Bend Into Balance
Health and Wellness podcast powered by The Source, a weekly newspaper in beautiful Bend, Oregon.
Bend Into Balance
Bend Into Balance: Dr. Matthew Ingrassia
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In this episode of Bend Into Balance, host Adriana Mariño sits down with Dr. Matthew Ingrassia, an internal medicine physician and owner of a private primary care practice in Bend. Dr. Ingrassia shares his journey from hospital medicine to building a patient centered practice rooted in prevention, connection, and whole person care.
Together, they explore a holistic approach to health that goes beyond prescriptions, touching on nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, mindset, and the importance of social connection. Drawing from his background in osteopathic medicine, Dr. Ingrassia reflects on how understanding a patient’s story and making small, sustainable lifestyle changes can play a powerful role in preventing chronic disease and supporting long term wellbeing.
This conversation invites listeners to rethink what it means to be healthy and how simple, intentional habits can support both body and mind at every stage of life.
Hello, my name is Adriana Marino, and I'm host and producer of Bend into Balance, Powered by the Source. Today I am joined by Dr. Matthew Ingracia. Matthew, thank you for being here. Can you begin by telling us a little bit about yourself and what brought you to Bend?
SPEAKER_00Yes, thank you so much for uh having me. Uh originally I actually came to Bend in 2015. I was coming out of training in Portland, and I was working, I decided to work over at St. Charles Hospital as a hospitalist, which is an inpatient physician. Uh and I had done that for a couple of years, gained a lot of valuable experience there. I was also at the time uh working uh occasionally at a rural hospital in eastern Oregon. And um I decided at that juncture after that that I wanted to uh go into primary care. And so I actually traveled back to Portland. I was working for a large healthcare organization there for a couple of years. Um, and then I actually went over to North Carolina to work for a large university over there doing primary care. Uh and then uh convinced uh my wife to move back to Bend. It's such a wonderful place. I always miss it. And so we moved back a couple of years ago, and I opened my own internal medicine private primary care practice in May and excuse me, in March of 2025. And so we just came up on a year of opening.
SPEAKER_01Congrats, thank you. Uh tell us a little bit about your practice and how you work.
SPEAKER_00Um, right now I practice this solo, uh solo practice. I'm the only one there. Uh we uh accept all age, all adults. So I'm an adult trained physician, so 18 through life, and we focus on uh we focus on preventive medicine number one. Uh we also treat any kind of chronic diseases that patients may have. Um and I it's what's nice is I also have a close uh connection with the hospital. I still work there occasionally. So sometimes I can see my patients over to the hospital if I happen to be working there that day, or I can walk over and say hello and and check in on them. Um but yeah, it's so far it's been great. Um we're slowly growing and it's very satisfying.
SPEAKER_01Great. What made you get into medicine so many years ago? What pulled you into that field?
SPEAKER_00I always think back to my college days. I was actually a psychology major. Um I uh did a lot of uh research on health psychology and how uh people relate to their illness that they have. And I just found it fascinating um between uh when you're experiencing a chronic illness versus like an acute illness, you came in for something like a cold. Uh and so that research kind of propelled me to interact with uh patients because I was doing doing the uh studies at the time. And through that, and then through doing a lot of uh biology classes in college, I I went in that direction.
SPEAKER_01And you studied internal medicine?
SPEAKER_00Yes. So actually, when I was in medical school, I was thinking about being a surgeon, and I just loved being in the operating room and the excitement of it. Um, and but then I quickly realized when I was waking up at 4:45 in the morning that that was not gonna be conducive to my sleep schedule. Um, and so I I found a passion. I was on an IC rotation, and um, I had a really great attending at the time. He really inspired me. And I was like, you know, I think I'm gonna do internal medicine. Um, and ultimately it was the right choice for me because I think I really value that connection with the patient and understanding their story. I think that that's the the part that makes primary care so great is that story, you know, patients um don't fit in a box. And I think that good primary care needs to be personalized. In order to do that, we need time to under really understand the person and what their values and the what their belief systems are to come up with the right treatment plan for them.
SPEAKER_01Sure. How does their story play into their health? How have you found those connections?
SPEAKER_00Oh well, I think it's twofold. One is uh the genetics, right? So everyone comes from a different genetic background. Some people are battling with a family, uh heavy family history of cancer, or others are battling with a heavy family history of coronary artery disease. And so they're predisposed to these conditions. And um that would kind of dictate um, you know, what kind of lifestyle changes we might uh recommend, or what treatment plans we might pursue, or what studies we might pursue just to find out what their overall risk of um these conditions occurring for them in the future.
SPEAKER_01Okay. And uh besides the internal medicine, I understand that you also have studies in osteopathic medicine.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_01Can you tell us about that and how this approach might differ from you know traditional approaches in medicine, especially when it comes to prevention and wellness, please?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So I yeah, I went to osteopathic medic medical school in New Jersey. I think we're less well known, but we have the same, we go through the same medical training in medical school. The difference is is that we I feel like we do have more of a round, more well-rounded approach, more holistic kind of view of the patient. Um and also we have a lot of extra training in muscles and tissues. And so we under I feel like I understand the muscles and ligaments and the tissues on a on a deeper level because I had so much more extra training in that. And so, for example, somebody might come in and they have low back pain and they're like, oh, I I obtained an x-ray and I was told I have arthritis, and that's why I have back pain. And that might be the case, but then there's a lot of other reasons to have structural, you know, back pain due to different muscles being too tight or ligaments being at um in a dysfunctional pattern. So I feel like for me, it's really helped me kind of understand that aspect of medicine a lot better.
SPEAKER_01And do you have time to go into this aspect of medicine in your new practice?
SPEAKER_00I do. Yeah, I think if if uh if the visit is focused on that, then yes. Um I think is there's also treatment. So osteopathic um manual manipulation, they actually people do do treatments. Um, it's not quite chiropractic, it's more uh a muscle energy or counterstream, if you've heard of those um before. And I don't do those treatments routinely because there's actually extra training you do for that. There's like a whole nother year that people undergo. Um, but I do think there's a great value there. And some people that have kind of, for example, somebody who's had a car accident like 20 years ago and they still have this like nagging pain. Um, sometimes it's not due to something that we can see on a radiograph, but it's some kind of pelvic dysfunction or back dysfunction that um OMM can help with.
SPEAKER_01Okay. So cool. Um going back to what you were saying just a little bit ago about the whole body, you know, the whole person approach, how does this come into your practice?
SPEAKER_00I think, like I was saying, with the story of the person and be and having a tailor treatment plan that's personalized towards them. I don't think when somebody comes in and they have a condition, you know, it's easy just to kind of slap a medication on them and send them out the door. And I think I don't want to do that. I think there are certain circumstances where medications are necessary and I understand that, but I also want to work with the patient to see them in the whole holistic way. And maybe there's something we can change in their lifestyle to prevent having to go on the medication.
SPEAKER_01Okay. And when it comes to lifestyle, what's one of the first things you look into when speaking to a patient?
SPEAKER_00I look at a few things diet, um, activity level, uh, sleep, stress level. And then the fifth one I really feel is very important is social connection. Um, as we age, I think, you know, there's several longevity studies that have shown that, like, that we need social connection. And that might be one of my theories, but maybe why women do live longer than men is because they're more socially connected in their older ages. Sure. Um, so yeah, I just feel like that's like super important. So those are the five things I look at. And we kind of look at what, you know, what areas you might need to improve at, what areas you're doing really well at.
SPEAKER_01Okay. So you said nutrition, movement, stress, sleep, and social connection. Yes. Beginning with nutrition. There's so many, you know, myths out there, so many diets. You know, what are your big takeaways with nutrition? Like how can a person listening to this podcast, you know, what would you recommend in the healthy eating?
SPEAKER_00So I think it's it's a loaded question, but a great one. Um, I'm sure there's people, there's many, there's so many wonderful nutritionists and like experts in town that I think probably have way more knowledge than I do, to be honest with you. But I what I've seen over the years is, and one takeaway is I just don't think a specific diet works. I think like diets are kind of like they they can be fads in a way. Now I understand things work for different people and I I get that, but like I think my takeaway is fresh food is do you know the do you can you like count the ingredients that are in that food? And so whatever it is, whether you're a vegetarian, you're pescatarian, you you eat a normal like a like a wide variety or I varied diet, um, just in making sure you know what the ingredients are. You know, if I if I ate um, you know, if I had a fresh uh home home cooked meal, but then I had, you know, uh processed dinner rolls with it that had 50 ingredients in it, well then it kind of negates like what I ate. So it's kind of looking at those things, limiting your alcohol intake, yeah, um, processed sugars, sweets.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Yeah, it reminds me of what Michael Poland says in his I he said, eat whole foods, eat real food, not too much, mostly plants.
SPEAKER_00Exactly.
SPEAKER_01He kept he keeps it really simple.
SPEAKER_00And there are, and again, I think that things different diets work with different people. So I don't try to like prescribe a diet to somebody, but um, there are several studies um out of Asia that do show a high, if you like a high burden of red meat is associated with the uh building of coronary artery disease. I don't think it's a secret. Yeah. Um, but I understand that that's not, you know, that diet, like a plant-based diet isn't for everyone, but there is no, there is certainly studies out there that show a strong connection with um with reduction in cardiovascular disease with plant-based diets.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Why is uh and I'm not saying this is not towards vegetarianism or veganism, but why is um eating a lot of plants good for us?
SPEAKER_00Well, for one thing, ants and antioxidants. So I always feel whenever I eat a lot of plants, I feel a lot better, just like your overall like well-being. Yeah. Um you know, I think also uh plants do have like good sources of protein as well.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, but yeah, definitely antioxidants and um vegetables in general, fiber also regulates our GI tract. I think we as we've move forward, we understand how much the microbiome is affecting how we think, how we feel.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, obviously how our GI um system functions.
SPEAKER_01Aaron Powell That's become a big topic as of late. The gut, the second brain, probiotics.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01Are these questions that you hear a lot in your yeah? What do people want to know?
SPEAKER_00Whether they should take probiotics or not, or a lot of people come in with symptoms though. They have like, you know, stomach upset, and we try to we try to work move through that and figure out what the trigger is.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Yeah. Um great. Um and how can somebody have a healthy diet without feeling restricted? What would be your recommendations?
SPEAKER_00Um restrict in the sense of like that they're on a diet.
SPEAKER_01Like, you know, how can we eat healthy healthily but without feeling restricted or yeah.
SPEAKER_00That's I think it's a good question. Always challenging. Yeah. Like if you go on vacation, you might want to have that extra um slice of pie or something. Um you know, I would say everything in moderation, but I think the problem with that saying is that sometimes our definitions of moderation might be different. Um but I think that there's really good, tasteful whole foods that would that help fill us up so that we don't have those sugar cravings as much. So I think you can eat foods and I mean there's a lot of recipes outside that are very tasteful. Um, there's different websites that I use personally that I think have very tasteful foods that don't um don't also make you crave for those empty calories. Sure. So I don't I feel like you don't feel restricted when you when you're eating tasteful food and you're and you feel full.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. What do you mean by empty calories? I remember uh learning about that phrase for the first time when I was pregnant with my first child. Can you tell us a little bit what empty calories means?
SPEAKER_00Well, I guess calories that don't have a lot of nutritional benefit. You know, not chalk or cake.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Yeah. So what are we looking for in our food? Like protein, what what are you hoping that you know that each bite kind of provides the patient?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, you gotta get all of your nutritional. I mean, that's why I think diet as one specific diet is really challenging because then you're taking away some other nutritional, like if you if you ate, you know, uh, I don't know, the craze when they have like non-fat things, but full of sugar, or if we have like sugar-free, then that's full of fat. So you wanna be eating unsaturated fats. I think those are obviously we talked about the, I mean, there's a huge health and cardiac benefit for polyunsaturated fats um in your diet. Um carbohydrates are still important, but I think not eating ones that are high in glycemic index. And so glycemic index, if you eat something, how much does it spike your sugar after you eat it? So if you're eating something like white bread, white pasta, white rice, all those things are gonna give you a larger spike in your blood sugar. Uh and usually around 2 30 or 3 p.m. you're gonna feel a little cross-eyed. Um, whereas if you maybe if you ate brown rice um or if you had um more of a complex carbohydr, complex healthy carbohydrate, you won't have that kind of uh lull at 3 p.m.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And what's your take on protein, which is kind of such a big one lately? People are recommending a lot of protein, and some people say no, it's too much. Do you have any? Is this awesome?
SPEAKER_00I think also it depends on the stage of your life, right? So I think actually if you look at older adults, they really do need protein because as we age, we just we lose lean body mass, especially when you get into your 70s. And so it is really important actually to take in more protein. The question is what type of protein? Well, I mean, protein there is protein in a lot of different foods, so it doesn't necessarily have to be like a red meat. Um, beans have a lot of protein in them, lentils have a lot of food, uh, protein, fish if you're into fish. Um, so yeah, I think Okay, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Lots of good ways to get fish.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, lots of good ways to get protein. But I I think the other thing to say is maybe is you know, if you're uh because we have a lot of athletes in Ben. So if you're like younger and you're an elite athlete, yeah, protein is really important as well, right? Like you need to rebuild and repair those muscles. Um sometimes supplements are um, I know personally I sometimes use a protein supplement because um when I'm I actually took up ice hockey, it's just um which was humbling. But uh I also found that like my legs were so sore and taking in extra protein was helpful. So I think it just depends on their individual preferences and situation.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Well, you just moved us into you know exercise and movement. Um can you tell us like what does m healthy movement look like? Like what's the minimum people should be doing in terms of movement, movement per day, per week, and how can this also change? And does this change, you know, as we age?
SPEAKER_00So the first thing that comes to mind to me is zone two. So there's five heart rate zones, right? One, two, three, four, five. Five being your like maxed out sprinting, and you're like, when you're done with it, you're over, you're like tripoding. Yeah. Um, one is you know, you and I walking through the hallway. Right. Um, two is a brisk walk. And they actually should study show and continuously show that zone two or brisk walk for 30 minutes uh about five times a week is enough to really provide you that cardiovascular benefit and that well-being benefit. So the intense exercise isn't actually shown to prolong your life. Okay. Although we live in Benn, we like we love our intense exercise. I love it too.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, but yeah, it's that brisk walk, you know.
SPEAKER_01That doesn't sound too much.
SPEAKER_00No, it doesn't. So I think it's I think it's accessible to everyone. Um, and you can also get your social connection in if you're walking with your friends.
SPEAKER_01Sure. And vitamin D if we're out of missile. Or and vitamin D. So yeah. Okay. So a brisk walk 30 minutes five times a week. Yeah. Okay. Um, what are the long-term effects of a sedentary lifestyle?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, um, not good. I move it or lose it, right? Move it or lose it. So um, you know, if we look back in the 1950s, 1960s, uh, I used to look in these, uh, look in the pathology books when I studied medical school. We'd she, we'd see huge complications of of heart disease, you know, uh, and heart uh just cardio uh heart attacks and things like that. And I think of that because of the sedentary lifestyle that was kind of the norm. I think and I my grandfather, he was a physician and he practiced for 40 something years, but he never exercised a day in his life. He died from a heart attack at 77. So it just makes me think of him. Um and so we know from then and now that sedentary doesn't work because uh our bodies are meant to move. We're a living organism, we're walking against gravity. We have to move. We have to move in order to uh keep our weight down, keep our brain healthy, keep our vessels healthy. I mean, these are living things that need exercise. Sure. In order to stay soft and and pliable and um functioning. Whereas if we sit all day long, our vessels get lazy and stiff and we develop cardiovascular disease. And then you're in my office and I'm putting you on a bunch of medications I don't want to put you on. Sure.
SPEAKER_01Do you mention exercise with your patients?
SPEAKER_00All the time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. It's important. Yeah. But I think also I want to meet the person where they're at. I mean, like, you know, the person that comes in that is like, you know, an avid mountain biker is different from the person that comes in that like can, you know, doesn't walk regularly or something. So I think it's just uh it's it's small steps. It's kind of uh changing a behavior like I mentioned before is is uh it takes 10 weeks or nine, you know, three months, so about. And so you really have to try and make these small incremental changes so you get to a place where you can um maintain it and it becomes more automatic.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um in terms of movement, you know, you've mentioned very clearly the benefits for the body. What about for the mind? How does physical health and physical movement favor mental health?
SPEAKER_00I don't think it's any uh surprise to anyone that physical activity actually is like anti-anxiety and anti-stress. Um I know they've done several studies on this that show um that the uh the effects, although they're temporary, they wear off. You you cool down from your run, and then you're you're back, you're back home and you open an email that's stressful. Uh but yeah, the these things really matter. Regular exercise certainly reduces your stress level, reduces your cortisol level. It raises your cortisol level, actually, when you're doing the exercise, but over long term, it you know, reduces your cortisol level. And uh if you do have something like anxiety or depression, it can certainly reduce the symptoms of that.
SPEAKER_01Aaron Powell Why is that? I've read recently that they say that exercise can be stronger than antidepressants for some people. Is that true? What do you I mean, why is that? What's going on?
SPEAKER_00It it can be. Well, endorphins, at least of a natural calming endorphins in your body.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_00It can be, but it's not a sustained effect. So you have to continue to exercise. And also, I think for brain health, um, just like our body is this evolving thing, our brain is too. Like, I don't, I mean, I'm sure you, your brain's not the same as it was seven years ago, and neither is mine. And so for some people that have anxiety. Depression, the exercise is really helpful. But I also really encourage people to make brain changes, meaning change the way you think, you know, because that's ultimately the thing we have control over. Whereas if we put you on a medication, which some people need medication, that's that's totally acceptable. Many patients are on medication. But um, but if we make changes to the way we think through therapy, then we can take those changes with us and they're more they're permanent. Right. Whereas like if I take you off the medication, your symptoms are just gonna come back.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00You know.
SPEAKER_01Why is mindset so important then?
SPEAKER_00Because I think what we tell ourselves, what our brain, what, what, what the thoughts that we tell ourselves actually dictate it dictates our reality, right? Everyone has a different reality. It's amazing that we all somehow get along in this really complicated planet, but we all have a different reality. And I think that um what we tell ourselves is the way is the pattern, is the pattern that create that is created, and then that's the avenue that we go down. For sure. We have a more positive mindset. I'm not talking about toxic posity. I don't think that that's the answer, but I think if we have a more positive or a positive mindset and we're hopeful, um, that that makes a big difference. I think that things things will go in your way. More so.
SPEAKER_01For sure. Y your words remind me of the words of Petite Pinson, who was on the sh podcast just two weeks ago, and she said, change your story, you'll change your life.
SPEAKER_00It's true. It's very true. Uh yeah.
SPEAKER_01Speaking to positivity, like why can negativity be so detrimental to health? Chronic stress, I mean. We can go into the the factor of stress now, but like, yeah, how does negativity not favor not only our minds, but also our bodies?
SPEAKER_00Well, and I mean negativity must have been adaptive in some way, right? It's it's a gene that's carried on. And I think it's probably like, hey, there's a tiger in the woods there and uh he's about to come eat you. I'm like, you know, maybe the settlers or or nomads, whichever time period you want to think about it, like that were like, oh, I'm not worried about that tiger. They didn't survive. Whereas a person that worried and you know was up all night, it was like, oh my god, this tiger's idiot. I mean, they they persevered, and so their genes persevered. So there is some you know evolutionary benefit to that. But of course, but if it becomes chronic. But in today's society, yeah, like, you know, the tiger isn't lurking usually behind that fence all the time anymore. But, you know, with social media and you know, the news cycle and a lot of things, you know, a lot of things that go on in our society, like, yeah, that stress can become and the pressure of your work and finances, that stress becomes chronic and yeah, it's it's detrimental on your body.
SPEAKER_01How does stress hurt our bodies?
SPEAKER_00Um uh I think for for one, uh over time stress leads to weak gain. Um, so metabolic disturbances, um, it also can lead to high blood pressure. Um, I see that a lot. Um, people that have a lot of stress at work and um and start to gain weight, then they start to have high blood pressure. And, you know, the the high blood pressure, the high cholesterol from the overeating because you're stressed. Um, those are the things that we're trying to prevent because those are the things that then lead to the stroke or the heart attack. So we try to get the blood pressure and the cholesterol in a better situation so that you don't have the stroke or heart attack. Okay. Yeah, I think it starts with stress. Um, then stress leads to insomnia, insomnia leads to, you know, um poor brain function. Over time, insomnia increases your risk of dementia. So all these things, you know, we're trying to prevent those, you know, we're trying to prevent dementia, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and metabolic disturbances. And I think stress contributes to all those things.
SPEAKER_01Are those the biggest um the big conditions that you treat in your practice?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think those are the big four we try to prevent. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. They call them, I think Peter T calls them the the four horsemen or something like that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01What's the metabolic syndrome that's become like a big one of as of late? Can you tell us a little bit about what that is?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think the term is like not the best. It's not used as readily anymore, you don't find. But yeah, you're looking at your waist circumference, uh-huh, pre-diabetic. Um waist circumference mean like if you're in the obese range, um, hypertension. Um, so basically when you have those, those high cholesterol, so when you have those, then that that's what lead, that's what places you at risk for the diabetes, the cardiovascular disease, cancer, and dementia. And so you want to get the person out of the metabolic syndrome. You want to get away from that.
SPEAKER_01So when you have a patient with a metabolic syndrome, like what are your best ways to help that patient through lifestyle choices to get better?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, again, I think it depends on where they're at and what their, you know, what their story is and what what they want to focus on first. Yeah. Because it's all important. Um, so I think it's it's small steps towards towards uh achievable goals and then continue to re to build after that. Um obviously weight is a huge one. Um and so we talked, we we had touched about diet um previously. So diet is a big one and activity. Sure. Um but activity doesn't you don't lose weight necessarily from exercising. I think a lot of people think, well, if I go to the gym and I work out, why am I still the same weight? Well, a lot of it comes back to diet. Uh-huh. I think it's it's focusing on the diet, not not necessarily always about exercise.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Why you mentioned just a little bit ago that not sleeping well can lead to weight gain. Um, can we get into the it talk, you know, the m issue of sleep and how sleep is essential.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So I think lack of sleep leads to increased cortisol levels. Increased cortisol levels will make you gain weight. Okay. Stress. Um and you're saying why is it important? Yes.
SPEAKER_01So there's a lot, you know, sleep has become such an issue. It's always been an issue. Yeah, yeah. You know, that the we need eight hours. Can you tell me a little bit like how much sleep do we really need? Can this differ from person to person? And what might be like long-term effects of not getting good enough sleep?
SPEAKER_00Yes, it does differ from person versus some people are on the shorter end, seven hours, seven, eight hours. Some people are on the longer end of needing eight to nine hours. But um people that generally, I mean, they generally show in the studies like anyone below like six hours, like that's detrimental if you're getting less than six hours of sleep. Um and so I always talk to people about that. And then making sure it's not interrupted, I think is important. Um what was your question?
SPEAKER_01You know, um and why is it that it c can differ that you know what we need from person to person? What are those individual characteristics of why, you know, what we need?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think some of it's genetic, probably. But your other question, I think, was like, what happens if you don't get enough sleep? Um, and so I think over time that leads to high blood pressure, the same things, high high blood pressure, metabolic disease, development of anxiety, depression, those types of things. Yeah. Um, because your body needs that, needs that restoration, needs to repair. Sleep is a time where your body's repairing itself, whether it's your muscles or your brain, your neurotransmitters, your gut. I know it, yeah. When I get a great night's sleep, yeah, you're just you feel fully operational. It's like, you know, the Death Star is functioning, you know?
SPEAKER_01So um And it affects our mood so much.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Absolutely. And you as you see patients from 18 to life, how does sleep you know, change with age?
SPEAKER_00Do older people less REM, less REM sleep as you get older. Yeah, and I think it's harder for older older people to stay asleep longer.
SPEAKER_01Do you know?
SPEAKER_00I'm curious to know different reasons. I mean, a lot of people have bladder issues as they get older. Okay. Um, so they are woken up by having to go to the bathroom. Um other people, it's they're I find that they're transitioning in life, and that sometimes that's very difficult. So uh, for example, somebody who just retired from a really job they're like very dedicated and it was a large part of their identity, they'll go through insomnia. Yeah. Um, and trying to help them find like a new purpose, I think is important. Um other medical conditions like uh chronic pain, we can do that. Um yeah, medic some medications that people were on that that unfortunately won't wake them up.
SPEAKER_01Okay. If you could recommend, you know, simple ideas for people to, you know, embody the healthiest versions of themselves, you know, keeping it simple and doable, as you said, you know, those baby steps, what would they be?
SPEAKER_00I think it's uh the small changes that we can make on a day-to-day basis on just being mindful or cognizant of how we're treating ourselves. Um, I do think it's a mindset. Um, I do think that focusing on present moment awareness. Um I really like I like when people think about maybe like meditation or something to kind of ground them in that day because that might also that also make m help them make the right decisions, like, oh, let me reach for this food instead of that, because I feel more I'm feel more connected to my body right now. I feel more grounded in this moment and I'm gonna I'm gonna choose um this option for myself as opposed to something that maybe is less healthy. Sure. Um, so just small changes. Um I think start with one, start with one small change, like, oh, you know, actually I'd I noticed that um uh I drink, you know, two alcoholic drinks a day after a stressful day. Well, you know, I'm gonna try and cut that back to one alcoholic drink every other day. I think that we didn't really, we haven't really touched about that. Yeah. Uh, but alcohol, um, chronic moderate alcohol uses increase your risk for dementia, all cause uh death and more, you know, slash mortality. Um so I think trying to limit, you know, the recommendation is no more than five drinks a week. Um, so yeah, start with a small change, whether that's about your food or it's about exercise or it's about reducing your alcohol. Like the the if you try to do too much at once, you'll likely become overwhelmed and you'll stop doing everything. Sure. So I think making a small change.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um, how has been in the city like Ben, where you you've mentioned, you know, a lot of athletes, very active lifestyle, how has it enriched your own health and wellness, both on a personal level and as a doctor?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I've lived different places. Portland, I've lived in Raleigh. Um, I'd Ben is just a special place. I think it really I've always been active, but it's just so much easier to be active here. And the community is so welcoming. You know, I had like I said, I had taken up ice hockey this year. I'm not any good, but like people are just so nice about it, you know. They're like, oh, you're okay. Yeah. And just fall into them. They're like, whatever. Um, so that is like really, really great that we have this community that's active here, that wants to be healthy and is engaged. And so I think it's just really been enriching for my family. My wife loves it here. And we have uh, well, I guess she's gonna be 20 months old now. Oh wow. Uh and so baby. Yeah, and so we're really excited to have her um, you know, be raised here. Yeah. This community. My wife's actually uh, we were talking a lot about mind body, but she's uh also a psychologist. So she has her own uh clinic. Her name's Alex Ngrassi, but she has her own clinic here and she does couple sex therapy and individuals.
SPEAKER_01So cool. Yeah. So you're both in the health and wellness clinic.
SPEAKER_00Yep, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um, well, thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate your time and all this experience that you're bringing to this podcast. Thanks so much. Yeah, and and lastly, I'm sorry, where can patients find you, Dr. Matthew?
SPEAKER_00Um, so my clinic is actually located right by the hospital in uh Pilot Butte Medical Center. It's a little red building on the side of the hospital there. But you can also find us online if you Google my name, you'll come up.
SPEAKER_01Okay, great. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, thank you for having me.
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