Why Standard Diets Often Miss the Mark with Andrea Nicholson

Andrea:
0:00

Eat real food. Eat food that doesn't have nutrient labels on it, that doesn't have tags and barcodes and boxes and packages around it. As much as you can try to eat as much real food as you can Straight From Nature has one ingredient. You know you can mix ingredients together, but try to keep things as much as you can to real food, limit boxes and barcodes and packaged foods.

Dr. Tamar:
0:22

Welcome to Pivoting Pharmacy with Nutrigenomics. Part of the Pharmacy Podcast Network, a must-have resource for pharmacist entrepreneurs seeking to enhance patient care while enjoying career and life. Join us as we pivot into nutrigenomics, using pharmacy and nutrition for true patient-focused care. Explore how to improve chronic conditions rather than just manage them. Celebrate entrepreneurial triumphs and receive priceless advice. Align your values with a career that profoundly impacts patients. Together, we'll raise the script on health and pivot into a brighter future. Hello and welcome to Pivoting Pharmacy with Nutrigenomics.

Dr. Tamar:
1:06

I'm Dr Tamar, lawful Doctor of Pharmacy and Certified Nutritional Genomics Specialist. Are you feeling stuck? Despite doing everything the so-called experts suggest, you're not alone and there's hope. Yet We've been conditioned to trust generic nutritional advice, but today we challenge that narrative. We're going to dive deep, peeling back the layers to expose the flaws in a one-size-fits-all approach to health.

Dr. Tamar:
1:30

In this cozy chat, you're going to discover the key to treating your health like a crime scene and, yes, you're the detective. We'll arm you to debunk the biggest misconceptions about what's good for your body, because knowledge, my dear friend, is the ultimate power. And, of course, we won't leave you hanging. By the time we wrap up, we'll equip you with actionable steps for nutritional tweaks that can significantly enhance your insulin sensitivity. Your journey to health is personal and we're so honored to be part of it. So sit back, settle in as we unravel the wellness mysteries together with Andrea Nicholson former crime scene investigator to insulin investigator. Andrea helps people address health challenges like fatigue, digestive problems and stubborn weight so they can live adventure-filled lives without unnecessary medications. So join us, andrea. Thank you so much for joining us on Pivoting Pharmacy with Nutrigenomics. It's a pleasure to have you here.

Andrea:
2:29

Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited about this conversation. I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

Dr. Tamar:
2:32

Yes, likewise. So let's kick this off with diving into your story, andrea. I mean from crime scene investigator to holistic nutrition and lifestyle coach. Give us the scoop.

Andrea:
2:43

Yeah, so I know that may seem like an odd introduction and it is a little bit, but when I was on my own health journey or when I first started it, that happened to be my career. I was working as a crime scene investigator and crime lab manager and doing all the things associated with that and you know conventional medicine was just kind of not helping me. I was following all of the advice. I have really bad heart disease in my family, so that was my primary focus was really keeping my heart healthy, you know, maintaining just overall health. For heart health and conventional medicine really just wasn't helpful. You know, follow a heart healthy diet but they couldn't really tell me what that meant Reducing fat, monitoring calories, you know, exercising daily, don't smoke Like that was kind of the broad spectrum advice that they could give and they really weren't all that helpful.

Andrea:
3:29

But I was doing all of those things Went in, had a coronary scan done, lipid panels that showed particle sizes like this really comprehensive panel, and in my twenties I already had heart disease developing. I could already see plaques. My arteries were older than my chronological age, like there was all these problems, but they couldn't tell me anything else to do. You know just the same advice Cut your saturated fat, reduce your overall fat intake, exercise more, don't smoke. Well, I already was doing all those things, so that wasn't helpful, but I, like, doubled down and started exercising a whole lot more and went back a year later and it was worse.

Andrea:
4:05

Following all the advice, at this point I had transitioned fully to a plant based diet. I was a very low fat, super clean, whole, real vegetables. You know this wasn't Doritos and Oreos, this was real, whole foods, all the things that we've all been told do, lots of olive oil, those kinds of things. And it was getting worse, and so it wasn't until I really started treating my own journey like an investigator. That that's what ultimately took me down the path to solve my own problems, and now that's what I do for my clients.

Dr. Tamar:
4:35

Thank you for sharing that. That is a very significant turning point where you're young and you're still on this path of having heart disease. And then not only that, you start turning things around, and you're already doing things in a healthy manner, first of all, let's point that out. And then you start turning things around even more vegetarian and all the things that are healthy, and still you were getting worse. That is indeed a significant turning point, and could you go a little bit more into how you approached health and nutrition, as if you were investigating the crime?

Andrea:
5:13

But really I had to figure out why was this going the way it was going? Why was it getting worse, despite doing all the things that logically and through all the conventional advice was the right things? How could I be getting worse? It just didn't make any sense, and so that's when I did a lot of research. I listened to a ton of podcasts, I watched a ton of YouTube videos, I read a lot of books, I got a bunch of textbooks.

Andrea:
5:35

I started following a lot of doctors on social media and their blogs and books and all the things, and just did a ton of research and ultimately found this whole world of functional medicine, which I didn't even know was a thing back in the day when I was in my 20s, didn't even know, I don't know that it actually was much of a thing, certainly not as common as we hear about it today, and a lot of what they were recommending was the exact opposite advice. It wasn't avoid fat, cut your calories, exercise more, eat all plants. It was the opposite. It was actually you really need good, healthy fats, you really need much more protein, you need certain nutrients that you just can't get from some foods, and a lot of those really highly recommended foods are just lacking in some of these things. And so through this whole journey I discovered a lot about my own health that I wasn't even aware of. I realized I was chronically constipated. I had no idea that was my normal state. I had no idea that that was not normal. So I figured out that. So I had a lot of gut health issues. I had a lot of underlying imbalances because I was relatively low fat and seemingly low protein. I was actually lacking a lot of really good nutrients. It didn't have any fat soluble vitamins. I mean, all my blood panels showed basically no vitamin D. You know, just all the things were deficient. I was deficient in B vitamins, like just all the things that of course you're going to have health problems if you're lacking in all of these good nutrients.

Andrea:
7:03

And so through this whole journey I ended up solving my gut health issues eradicated some pathogens that were hanging out in there, rebalanced the whole microbiome, also corrected what I had was developing insulin resistance.

Andrea:
7:17

So I was, my insulin levels were increasing and my blood sugars were starting to climb and that was definitely going in the wrong direction, which contributes to our disease. This is the one piece that they were never even talking about. They weren't looking. You know, they looked at fasting glucose and an A1C, like once a decade, but they weren't looking at insulin, they weren't looking at triglycerides to HDL ratio or some of these other metrics that could have really told them what was going wrong, of these other metrics that could have really told them what was going wrong. So once I knew what was really going wrong I had all this evidence of why I had this, you know these developing conditions then it gave me something specific I could do about it. So then I could target those things that were going wrong and solve them. And so that's how I ultimately investigated my own case, figured out what was going on and then solved it.

Dr. Tamar:
8:06

That is awesome, Andrea. So you definitely, from your investigation, found the truth behind the mainstream dietary advice and those truths definitely led you to discover some of those misconceptions about healthy foods. Could you share with us maybe one of the most common misconceptions about healthy foods that mainstream health advice usually suggests that you found contrary?

Andrea:
8:32

Yeah, I think a couple of the main things are around fats. Fats have just been so demonized in our diets and they are more calorically dense, and so if you're trying to live a low calorie life or if you're on a diet, fats are gonna be one of the first things that most people cut, because they are higher in calories just by their very nature. So I think the whole picture around dietary fat is one major misconception that we really need to look at. Fat is essential in the diet. We need it for hormones, for enzymes, for brain health, for our nerves we need it for just everything and it's a huge energy source, and so we really do need to be more mindful about getting healthy fats. I was for sure not getting enough healthy fats. The opposite part of that, then, is the carbohydrates, because those are the two primary macronutrients that we focus on, and with carbohydrates, of course, we get fiber, we get lots of phytochemicals and vitamins and minerals and lots of good things, but we also, as a society, we tend to overdo it. We get way too many refined carbs, we get way too many simple sugars. We get even in fruits and vegetables, we get a humongous carbohydrate load, and, yeah, the fiber helps with some of that, but it seems to be really individualized.

Andrea:
9:53

For some people, too much fiber actually seems to cause problems. It causes some of the joint pain and issues with digestion. They end up with constipation. That was one of my biggest issues is I was getting way too much fiber when I was eating only plants, and so it was contributing to the constipation. It was contributing to bloating and gas and this overgrowth of the bacteria that are feeding on all of that fiber, and so I think this is one of those individual things that we really have to figure out. That's unique to each person. So I love the fact that you do nutrigenomics, because that helps you do personalized nutrition. You can really figure out what those ratios are for you, both genetically and based on your goals. That's going to vary somewhat depending on what you're trying to do. If you're trying to lose weight versus reverse a health condition versus deal with an autoimmune condition, like, you're going to have different goals, and so we really need to be able to approach these things from an individualized standpoint.

Dr. Tamar:
10:50

That is so true and that's why that mainstream health advice doesn't work for everybody, because it's not individualized, it's not personalized, it's just broad and general. And thank you for highlighting how some of these misunderstood recommendations can contribute to disorders like constipation and the ones that you mentioned, but definitely insulin resistance, which is your specialty, correct? So how are these our intake of certain foods contributing to insulin resistance?

Andrea:
11:22

Well, the biggest driver of how much insulin you're producing is your carbohydrate load. Carbohydrates are going to have the biggest impact on how much insulin you need. Insulin is required for lots of things, but in this context it's required to kind of open the door and allow glucose out of the blood and into the cells where it can be used or converted for storage. Without insulin you can't really do that, the only exception to that being when you're exercising, your muscles can readily soak up glucose without insulin. So that's kind of one of the main exceptions. But for the most part, we take in whatever food we're eating and, based on what that food was, it breaks down into the individual components. So carbs break down into glucose, primarily some fructose, if there happens to be fructose present the fiber. Obviously we don't actually break down our bacteria do and then that goes through the body. Amino acids come from our proteins and then fats get broken down into the individual fatty acids. So we break all these things down into their smallest possible unit that we can digest and absorb and then, based on the glucose load of that particular meal, you get a bolus of insulin from your pancreas, assuming you don't have type one diabetes where you're not able to develop your own or produce your own insulin. Everyone else that does produce their own insulin. You get a bolus of insulin based on the glucose load.

Andrea:
12:45

But when that's chronically high, when you're always taking in carbohydrates or lots of things that break down into glucose, then you chronically have high levels of insulin as well. And if we're eating really frequently and we're eating a big bolus of carbohydrates all the time, then those levels never really come back down to baseline. We're just constantly stoking the fire and needing more and more insulin. Well, eventually the cells are like whoa, stop, I can't take any more. I don't care that you're standing on the door knocking insulin, I can't take any more.

Andrea:
13:16

And so then the body's not listening to the presence of insulin anymore. So now you have high levels of insulin and it's not working, and so you end up with insulin resistance. And so really it's a function of how many carbohydrates you're eating, how frequently you're eating and how your body's responding to all of those. That's going to vary greatly by how active you are, how much muscle content you have in your body, other things that you're eating. So many other factors is going to determine where your carbohydrate tolerance is, but over half of the population have insulin resistance, and a lot of them don't know it, and so you kind of have to do an investigation to see where you're at, where is your tolerance for these things, and lab testing can be really helpful for that.

Dr. Tamar:
13:59

Yeah, definitely, and I like how you thank you for explaining that insulin, how insulin resistant actually happens and what it means for us. What's going on in our bodies when it's insulin resistance? And I want to touch on the lab testing you just mentioned. Well, first, why is it important? Because you mentioned earlier. Typically, traditionally, we test for the point of glucose, or we might even do a glucose tolerance test, but rarely ever is insulin itself tested. So could you talk more about the significance of actually monitoring insulin levels, along with for blood sugar levels, regardless of whether we've been diagnosed with diabetes?

Andrea:
14:42

Yeah, I think this is an important piece that's often overlooked because really throughout history, medicine has focused on glucose. That was the first thing they figured out with people who had diabetes is that they were spilling glucose into their urine. And so really since it was first discovered, glucose has been the focus and no one really ever looked at the insulin piece of this picture. And really it's the insulin piece of this picture and really it's the insulin piece that matters. That's the piece that if we can control how much insulin we need, then we can control how well we handle the glucose. And so we've kind of just historically looked at it backwards, just by the very nature of how it was discovered and in the early days before the drug insulin was developed or really any of the prescription blood sugar things. Back in the long time ago, hundreds of years ago, the standard of care for someone with diabetes was a low carbohydrate diet and fasting, so you lowered your glucose burden, which lowered the insulin need and it helped help people live a better life. And so when we look at testing, it's important to not just hyper focus on any one metric. Any one lab marker can be skewed for a variety of reasons. So we really do want to look at a pattern of things.

Andrea:
15:54

So in the same blood test we want to see a, a fasting glucose, a fasting insulin, so that we can actually see how much insulin you just have floating around when you're not eating. There will always be some. We need some. It's a growth factor, it's a storage factor. We need it for lots of things.

Andrea:
16:08

It's not just about blood sugar. So you'll always have some again, unless you're a type 1 diabetic. We also want to see a hemoglobin a1c, which is a marker that kind of estimates how much sugar's been in your blood for the last roughly 90 to 100 days. So that gives us an idea of what your average blood sugars have been. But then we can also look at portions of your lipid panel, the triglycerides and the hdl specifically, and we look at the ratio of those two and that can kind of give us another look at the potential for insulin resistance. If that ratio is high, you most likely do have more insulin resistance. So we look at all of these things and that tells us a pattern of what's been going on and that gives us a much broader picture of what we need to do to address it.

Dr. Tamar:
16:53

Thank you for explaining that. Now, once you do these tests and you see the pattern, how do you go from that to developing a tailored dietary plan or addressing the imbalances that you see?

Andrea:
17:07

Yeah, so it depends on what we find. If we do find that someone has elevated insulin, for instance, then we're going to implement a plan to try to bring that down. So that'll be for sure. Dietary changes you know we'll look at what they're currently eating. Make any low hanging fruit changes. You know, if they're eating lots of refined carbs or lots of just processed food in general, that's probably going to be the first thing to go, because that's going to be the biggest driver, far more than you know whole vegetables would be, and so we would, you know, really look at what they're currently eating, figure out what makes sense to kick out of the diet, what to add into the diet to make sure they're fulfilling all their nutrient needs.

Andrea:
17:42

You know, a lot of us especially, unfortunately, women we've dieted chronically our whole lives and so we're actually lacking in a lot of really good nutrients.

Andrea:
17:51

And then, when you're hyper focused on calories, you end up avoiding certain foods that are actually really good and you prioritize low calorie foods that are full of chemicals and junk, and so sometimes it's a lot of this, you know, mindset shifting and really getting people back into eating real food, eating enough of real food, you know, and just a balanced level to bring down the blood sugars, bring down the insulin level, kind of get the body working appropriately again. The other major key, especially when it comes to weight, is when your insulin is high your body can't release its body fat stores. It blocks the enzyme that's required to release fat from your fat cells. So you literally cannot lose fat if you have high insulin. And so, depending again on the goal, on what your levels show, what your test results show you know how you're feeling is what will determine where we need to go with your diet, where we need to go with your lifestyle. Are there supplements or medications that you might need in the temporary to try to bring those things back down?

Dr. Tamar:
18:50

Thank you for sharing that Now, andrea. Beyond diet and exercise, what other aspects of wellness should people consider, especially when it's related to insulin resistance?

Andrea:
19:02

We really do have to look at the whole lifestyle. So we do need to look at, you know, are you getting adequate sleep? Are you getting good quality sleep? Are you actually rested when you get up in the morning? Are you sleeping in an appropriate time, to the extent that we can control that? Obviously, night shift workers and people don't always have control over that, but if you do, you know, sleeping within the appropriate circadian rhythm cycle is a good thing for your body. That's far less stressful than trying to sleep during the day or sleeping, you know, not going to bed until like 2am. So I think, as much as we can control our sleep environment, our sleep quality, that kind of thing, we really do need to prioritize that.

Andrea:
19:41

Stress is another major one and stress comes in a lot of forms. We often just think of, you know, the emotional stressors like financial worries or relationship strife, but really this can be watching suspenseful TV shows. Anything that you're like tense or nervous, or you can feel your heart racing can also be underlying infections. It can be toxin exposures, you know. It can be chemical, emotional, physical. It can be injuries that haven't healed. All of these things are stressors on the body. Nutrient deficiencies, you know all these things, and so we really have to take into account all of the different sources of stress, mitigate wherever we can, you know, correct imbalances, get rid of toxins, get rid of underlying infections, heal injuries, those kinds of things, but then also obviously, deal with the emotional side of things, because that is the biggest driver for most of us is current emotional stressors, past traumas that haven't been dealt with, childhood things even. You know you really do have to deal with all of these things or they can really hold you back. So stress is a big one.

Andrea:
20:40

Other lifestyle factors, like exercise, play a big role, but this is kind of a Goldilocks thing. Too much exercise becomes a stressor and it actually contributes to problems. No, exercise or too little of exercise is also a stressor. Being sedentary is also stressful on the body. We're supposed to be active. We're supposed to be moving around a lot. We're supposed to use our muscles. The more muscle you have, the better your bone health is. The more muscle you have, the more glucose you can use. It's just one big cycle, and so we do need adequate exercise, but it needs to be appropriate, appropriate right.

Dr. Tamar:
21:13

I love that you bring that point out, because, through nutrigenomic testing, I used to be high intensity interval training six days a week, yeah. And then I got to a point where, hey, it's not working anymore, it's not effective for me. I'm toned but I'm not losing weight. The pounds aren't coming off and my tests show that I had an issue genetically with oxidative stress. And that type of intense exercise contributes further to that, because your body doesn't know if it's running from a lion or you're just running around gym, you know. So I actually had to cut back on that to one or two days a week in order to start getting results again and maintaining my weight. So, definitely, exercise is a stressor on our bodies, so thank you for highlighting that. Now you mentioned infections, so could you talk about how insulin resistant itself is linked to various non communicable and communicable diseases?

Andrea:
22:12

Yeah, so when it comes to the non communicable diseases, so things you can't catch from anyone else, so cancer, heart disease, hypertension, all of these kinds of things, a lot of the more modern research has shown that insulin resistance is one of the major drivers for all of those things.

Andrea:
22:27

So those things fuel insulin resistance and insulin resistance fuels all of those things. So it increases your risk of pretty much all chronic disease autoimmune conditions, any metabolic dysfunction, all the things. So it's a vicious cycle on both sides of it. When it comes to the communicable diseases, like colds and infections and those kinds of things that we do catch from other people or other sources, how that's related is insulin resistance plays directly into your immune system, and so if your immune system is suppressed or not functioning as well as it should, either due to underlying inflammation associated with the insulin resistance or just lacking in the nutrients you know all the things. If your gut health isn't working well, then you're more susceptible to infection and you're more susceptible to more serious infection. So you're more likely to catch it and you're more likely to have worse symptoms from it.

Dr. Tamar:
23:23

That is interesting, that impact that insulin has on our bodies, our ability for our bodies to heal, to be more susceptible to infection. So we can see it's very important for us to be able to keep that under control and get ahead of it. So, along those lines, andrea, what are some simple day-to-day nutritional changes that can be taken right away so that we can enhance insulin sensitivity and overall health?

Andrea:
23:51

Yeah, I think one of the main things is you know, eat real food. Eat food that doesn't have nutrient labels on it, that doesn't have tags and barcodes and boxes and packages around it. You know as much as you can. Try to eat. As much real food as you can, straight from nature, has one ingredient. You know you can mix ingredients together, but try to. You know, keep things as much as you can to real food. Limit the amount of stuff coming from bags and boxes and barcodes and packaged foods. Um, I think that's the first thing. The second thing is depending on where you are. So if you've done some lab work or your doctor has told you you have pre-diabetes, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes you know any of these metabolic conditions then you really do need to take a good hard look at what you are eating. So, how many carbohydrates are you consuming in a day? How much protein are you getting? How many carbohydrates are you consuming in a day? How much protein are you getting? How much fat are you getting? What does your overall intake look like? We don't want to be under eating, we don't want to be overeating and we do want to make sure that we're getting the appropriate amount of especially proteins and fats, and then moderating the amount of the carbohydrates, and that's going to be variable depending on where you're at, what your goals are and just your body. We all handle different macronutrients differently, and so we need to really dial that in for you personally. So those are kind of the lowest hanging fruit. You know, get rid of the refined foods, eat real foods and then figure out what your ideal macro ratio is. Between those things. I think those are going to be the big ones.

Andrea:
25:19

And then we also, of course, want to stay hydrated, appropriate hydration, and we do need the electrolytes. So salt is another one of those, like fat, that we've feared for decades and have been told to avoid for hypertension reasons. But we actually need salt. We really need good quality salt. You know, the problem is most of us are getting way too much sodium, but that's only from processed foods. That's all the added sodium that they're putting in those processed foods. When you get rid of the processed foods you don't actually get all that much. And you need all the electrolytes. You need sodium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, potassium, you need all the things. And so we don't just want to load up on sodium, but we want all the good minerals, and so a good quality salt, I think, is a good addition as well.

Dr. Tamar:
26:02

Yeah, that's great advice. Great advice Definitely eating real food and making sure we're getting those electrolytes and nutrients from those real sources and quality sources as well. Now a fun question Do you have a simple recipe that you could share for listeners that is going to involve real food and be tasty and filling.

Andrea:
26:23

You know I'm a big fan of just really keeping it simple. I think we try to overcomplicate things with these ridiculous meal plans and complicated recipes and weird ingredients that you've never even heard of and funky spices and you know a 52 step recipe guide and I just think, when in doubt, cook your favorite meat and some non starchy vegetables with it and you're done, you're done. So that could be steak and broccoli, that could be chicken and green beans, that could be whatever. Just make it easy. You can do the same thing with eggs, you can do the same thing with seafood.

Andrea:
26:53

You know, if you're trying not to do animal proteins a little more difficult, because to get enough protein from plant sources you end up with a really big carbohydrate. Those, you know, beans are kind of considered the best plant protein source but they're really high in carbs and so it's just more difficult to moderate your carbohydrate intake if you're doing it strictly from plant sources. So it's much easier with animal sources to get the protein and the healthy fats. But yeah, just when in doubt, go with that, and I think we need the fat with the protein. So the fat that comes with it is a good thing. That'll help you absorb the protein better. If it's typically a pretty lean cut like a chicken breast that doesn't have the skin on it, then you might need to add some fat to it to really make sure that you can absorb that good protein from the chicken. My goal is just keep it simple meat and vegetables, and you're good.

Dr. Tamar:
27:43

I love it, andrea, because that's what I tell my clients too. I actually had a series called Keeping it Simple for our recipes and including alternatives like sweets, healthier desserts and things like that, and that's a key. Just keep it simple, and that way it's sustainable as well. You don't have to overthink it. I absolutely love it. Now I would love for you to share, like maybe, a client case with us that maybe they had a unique insulin related challenge and how you help them overcome it.

Andrea:
28:12

Yeah, I think you know, right now, one of the most popular methods on social media is like carnivore diet. I think is is has become really more popular lately if you follow any social media, and I think it has a lot of tremendously powerful healing properties. And one of the great things about something like a carnivore or a much higher animal based diet is, generally you're not all that hungry, you know. Generally you fill up pretty quickly, you stay satiated. I had an interesting client case, though, of a longstanding type two diabetic who was on carnivore before he ever came to me and I'll you know I support people wherever they're at. I didn't encourage yay or nay on that either way, but he was on it and he still wasn't able to lose the weight, and he was only eating one meal a day, just one big old steak a day, basically, and what we ended up finding was that, even though he's only eating once a day and he was only eating meat he was still eating like three times the amount of food he thought he was eating. And so, regardless of what choices you're making whether it's plants, animals, all of the above, everything in between you do still need to be mindful of how much, both too little and too much can be problematic.

Andrea:
29:24

And so I do think, as much as I'm not a fan of obsessive tracking and weighing and counting and all the things, I do think it can be helpful to spot check periodically. You know, especially once you're going to dial in your regular meals most of us eat the same stuff over and over again. You know we have a handful of meals that we make repeatedly. If you kind of get in that groove, spot check once in a while, enter it all into a good quality tracker and see where you're at, and you might just be surprised. It's really easy to creep up on portion sizes or, you know, forget to add that healthy fat with your protein or what. It's really easy to just baby step your way out of what you thought you were doing. And so I do think it's really important to at least kind of spot check once in a while and just make sure you really are eating what you think you're eating.

Dr. Tamar:
30:08

That's a great idea.

Andrea:
30:09

We're all guilty of it.

Dr. Tamar:
30:10

That is a great idea, yeah, because unless you sometimes, unless you visually see it, write it down, you don't realize what you're doing. Thank you for sharing that and, to wrap it up, I have one last question for you Is there any one vital piece of advice you'd like to communicate to everyone about their health?

Andrea:
30:28

You know, my biggest mantra is that every health condition can be improved upon. A lot of them can be fully reversed, but they can at least be improved. So if you're dealing with anything at all, there are things you can do to feel better, and keep fighting for those answers. Be your own best advocate. Keep looking, ask questions, read all the resources, whatever that looks like, find answers. There are answers. You can feel better. You just have to find the right answers.

Dr. Tamar:
30:56

I like that Keep investigating, Be that crime scene investigator, but that health scene investigator. Your health, the scene of your health, everyone. Andrea, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your insight.

Andrea:
31:08

Absolutely Thanks for having me.

Dr. Tamar:
31:12

This was a lot of fun. That's all I have for you today, friend. Thank you for opening your hearts, lending your ears and investing your time with us today. As you tread your unique path forward, remember to bless yourself with the kindness of patience. Our bodies are our lifetime partners and transforming them takes time, just as any meaningful relationship does. For your next step, I encourage you no, I challenge you to approach your wellness journey as your own unique investigation. Be curious, be kind and, most importantly, be brave. Tear down those tired, one-size-fits-all advice and embrace the wisdom of your body.

Dr. Tamar:
31:52

If you've enjoyed this episode and found value in our conversation, please share it with a friend or two. Spread the empowerment, because as we grow, so does our collective strength. And finally, if you have a moment, consider leaving us a review. Wherever you listen to podcasts, your words and support matter more than you know. Thank you once more for being part of this journey. Coming up next week on the show, we're diving into the fascinating world of epigenetics, empowering you to unlock new dimensions of wellness and aiding the journey to autoimmune health. Talk to you next Friday. Until then, always remember in your journey as a healthcare professional, always raise the script on health, because together we can bring healthcare to higher levels.