Good Neighbor Podcast: Cobb County

E68: From Native American Roots to Medical Innovation: A Healer's Journey of Bridging Conventional and Alternative Medicine

• Milli M. & Dr. Paul Dabney • Episode 68

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The healing journey often requires more than just one approach. Dr. Paul Dabney, founder of the Center for Natural Health and Optimal Wellness, stands at the fascinating crossroads where conventional medicine meets alternative treatments. His story begins with childhood curiosity, watching his mother—granddaughter of a Native American medicine man—apply herbal remedies to bumps and bruises without scientific explanation.

This curiosity propelled Dr. Dabney through degrees in microbiology and positions at the FDA and CDC, where he researched antimicrobial resistance. Seeing conventional medicine losing ground against resistant bacteria sparked his exploration of alternative approaches. His unique background creates a powerful perspective: "The body is complicated, but it's not that complicated because we've been given the answers. We just have to find out what they are."

Dr. Dabney shatters misconceptions about natural medicine. "Just because it's natural doesn't mean it's all good," he cautions, explaining how herbal supplements can drastically lower blood sugar in diabetics or worsen autoimmune conditions when used incorrectly. Rather than replacing conventional treatments, his approach enhances them through careful oversight and personalized plans. He works particularly with middle-aged and elderly patients facing complex health challenges, addressing everything from diabetic neuropathy to gastrointestinal disorders.

What sets Dr. Dabney's practice apart is his community focus. "I think I can cover a lot more ground as opposed to seeing a patient an hour," he explains, describing how community engagement and collaboration with other healthcare providers amplifies his impact. For those intrigued by this blend of ancient wisdom and modern science, visit www.cnhow.org or call 706-244-4948 to discover how integrative medicine might enhance your healthcare journey.

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Millie M.

Speaker 2:

Hello everybody, Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. I'm your host, Millie M. Are you in need of integrative medicine physician? Well, one might be closer than you think. I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Dr Paul Dabney. Dr Dabney, how are you?

Speaker 3:

I'm doing very well. Thank you for having me this afternoon.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. We are so excited to learn all about you and your business. Tell us more about the Center for Natural Health and Optimal Wellness.

Speaker 3:

Well, it's a practice that I started about 10 years ago, actually started off in Dakota, georgia, and the reason why I got started with this particular practice is because I thought there was a strong need to help the community. Toccoa, georgia, is a small town and not to about an hour or so from Atlanta. So when my wife and I started, she's an OBGYN and she started her practice there as well, and I saw there was a need for alternative medicine. So I started a practice there. So it's a blend. It's a blend of conventional medicine and blending it with integrative medicine. So that's just a unique blend of alternative medicine and conventional medicine as well to develop a solution for a problem.

Speaker 3:

For example, if a person who is a diabetic, so they're going to be on, let's say, metformin. Well, a lot of the times the person who has this particular disease, they're going to maybe need to control their blood sugar a little bit more, going to need maybe need to control their blood sugar a little bit more, or they're going to need something else to offset their their condition. Like the, it's a condition called neuropathy and that's damaging of the nerves, causing nerve pain. Sometimes the, the diabetes, gets to the point where the metformin is not. It's not helping with neuropathy, it's only helping with the blood sugar, not with the inflammation of a nerve. So, using some of the different things that I, that I have in my, in my call it my my black bag, so I'm able to kind of offset some of their different health problems and stuff, but I'm still working with their doctor. I'm not they're not, I'm not getting people off their meds. I'm not doing anything, I'm just blending things together to help manage their disease.

Speaker 2:

So you're a supplement to the plan that they're already within. Yes, ma'am, Awesome. So we were talking a little bit earlier about your family history and how you're a little bit outside of that. So family or more journalism. You know, how did you get into medicine?

Speaker 3:

Well, actually I started off, actually started with my mother. My mother was a granddaughter of a Native American medicine man. So she, you know, she we have a bump or bruise or whatever, she would apply herbs and stuff to it. As a kid you were like, well, can we go to the doctor? We went to the doctor, but she wanted to handle it on her own and I saw all this stuff. So I was very curious of how it worked. She never really could explain it to me, we just knew that it worked. But I was still very curious.

Speaker 3:

And when I went to school I have a degree in microbiology but I always was very curious. And when I went to school, I have a degree in microbiology but I was very curious about how the body works, how bacteria work. What was she doing? So it wasn't until years later when I started working for the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and the CDC, both in Atlanta. I was a research microbiologist and I was working on antimicrobial resistance, which basically looking at how bacteria and how they interact with antibiotics Well, come to find out that we were losing the battle, we were running out of solutions for to combat these different things. So I figured, why can't we not come up with an alternative approach? So I start looking at green teas. You know different things to help. Naturally they weren't that happy about it, but I started an interest in it.

Speaker 3:

So when my wife graduated from medical school, I wanted to do something. So I applied to a school in Arizona, southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. That's where I started trying to get some questions answered about what we can do or what I can do to help. Along the way I got a degree in medicine pretty much in public health and looking at other different diseases. So I was kind of just curious about a lot of stuff. So in the end, when I started my practice, I said that these are some of the things I wanted to look at. I wanted to look at GI disorders, I wanted to look at diabetes and I wanted to look at sickle cell among other things, but those are the things I really wanted to target in my practice.

Speaker 2:

I see that the natural route was a part of your history.

Speaker 3:

It was a side route, but it was the curiosity and it hadn't been for my mom. One of the things I saw her doing was the curious, so that's why they called me Mr. Why? Because I was always asking why is this work? How is this work and it ended up paying off. So, as a career, I do this as a career of asking, trying to get questions answered.

Speaker 2:

Right, Look same. I was the why kid too, and now I just.

Speaker 3:

You understand the importance of it. It's very curious, just being very curious, and you you know it did, it did, it did pay off. But that's one of the things that I like to do is ask him why. So I get involved with the met. I call them medical mysteries, um, because I do work on things on the side, some things doctors don't know, and I kind of send them to me and I said let's see what I can do to kind of help. So I get another pair of eyes on it that's looking at from a I would not call it from a medical side. So I'm looking at it from the medical side, but looking at it from an alternative side. Maybe there's something that the chemistry behind it is what we're missing.

Speaker 2:

So I do look at that and there've been cases Isn't it amazing how a long civilization has been around and we still don't have it, and we still don't have it.

Speaker 3:

The way I always look at it. It's complicated, but it's not that complicated because we've been given the answers. We just have to find out what they are, and I'm able to do that. Like I said, I love that. It's just sometimes it does come in different times, but working together with other different communities and stuff helps.

Speaker 2:

Awesome. So what are some myths or misconceptions about your industry or what you do in particular?

Speaker 3:

Well, that's a good question. I think one of the biggest things that people think just because it's natural, it's all good. And that's not true in all aspects because, for example, if you're drinking water, you got to have water, but if you drink too much water, that can be a hazard, or drinking too much water, or being encased in too much water, you can drown. So just because it's natural doesn't mean that it's that it's okay. Here's a prime example. Like I said, I work with a lot of diabetics. So they're thinking, if I can take this herbal, this herbal supplement, you know whatever it's going to help lower my blood sugar, well, sometimes it does lower their blood sugar. It lowers it way too much, too fast. They end up having a problem. Or a person who has an autoimmune disease. Well, the autoimmune disease is the immune system is revved up too fast, too much. So they're thinking I can take this herbal, this supplement, to help with my immune system. Well, they're not thinking about calming it down, they're thinking about revving it up. No, you don't want to do that.

Speaker 3:

So they end up doing some stuff that they really shouldn't be doing, and so that's why I suggested-.

Speaker 2:

Even these natural solutions do need to have some boundaries, some parameters, some oversight for sure Correct, and that would be my job.

Speaker 3:

Some oversight, for sure Correct, and that would be my job is to oversee what they're doing, to better monitor what you know with how to handle themselves. So they're. I'm keeping them in a safe zone.

Speaker 2:

So who are your target customers, like clients who do you? Who would be best suited for your services and how do you find them?

Speaker 3:

Pretty much, I would say the target patients that I do have would be middle-aged up until, like, senior citizens. I mean, I do see other patients that fall below that margin, but these type of people have a lot of health problems. You know, within that age, in that you know middle age to elderly, they have a lot of health problems. I actually get these patients either from word of mouth from other patients or I actually go out there and do a lot of public, do a lot of volunteering public services. I make myself more accessible to to other different doctors, whether they're DOs or they're MDs or whatever medical professions that are out there. I just try to let myself become available and attract more patients that way.

Speaker 2:

Well, I think more people really need to consider you know alternative solutions if traditional medicine is not working for them. Have you ever considered doing your own podcast to kind of get the word out there?

Speaker 3:

I actually have started that and I have had. You know I've done podcasts before, but I was never. I was the basically being interviewed. I was never on the other side of the microphone, so to speak. But more than I doing it and getting the encouragement from people like you that I know that it's something that I need to do is just trying to figure out, have to do it. I know it's not as easy as it looks Some people make it look so easy but I know it needs to be done because I need to be out there more in the public eye to give people proper guidance.

Speaker 2:

No for sure, Especially, like I said, when people have a unique perspective on a subject and or years of experience in something, their voice really needs to be heard and cut through all that noise. So let's just switch gears for a minute Outside of work. What do you like to do for fun?

Speaker 3:

Well, pretty much I try to. We do try to travel. My wife I've got a wife and two kids and we have a dog we do like to do a lot of family events, family traveling and things like that. But I do like to do a lot of family, family events, family traveling and things like that. Um, but I do like to read. You know it doesn't have to be science all the time, um, even though I end up being that way, uh, most of the time. But I do like to get more involved with just science fiction reading, like I used to do stuff like that absolutely so you, so I got to find an outlet somewhere, for sure, for sure.

Speaker 2:

It can't be all work and no fun, I know I know Well, dr Dabney, please tell our listeners one thing you would like for them to always remember about the Center for Natural Health and Optimal Wellness.

Speaker 3:

Okay, the one thing that I want everyone to know that we I work with individual patients, as you already know, but I think I like to work more with the community. I think I can cover a lot more ground as opposed to seeing you know a patient an hour or something like that. I can cover more ground by seeing more people within the community setting, Working with other different medical professions. Basically, let them know that there are services available, that we can blend different things together. I have encouraged other people in their practice to use other different things that may be of some help to them.

Speaker 2:

Well, if someone were listening right now and did want to reach out to you for more information or utilize your services, how would they get in contact?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I do have a web. I do have a website, it's wwwcnhoworg. My office number is area code 706-244-4948.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. You have been a joy, I appreciate it.

Speaker 3:

Thank you very much for having me. I appreciate it.

Speaker 2:

Yes, best of luck to you and your business moving forward.

Speaker 3:

Thank you very much, ma'am.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for much Mel.