shakes. I think that that's a really helpful way. Something you can store that can last a really long time, but you have access to it. So when you do feel that need to snack that you have something that's going to give you a little bit more nutrient dense variety.

Yeah, I like that idea too. I usually am. I mean I usually have a protein shake basically every morning and I love them when I'm traveling. But of course right now we're not traveling, we're at home. But it can still be such a great resource for protein. Whether it's when you first get up or later in the day and you're like, what am I going to have? Or you're getting bored with your other options, that's great. And then you could get what are some of your favorite protein? Like when people wonder, okay, should I be getting whey protein and pea protein? What do you tend to recommend?

So I typically like more of a plant based protein. However, certain people do okay with whey proteins. That kind of depends. One brand that I recommend just because it's easy to access is Orgain. They're all organic, non gmo. I'm still waiting to hear a little bit more about their heavy metal panel. And because protein powders actually have can be laced with quite a bit of heavy metal. So we want to make sure that that is not an exposure that we're getting. But I really like Orgain because the company was really founded by an MD who is going through cancer treatment himself and he didn't want Ensure or some of those sugary protein shakes. So we decided to create this amazing brand. So now he really focuses on cancer patients and professional athletes and now it's available pretty much Everywhere. I just saw yesterday that on their website they're offering free shipping and like 30% off of your first order. They're also available at like Costco and Sprouts. So I try to find options that people can find just about anywhere.

No, such a great option. And that's a pre made drink. So it's a. It's a really healthy plant based protein shake that you just pick up and drink. We used it when I was. This past year, I was helping my dad recover from Crohn's disease. And that organ was such a lifesaver for him because he needed to be able to have healthy protein. And it makes so much more sense, right, for us to use one that's not filled with sugars and preservatives and colors and whatever else goes a lot of times into those pre made protein drinks. So that's a great idea. Even if people are feeling nervous about wanting to have food in storage, you can get the organ and it's already prepackaged. You can have it sort of as a backup right in Kate. You know, I mean, right now we've been able to access food, but if you're worried that's another nice thing. It's not going to go bad. It's going to be there, right? Yeah.

And even when this is all over, you can still use it. So that's a big benefit.

Yeah. So I like this. So it's helping people to think through how to get nutrients in a way that you can, you know, that you can use and it's going to be available. And also to avoid things like sugar preservatives and maybe even just foods that are not nutrient dense, that are basically just wasted calories that aren't going to give you nutrients to support your health. I mean, I think that's what. That's a kind of a summary of what you're. I love it. I love it.

Yes, yes, yes.

And what do you find in terms of what are your sleep recommendations? What do you like to tell people to help them with their sleep?

So sleep is the best thing you can do to heal your body. I say it's a. Has to become a priority. I work with a lot of women. A lot of them are moms. And I always see that they put everyone in front of them. Even the dog gets to the vet before they get to see the doctor. And so I say that you have to be on that priority list. You may not be number one every single day, and that's okay. But you need to know that in Order to be the best mom or the best wife or the best employee or boss, you need to sacrifice that time and say, this is where I have my boundaries. And setting correct boundaries is really important.

I think right now with us being at home, it's very easy to get out of a routine. And I think with some sleep, it's super important to stay in a routine. I would rather you go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time and take a nap in the daytime if you feel like you really need it, rather than sleeping in too long or going to bed too late, because really that's affecting your circadian rhythm and that's affecting your cortisol levels too. So it makes it harder for your body to react to stress. So that's something that I've been saying is really important. So setting boundaries would be number one, creating an environment to sleep, whether that is blackout curtains, an eye mask, turning off all electronics, those are the basics. Sometimes we forget about that. I also think when you wake up, not to the first thing you do when you get up is look at your phone and your Instagram A because of that extra light. I always say if you can get outside in the first 10 to 15 minutes of being awake, you're letting your eyes actually see that sun. That's also helping with your cortisol and circadian rhythm. So I think it's important to really focus on that sleep and get the boundaries that you need to be able to have good sleep.

Oh, I love it. Those are such great reminders. And it's true. You know, sometimes it can be like in the evening you can, as a parent especially, we can feel like, oh my gosh, I finally have some time to myself and it's tempting to kind of stay up or, or even not as a parent. If you just feel like, oh my gosh, I'm just tired from the day. I just want to watch one more show.

Right.

What we're really doing is we're throwing off our circadian rhythm and that can have repercussions down the line. So it's almost like it's like this self discipline really. You know, it's like being able to say, okay, I'm going to go to bed at 10pm and I'm going to set my alarm and I'm going to tell everybody around me and I'm going to make create that. Because it is so easy to get distracted. And right now it's not like we can say that we were out somewhere late at night.

But still it just shows us how much it does take that focus. And I think I like your point of, like, what a difference it makes. Sometimes I joke that so much happens while we're sleeping.

We were almost brought up to think that if you're sleeping, it's a weakness or.

We don't really need that much sleep. But actually, from our training, we really know all the good stuff that happens while we sleep. And you're emphasizing that when you sleep in a consistent pattern each night, that even more good stuff happens while you sleep. So if you're tempted to stay up, just remember that there's good stuff that happens once you shut your eyes and go to sleep. Yes.

And hormones, all hormones, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, all of those things are also on a form of circadian rhythm. So being careful of that is really important. So if you have any hormonal imbalances, it's really important that sleep becomes a priority.

I love you mentioning this because, of course, you specialize in helping women with their hormones and hormone balance.

And so, you know, coming back and realizing that sleep actually plays a role. Let's go into that some more. Talk me through. What have you seen when, say, a person's sleep patterns are off or their stress levels are high, what do you notice that happens with their hormones?

Hormones can go kind of crazy. So there's a lot of different things to think about. I think when there is, if you are going through menopause, certain things that you can notice is one of the main things is noticing a break in your sleep. You're trying to sleep, having trouble either falling asleep or you're waking up multiple times a night. That can sometimes be because your progesterone levels are changing and your estrogen levels are as well. Sometimes we give supplemental progesterone to help with that sleep and wake cycle, which can be really helpful. So sleep has a big role in hormone production and in hormone metabolism. So it's really important that we focus on sleep as much as we can.

I love it. Yeah, it's so true. And let's talk some more about your work with women's hormones.

What do you suggest in terms of testing for hormones and how to evaluate where your hormones are? And, you know, tell me more about that. How do you guide women who might be wondering, is there something going off my hormones? What do I do from here?

Yes, this is a great question and something that I'm answering every single day in the office. First things first. So I see everything from women in their 20s who have been on birth control. Who are, you know, trying to get off of birth control or just struggling with birth control in general? Some who are trying to get off the pill to get pregnant. And then also I help women through that postpartum aspect of life as well as menopause. So as women, we have so many changes throughout our life cycle. When it comes to hormones, it's very different from men. So there's different aspects of that as well. When it comes to hormone testing, it's really important to work with a physician who not only knows how to order the right test, but knows how to interpret it correctly. I think hormone testing is kind of the new buzzword, but if you're not doing it on the right day or it's not done correctly, it's not going to give you a lot of information. So there's three main types of hormone testing. There's saliva, there's urine, and then there's blood. Saliva hasn't been as effective in research to show the accurate levels. So typically I'm doing either urine or blood testing. When we do a urine test, I use the Dutch test, which is an awesome test because you can do it from when patients can do things from home. It makes it a lot easier. I love using that one. To give us a good understanding of the metabolism of hormones. This is really important to know. Which direction do you favor? Not just estrogen or progesterone, but what type of estrogen. Do you have methylation problems where you're not activating hormones in the right way? Are you storing hormones in the wrong way? So this is extremely helpful. I usually recommend doing this once a year to give us a good idea of where you're at. Have you had good experience?

Yeah, I really think that this is just a game changer test because years past we didn't have really an easy way to access that information.

And so we were really having to help women without maybe having that. And now that we have access to that urine test where, like you're saying, we can see detoxification function, we can see methylation, we can see hormone level levels. It's like, I agree with you and I'm so glad to hear you say that you recommend it once a year, I really feel like all women should know about this test and should do, you know, everyone should, Especially if you're perimenopausal, postmenopausal, or if you're using hormones. Right. If you're on hormone therapy. Let's talk more about that. How can it help when patients are actively you know, applying say or using estrogen and progesterone or testosterone.

This is super helpful. So I really like using it to really see which form are you producing. So we may give you estradiol, which is the active form of estrogen, but we don't know how you're absorbing that. A and B, what are you doing with that active form? Some women will store it into an estrone, which is more, we call it kind of the bad estrogen, the one that we think is more associated with breast cancers and other hormone sensitive cancers. So understanding that pathway is really important. I've seen tons of women who have never had this test done or never had their estrogen levels checked and only their estradiol. And they keep getting hormones and hormones, but then when you test their estrone, it's through the roof. And so they're storing the wrong form. So it's been a absolute game changer for sure.

Yeah. Because then you can make modifications and this is a test you can do while you're using hormones. Right. So it's like we can actually evaluate our dosing and make adjustments and retest. Versus we can't get that information from a blood test.

Right. And that's the main difference. So blood testing I typically do mostly with my fertility patients. So that's why I do it that way. I also, a lot of women will ask me, they'll say, I'm on birth control, I don't want to get pregnant right now, but can you test my hormones? And I say, it depends. It's not going to give us a good reading of what your hormones really look like. So as long as you're on hormones, it's really hard to tell with a blood test. So sometimes the Dutch test or urine test can be a great alternative.

Yeah. And it's. And it helps us as a practitioner, but I also find that it helps patients to be able to actually see their hormones on a report. Do you find that too?

Yes, yes. They love the Dutch test. When they first get it, they're a little bit overwhelmed. There's a lot of people. But as soon as you walk them through it, I think it's really helpful to have that visual. They can see where their pathway is and what it means. And then when we start working on things, then retesting, they can see how things have gotten better. So I think that's very important. Patients want the information. We live in a information overload world and we want that information and patients want it. So I want to be able to give that to them and educate them.

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Believe that over years of helping people that when we, when we understand our bodies better and when patients understand what's going on in their body better, it is exponentially going to increase their healing. You know, it's going to make their process way more efficient. Because otherwise you're, you're always, you don't, you know, you're trying to, you're guessing and you feel like you're just imagining things. But when you can actually understand your physiology and your hormones and what's causing what and what you're then taking to shift it, there seems to be that that alone has an influence on the healing process. Do you notice that too?

I do. I think it's really putting the patient in the driver's seat and I think that's huge. We're educating and empowering patients. I always tell patients, I am here, I am your coach. But you have to do the work and you have to be willing to do the changes. And I think just that empowerment for the first time, they feel like, okay, this is on me and I have the support, but so much can get done and patients feel so much better, so much faster because they feel like they're in control.

Yeah, I think that's huge.

And I think that's what people are really wanting anyway as kind of our healthcare system is shifting that it's that people are realizing that they really need to be their own healthcare advocate. They're sort of, they're researching anyway, right? I mean, probably reading and googling and trying to figure out their health anyway. And if we can give them this information and these tools and an understanding of their body, then it just means that they can even be more efficient and effective at what they're implementing. So, yeah, it's pretty cool, right?

Yeah, it's amazing. It's super powerful. I think it's very interesting to see how much people are doing in research when they're looking things up before they come into a doctor, which I always say. I appreciate it, I think it's helpful, and I love having that conversation with patients. But I think having the right guidance is really when everything changes and they start feeling better.

What led you to want to do this, to be a naturopathic medical doctor? What led you down this path?

So I am originally from Geneva, Switzerland, and I am from a family that are immigrants. My dad was finishing his PhD and we moved when I was very young. So for me, the US Is home. But there are a lot of things from Europe that I still keep close to my heart. One thing that I always saw growing up was natural medicine being used with traditional medicine, and it was just common practice. So for me, I always grew up with that aspect. We always had arnica and other things at home. It was just part of normal medicine, and there was no discussion about it, which was really nice. And then when I went to college, I knew I wanted to be a doctor and I wanted to help people. And in the first year, I was. You had to do volunteering to get into medical school. So I was put in the infusion department of the oncology department at my university hospital. And I was barely 18. And I remember being super excited and elated that I got to actually see patients because some of my other classmates got stuck at the front desk or didn't really get to see patients. So I was really excited in this process. And I met some of the most fabulous, amazing doctors and nurses and learned so much from them. But I often saw patients who would ask all the time about, what should I be eating? Can I do something for myself? They felt very vulnerable. Doctors and nurses would either dismiss it or say, there's not enough research, or, I don't know. And they would say, focus on treatment, and if treatment doesn't work, settle your affairs. And I just knew that there was more to the picture. So that's when I started to kind of look into naturopathic medicine. And I knew I wanted to be a doctor, but I wanted to help patients the way that I really believed in medicine. So that's kind of how I started naturopathic medicine. And then when I was in school, I still believed very much so in Integrative medicine and learning how to communicate with our other providers and allopathic doctors, I think that's huge, and that's how we will advance as a field. So I worked at all of the major hospitals in Arizona, Banner and MD Anderson Cancer Treatment Centers of America to really understand a Mayo Clinic, to understand what their process was, how to approach them, so that when I was with patients, we could have that integrative collaboration. So that's kind of how I started.

Wow. Wow, that's great to hear. And it's so interesting. You know, I love hearing how you grew up with natural medicine as just natural. That was your medicine. And I can relate to that growing up. My father's a pharmacist, but it was interesting growing up in the home of a pharmacist. We actually had a lot of focus on food and nutrients and some of these essentials that we were talking about.

That's amazing.

And so, yeah, you realize that some of those things that were just normal kind of normal medicine from childhood. So when you really were at a point of deciding, hey, how can I help people? It makes sense that you would say, hey, I can help people with the thing that is really natural to you. And I can hear that in what you're recommending is like, hey, let's understand our bodies and what they need and give them that, you know, if they need sleep, let's give them sleep. If they need healthy food, easy protein, let's give us that, you know, because then our bodies can have the greatest chance of being healthy and thriving.

Great.

Yeah. So I love that about your. About your story.

Thank you.

Yeah, you're welcome. And I think it, you know, it fits with how you're saying, you know, how you just love to work as a team with people, to be their right, their resource in this process of being human and trying to be healthy. Healthy human, yes.

Yes. And I think, too, now that I'm doing mostly Horizons hormones in the fertility world, it's been super amazing to see how open the fertility endocrinologists, the Reis, have been to what I do and how I can support these patients. So many of the patients or the doctors I would see, I would say, what is your biggest concern? And they say, I have a lot of patients who are struggling with chronic disease or obesity, and I don't know what to do. And their treatment cycles are more difficult. We may not get as many follicles, or our survival rate isn't as good for those follicles. So really focusing on diet and lifestyle was huge. And I was very surprised. You know, Reis are constantly recommending prenatal. So I asked them, what are you recommending? And they said, oh, well, whatever the rep brings is typically what we recommend. And I was floored that in a field where time is of the essence and we need to make sure that we're doing everything that we can, that there was some lapse. So I'm very fortunate to be able to have that collaboration and for patients, too, to feel comfortable that you can have naturopathic medicine and traditional medicine. It does not need to be.

Or that's such a great point too. You know, just that it can be the simple things, that. First of all, you're saying simple things can make a big difference.

Yes.

I mean, we're even talking, and I agree with you, like, in terms of fertility and egg quality, even sometimes the simplest shifts, just even getting enough sleep or shifting a diet, all of a sudden, we can see improvements in egg quality and successful pregnancies just with sometimes some of these things that seem simple seem to be able to make that big a difference. And also to think that there is more and more acceptance of being able to work with, say, a reproductive endocrinologist or other specialists in the medical field alongside a naturopathic doctor, and that it doesn't have to be where the patient's put in the position of choosing one or the other.

Right.

It doesn't need to be that. It can. It should be where we, you know, patients can get whatever support they need from the experts that have that information. So, of course, what the reproductive endocrinologist is doing, we're not going to do that part. They do that part. What else do you find with your fertility patients that, you know, that you found really made a difference for them?

I think talking about diet has been huge. I know there's a big buzz for intermittent fasting, and there is a ton of and place for intermittent fasting. However, there's been more and more research showing that the intermittent fasting can interact with hormones. So if you are trying to get pregnant, intermittent fasting may not be the right for you. So I think finding those specific guidelines is really important. That's something that I've noticed that has been huge. Another big one is heavy metal testing. So if you are exposed to a lot of toxins. We all are exposed to toxins, unfortunately, in our environment, from the air we breath, the food we eat to the water we drink, things like that. So eliminating as many as possible is really important. And really focusing on cleaning Your environment. So I'm a big advocate for detoxifying your home because it is really where we spend the majority of our time. And in a place where we have a lot of control, the water that we drink, we can use certain filtration systems, whether it's a reverse osmosis, water filters, actually, for our showers as well, to, like, prevent us from being exposed to so much chlorine. So it's kind of been something that I talk to patients about quite a bit, actually.

I was going to say, and this is one of the resources you wanted to share with everybody today is your guide to detoxing your home or cleaning your home. Tell us more about it.

What's inside? Yes, yes. Okay. So I created this guide because I really had a lot of patients who would ask me, I want to clean my environment. I want to get rid of toxic beauty products and home products, but how do I detox my home? So I went through each major room in your house and I talked about. These are the main things I look for that you should either be switching out or avoiding in any way that you can. Then in each room, I give my recommendations the actual products that I use. These I just pulled from Amazon or other places that I was like, these are quick things that you can change and alternate. So a big example is dryer sheets. Dryer sheets, they are kind of a big exposure to chemicals on a, you know, regular basis, and they're pretty toxic, and they are super easy to change. You can use organic cotton balls that you find on Amazon for less than 12 bucks. You can add a little bit of essential oil onto them and then throw them in the dryer just like you would a dryer sheet. You can reuse them. They are not going to have the same tucks and load as dryer sheets. And they're a quick and easy fix. So I try to go through each room to really give you advice. You don't have to pick the products that I recommended, but a lot of patients just don't have the time to go through and sort through things. So I wanted to make it quick and easy. And it's a totally free guide. And it's just there to help you help detox your home.

I love it, and I love that you're finding that this is an important place to start for fertility. And that just shows you actually what might be invisible in our. We kind of can be in our home space. And now, of course, right now, we're in our home space more. And there's invisible toxins that we may not even realize are influencing our health and our hormones.

Like you're saying, even from something like something you might be using to do your laundry or cleaning your home or other personal care items, or even I found for myself, like even from a mattress to the couch. Right. What do you recommend for that? Just kind of going through and think through what where the toxins might be.

Yes, definitely. Look at that. I think it's important to do little things too. If you're getting dry cleaning before bringing it to your home, make sure that it dries out and kind of fumigates a little bit outdoors before bringing it inside. The problem with.

Chemicals in our environment is that unfortunately, we don't have as much regulation as you would think or would hope. So we have to be kind of our own best advocate. That's why it's really useful to use the Environmental Working Group's website. So it's EWG.org you can look at all of their products. I always tell patients, you know, I have some that are super excited to change everything and others who are like, I don't want to get rid of everything. Where do I start? So I always say, you can download their free app. It's called Healthy living app. And it's a great way that you can see exactly personal care products, how they rate. They typically do it on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most toxic and 1 being the least toxic, to give you an idea of where you're getting your most exposure. And then you can kind of write down your list of which ones are the most toxic in my home. And then when you are done with that bottle, or if it is really high, like an 8 or 9 or 10, maybe it's time to switch. So that's been really helpful as a really good guide. Another quick and easy app is Think Dirty, Shop Clean. It's a free app. You can scan all of your products. You can see where they rate, you can see what they're rated for and what chemicals are in it. Unfortunately, when it comes to personal care products, this is a huge one. You really want to avoid products that say fragrances, because at the moment, we can hide up to a thousand chemicals under the name fragrance.

If it says fragrance, it could be one of a hundred different things. It seems like it's nothing, but it's actually something, right?

And many of these chemicals have actually been demonstrated to be endocrine disruptors, which means they can affect our hormones. So if you are having hormone imbalances, this is huge. And is something you can have control over.

Wow. Wow. So that. And do you find also an influence on the immune system? Just because we were also talking about immune system related to these toxins, Is it something to be thinking about there too?

Yes, absolutely. It's really important when it comes to the immune system. Think about it this way. Any toxin or chemical that your body has to take time to detoxify and metabolize and get rid of, that's a lot of extra work that your body now has to handle instead of the job that it should be doing. So the less that you can expose yourself to these unwanted toxins, the better your body can do because there's less burden, less load. And when it comes to hormones, we sometimes forget, but hormones come from cholesterol. Cholesterol is made in the liver. So if we are constantly bombarding the liver with needing to detox and all of this burden, that makes it a lot harder for the body to produce those essential hormones.

Wow. And I love that this is a great starting place for people to just be able to relook at what's in their home and what maybe could they replace. What are you recommending in terms of hand washing? Since we're thinking of that? Since we're thinking of preventing viral infections and trying to stay away from toxins at the same time?

Yes, this one's hard at the moment. We have to, you know, I think in certain situations, maybe we would stick away from the Purells and things like that and the hand sanitizer, but we have to take certain things into consideration. Right now we are in a global pandemic, and it's very important that we focus on those things as well. Learning to rewash our hands, you know, 20 seconds underneath the sink, Just the idea of the friction that you are doing from moving your hands, that can also help stop the spread. But making sure that you're using soap to really help that. Specifically with COVID for example, the outside layer of the virus is liposomal. So when you. When you wash your hands and you're using a soap base, you're actually breaking open that virus and killing it in that way. So that's really helpful from a perspective of not spreading it as much as possible. That being said, something that I've been seeing at the stores quite a bit that I wanted to mention was patients or people in general are wearing gloves and then they are putting hand sanitizer on their gloves when they're wiping everything down. Well, now that the hand sanitizer has touched the glove, you are Actually breaking the barrier between the glove and your environment. So it's not actually very helpful. So instead, before you get out of the car, make sure that you use hand sanitizer if you want to. If you're not close to a sink, hold your hands up high and let them dry on their own. Don't wash them around or anything like that. Let them dry and then put on your gloves. So try not to do the opposite.

Okay. Thank you. Thank you. I know it's a whole new world, I think, to start to think about how to be kind of sterile in our day to day activities, you know, where we're as practitioners, we kind of put on sort of this how to be sterile in a clinical environment. Now we're having to figure out how to be sterile when you go to the bank or the post office, right?

Yeah. You go to Target and they want you to put in your card number and you look at the screen like, oh, I have to touch it. Like you didn't think about it before, but now it's just top of mind. So I think in a way it's keeping us very mindful and I'm hoping that long term this will be helpful to make sure that we're washing our hands, that we're, we're doing all of those things. But yes, it's definitely an interesting time.

Yeah. And to just realize how much we might touch something and then touch ourselves, touch our face or something. So just being able to kind of, and at first that alone can feel stressful. So just if we can, you know, help to just. I love how you're giving ideas so that people can just be a little bit more at ease with, you know, how to do these things in a way that doesn't have to be stressful, that we can just be like, okay, this just becomes part of our flow of taking care. And at the same time, like you were pointing out, just overall doing your daily self care so that you know, you're already more protected from a virus. And by doing that you're also helping your hormones stay balanced, which is a good thing too.

Yes. And I think it's really important too to mention that so as women we actually are more predisposed or our immune systems are a little more reactive than men. That being said, we actually produce antibodies a lot quicker than men do, which in an environment of viral infections this could be a good thing to protect us. Our immune system is reactive. However, it does also mean that we are more predisposed to autoimmune conditions like hashimoto's disease or Graves disease. So it's really important to kind of look at that as well. And when you see things being posted about immune support or boosting your immune system, especially as women, we need to be careful what that means, because if we are already kind of predisposed to having an active immune system, this could actually be detrimental instead of beneficial to us.

Well, and I think sometimes people might hear, oh, zinc is good, and then they decide to take that. They should take that. More is better. And then going not just to 15 milligrams of zinc, but maybe 50 or 100 or 100 zinc, which then, you know, we're getting into the zone of, you know, this might throw off other nutrients and this might cause other issues. So just to know that even though it sounds like it's just vitamins and nutrients and we know you're trying to protect yourself, more is not necessarily better, which is what you're saying too. Like, you know, it doesn't mean that we should go overboard on certain nutrients. That nutrients need to be in balance. Uncertain quantities, sometimes even just low amounts of vitamin C can make a big difference. So you don't have to go to high amounts. You can just get a lot of benefit out of a low amount. And to check in with. With us. Right, Check in with physician. Because this is what. What we love to do, this is why we do what we do, is because we have such an interest in how our bodies work and also how our bodies are individuals. I hear you saying that too. Like, what's the right nutrient from one person could be nutrient for another person.

Right, right.

Like, just, you know, talk to us so we can help guide you, like, what makes sense for your body. If you're prone to autoimmunity, it may be a totally different solution than a person who is not so prone to autoimmunity.

So, absolutely, it's all about being personalized and customizable. That's the benefit of naturopathic medicine, is that's how we focus, that's how we practice. So I think it's really beneficial to reach out to a professional in this world so that we can help you do everything that you need for your body.

Well, how can people find you? And I'll share some more of your contact information. But how best to reach out to you if anyone wants to learn more about how you can help them.

Perfect. So I am very often on Instagram. That is probably my social media of choice. You can find me at Dr. So that's D R Z. E N NMD. So Dr. Zen NMD. I am there all the time. You can send me a dm. I am always there to answer any questions. You can find blog posts attached there. You can also make appointments so you can do everything pretty much from Instagram, which is pretty good. If you want to learn more about blogs or you know, how to set up an appointment or anything like that, you can go directly to my website which is NMD wellnessofscottsdale.com okay.

Love it. Oh my gosh. This has been really fun and interesting to talk with you. So thank you so much for sharing your insights and your thoughts and it's just good to see you. So thank you.

Yes, thank you so much for having me. It was so much fun. It's like talking to a friend. So it's always really fun to get to chat with you.

Likewise. Likewise. Okay, well enjoy and take care of and I'll talk to you soon.

Okay, sounds good.

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