Our First Case Review! Beverly- 60 yo Female, Menopause naturally!

Beverly talks about her health journey. Why she chose diet and lifestyle changes verses prescription drugs and tying her tubes with a "uterine scrapping".

From stomach aches in her teens, to gull bladder removal in her 40's, and almost a decade into menopause without prescription drugs. Beverly's journey, her testimony with all the ins and outs of choosing the narrow path: diet and lifestyle change. 

Why diet and lifestyle is often the least taken path is the amount of work it causes the patient. Beverly talks about the work it took to get to where she is to avoid drugs and become symptom free. 

What lifestyle gets you into the symptoms you are experiencing is often what needs to change to get out of those symptoms.

Labs talk. Tests give direction.

Dr. Nicole talks about Beverly's test results, and case review. How we decided on the DUTCH test, genetic test, blood test that would be helpful. Limitation of information such as genetic testing not available. 

We want to hear from you! Send Questions to: Info@PTBodyTherapy.com

Subject: Question for PODCAST

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Transcript

Beverly! Our first Guest

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to the Learning Corner. I'm Dr. Nicole, and today I have a special guest. Her name is Beverly, and I will get straight into the introductions. Just sit back and relax and get excited. And let's welcome Beverly. Hi, Beverly. Hi. Hi. How do you like to be um addressed? Do you like Beverly or Bev?

SPEAKER_04 0:25

I do like Beverly.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

All right. Well, I call you Mom. So if you guys hear me call her mom, this is my mom, Beverly. And I am so excited that she is on with me today because she has a great story, a great testimony about her health journey. So I hopefully won't over talk too much. I will ask some questions and sit back and listen to her story. Um, Beverly, so tell me a little bit about you and um why you decided to come on today and the importance of um talking about the health journey you've been on.

Personal Details

SPEAKER_04 1:09

Well, I am a mother of three. I've been married for uh 40 some years, and I have nine grandchildren. Amazing. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 1:24

Um and yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

So when you started out on your health journey um many, many moons ago, right? You know, because you're 20s, so maybe just start us out in your teens. Like, what were you like and how was life like? Um, and bring us all the way up until you started having children. All right.

First symptoms: stomach issues

After my last child, things really changed.

It turns out, it was my Gull Bladder

SPEAKER_04 1:50

Um, well, in my teens, it life was good. Um, but I remember having some health issues of you know, I have stomach aches here and there, and and I just thought they were normal, you know, I didn't think anything of them. And um, and when I started with my cycle, I think I was 14, um, things were good. And then I had my first child when I was 18, and after that, my body started to really change. Um, I was having different symptoms, different issues. I started getting really bad acne. I'd never had acne before. Um, yeah, just certain issues like that. And then in my 20s, my late 20s, I had my my third child, my youngest. And after that, then then things started to really change for me. I started getting these really bad stomach aches, and I didn't know what they were, and I just thought, well, you know, I I thought I thought it was just really bad gas, and then they'd go away. But then as I got into my 30s, then it really started to become an issue that certain things that I would eat, like if it was deep fried or things like that, it just was really bad. And if I would sometimes when I'd eat, you know, you'd have to go to the bathroom because it was like so I wouldn't eat when I'd go on trips if we were on the road because it just wasn't a good thing. Until finally, I think it was in my um probably I want to say early 40s, I suppose, when I went in finally and had it all checked out, and they did an ultrasound, and you they said it was my gallbladder, it had a lot of stones in it, so that was the issue. And I didn't really want to have surgery, so I did just you know change my diet. I quit caffeine and sugar and all the deep fried foods, and and you know, that worked for a while, but then I just had a really bad attack, and so I did have my gallbladder removed, and and then after that, what year was that? You know, what year was that? That was or how old do you how old do you think? Okay, I think it was 2010. I want to say it was 2010. Okay. So how old was I back then? Um, that's 16 years ago in my 40s, early 40s, I suppose.

SPEAKER_01 4:45

Sorry to interrupt, it was just I need some data, so keep going.

SPEAKER_04 4:51

Um after that, we're pretty good. You know, after they would tell you that once you your gallbladder is gone, a lot of things change, and thankfully, God is good, and you know, my body was okay that way. You know, I could eat things and it didn't bother me like it did before. So God was good there.

How did you learn how to eat after Gull Bladder removal?

SPEAKER_01 5:14

How did you how did you learn how to eat? Like, what did you have to like ask a doctor? Did you go online? Was that available? Like, how did you know, hey, uh deep fried foods or caffeine or all these things, they might affect the gallbladder?

Heavy Bleeding, fatigue, 9 Day periods.

SPEAKER_04 5:31

Well, they would when I would go in, the doctor did say that all these things do affect it, and I'm like, well, okay, I just wanna really do so. The internet, thankfully, you know, the internet was there, and I did a lot of research on the internet. Of you know, you read what some people would go through and what and what helped them, and and the the common denominator was caffeine and real fatty foods for one thing that really were hard on people's stomachs, and also sugar, you know, that plays a role in it too. So that's how I'd learned, and I'd you know, I'd look up different recipes, different ways to cook, and that helped a lot, you know. And then after, so then about my middle 40s, that's when I started um getting really bad um periods. Uh, I would bleed really bad, like to the point where you stood up and you needed to go to the bathroom because it was you it just was terrible.

SPEAKER_01 6:41

Was there pain along with that? Or was it just okay? Was it back pain? Was it cramping? Was it before, during, after? Like, how would you describe that? It was a lot of cramping in lower back pain.

SPEAKER_04 6:55

It just was not not fun, it was miserable. Did it last a long time? Well, my periods would last about nine days, and in those nine days, it would last four or five days. The first four days at least would be really hard like that.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

Would you also be pretty fatigued? Was there any other symptoms that came along with that?

SPEAKER_04 7:19

Yep. Really tired.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

Did you ever miss work or have to no?

SPEAKER_04 7:26

I I didn't miss any work. I I did go to work.

SPEAKER_01 7:30

But it was it was sometimes patients, yeah. Sometimes patients literally would just be lying on the ground, you know.

OB Recommended "uterine scrapping" and "tie tubes".

SPEAKER_04 7:40

Yes, and but thankfully, so my job at that time, I would sit in an office and uh you know that I wouldn't have I could sit and I wouldn't really have to deal with the public, right? You know, so it it worked out that way. But yeah. So finally I had to sorry, go well, I was just gonna say I went in for my annual and I talked to the doctor about these symptoms and one of their alternatives they said what they could do is um and it seemed to be helpful for some women is to I wanna say she said scrape your uterus But in order for them to do that I think that one of the things she said was they needed to um tie your tubes. And I never I never questioned that. I don't know, you know, what why they needed to do that, and then I'm like, well I don't I don't really want to do that so again I went to the internet and researched things and and it came to getting rid of caffeine again and sugar, you know, just redoing my diet and sure and eventually that actually it helped and it went away.

SPEAKER_01 9:11

So did you have any other life changes around this time? Like, did you start exercising or stop exercising, quit drinking, start drinking, you know, smoking, any of that stuff?

Eliminated stress helped

SPEAKER_04 9:25

I did, so that's when I ended up leaving my job, which was very stressful for me, and I started watching my granddaughter. Um so a lot of my stress was relieved. You know, stress plays a big part in things, so I believe that was a big part of it too. But then in doing so, I exercised more and I was able to eat different, you know, easier because I wasn't working and there wasn't all that stress on me. Yeah, so the combination of all that I think played a big part in that for sure.

SPEAKER_01 10:07

Those are all very big important life changes that can definitely cause relief or stress on the body for sure. So, did you have a lot of weight loss, weight gain during these years? Like, was there a lot of fluctuation in those um effects, or was there anything else that came along? Um, did you notice like after you got your gallbladder out, did it really change anything, or do you uh attribute that more to your food intake? How does that play?

Quit Smoking. Gained Weight.

SPEAKER_04 10:40

Well, I did have weight gain because uh in that time also I did quit smoking. I had smoked for many, many years, so I quit smoking while then um I did eat differently and a lot more calories, so then I did start putting on weight. I I put on about 20 pounds after I quit smoking. I'd say probably within a year or two, which is very common.

SPEAKER_01 11:14

Yep, and that was in your 40s as well.

SPEAKER_03 11:16

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

And then after you quit your job and you quit smoking, you gained a little bit, you lost, you know, you went and had surgery to get your gallbladder removed. Was there any change in your menstruation at that point? Did things level out? Did they get worse? Did they get better? And how did you move into and through perimenopause into menopause?

Started Perimenopause. Then Menopause.

SPEAKER_04 11:39

Oh, so after all that was done, you know, the gallbladder and all that, quitting my job and all that, um things got better. I did gain weight, but things were a lot better, and then I slowly moved into perimenopause. It started around the same time, so then with me exercising and eating differently, I was able to just maintain that weight for a while. But then around 54, that's when I went into menopause. That's when I started. I didn't have a period for a full year, and then things really changed for me where I gained a lot of weight throughout that time.

What was your journey into menopause like?

SPEAKER_01 12:29

Was there uh was a transition hard? Did you have a lot of uh night sweats, hot flashes, insomnia, um, vaginal dryness? Like what kind of symptoms did you notice? Did it fluctuate? What was your journey like?

SPEAKER_04 12:46

So I don't I don't remember um insomnia. I don't think I had a lot of that. Um and night night, sweat, snow, and hot flashes here and there. I I do remember having hot flashes, you know, and I still sometimes get them. Um my biggest thing though was uh gaining so much weight and and not being able to lose that weight. That was the hardest.

SPEAKER_01 13:16

Did you gain it? Did you gain it in like one area or was it all over? Like how would you categorize how you gained your weight?

SPEAKER_04 13:26

Well, it was all over, but most of it was in my belly area for sure. Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:34

All right, so you're 54 and you're in menopause. Where did you go from there? You're only like 56 now, right?

SPEAKER_04 13:44

So yep.

SPEAKER_01 13:47

Yeah, this is my mom. It's hard to say, hey, by the way, are you 85? Um, you never ask a woman their age, okay, guys. Like that's just but here on a podcast, when you're looking at health and the health journey, it's very important for people to understand. Like, okay, now I am how old are you now, mom? I'm 62. Okay. All right. So, Beverly, you're 62. And now what would you say, like from 54 to 62? Kind of walk through like the highlights and the lowlights and things you learned and your journey. Maybe weight loss could be something you focus on to give, and then other um symptoms that came and went.

SPEAKER_04 14:33

Um, so I think you know, again, a lot of stressors in your life play a big part of it. So, in that time, um the youngest moved out. Well, before, yeah, she moved out. Then my mom and dad moved in with us. They're old, they were older. My dad had dementia, and they moved in with us, and then my husband and I were having marital problems, so there was a lot, you know, we became empty nesters, but then the parents moved in, and then you know, certain problems developed, and so it's all so all of that I think played a big role in it too. But it was like I was too busy really to notice any symptoms that I really had, you know, now that I think about it, because my life was just kind of a stress ball at that time. So when it finally all settled down, there I was, you know, 35 pounds heavier and um 10 years older.

SPEAKER_01 15:50

10 years old. Well, maybe maybe seven years older, right?

SPEAKER_04 15:54

And not so you know what, as far as when women would say they have um the hot flashes and the night sweats and you know not being able to sleep and stuff, I that part I really didn't have a problem with that, but the waking and yeah, you probably could say a little bit of depression, you know, yeah through that time.

Since 2024: The real investigation into health.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

Maybe a depression, anxiety a little bit, you had a lot of stressors that way, uncertainty. Yes, yeah, yeah, sure, that's stressful. Um, and fast forward now, what have been the steps kind of like I'll jump into it? And if you want me to jump into it and start talking about that, I do have everything laid out here, but um going into the last, let's say since 2024, the last two years since we really kind of been working on your metabolic health and and discovering what's going on. Can you speak to the last two years and kind of since we started um the first blood panel, you know, like or the second, I should say let let's let's go be beyond that. How about let's start at the Dutch test, right? So when we looked at your hormones. So two years ago, we looked at your hormones and there was some things that you changed. How did that feel? Like what did you, you know, what did you gain from some of that insight and how did it feel from 2024 till now? And then I can kind of just back it up on the back end of it when we talk about what kind of testing and stuff. So you don't have to go into specifics, but I'm not in your body. I don't know on a patient's side, like how does that feel to be told you need to do these things and and to implement them. Right.

SPEAKER_04 17:50

Well, at first when we did the first testing, it's like, well, I'm already eating better, you know. I'm not, you know, of course you kind of you kind of buck it a little because there is a lot of commitment to that, you know, and you you you kind of go into denial and you go, well, I'm already eating, I'm eating healthy and I'm doing all the right things, and oh okay. But then it when we did the all you know, the hormones and that, and then we finally got to the nitty-gritty, it's like okay, I was ready then to make the big change of really cutting out things, you know, your sugars and really changing things and being serious about it. And in that time, then I felt better. Oh my gosh, my body was a hundred percent better, and within that six months, I lost the 35 pounds.

SPEAKER_01 18:52

And after the genetic testing, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_04 18:56

Or when was that? Or was that after the last yeah?

SPEAKER_01 18:59

Well, go, yeah, that was the genetic stuff. That was the genetic testing. Okay, so like with the Dutch test, remember when I first did your blood labs in 2019? Um, you may not remember this, but I looked at you and I said, Mom, you have metabolic X syndrome, you might get diabetes, you're pre-diabetic, and you're laughing. You're like, What? What do you mean? I'm like, okay, so you need to be gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free, mushroom-free, and you need, and you just kind of go, uh-huh. Like, because back then, that is the information we had. That is, you know, that's the cream of the crop. That's right, that's the gold standard of the testing, right? That's the testing that we had 2019 to 2026, very different.

SPEAKER_03 19:45

Right.

SPEAKER_01 19:46

So, do you remember that at all, mom, when I told you that?

SPEAKER_03 19:50

I do.

SPEAKER_01 19:51

And and did you follow that?

SPEAKER_03 19:54

No.

SPEAKER_01 19:56

Let's just be real here. I think you did though follow the blood sugar regulation. I did, yes. But did it make a difference? It did. You know, when you do that, it does make a difference for sure. But it really didn't change much as far as your labs.

SPEAKER_04 20:14

No, it didn't.

SPEAKER_01 20:15

So, because come to find out later, and we'll talk about this here in a few minutes. Um, when you look at blood tests and it's not one size fits fits all. So, when you have somebody um regulate their blood sugar, genetically, that wasn't her issue. That wasn't Beverly's issue. So when you have somebody do something and it doesn't work, it's probably because genetically or there's something else going on that you can look at. That's why it's stopping it or prohibiting it from working. So Beverly is like the 10% of people where blood sugar regulation is not really gonna make a change for them. And I'll speak to that here, like I said in a minute. But so we did that first test in 2019, the comprehensive blood panel. You're kind of laughing at me, like I'm not gonna change all that, but yeah, I'll regulate my blood sugar. Um, yeah, that's too much. And then we fast forward, and then we got your Dutch test. You filled out the paperwork, right? The 50-page book. How was that filling that out? Oh fun. Did you learn a lot?

SPEAKER_04 21:24

Oh no, I didn't actually.

SPEAKER_01 21:30

Well, I did. I will say I learn a ton when you fill out all of that paperwork. That gives me, the clinician, the ability to see what's going on in your body via via your viewpoint, right? You can tell the story. You're in your body. I can't tell that story, but I can see it like when you fill it out. So the better you do at it, which by the way, you did a really good job on both sets because I made her fill out another one. Um, and it just gives Me so much data. So thank you for doing that. So the Dutch test told us that what about your hormones?

SPEAKER_04 22:08

Well, my hormones were normal, right? They were all spot on, weren't they? Or no?

SPEAKER_01 22:13

Yeah, they were.

SPEAKER_04 22:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:15

There was a little issue with your DHEA, but I just want to speed to this a little bit and we'll go through it a little bit more in depth for those of you who want to geek out like me. But um, when you look at hormones and you look at a patient that's menopausal, well, let's just give them bioidenticals because we'll maybe that'll make her feel better. You know, she was functionally, she was pretty good with her cortisol rhythm, with her sex hormones, right? The levels were good. Um, she had a little depressed DHEA. And a lot of times what will happen is, well, let's just give a little DHEA or give a little bit of this, and here, we'll fix it, we'll make her feel better. Well, with Beverly here, that's not the case, right? So when we looked into that, that wasn't her issue. So for me as a practitioner to see that, I was like, well, for sure, I thought that was gonna be the home run. Oh, her hormones are gonna be off. That's why she has weight around her belly, that's why she's you know, gained 35 pounds. That's she's in menopause and she has a little hot flash here and there. And look, and I looked and I'm like, wait, okay, well, I was a little off. It did indicate methylation pathway issues, right? So that's before we took the genetic test. That was what was the date on that? That was the end of 2024. And then remember when we went into your genetic test, mom, or Beverly in May of 2025? This was not even a year ago. Let's talk about that. Let's talk, let's talk about like what I went over and what I had you change and and how how that impacted you personally.

SPEAKER_04 24:03

Well, big time. So we found about the methylation, the vitamins. So you you put me on specific um supplements that really supported my body, and then we just did like the Mediterranean diet. Um, we found that saturated fats really are you know bad for me.

SPEAKER_01 24:26

Um, break them down, right?

SPEAKER_04 24:29

So there was a lot we found out that way. So then, so what we did was the six months of you know the supplements that I was taking and the diet I was on, and in those six months, that's when I lost the 35 pounds. And man, that really was amazing how that all worked out. That was amazing.

SPEAKER_01 24:56

So, can I tell them the exact diet you're on? Because it's a mouthful. Yes. Okay, a Mediterranean diet, rich in folate, omega-3 fatty acids and oxidants, and low in iron, staying hydrated and mindful of portion sizes, that is specific to your genetic profile.

SPEAKER_03 25:19

Right.

SPEAKER_01 25:20

You get all that. So when you do that, you can actually plug that into any of your apps. Um, you I do a lot of genetic-specific meal plans um here in office. So they're included with all the membership levels except for the basic one, but you can upgrade to that. But that's where the real change comes in is if your genetics, your blueprint isn't going to perform to break something such as saturated fats down, why would you continue to eat them at high amounts? Now, do you still have saturated fats?

SPEAKER_04 25:58

Mm-hmm. Month in a while. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:00

Correct. And you can have up to 27 to 35 milligrams per day. So realistically, it's not saying you can't ever have them, it's saying you need to make different choices. And that's where it's very valuable. So continue, you lost 35 pounds. How long did that take you to lose 35 pounds?

SPEAKER_04 26:23

Well, it was at least the six months. I think I want to say it was like at least six months to do that, you know, and then the exercise. Then I really pushed with my exercising, you know, got serious with it. Five days a week, at least 30 minutes a day. And it didn't have to be like hardcore aerobics or weightlifting. A lot of times it was just walking. But it that five days a week at least, for at least 30 minutes, that's what really made a difference, you know. Yep, major lifestyle change. Yeah. But you're right. So saturated fats, I mean, you think about that, that's your butter and bacon, all those good things. But you can have them once in a while. So it wasn't like, oh, you can't ever ever have that, because that would drive a person crazy. But um, once in a while you can have it in your diet, you know. So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:26

Was there anything else that you changed like about did did did you enjoy doing a longer fast? Is that genetically good for you? Yes.

SPEAKER_04 27:37

So that was that was the other thing. Yeah, I'm supposed to have the the 16-hour fast. So yeah, I would stop eating at about six, you know, five, six o'clock at night, and I wouldn't eat till the next morning, till about eight or however many hours there was between that time, you know, for the fasting. So and that that really helped. That really helped me in losing a lot of weight that way too.

SPEAKER_01 28:05

So is there anything else you want to chat about before I jump into the nitty-gritty and go through in a more specific way?

SPEAKER_04 28:16

Um, not really. It just was a really it's it's really interesting to learn about yourself and to learn about your genetics and what makes your body tick. So that would this has been an interesting journey for me, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 28:35

The education, yeah. Yes, yes, because now you can take that with you, right? You didn't just fish with me, you learned to fish. Right, yep, or whatever that's called. You know what I'm saying. Yes. So I'm gonna go more in depth and I'm gonna probably steal the steal the microphone here for a second and really just dive in. And I'm gonna give kind of a concise rundown of when I started seeing you, and then jump in, Beverly. Jump in when you're like, hey, and I have this to add. Don't feel like you can't jump in, okay? I'll try to pause. I do like to talk fast and I like to get in there and get excited. Uh, but jump in wherever you're like, hey, you're missing this, or hey, this was really cool. Like this actually happened, or whatever that is, okay? Because you are in your body. I don't get to have that experience. I have my own body I have to deal with, which I will do a podcast on that in the near future. So definitely hold tight for my testimony in case review. Okay, so my mom has been with me for a very long time. Uh, the other way around. I have been with my mom for a very long time, for 41 and some years, right? So I went to school to become a massage therapist, and when I did so, she was one of my best supporters. She encouraged me to do that, and she was one of my patients. She got into an accident and saw me as a massage therapist, and I really worked on her physical body um prior to becoming a doctor of chiropractic. And then, as well as being in school, um, I graduated in 2015. So, as I was in school, I did massage and adjustments on her with her permission. She definitely allowed me to do that. Um, but going ahead, as in when she started becoming an actual patient on paper was in 2017, the end of 2017. This is back in Minnesota, that's where she currently resides. And I had a practice. Um, I recently moved to Florida. So if you're down in Bonita Springs, Sunny Bonita Springs, come on down and see me. Or if you want telemedicine in Minnesota or Florida, I'm licensed in both. But that's where I started with her, was 2017 in Minnesota. She was a wonderful employee. Um, she has since moved on and said, see ya, I'm not gonna be with you anymore. I got other fish to fry and became like a master gardener or something cool. Um, so she needs to start her own podcast about gardening because you guys would learn so much. Um, but she started getting massage in my clinic by my massage therapist and then adjustments by me as well as working with me. And I can't remember when you left, mom, but it was sometime before we moved. And she did get her blood panel done, a comprehensive blood panel done, the same time I did in 2019. Um, and we did realize that she did have metabolic exit syndrome. And basically, what that is is insulin resistance, um, high fasting blood glucose, high hemoglobin A1C, and high triglycerides is just indicators to say uh you're not processing sugar well, your insulin's not um helping you, your your cells are not utilizing or responsive the way they should. Um, this can cause gut dysbiosis, leaky gut, malabsorption, inflammation, dehydration. Um, she also had some stress on her thyroid, which I believe you had, and we'll speak to this a little bit, but you had um nodules, right, on your thyroid? I had the one nodule, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 32:26

That was and that was that was after I I I believe I was after I had the youngest. So was it my 30s, my early 30s probably that I had to do.

SPEAKER_01 32:39

And is it still there?

SPEAKER_04 32:40

Nope.

SPEAKER_01 32:42

Okay. When did it go away?

SPEAKER_04 32:43

When when was the you know it's funny because they would always I always had to have biopsies on them until finally I got tired of that too. And um and then it as time went on, I prayed about it, you know, and I just I never thought about it anymore. And then one day I'm like, wow, that nodule is gone, completely gone. God healed it. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 33:10

Amen. Yeah, so that was a long-standing, she had the typical Hashimoto, like high TSH, low TSH, um, TP, TPO antibodies, TBG, like all of the antibodies, right? So that was something that she had been dealing with probably what set off her gallbladder, vice versa. There's a pattern there that happened. Um, it also showed in your blood panel that you had an acute bacterial infection in your urinary tract, you had electrolyte and disbalance or imbalance, um, liver stress dysfunction, and elevated homocysteine at 11.8, which that just shows um methylation pathways typically that are not doing what they should. That's inflammation, more of the neurological sense in the brain and the peripheral nerves. Um, and then fast forward, she came down to me in August of 2024 and became a patient here. And she's like, hey, I'd really like to look at these things. And I said, Awesome, let's fill out that 50-page book and we'll be on our way. We ordered the Dutch test, and which by the way, Mom Beverly, you are an amazing patient. She is definitely she does what she says she's gonna do, she follows through and she's very prompt at it. So thank you. Um, not every patient is that way, which we're all different. But thank you for that.

SPEAKER_04 34:35

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 34:36

So we looked at her Dutch um test. We'll get to that in a second, but she filled out something called a metabolic assessment form. And what we found in that just from history was she had issues in her colon um symptoms, biliary, right? So not liver, but the biliary system, which just indicates liver stasis. It's not moving the way it should. Um, and then peripheral utilization of sugar. Those were the three areas that I'm like, hey, you need to do the four R's, right? Remove, replace, reinoculate, revive. It's basically mucosal health. Um, so supporting the microvilli and the gut to really help the bowel do what it needs to do to bring down that inflammation, um, supporting the liver. So we gave some targeted um support for that with supplementation and then sugar, insulin resistance. So that's when I was like, hey, let's, you know, let's look at doing more blood sugar regulation. She's like, okay. But again, it really didn't do what I thought and what it should do in most patients. And a lot of patients, they respond real quick and efficiently, uh, Beverly, that was not your problem. Then we looked at the Dutch complete and we're like, hey, wow, normal production and levels of sex hormones. Okay. So she's postmenopausal at this time, I'm like in menopause, right? So I'm like, okay, well, if that's not an issue, let's look at her cortisol. She's gotta be off. Nope, she has normal cortisol patterns, normal levels of melatonin, normal HPA axis, DHEA is low and above average alpha tetrahydrocortisol, which basically is indicating more inflammation, insulin resistance, andor hypothyroidism, which ding ding ding. She had all of those. She had inflammation in her gut, insulin resistance in her cells, blood, tissue, and hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's, right? Um, she needed methylation pathway support. Um, let's see, and her neuroinflammation marker was above above range, meaning we need to bring down her neuroinflammation. Not only was it, you know, high in her homocysteine, it was high with the marker in the Dutch test as well. So this is this is where I'm like, huh, it's painting a picture. Like, what does Beverly look like? How is that happening? Like, what is she talking about? What is her body talking about? How does that play together? How are we gonna help her? But it wasn't like, do you remember when I was kind of bummed out when I got the results? I'm like, but this should have been a a run, you know, like a home run. Right. And like nine times out of ten, women are gonna have issues with these, and I can fix that. And I'm like, what? What's going on? Okay, so then I'm like, okay, well, Beverly, your test results show you're healthy with areas of improvement because this is what you want to hear when you spend money on a test and it's supposed to come out the way it's supposed to come out. The areas listed below will help you establish correction for support in your methylation pathways, help correct insulin resistance and bring down inflammation. So then that's when I gave you blood sugar regulation again. Supplements, we did change up your supplements, which it did help. Yeah, we increased and added um things like the Epsom salt baths two to three times a week, and then retest in five years if there's no changes. Like if you know, like there really wasn't anything to retest on that test.

SPEAKER_02 38:31

Right.

SPEAKER_01 38:32

So then I'm like, I gotta put on my thinking cap. And that's when I had been already doing the genetic testing on myself, but you're kind of like, I don't want to do genetic testing. I don't want to do I don't want to do it, and there's a lot behind that. I mean, your apprehension, like, speak to that a little. Why not genetic testing?

SPEAKER_04 38:53

Well, I know this sounds really silly, but it's like, well, I don't want people, I don't want my all my information out there of you know, I was really uh paranoid about doing that. I don't know why.

SPEAKER_01 39:08

Oh, I I you know what made me do it when you were born and raised in Minnesota in a certain time period you look and they keep your DNA on file when you're born in um a hospital in Minnesota from a certain year to a certain year, and I'm in that certain year. So they already have my DNA. So for me, I was like, whatever. Right. Yeah, they have my DNA, it's whatever, you know. But there is a legitimate, I do want to talk and speak about that for a lot of patients who are listening, and there is uh you are allowing somebody to have your data, and genetics can be used for good, like we're doing here. They can also be used for bad, and that is where humans' rights activists, right? So we try to stand up for everybody and we try to stand up for what's right for genetic um storage, for genetic use and and the good things in science, right? So God creates science, science creates the ability for us to see how we're created. Amazing, super amazing. But the problem gets to be when in the wrong hands are wanting to done for evil, that's where the apprehension comes in. So it's a really good point. So we did your genetic test after, you know, I was like, we should do it, and you're like, no, and I'm like, okay, well, let's do the Dutch test. It'll it'll tell us all the answers we want to know. Merr, merr. It did not. Right. Um, so I'm like, I'm stumped. I'm like, okay, well, then if we're gonna do these, let's do it. So it took me from October to May to get Beverly to do the test. Um, but she did it on her own accord. She thought through it and made her decision. I think I only asked you a couple times. I don't, I don't believe I hounded you. No. Um, I hope I didn't hound you. You can be honest on, you know, I can't, you know. No, you it is, yeah. Okay, good. So we did the genetic test and it came back. And I was like, whoa, well, let's just tweak your diet. And that's when we came up with the Mediterranean diet rich, full rich in folate, omega-3 fatty acids, and oxidants, low in iron, and staying hydrated and mindful of portion sizes. So hydration, remember, mom, when I just got your labs back from this last one, and I'm like, are you drinking enough water? And you're like, I feel like I am. Yeah. And that seems to be a trend for you. So people who have um iron storage issues, which Beverly carries, and genes can turn on and they can turn off. That's why it's not always cut and dry as well. But I wouldn't have known that she has iron absorption changes if I wouldn't have seen her genetics. It wouldn't have been something I would have looked at. It wouldn't have been, you know, like I would have seen her labs and went, wow, her ferritin's high, but her iron's low. What's going on? But now, knowing her genetics, I can go, her ferritin's high. That means her genetic trait is on and it is pushing towards hyper or more absorption of iron, which with hydration, you think about the body with iron and other things is going to pull water. These things are all clinically relevant. I know I didn't tell you all this yet. So we haven't even gone over our last lab um together. So you're gonna hear it on air here for the first time with Beverly and Nicole, Dr. Nicole here. Um, but back to the genetic test, we found out there's a lot of SNPs that she had that if I wouldn't have known we couldn't adjust her diet to fit what her body was capable of doing well. That's what I want you to understand is that's why I did the neutrogenomic test. That's why we do that. And that's why I usually start with that now because it tells me, hey, this person has a deficit on this. This person does really well at this. This is what we'll use to our advantage, and this is what we have to watch out for. So then when I look at your labs, I can say, ooh, this is a long-term issue, or it's a blip, and we need to see what else is happening. It really gives us that clinical insight. So I went through and I said, Hey, you're gonna eat like this, and I think what I did, and I I don't know if this is accurate or not, but I think I said, Hey, here's all the stuff you need to do, and then I picked maybe the top five, like the most important subject. Supplements because we don't want to over-supplement either.

SPEAKER_02 44:03

Right.

SPEAKER_01 44:03

So I think with that, is that accurate? Yeah, that is. Okay. So then we change things, and you know, basically it's like, hey, you need to fast for 14 to 16 hours and three hours prior to bed. You need to take these five supplements, and this is the diet you should acquire. Right. And then she said, hey, no problem. Six months later, drop 35 pounds. I'm like, what? Because I don't, you guys don't understand, all who are listening. Um, I don't get to see my mom. So we are on opposite ends of the nation. She's in Minnesota, I'm in Florida, and yeah, we'll like FaceTime here and there. But how much can you really see when you're looking at each other's face?

SPEAKER_02 44:47

Right.

SPEAKER_01 44:47

Right. So I noticed things were changing, but she also let her beautiful grays come through. So I'm like, wow, she's got some grays going, like white, you know, like she's showing her wisdom, and it it was very cool. So I'm not noticing like her face is getting skinny, you know, like wow, she looks good. Um, so for all of you listening, I didn't get to actually see the changes. So when I saw her recently, I'm like, wow, you look really good. She's like, Yeah, I gained some weight back. I'm like, what?

SPEAKER_04 45:22

Well, you know, winter.

SPEAKER_01 45:24

Yeah, winter. That's true. That is true. Christmas, Thanksgiving, what all the snow and the cold and the cookies. Uh-huh. Yeah. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_04 45:39

But it was only 10 pounds I came back, which is just a little blurp.

SPEAKER_01 45:45

Right. Did you have symptoms that came back?

SPEAKER_04 45:48

No.

SPEAKER_03 45:49

No.

SPEAKER_01 45:50

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So we also did your blood labs at that time, didn't we? When we did your genetics. Uh, yes. Yep. I have them right here. So if you would have said no, I would have said, yes, we did. No, we did. Yes, we did. Um, so basically it was about the same, right? So the first blood panel to this one, we really didn't make an effect.

SPEAKER_03 46:17

No.

SPEAKER_01 46:18

Like, really. I mean, I'm looking at it going, I mean, I can look at there is some changes that did happen, but it wasn't enough to go, oh, you're not pre-diabetic. You know, like yeah, you also have low carbon dioxide. Now you have, you know, there was some other things with your electrolytes. So now it was starting to really affect you. And I'm like, oh boy. So you got your second blood panel done, and it was about the same, a little change here and there. You got your genetics done. We gave you your printout of, hey, you need to do this treatment plan. This is what needs to happen. And you're like, okay, ran with it, dropped weight. And now, fast forward eight months later, you guys just came down, and I miss you so much.

SPEAKER_04 47:06

Miss you too.

SPEAKER_01 47:08

Oh, we'll be together soon. No crying on air. Okay, we'll hold our tears back. We can cry after this show completes. Okay, so in March, when you guys were here, um, she got her last blood panel done. And I will have to say, I'm very excited because um the things that changed, your liver came into function. So now it's an optimal, like all of her liver enzymes, all of her liver looks like, hey, you're in the optimal zone, the functional zone. For you that have been listening, you guys know what that means. But for those who are just plugging in, that is basically the the best place to be. Uh, an MD or a non-functional practitioner will say 30 to 100 vitamin D um micrograms per deciliter is is good. Anything under that and anything above that is gonna be diagnostically not okay. But the optimal range is between like 50 and 60. Some will say 50 and 80. It's a tighter range that allows us to say, yes, with certainty, your liver, your kidney, your blood sugar is doing great, not diagnostically, but optimally or functionally. So your liver is back to normal. You did have a little stress on your kidneys, but not much, and that's back to normal. Um, electrolytes, amazing. All of them are back to normal. Um, your fasting blood glucose is in the normal range, like for the first time in what 20 years, 15 years.

SPEAKER_04 48:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:53

Um, your hemoglobin A1C is no longer diagnostic, but functionally we can tighten that up a little bit more.

SPEAKER_02 49:00

Right.

SPEAKER_01 49:01

Um, triglycerides, this is the one we already talked about um via the phone. Her triglycerides from the last one, which was what? Let me see. Your last one was in 2024. Yeah. No, 2020.

unknown 49:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:20

May of 2025 to March of 2026. So in eight months, eating for her blood type or genetic type, it triglycerides went from 183 to 119. That is huge. So homocysteine went from yes, from 11.9 to 9, down from 11.8. So doing what we're doing is slowly taking it down. It's trending in the right direction. It should be back into you want to see that under a seven and above a three for homocysteine to not have any peripheral issues, um, nerves. Um, let's see. Okay, we did find that you do have iron overload, so she's gonna go give blood, right? Um, we are gonna look into gut inflammation specifically because there is also some things going on with um uh little infections. So commonly when you have, they call it hemochromatosis, which is um a full-blown disease. Uh, Beverly, you do not have this. Um, but when you carry a genetic SNP for hemochromatosis and you start trending towards that, the first sign is usually diabetes. Um, they'll say it's the iron fist disease, you'll get liver issues, you'll get a lot of um organ system issues that will be treated, and oftentimes they won't find hemochromatosis until later, right? Thyroid tends to follow high iron issues, low iron issues, um, but with hemochromatosis, it's always the iron storage is really high, and and it doesn't get caught, you know, like well, maybe uh no. So when you look at genetics, I screen for that. And when I screen for that and I find, oh, you could express this, we're gonna look at your actual storage, your whole iron uh panel, and that can affect like Beverly, that can affect your thyroid, that can affect your um dehydration, right? So when you're dehydrated, it can be because your iron is too high, the storage of iron. It can make your blood thick, it can cause chronic infections because your body's trying to figure out what it's doing with all these red blood cells, and it's it's kind of getting like that stickiness, right? So there's a lot of stuff going on there that we're gonna give blood and then help with inflammation in the gut. That's gonna help with any infections that are going on because they're underlying. It's not like you're walking around coughing and sick, are you? No, so it's like she's totally fine, she's sleeping well, she's not getting mucus, like there's not anything wrong, but her body's fighting something, and that oftentimes shows that it's inflammation. So it's gonna be gut inflammation, it's gonna be maybe systemic inflammation, it's gonna be inflammation in the body, and sometimes it'll be like, oh, you got an infection. It's like, well, your body acts like it's an infection, and that's why we got to look at all these things. So your cholesterol is high, you already knew that, but remember when you're in menopause and you're about 60 to 70 years old, having elevated total cholesterol is not indicative of anything um severe unless you have other markers that show like CRP. Her CRP, Beverly CRP, is really low. So why would I think that there's anything going on? Can there be? Sure. But her stuff is gonna be more um iron right now. What is her iron saturation? Because her ferritin is not up in the 600s, but it's higher and it's climbing and climbing. And it's like, okay, well, let's let's start looking at this. Um, stop me at any time. Are you excited about this?

SPEAKER_00 53:34

I know I'm geeking out over here. I my mom's like, okay, whatever. Like, I don't really care. This doesn't mean anything for me right now.

SPEAKER_01 53:45

But that's why we need to see, like, okay, when she three to six months from now, she's gonna give blood. I'm gonna say, hey, I want your iron levels checked. We'll order her iron levels and we'll see what's going on. And then in about six to twelve months, then we'll do a full panel again to see how that affects what else is going on, what affects the hypothyroidism, maybe the infection. I want to see what there's nothing red-flagged in her labs that would show me that something is concerning other than the iron is creeping up, and she has all these low-grade inflammatory infection style things. And I'm like, hmm, functionally that shouldn't be there, but diagnostically, there's nothing we are to do about that. So, how do we fix that? So we're kind of at a fun point, aren't we, mom? Mm-hmm. Like, okay, trial and error. Like, you're doing good, you're doing great. Now let's get you better. Right. Because I would like to see my goal for you, and I don't know if this is your goal or not. My goal for you is to get your thyroid back to working optimally. I want to get your LDL cholesterol lowered. Total cholesterol is fine. Um, your HDL has risen. Good job with the exercise. Um, your hematocrit hemoglobin is both elevated. So you just have extra red blood cells. So I was gonna say, you know, you and dad could go maybe give a double red and you would feel much better quicker.

SPEAKER_02 55:24

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 55:25

Um, so you could do that for your first one if you like. Um, otherwise, stick to your once a month. We'll talk about that on your case review on our time. Um, but I just wanted to let all of my listeners know every person that comes in has a different history, has a story. You're a person. I want to dive in and know all these things. Because, like my mom, you might be the typical and need some guidance, or you might be the atypical, like you know, certain things that most practitioners would be like, oh my gosh, that works on everybody. And then you're like, mom, that didn't work on you. Why didn't it, why didn't that tell me what I wanted it to tell me? Um, but we always investigate, and there's always a reason. Um, as a clinician, I just I want to teach you how to fish and advocate for yourself. I want to teach you to know your body, know how it works, get it to work for you, how was it created, where are these things that should be working, and and getting you in a rhythm. So, how has your experience been, mom, as a patient with me? The goods and the bads?

SPEAKER_04 56:50

Um, really good, actually, because it's kind of nice, it's refreshing. I really can talk about anything, even though I'm your mother. And even though I am your mother, it's it's kind of nice because it's it's on a professional level, too. Um so and any questions I have, you if you don't have an answer, you find one. And it's just been great. It has been a really good and you go where so if I'm not ready, like you've said, through all these different blood tests and stuff, some people like me, it's just not you're not thrilled about them, but it takes time to get okay with that, and that's you work with people where they're at, and I I think that's good too. But also it it's been good, Nicole. It's it's been a good experience, and I like all the the different the knowledge that you bring to the table. I like that you give answers to questions.

SPEAKER_01 57:57

So now that you have come full circle and really have experienced a lot um on the portal, on the patient care, you know how I work, you've been through all the paperwork. Um what is it easy? Is it hard? Is it you know, like what what does it really help with? Does it streamline? Does it make it more difficult?

SPEAKER_04 58:31

Um I guess the the biggest hurdle is finding a place to go get your blood drawn. Like up here, you know, there's where I live, there's not a whole lot of places to do that. Otherwise, and that's really a simple solution because you only go once in a while to have your blood drawn. So um, but everything else, it's very easy, you know, filling out forms, all that, you know, it's very simple and easy to do. So I I didn't and I'm not that tech, you know, person, and it it just was I don't know, it's very streamlined and very easy to do.

SPEAKER_01 59:13

I so once so once you get the practice better on your phone as an app, it's probably I have I don't know as a patient, but as a clinician, I'm like, oh, this is really simple. It is.

SPEAKER_04 59:26

Yeah, I have the app and and you get on there and it has everything on there, and it's very, very easy to use.

SPEAKER_00 59:32

So what's on there? Tell me as a as a maybe as a patient, because I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 59:39

Well, it has all of so any way to get in contact with you, it has all your testings, it all your labs, it has your diets, all your what you know, um supplements that we should take, you know, everything is on there, and it's easy to find. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:00

Okay, good to know. I mean, I imagined it that way. Right. I'm not my own patient, so I just have to make sure, you know. Yeah, because you can get on there on Practice Better, you can go through my website, you can get on to Practice Better on your URL on the google.com or whatever, but you can also download the app. And that's why I chose this one because the app seemed pretty awesome as a clinician. So I was hopeful that as a practitioner it would have been the same, so or as a patient, it would have been the same.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:31

And it is, it's very user-friendly for sure.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:34

Yeah. And as far as the testing goes, yes, some places, um, Minnesota's a little bit harder to get places to test. They are coming up with like the metabolomics instead of the neutraeval. It's because they do the cochet and um the glutathione on there. I know it's a little weird, but that's very important clinically. So, anyways, okay, good. So now that we have done everything back to front, front to back, um, is there anything else that we missed?

SPEAKER_04 1:01:37

Um, I think we pretty much touched on everything.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:42

All right. So you're symptom-free, right? You don't have any other issues. I fixed you. Now we can move on. We never have to, we never have to touch base again. Right. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Whatever you say. I'm kidding. No, it is important. You you know, honestly, so that is probably a really good thing to touch on before we sign off, is each person and has each phase, and every phase is different for patients. Um, you might have a phase like right now, mom, you're in a phase where you're gonna have to do something once a month and go give blood, and then you're gonna have to follow up for a test. But you're not gonna change much on your diet because you already have established your new eating lifestyle. Um, but some patients, when you first start, it might be a complete 180, you know, like you're going the complete opposite direction, and there's a lot of learning that comes with that, and that's why I created an education program to learn what your body is. You know, we don't all get that. Nobody goes and studies that for eight to twelve years because they want to, you know, that's me. That's I like to study those things, that's fun. Um, but not everybody does. So I try to simplify it, and that's just what I did with my education program. Um, for patients who really want to know the body in a simple and um intricate way that you can apply. So that's also on the practice butter. It's a it's a education program that's right there at your fingertips that you can watch little videos, you have handouts, and that's included with the memberships most levels for that reason. Because sometimes, could you imagine, mom, if it was a complete 180? Like if you were where you were at when you were 30 and you first came and saw me.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:36

That'd be tough.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:37

That would be tough. It's a mind shift. It is even in even in your 40s. I mean, it takes like you said, I loved how you said it. It it takes a mindset and you had to be ready. And that's what I love. Like sometimes I'm like, you know what? I'm gonna go for the no. You're not ready for this, so it's not a good fit. And when you are, you know who to call because it takes effort and discipline, and you have to be in it because it's your body, your results, your health, your knowledge. Like, you have to learn all these things, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:04:15

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:16

So yeah, I just want to encourage and I encourage my audience here and patience and and really thank you, Beverly, for coming on and discussing most of your health history with us, almost everything. I mean, you you definitely were an open book there. So I appreciate your time and letting us do this. Well, thank you.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:42

Thank you for helping me through this journey because you know what it really is that that is you need support, and that's the biggest thing. You know, what you're offering is support through this all and explanation of why things are doing what they're doing, and you know, so it's been great. So thank you. Connectivity, yeah, connecting the dots. So and God is good, and he's been giving you all his wisdom and knowledge and helping all of us, so that's been a really that's the biggest blessing for sure.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:21

Amen. Yes, he has. Can't do it without Jesus. No, that's a whole new podcast. We should add that one in. Yeah. All I need is a little coffee and a lot of Jesus. Yes. All right, well, until next time, all you guys out there listening, this is Dr. Nicole, and it has been real on the learning corner. Have a wonderful evening.