What If It Did Work?
What If It Did Work?
Mind, Body, Purpose: The Eight-Week Transformation
What happens when a physician decides healthcare needs a complete overhaul? Dr. Angie Abu-Talib, National Director of Quality and Education for 500 hospitals, has created something extraordinary with WholeMed—a revolutionary approach addressing the fundamental flaws in modern medicine.
The problem with today's healthcare isn't just about hurried appointments or disconnected specialists. As Dr. Angie reveals in this candid conversation, we're trapped in a system that medicates symptoms while ignoring root causes. "I admitted a 35-year-old with 16 medications," she shares, highlighting the unsustainable approach dominating treatment of chronic conditions. Meanwhile, doctors themselves are burning out at alarming rates, creating a healthcare crisis from both sides.
Dr. Angie's eight-week transformation program represents a radical departure from conventional treatment models. Based on neuroplasticity science showing it takes precisely eight weeks to physically restructure the brain, her approach begins with something unexpected—a dopamine detox. By addressing our addiction to constant stimulation (from social media scrolling to nightly wine), patients create the foundation for genuine healing. But what truly sets her method apart is the integration of purpose alongside mind and body healing.
"People think success equals happiness, but it's finding your purpose that leads to happiness and then success," Dr. Angie explains, identifying what she calls "destination addiction"—the false belief that "I'll be happy when..." This insight transforms patients who achieve their physical health goals only to discover they're still unfulfilled. By addressing all three pillars—mind, body, and purpose—WholeMed creates sustainable transformation where conventional medicine has failed.
Ready to experience healthcare that actually heals instead of just managing symptoms? Visit wholemedmethod.com to schedule a 15-minute introductory call and discover how this physician-backed approach could transform your relationship with health forever.
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I never told no one that my whole life I've been holding back. Every time I load my gun up so I can shoot for the star, I hear a voice like who do you think you are all right.
Speaker 2:Everybody. Another day, another dollar. Another one of my favorite podcasts, because it's my own podcast. I know this is going to be an amazing episode of what if it did work with Dr Angie Abu-Talib. Dr Angie, the National Director of Quality and Education for a national company that oversees 500 hospitals that's a lot of hospitals with a focus on inpatient medicine. Founder of a physician-backed offering that does healthcare differently. The goal of WholeMed is to empower individuals to become their healthiest, best versions of themselves life. Her life experience and professional experience is one well welcome how is it?
Speaker 2:you know, because I looked at your other you're on whole med, yeah, and I couldn't read that because it was like a half hour just reading it and I've got a master's degree in journalism but there's like four syllable and five syllable words and you know I can only disseminate. You know one syllable, two syllable at an eighth grade level.
Speaker 3:That is hilarious.
Speaker 2:So how's it going? Good? Good, so I got to ask because you, you know we were talking about this earlier. You know, you, you are actually my, my second middle eastern. Um, guess, not, not that I, I count, like you know where everybody's from. It's one thing. I've only had like one Asian guy, so you know you need to diversify your profile.
Speaker 2:Before you know. I mean you're a fellow entrepreneur. Before I would have to beg people to come on, I would have to internet stalk people or ask friends and they would look at me and blow me off or people I might know a little because they're Facebook friends. But yeah, no, I mean they just Middle Eastern and Asians. Just have to have you know. All they have to do is ask man.
Speaker 2:I'm a very loving person. I'm inclusive when it comes to success, so talk to me You're from, because the website says California Is it SoCal yeah, born and raised in California. Let me guess Iranian. No, oh, so you're not one of the Shahs of Beverly Hills? No, what is your background then?
Speaker 3:egyptian egyptian yeah like omar sharif yes, yes, famous actor yeah, that's you, well, you only know that because of your name, I was actually named twofold.
Speaker 2:It had nothing to do with, you know, some muslim part. Well, he was originally Christian. You see, I know the backstory.
Speaker 3:Oh no, Omar Sharif.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he converted for love.
Speaker 3:No, he was originally Jewish and he converted.
Speaker 2:So he man. He touched all bases, so he was Jewish Christian and Muslim.
Speaker 3:Yeah Well, I don't know if he actually did, maybe he converted to Christianity, but he ended up at the end was Muslim.
Speaker 2:I mean, the only thing missing was Hindu. I mean, talk about somebody that wanted to be like. I'm going to try everything, just in case you know St Peter, or whatever, awaits me.
Speaker 3:I can say, hey, you know what he was like. I'm going to get to know the people of the books You're going to laugh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I was actually named after two people. My grandfather wanted Omar Bradley, the World War II general, and my mom and grandmother liked Dr Zhivago because I'm old and you know he was a hot actor at the time, dating Barbara Streisand and whatnot. So that's how my name came about, I love it. Yeah, I'm, my name came about. I love it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm not Muslim though I would have pegged you for Middle.
Speaker 2:Eastern, 100%. The only thing that people will ever peg me for is being Caucasian. For some odd reason, even Stevie Wonder says I can't pass for Caucasian. No, it just matters if it's in the area. No, it just matters. What if? If it's in the area? Like you know, I'm in the mediterranean. I I can pass for greek, italian, french. Uh, went to school in louisiana so everybody thought I was cajun. So all good. So your family, egyptian southern cow. Now do you come from a long line of doctors? What are the parents? What's the family background?
Speaker 3:My dad is a PhD in aerospace electric engineering.
Speaker 2:Holy smokes.
Speaker 3:When I was young it was really hard for me to say that, so I would be like I think he's a rocket scientist.
Speaker 2:Well, technically you wouldn't be far off on that, yeah.
Speaker 3:I wasn't far off but it was the easiest way for me to to to be able to describe him my mom business degree and then I was the first child to go into medical school and then my brother actually followed me and Well, you had big shoes.
Speaker 2:I mean, think about it this way your family's highly educated, so it wasn't like somebody who's like, hey, I just think I'm going to get my AA and chill. You know, I don't think that was in your, in your family's vocab. But so then, what made you want to become a doctor? A doctor and like a real doctor, like an md, not like, if I want to get, get that little, you know, the little doctoral in journalism, because I'd be a jerk, I'd have people call me dr madrano, but it would be my, my dad's a phd.
Speaker 3:He has people calling him doctor too so you know I.
Speaker 2:That's why I check the ego. I'm like you know master's degree is fine because if not I'd be a jerk.
Speaker 3:I mean, but you would have earned it. You would have earned it.
Speaker 2:Oh, I know, but oh is there a doctor in the house, somebody's like me.
Speaker 3:On the plane. That would be hilarious. Yeah, oh my gosh, what are you? Well?
Speaker 2:I've got a. I'm a doctoral degree. I got my doctoral degree in journalism, mass communications. Do you need my? Do you need help in communicating to the passenger? That's hilarious. So what was it, though, then Watching Doogie Howser MD? I mean, there must have been something that drove you then.
Speaker 3:You know it's interesting, I would say I ever since I was young, there were two things that I was always fascinated with medicine and being a teacher. Those were the two things that I just really, really liked. Science and I was. I initially wanted to become a psychologist. I love talking to people. I was very much at a young age like, hey, I want to save the world and I thought about going into psychology. And then I was looking at psychiatry, so kind of started at a young age that I was trying to figure out what path can I get to to make the most impact? So, and ironically, now I teach medical students and residents and I'm a I'm also a yoga instructor, so I teach in different avenues.
Speaker 2:Mind, body and spirit, mind, body and spirit, all three of them.
Speaker 3:But I will be completely transparent with you I don't think I truly knew that this was my calling until I went through my journey in life. It's so easy to say, hey, this looks fun, but it wasn't until I actually went through the process and experienced so much hardship that I started to look at medicine completely different than maybe I would have looked at it had I not experienced all of those tribulations. So I will say it's easy for me to tell you here I always knew. I don't think I truly, truly knew until I was in the midst of my journey, my personal journey, and then that's when I started recognizing this is actually the path I want to take.
Speaker 2:Now were you going through health issues.
Speaker 3:Family member, friends no it was just the way that things just fell into place, all of the setbacks I had, that just everybody around me told me to leave medicine and to go to something else and I really just kind of stuck it out.
Speaker 2:It took me I can't even tell you probably 10, 13 years well, yeah, I have to say too, looking at what we're going to talk about, don't worry, I know we're we're proverbially shooting the shit. But looking at at your three pillars and just social media stalking you and your, your page and home med, it's not like I mean. This is a completely different when. When people think of doctors, it's mainly and what you even said it earlier and you even said it earlier. You know, I'm a yoga instructor.
Speaker 2:Usually the modern day doctor, physician, especially your primary. He's buddies with the pharmaceutical rep, with Abbott, with whichever you know Pfizer, and he just writes scripts left and right. He or she wants to keep you medicated or sedated, I guess like a Ramones song, and they'll tell you oh yeah, you know what you need to lose weight. And the guy looks like he's like borderline, getting ready to be on the biggest loser as a contestant, and it's like well, doctor, how do I lose weight? Well, back then it would be like, well, follow the pyramid.
Speaker 2:But now it's like hey, would you like Manjaro, would you like a shot? Hey, would you like manjaro, would you like a shot? But just reading everything, you actually you're and this is going to be like a mic drop because you're going to be like well, this, this is what we all should be, but you actually want the patient to excel, to live, to be a human being, not somebody. That's like you know six, seven, eight. You know one of those little popper things that I see people have at all ages not people 50, 60, 70. And you think it's vitamins or supplements and it's like everything that the doctor prescribed.
Speaker 3:It's vitamins or supplements and it's like everything that the doctor prescribed. You know, it's interesting, omar. So I also work in the hospital. So I do. I do both lifestyle medicine and I do hospital medicine too, and I remember one of my biggest things that kind of drove me into getting a subspecialty in lifestyle medicine is I admitted a patient at one of the hospitals that I worked at. A 35-year-old had 16 medications and I can't even remember to take my vitamins right. And so we're asking people to just keep adding bandages to everything and we're not really looking at the root. And I and I remember asking you know, as patient, I was like how do you remember to take all this? Because I how that that's again, that's like a part-time job to have to take that many medications. But I do think there's a place and time for Western medicine. I always say this, I've said this millions of times If your appendix bursts, you want to see the doctor in the hospital.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, 100% right, you want to be there in the hospital, rushing you to the surgery, like that is important, but like, if you have diabetes or you have hypertension or your cholesterol is high, or you got newly diagnosed with cancer, or you want to lose weight or there you know, or you have anxiety or sleep disorder, the problem should not be solved automatically with a pill, and I think that's as you alluded to. It's usually kind of what ends up happening. Is that OK, here, here you go, here you go, and so we're not looking at the root as to how did you get here and how do we solve it.
Speaker 2:Well, even solving just a simple thing, usually people that overeat just because you're giving them a quick fix of a shot that makes them lose all that weight, but once they get off it they gain it back, because the root of the problem usually is psychological. It's not like somebody you know, either to numb pain or emotional eating, or I have to eat to celebrate or whatever it is. And that's why, like you know, the biggest loser, none of those people. It wasn't sustainable because they weren't after their supervisor. You know their supervisor for I don't know, three, four, five, six months working out three, four hours a day, having somebody like shadow you 24-7. They never dealt with. Hey, why are you? You eating? Is this a loss of a loved one or whatnot? It was no different, it was just another take on. You know western medicine, yeah, instead of okay, let's, let's slap a band-aid on, it'll look good, and then hopefully. Or, like you know, on it'll look good and then hopefully, or, like you know a person that puts a little.
Speaker 2:The dam has a leak and you know, let me put my, and it never works and they're like, oh my gosh, we can't believe it.
Speaker 2:Everybody gained the weight, and then some, even even the winner, who we gave a million bucks or whatever, and it's because you don't deal with it and that's's, that's a lot. Even when you talk about, like, lowering your cholesterol, there's a, there's a million ways, but putting someone on a, on a med, and then even when the patient lowers their well, no, just to be, just to be sure, let's, you have to stay on this.
Speaker 3:You have to stay on this, no, and I can't agree with you more. The why is really important. So my team and I, when we meet, we do something called a huddle. When we meet, when we get a patient, all of the different components of whole med we meet. The first question I ask is why is this happening? Let's get down to the why, because if we don't get down to the why, then you're pretty much just slapping a bandage on it, right, and you're not actually solving the problem.
Speaker 3:I do believe in my heart, our body wants to heal, but we're just not many times giving it either the opportunity or the different types of avenues of how it can heal, you know. So I agree with you, and it has become. It has what's interesting to me? I work on the inpatient side in the hospital too, and what's interesting is that it's trickled now to the outpatient side, right. So it's like okay.
Speaker 3:So when I see somebody with diabetes, what do I do? I give them a pill and I go, go follow up with your primary care doctor with the intent of that primary care doctor is going to do the Y, is going to look into this, but it just continues. It's a vicious cycle. So they continue what I started. But it just continues. It's a vicious cycle. So they continue what I started and now all we're doing is just adding, piling up medications and, with my role as a national director of quality, you see the issues with quality and you know and inpatient satisfaction. This is why a lot of patients are just very frustrated with healthcare and they're not quite sure why they're frustrated. They just know it's not working the way it's supposed to and I think a lot of it has to do with, okay, this, this doctor is not communicating with this doctor, or I'm just getting more meds and the system just has to. It just has to change. It's just. This is not working.
Speaker 2:Oh, completely from from the health insurance company Yep. All like all these different players and and nothing's going in synergy. In fact it's like and the they play the game. Well, it's not my fault. I love this A doctor bag. Blame your insurance and the insurance company. Hey, it's not our fault, man. Blame. Blame your primary insurance company. Hey, it's not our fault, man. Blame your primary Blame this, blame that, and it's gotten to the point where, like it's crazy when you say there's people like on like 15 meds a day.
Speaker 2:But I mean heck, if you watch any commercial, just on the side effects, and the best is like, okay, these antidepressants which you know you're feeling sad, you don't want to deal with what's making you sad, so take this pill. Oh, by the way, it gives you suicidal thoughts and it's like, well shit, I'm depressed, I'm feeling like shit. Let me see, well, that that sounds like a great idea. Why? Why don't I take something that might heighten my depression, make me do something really stupid like kill myself?
Speaker 3:I know, and you know what's interesting that you know and you know. It's interesting that you know every time you watch a commercial, everyone's always dancing and happy. Oh, it's like it could be from anything.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it could be like a herpes medication and they're having like a family barbecue picnic. The whole family's laughing. I saw one for AIDS aids medication yesterday and and it showed like stare, it was stereotyping, like three gay, three happy gay guys, african-americans and, but everybody's just like super happy and they're like, yeah, man, we, you know we we might have aids. But you know, because of this med, you know our life has changed. But you're right, like everything, yeah it, it has like the weirdest settings like fairs, county fairs they're always on a field.
Speaker 2:Everyone is, oh yeah, on a field always it was a catchy song yeah, and what it reminds me of is like, uh, sound of music when I was literally thinking that in my head I 100 was just picturing yeah sound of music. The last time I saw the sound of music and I saw her doing that, I'm like you know what that that'd be a great, great commercial for anything from dandruff or menopausal, from any, for any condition not just women?
Speaker 3:let's just yeah. Who doesn't want to do that?
Speaker 2:you know, stand on exactly, and the best is like, you know, it's like, oh yeah, it's for psoriasis, but it's bad for your kidneys, bad for your liver. Uh, you know you, you can have an irregular heart rate. It keeps on going on constipation, diarrhea, and you're like, holy shit, man, maybe I should have the flaky skin.
Speaker 3:Right Cause. What I'm going to get in return, I don't know.
Speaker 2:Exactly so. This is this. This is it. This is groundbreaking. Everything from the eight week program. Which eight weeks? You know you're in your field? It's like there are probably Dr Abu Talib, what are you doing? Eight weeks, not even eight years or eight months eight weeks eight weeks.
Speaker 3:And do you know why it's eight weeks?
Speaker 2:No, but you're going to tell me.
Speaker 3:I'm going to tell you why eight weeks. And do you know why it's eight weeks? No, but you're gonna tell me. I'm gonna tell you why. Um, so studies have shown that it takes eight weeks for what we call neuroplasticity of the brain to take place, so structures of your brain will actually change. They have done studies on this where, if they put you in an mri and after eight weeks of pure neuroplasticity training, your brain has changed, the structures have changed.
Speaker 3:So the eight-week program is intense. So everything behind the eight-week program it starts off with the why summit, because I give the why to everything, backed up with science Everything is strategically planned for this neuroplasticity of the brain to really really help. So by the time you get to the end of your eight-week program, you're like, oh, wow, like everything from my body, my mind, how I view my purpose, everything has kind of changed, and so that's why I picked eight weeks. It wasn't random. And so now individuals can do other services without the eight week program, which they can kind of mix and match. So they can, they can do a consultation with me, or they could do consultation with biometrics, with the body portion, or consultation with me and with the mind. Um, so you could definitely mix and match with that. However, the eight week program will give you the most, like this is, but you have to be dedicated to eight weeks, right Like, of complete transformation, and have to do the work in order to get the best results.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but we, doc, we? We live in a society where I want it now. I'm like that kid in Willy Wonka. I'm like uh, Veruca saw, I want it now. I'm like that kid in Willy Wonka. I'm like I want it now, daddy. I don't want 8 weeks to lose weight. I don't want 8 weeks to To change my life for the better. I want it now. I saw it on TikTok. I saw it on social media, when I can be a size 42 and be a size 28 In less than 30 days. Do you get a lot of people that have that knee-jerk reaction, though, when you say eight weeks Like younger people I know people my age it's like okay, well, let's go for it.
Speaker 3:I will tell you. So I get a lot of interest in, obviously, the concept of home ec because it's a different type of healthcare, the practice is completely run differently. But I always tell them, if you're not ready for the eight weeks, you can start off with just at least with a consultation with me, and I go through labs, I hook them up to a continuous glucose monitor which I monitor for 14 days that's how many doctors are actually real time. So I'm watching what's happening to their blood glucose for 14 days and then they meet with me, they do a 90 minute consultation and you know, from there I can kind of put up a whole plan for them. They may not need the eight weeks, but I will tell you they may need little bits and pieces of the program. So we took the whole eight week program and we also broke it down into individual services for um, for patients.
Speaker 2:So eight weeks. So then what you're telling me is all those cute little posters that say in 28 days, or whatever you're, we can create a habit yeah, no, that's true.
Speaker 3:So you can create a habit in 21 days, 90 days, create a lifestyle, but to truly change the brain structures it's eight weeks do you think 90 days, though.
Speaker 2:So if you and I'm an early riser, so it really wouldn't matter. But, like, let's say, I hated doing mornings, but I woke up because there's a challenge to do an extra 30 minutes of working out. So I wake up at five on the dot for 90 days. So I wake up at five on the dot for 90 days.
Speaker 3:If I don't like doing that, though, don't you think the 91st or 92nd day, I would, just after I'm done, just sleep right through that 5 am challenge? I challenge you now to do it for 90 days and come back and tell me what happens on day number 91.
Speaker 2:You're going to laugh because I know the answer, number 91. You're gonna laugh because I I know the answer, because um andy for solo if you don't know him, you can look up and it's uh, it's a challenge, it's a 75 day hard.
Speaker 3:It's one of those. Oh yeah, big, I'm a big fan of it. Yep, it's okay. Yes but.
Speaker 2:But I've done the first, I've done the 75 days and I've done phase two, phase three never completed. Phase four, done phase one a bunch of times. I'm not reading 10 pages tomorrow and I you know so I'm gonna, so I'm gonna play devil's advocate.
Speaker 3:Why did you stop reading 10 pages? Why?
Speaker 2:well, I love listening to audible because I'm always like driving somewhere okay but it's, it's probably I, I'm a nerdy guy, I was an only child, so uh, it's not like, oh, I only read comic books, or books are for assholes or whatnot. I'm uh, just probably a a time constraint thing and always in my mind always having to be in a hurry. Not that I hate books, but I I think a lot of times we're motivated like, okay, and the biggest loser, all those people, those 400 pound people got off their asses finally, not because they wanted to lose weight, all I'm sure somewhere in their site, but the million dollars got you.
Speaker 2:It was like the carrot there. So you know, a challenge like I don't think, I think a lot of times it's okay, I'm an old marathon done until I tore my ACL so I can't do that anymore, but it was always like the challenge, the metal, the going to New York, going somewhere, going to Anaheim and running in Disneyland, something like that it was. It was that. Was I inherently a runner? I think it was more. You know the challenge because I don't know if I had, if I could run right now and there wasn't a marathon. It's summer. I'm not going to be like you know what. I'm going to look like Rocky and Apollo Creed wearing a little midriff and just running on the beach because I love running it. I think sometimes it's just the human mind is if, if we see something like that woman that loses all that weight because I want to look good for my wedding day yeah, I've seen, we've all seen that story it's because there's a goal in mind.
Speaker 3:So there's a, so the in. In medicine we call that a dopamine hit. Oh, of course, a hundred percent. Right, we're surrounded by okay, we're surrounded by so much dopamine hit. So you're not going to go run because there's no dopamine hit after that. You're not competing anymore. So you're only going to do it if you feel like doing it. But if I tag on right now, a competition for you, you're going to be like okay, so I'll tell you, but I would know it's because of dopamine.
Speaker 2:Yes, you know how here you're going to love this because of dopamine. Yes, you know how here you're gonna love this. I I used to. I'm pretty when it comes to. I love going to sporting events and I I don't go often because I'm I have that addictive personality that you know. I don't think any woman that wants. Before I'd go to every hockey game and whatnot. So I went to a hockey game playoff game and I remember is like a young guy in my early 20s. It was just a hockey game. Now, yeah, I thought I was in a las vegas production. I thought, sigfried and roy, we're gonna come out from the heavens. There's a laser lights going everywhere and the sound machine's going and there's like video graphics. It's like a whole production and it's God forbid. They had a play and they have to turn off all that stuff. But it's because of that dopamine that we need Vegas has to have Vegas, vegas, vegas is not the same.
Speaker 2:The reason why musicians now, because nobody wants to hear stairway to heaven for 15 minutes.
Speaker 3:That's why, like every song now it's like two minutes, because you know it's just like the real, that tiktok, because we need that dopamine we need that dopamine hit, and what's interesting is that from when someone signs up for a reprogram, we actually address the dopamine and we put them on a dopamine detox really yeah, so what like no social media. Whatever we figure out what is the most hits they're getting from and they go on a detox completely because they live with amish because we were not.
Speaker 3:Amish. So, for example, I had one person who was scrolling the other person. No way oh yeah, they were like I scroll nonstop. I said what's your time? They showed me they spend probably three, four hours a day just scrolling, which is a lot if you think about it. Like for four hours you're just scrolling.
Speaker 2:Do you ever tell them imagine, okay, four hours. Do you ever tell them imagine, okay, four hours, let's just only do one hour. If they were three hours in anything? Personal development, spending time with their family, doing yoga, going, hiking, working out, working on a side hustle, trying to join this eight-week program, like right, wouldn't your life be better? Yeah, I mean, when you see people's time on the phone, like five, six, seven hours in a day, it's like you know you have a full-time job of like just 100% I agree with you, like just 100 I agree with you.
Speaker 3:And I think you know it's interesting when anybody goes through the dopamine detox, at the end they're like, oh, I have so much time, I didn't even know. And I'm like, yeah, that's a lot of time. You know that you end up getting back and like with the dopamine detox, the. The reason why I start with that first is because I need the dopamine hits to stop right, like we need to not live in this dopamine and we live in a society where the dopamine hits is everywhere, it's not just social media, it's well no we just, yeah, I mean you wouldn't think like, because I mean going to my, my university to watch a football game.
Speaker 2:Now same thing is. And every sporting event has to have the production, the light, because if not, people are gonna be like this sucks, I'm gonna stay at home while I scroll. I have one tv on the game, I can have netflix, I can watch something. We we are so addicted to it that years ago netflix was running out of stuff. Now they show stuff from all over the world. I know, I know.
Speaker 3:Isn't that crazy? It is crazy, you're right.
Speaker 2:Like shows and movies from other places dubbed horribly, just because you know that guy you know we got to keep up because you're finishing it up.
Speaker 3:I need to go.
Speaker 2:I need to go back to work and and recommend something, yeah, something obscure.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, it's so hilarious, you're right.
Speaker 2:You think this dopamine detox though that's actually like a game changer, because that's pretty's the base for a lot of the problems overeating anxiety, uh, all that crap that even I I would say high blood pressure, cholesterol, because if you're eating the stuff you're doing could be relating to these chronic conditions.
Speaker 3:So once you do the doubling like, I had one um one patient come through who was like, oh, every day I drink about three glasses of wine. I was like, okay, on the weekends I drink a lot more, right. And I was like, dopamine, dopamine, right here, right. And she started losing so much weight. She slept better, like a lot of the things that. So after her dopamine fast she was like, okay, I'm ready to lose weight, what else do we do? And so you know, we did some biometrics, testing and labs and kind of customize something for her. But what was amazing in the whole process is that that dopamine hit of the alcohol that she kept drinking and then she said excessive amount on the weekends. That was definitely not helping her to reach her goals mentally and physically and it was causing her a lot of anxiety.
Speaker 2:I'm sure Now was that patient, though, saying Dr Abu Talib, how about a shot? I've seen all these celebrities. Why can't you give me some peptides? And why can't I do it that way? Any knee jerk like that? Or are they at the point where they're like?
Speaker 3:I trust you, I would say the majority of people that come to me, the patients. They're all at the point that I want to try something different. I don't want to.
Speaker 2:Okay, so you're like the Tony Robbins. I love it. That's a good thing, because I mean, if you go to any Tony Robbins event and it's crazy, it's people from all over the world and a lot of them just this is it, man, you know. And you, you start crying because you know, yeah, we all have issues. But when these people are like on the verge of suicide and like, hey, you know what, I'm in LA, I'm in West Palm, I'm they could have had it in Mississippi and they would fly there. And that's why, yeah, I see you, because that's when you're going to change. It's not the hey, you know what, doc, I've got high blood pressure. My, you know, I think my cholesterol is up from eating shrimp. I think I might want to lose 40, 50 pounds. So you're like at the people that need change, like they need their next breath of air.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I will say I'm very upfront. I will go through the consultation 90 minutes, so you're with me for 90 minutes in depth. I need to know everything about you, and then I give you the plan and then I'm never I've never been the doctor that pushes anyone, because I believe it has to. It's coming from you. I think what we've done in medicine is we've taken people's power away, and so it just now feels like this hopelessness, don't you think?
Speaker 2:not you, because I just clearly. But doctors want to feel like they're. They're like this God complex, the condescending they're like. I got my degree from USC. I know what I'm talking about. Like, like. They give you that like, and, and the best part is they can misdiagnose you because they're, they are human, but like they'll be, like they won't, they'll like fuck it, man, you know what. Instead of that, that's why it's hard to communicate with someone. It's like, if you're, if you go on a date with with a guy and he's like you know what, I'm fucking awesome. Whatever you're going to talk about, I know, just because I went to a better school than you, I drive a better car than you and that's that's, I mean, off off the clock. They're not like that.
Speaker 2:My ex-wife was a pharmaceutical rep, so it was a time where you could whine and dine and most doctors aren't like that, but it's I mean, I think we love watching ER and we love watching shows like that, because those doctors a lot of times, yeah, there's the asshole doctor that is your stereotypical doctor that we all know about, but all these shows show doctors that actually care and that they're human. And yeah, this hurts me right here. Don't tell me I'm an idiot or don't make me feel me I'm an idiot or don't make me feel. That's why a lot of times people, especially a lot of times people don't go to the doctor unless you know they have symptoms of stage four cancer, and then you know. That's why you hear the stories. Well, I didn't know so well. When was the last time you went to the doctor? I think back, uh, when Bill Clinton his first time running for president, back in I think it was 1992, but it's like that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know it's interesting. I think you know I oversee, you know many sites and for hospital, for hospital medicine, as a quality director. Also, I've got a big team, you know, for home ed and also for my hospital medicine job and I will say you do find that there are obviously the doctors that you mentioned, but there is a big portion of doctors that are burnt out, so burned out.
Speaker 2:Well, especially your primary doctor. Yes, who's? Like hating life, you know.
Speaker 3:And it's showing. And what it shows us is like, hey, I'm trying to get through this fast, but it's because they're told you can only have 15 minutes with patient, or they're told.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because they have to overbook. Yeah, yes, because of the HMOs. I see it and the doctor looks checked out.
Speaker 3:And I think and it's really sad because I have seen a lot of great doctors, I've worked, I work with a lot of amazing, incredible doctors and they're just burnt out, they're at the point that they feel like the system has not helped them and they don't know what to do, and so I think what patients are seeing is a result of that.
Speaker 3:Now, again, you are right, there are, you know, doctors are not all angels, obviously, but there is a group of people, as you had mentioned, that tend to be a little more abrasive, but there's a bigger group of people, even bigger, that are just burnt out and it's just manifesting, whether how they are at hospital or, you know, in the primary care setting. And it's really really, really sad because I don't think people recognize that, like, the highest rate of suicide now is in healthcare professionals. You know, my brother unfortunately had a friend of his that worked in the hospital with him that committed suicide and didn't. You know there's this, like my brother unfortunately had a friend of his that worked in the hospital with him that committed suicide and didn't. You know, there's this like stigma of like I can't go tell anyone, I'm stressed out, so no one is taking care of the healthcare professionals and I'm also looping in nurses in this too and so COVID did a number on everyone, and I don't think that that actually got solved too.
Speaker 2:Corona, did we ever cure that? You're going to laugh. I was one of the first ones to have it.
Speaker 3:Me too.
Speaker 2:I'm like we're going to have to have triage of morgues Because the body count is like and I'm like the first day I'm like, oh shit, I'm going to have to tell my daughters goodbye. The second day, I'm like the first day I'm like, oh shit, I'm gonna have to tell my daughters goodbye, you know. The second day I'm like, okay, so when, when is this going to hit? When, when? I'm when am I going to truly start dying? Then the third, fourth, and then it was like such, it was a good letdown, but after watching the news reports it felt like, you know, we were going to have the Black Plague and it also I mean, it is what it is. I just think it was very psychological. It showed a lot of who we were, and I know people oh, it depends on your party, no, Cause I've known, I knew plenty of people that were Republican that was.
Speaker 2:Oh, I'm going to stay home until there's a cure. So, it's just. I mean, I've always been stubborn and I was. I was always like just a free thinker, like some of the things never added up, so I was always one to not want to wear a mask, or you know, I could never understand why, if I stood up like this at a holy shit at a restaurant, that guy tackle him but you know sitting down corona's, like hey, you know what nice dinner let's, let's just let them be, you know.
Speaker 2:or the curfew, you know the covid's, like you know whoever's out in 11 minutes, it's ass, they better be back inside. It was just like you know stuff like that when you see how they reacted. Or you went to Whole Foods, I mean this time I was accidentally not going the right way on the one way. You know, like we're in a haunted house and the guy nearly tackled me. I thought maybe you know I was like stealing or I was doing something wrong, but it was like you know I was going the wrong way and that just it's just funny I mean it'll be in the history books years from now is just like people were doing. It was just all psychological.
Speaker 3:I mean, I always joke and I always say you guys only got one pandemic out of me. If there's another pandemic, I'm going to go live in Bali and do yoga. Oh trust me.
Speaker 2:I understand why people live out in the woods because crap like that. If something that barely killed, could you imagine if it was a real, like the Black Plague or something where, like you know, a third of the population just went by the wayside? Holy smokes, I don't think we're Well. It depends with our dopamine fix. I can't die from this. I've got 10 more shows to watch on Netflix.
Speaker 3:Or no, or I'm in the eight week program Exactly. But, the eight week program.
Speaker 2:This is what I love the most about the eight-week program. You have the three pillars and I always talk about three pillars I, I and that's why it's so similar. My three pillars were always mind, body and spirit. Have faith. It's pretty much the same thing Mind, body and purpose.
Speaker 2:Because if you don't have frigging purpose to me, then you ain't really living your life. I mean, you actually think you're living in your hyphen but you're actually dead. You're just waiting for the actual date. If you're just aimlessly going through life, either living for the weekend or just living without a purpose and I mean, think about it You're the definition of purpose. Because you want to live in service, you want to change the industry, you want to help people. You could have been just 100% for the money grab. You could be like hey, you know what, I paid my dues. And you could have been like that doctor that they have on ER and all the shows. You know who's, completely checked out, that just walks in, fixes whomever and goes. You know why? Because I'm a damn good doctor and just leave like that and just collect huge paychecks. And you're not. You want with this eight week program you want to see people living their lives.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I am. It was interesting because I think you know it started off focusing on the mind and the body and then I have always lived with purpose. I think purpose is not lost. I think it's discovered within yourself. And I think a lot of people are always like, oh, I got to find my purpose. It's like I think you do have it within you. You just have to ask the right questions.
Speaker 3:And so what I found is that a lot of people would come to me and they would say, okay, I want to lose weight. And I'm like, okay, great, I have, you know, I have diabetes. I want to reverse it. Yeah, let's work on it. And then it happens and they're excited. And then they're like, oh, I thought that was going to be my ultimate happiness. And so I started recognizing very quickly on that people.
Speaker 3:People think that success always equals happiness when reality, like it's finding your purpose that leads you to the happiness, to success. And I think a lot of people live a purposeless life because we're just in this like rut of everyday routine, right, and you're just like I go to work cause I have a paycheck. So it was like a different frame line. We're going to help you during these eight weeks also discover your purpose and the things that I it's one of the things that I love about this program because the diabetes hypertension, you know, I've got people that came in with autoimmune disease. Okay, that's amazing to help them and I get super excited about it. But to have somebody at the end say, oh, I just realized that was my purpose all along, and that is completely transformational, you know, and something that I'm I'm super excited about with all the patients I come through.
Speaker 2:But also and and I get it because I've lived years like that but oh, if I lose this weight or if I do this, if then I will be happy. I'm sure it's such an aha moment when they realize that happiness is a choice and that you get to choose it every single day because you know you can buy any shiny object and you're going to be sad. Back to being sad because it's it's very short term and you realize it's a dopamine hit yeah but this concept is called destination addiction.
Speaker 3:right, I'll be happy when. I'll be happy when. So that's like the destination addiction that I think our society falls into I will be happy when. No, no, no, you're not going to be happy when, because then when you get there, you're going to be looking for the next thing and the next thing. So it's learning how do I be happy now? And no one teaches you that. No one teaches you that in school. No one teaches you that in med school None of that.
Speaker 2:No, but it's because what they teach you is that success I mean academia, our high school counselors, middle school counselors, junior high counselors, our high school, our high school counselors, middle school counselors, junior high counselors happiness is going to college and graduating and it's like you. But then what it's literally, how's this going to make? I I mean, I remember, because I was one of those I I'm like, oh, once I get this bachelor's degree, I will be happy. And you know, commencement came and I was like Hmm.
Speaker 2:And my mom. The only reason why I got a master's degree was I came back home and my mom's, like you know, you need a master's degree in something completely useless. You have a bachelor's in communication.
Speaker 2:Why not get a master's degree in it and I thought, okay, maybe doing that was going to create happiness. And I spent like years after that chasing happiness and spending money on everything, on shiny objects, and meeting people and finding like if it was in Bali or like it was a Jaku snow mission. And then the worst thing was and yes, I did the Tony Robbins and he said it but I didn't believe him Just be fucking happy and like all these things. And it's funny because like, oh, that's so hippie or that's so. You know that's right. You hear that whenever. Because when somebody tells me, hey, how are you? I'm like I'm living the dream. And when I say it is because I mean it, I mean I'm 51. I'm living the dream. And when I say it is because I mean it, I mean I'm 51. I'm healthy. My kids might be a pain in the ass, but you know they're healthy, they're thriving. You know there's so much to be grateful for. We are living the dream and that's why you know, damn living the dream.
Speaker 2:It's not like you know I'm like some some cheesy personal development guy. It's just the way you live your life, because if you wake up every day say, hey, you know what, today's going to be an amazing day. You know, I'm like earlier today I'm like you know what I can't wait to? I'm going to have a doctor trying to change the world on a podcast talking to me. You call me the Tony Robbins doctor and you can tell that to people.
Speaker 3:And you can tell your publicist. Hey, Tony, if you're listening to us.
Speaker 2:Hey, I've got 900,000 downloads. Now probably like 800,000 is me going to Best Buy and Circuit City and hitting the play on the computers and going to Sears and JCPenney's. It was funny. I would tell people it was very humbling because I would only get like 50 or 60 the first months and those 50 or 60 were like I was calling people please hit the play, subscribe. And people thought like I was Jehovah Witness I was coming around with like pamphlets.
Speaker 2:Oh my God, it's like it's Wednesday. This fucking guy is going to hit me up to listen to his frigging podcast. But and you know what I'd be happy with if nobody listened, except for you and your listeners to your thing, because you don't need validation for happiness. You know, I I that I'd be, I'd be taking the eight-week course and I'm like you know what the foundation's there. I'm fucking happy, I have a purpose. I just like eating bullshit. Let's fix this issue. Play it simple like that. How do people? Because man, the world is broken, yeah, how do people find you? How do people find out about this eight-week course? I don't want somebody to go losing their hair and getting that that skull looking. Look, because they're they're addicted to peptides to lose weight or to regulate their, their blood or whatever it's supposed to do, their sugar levels. How do they find you? Because I know you. Now your whole network does this. Or is this only we have to go to SoCal.
Speaker 3:So right now we're doing so. Socal is the biometric testing. We also do EMS training, which is electric muscle stimulator suits that people wear. That helps you, uh, basically with muscle hypertrophy. So 90 minutes in the gym we do it in 20. So all that has to be in person, but the consultation with me and the mind uh aspect as well, that can be all virtual. I will tell you, a lot of it has been word of mouth. Someone goes through, you know, consultation with me or they do the program. They're like, oh, this is great. But if someone is listening, the best way is to go to wholemedmethodcom and get a 15 minute introductory call to kind of see if this works for them, whether it is the individual services or it's the eight week program. And you know they get to either talk to myself or they talk to Dr Dizon, who is also a physician that is part of the group, and just kind of just figuring out what works for them and what they're looking for. And then we let them know.
Speaker 2:Now can somebody do a road trip to SoCal Meet you? Yeah, I mean, it's a write-off. You know they could go eat at In-N-Out Burger right before, Right before, which is funny because there's an In-N-Out right next to the office. So you see, right there. You know, before they go to Disneyland, as long as it's protein style Okay. So no animal style fries so no double-double.
Speaker 3:Where are you located? South Florida, okay, well, you're a far drive. Yeah, far drive.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, no, that's even a farther drive than the Griswolds, driving from Chicago all the way to Southern Cal, just to find out that Wally World's close. Here's a question, since you're the doctor, you're the Tony Robbins you're the mind, body and purpose.
Speaker 2:What words of wisdom do you have to that person that I just this is it, man, this is what it is. My knees ache, I have trouble breathing. I go up a flight of stairs. I feel like I just did the empire state building. I don't know, maybe it's my age, maybe it's my thyroid, maybe my best days were behind me. What would you tell that person?
Speaker 3:Ooh, I don't see. I I think, first of all, age is nothing but a number, 100%. I would tell that person that if they do join home, ed, we will work on them becoming their best version, their 2.0 version, but they have to come committed with a different frame of mind that they do have control over their health. And that's the biggest thing is. I think a lot of people live in a victim mentality of this is it is what it is, and I'm telling you no, it's not. I have seen people completely transform their life and it's because they just one day woke up and was like I'm going to do this.
Speaker 2:Well, it's not just a victim mentality, because, well, yeah, it is, because I was going to say maybe it was just the way we were raised. I'm just saying that tongue in cheek, because the Menendez brothers, because their biggest defense now is yeah, they brutally murdered both their parents, but they really had a bad upbringing. They brutally murdered both their parents, but they really had a bad upbringing. So that's maybe being a victim now.
Speaker 2:you know, if we do bad things, don't blame me you know just blame the blame the way I was raised, maybe maybe I wasn't hugged enough as a kid. I this. This goes by, like every cause, whenever somebody wants to say that I'm like, well, I'm about the way I was brought up, or you know, it was a sad story or whatnot. I'm like I'm 51. I've been an adult for like over 30 years, not going to blame my mom for anything or my circumstances.
Speaker 3:At a point you have to suck it up and at a point we have to it up and at a point we have to Do. I want to live this life forever. How long are you going to?
Speaker 2:It's because everybody wants the cyber hug, Everybody wants the. You know the oh my gosh, the pity party. And we aren't a victim mentality. But enough of victim mentality. I'd say just go to wholemedcom, Read the 15-minute bio on Dr. Angie Abu-Talib. Read it, you'll learn a lot. The only thing missing, I think, was your horoscope and your blood type, but it was very interesting.
Speaker 3:I'm ever going in case anyone is listening and they're curious so, so you know it, it was.
Speaker 2:It was hard because there's no one in middle, because your, your publicists were like, yeah, hey, you know, just have a great conversation, you don't need a biography from her. And that's where I got a little snippet that they sent me about you and also I think it was longer than my first book your bio. Go to HomeMed, change your life in eight weeks, not eight months, not eight years. Now it's not six-minute abs, it's not a shot, but you're, you're changing people's life. You're, you're changing. You're, you're changing their legacy and you're giving back the number one resource that people can't buy, and that's health and time. So I got to say thank you and thank you for spending time with me, thank you for spending an hour.
Speaker 2:We learned a lot about you. We learned that you're Egyptian, so we can walk like an Egyptian. We learned that your office, if you want to do a road trip, it's right next to In-N-Out In-N-Out. We learned that you're a yoga instructor. So is it just hot yoga? Do you do hot yoga too? Minyasa and yin yoga? And what about? What was the name of the guy? Which one? The guy that?
Speaker 3:created the hot yoga, bikram, yoga, yeah, bikram, you do Bikram too. Uh, the guy that created the hot yoga, the guy that they did room yoga.
Speaker 2:Yeah, big room. Yeah, do big room too. No, I don't do big room. Oh, because it's a you have to pay, right, because you have to, I think it's. You can't follow the exact same moves, or something like that. Is that what creates?
Speaker 3:no, I just I personally do not like the big room. I mean, I like it at certain times in my life but I do consistently yin yoga and vinyasa I, I, I tried yoga.
Speaker 2:I do a lot of weight lifting and crossfit and running and whatnot my whole life, but every time I tried yoga I think I look like herman munster. I've got no flexibility and it hurts like hell the three, four times I. And everybody looks at me because you know you're the beginner Like oh yeah, hey, you're doing a great job, and like no, I'm only like I only move like four inches, Like oh great, downward dog, You're doing amazing. And everybody's like looking at you like you're the special Olympics kid trying to do a normal. I'm like you're doing great. It's a very inclusive that I have to admit, but you know you have to, you have to check.
Speaker 3:I think you should try. I think you should try yin yoga. Yin yoga will let you become a little more flexible. You'll hate me at first, but after that you'll be like that was good any last words of wisdom for us?
Speaker 2:did we cover everything?
Speaker 3:yeah, no, we covered everything. Um, you know, I just to kind of really quick just touch on the fact that we can touch on anything. No, I didn't touch on anything, but I just want to really touch on something. We this is a group of my practice is full of just scientists like we're. We're physician led. We look at medicine differently. This is not the typical healthcare, just you know. If you're ready for a change, this is this is the right place to be oh, it is it.
Speaker 2:And yeah, I don't want anybody to think that it was just um, that's just you is. Is the the actual doctor? And you just had a bunch of people wearing grateful dead tie dyes and bergen stocks and, and just like you know, doing personal development. No, you guys are all trained eight weeks. Eight weeks it might seem long, but when it changed your life, you can't do that, alrighty. Thank you for your time. Have an amazing rest of your, your night Take care.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Just imagine what if it did work. I was trapped inside that prison, oh, for a long time. To make it happen, you gotta take action. Just imagine what if it did work.