Healing Together

Ayurvedic doctor Chelynn Tetreault discusses stress, anxiety, and mental health from the holistic lens of Ayurvedic medicine.

We talk about why the fall season of 'change' can worsen feelings of anxiety, connected as we are to all rhythms, whether daily, monthly, or seasonal. Chelynn also shares examples from her work with clients to explain why it's hard to modify our habits and how connected the body and mind are. We discuss what it’s really like to work with her patients to treat mental health conditions, and Chelynn offers some specific ideas for supporting our bodies through anxiety and stress (think teas, herbs, bedtimes, etc.)

Chelynn's website: Lotus Ayurveda

Other resources mentioned in this episode:
- The Center for Spiritual Awareness

Borderline Personality Disorder is stigmatized in our culture, so much so that MamaJay asked to be anonymous for this episode. In this moving conversation, we talk about the difficulties of parenting a child with emotional dysregulation, when the regular moments of life can lead to explosive anger and lasting emotional extremes.  Our conversation addresses the stigma around this condition, how friends can make you feel as if you’re doing something wrong, the experience of parenting both before and after an official diagnosis, dialectic behavioral therapy, and how MamaJay learned to better handle her own emotions and show up as skillfully as possible as a mother. We also touch on the poignant challenge of loving a child whose mental health condition puts him at high risk of suicide. Finally, MamaJay also shares some of the critical resources that have helped her and her son navigate this difficult mental health journey.
MamaJay is a Healthangel on Health Together, where she welcomes questions and conversation from anyone who might need a little comfort or advice.

MamaJay recommends the following resource for families living with Borderline Personality Disorder: NEA BPD Family Connections Program 

Sandi Mauro is a Human Resources director, mother, wife, dog owner and also a patient who has struggled with multiple illnesses and injuries. Her health journey begins with a long decline over years of overworking, where she neglected her own well-being and started to rely on unhelpful fixes. We discuss how she "woke up" from her decline and some of the key actions she took to get back on feet and lead a healthier, more connected life. Our conversation reminded me to keep paying attention to my own well-being and to keep my eye on unhealthy habits that feel good in the moment, but hurt over the long term. Sandi is a Healthangel on Health Together.

Karen Cadenhead was thrown into the world of cancer when she was diagnosed with anal cancer. We discuss the many challenges of cancer treatment, how to enlist help, how to build a community, ways to connect and reconnect to sources of happiness, how to take small steps, friends groups, handing the information flow for family and friends, and how to manage some of the hardest aspects of being on chemotherapy and many other drugs. 

Karen Cadenhead is an artist and sculptor who lives on a houseboat in Sausalito. She spent her professional career as Director of Art Therapy at a Children’s Psychiatric and Pediatric Medical Center. She went on to teach at the Graduate Institute of Expressive Therapy in Cambridge, MA. She met her husband while serving on the Board of the American Art Therapy Association. (He was their outside counsel.) 

Karen spent most of her life suffering from severe and frequent Migraine headaches and spent almost 50 years searching for cures and learning how to not only advocate for herself but to try to make lemonade out of a horrible disease. She found a creative way to make the suffering have meaning: Her dissertation was written about the Alchemy of turning Migraines into gold, and becoming a “wounded healer.”  This experience prepared her for the cancer diagnosis she got at age 70. She has found several art forms to express this journey, and has much to share about self advocacy. 

As of June 2021, Karen continues monthly treatment of immunotherapy. She was told by her doctor that the every 2 month scans can be reduced to every six months! Her cancer has not progressed since she began her latest treatment 20 months ago. The lesions in her lungs, liver, and lymph nodes have reduced by over 60% and her liver lesion continues to shrink.  She continues to treat her side effects using acupuncture, massage and supplements. She is very interested in the gut biome and studies related to positive outcomes when certain bacteria are present.  She notes that the book, Radical Remission, given to her the first month of treatment almost three years ago, explains 9 most common factors that cancer "thrivers" have in common. When she last checked on the list, Karen was pleased to see she has incorporated all 9 of those factors into her life.  She reports feeling happier and enjoying life more than she did before cancer. She recognizes that she has also been very lucky, and likes to give back by helping others as they go through these life-altering journeys with serious diseases.

Karen continues to live on the houseboat with her husband and occasional visits from their two grown boys. You can find Karen on Instagram @karensculptor.

Master Mingtong Gu leads The Chi Center in Galisteo, New Mexico, where he teaches Wisdom Healing Qi Gong. In this conversation we discuss the meaning of “Haola,” or “all is well.” We explore how it’s possible to recognize that all is well even when things don’t feel well at all; how the labels we apply to our world and ourselves can limit our perception, blinding us to the bigger context in which we function; how we can apply an “all is well” mentality to the trials of our daily lives; the different layers of perception; and how once we understand the bigger context of Haola, we have a responsibility to reach for our highest purpose as we “dance with life.” Early in our conversation we refer to Dr. Cynthia Li’s extraordinary journey of recovery from chronic illnesses. For more on her journey, which incorporates Qi Gong and some of Master Mingtong Gu’s teachings, visit her web site.

Click here to view this episode on YouTube (slightly longer).

You can find Master Mingtong Gu at The Chi Center or visit his popular YouTube channel. 

This conversation with Sarah Grossman and Tamara Green of Living Kitchen Wellness covers the benefits of managing blood sugar through food, the way that our diets may change throughout our lives because of our ever-evolving bodies, the false decision of buying either expensive organics or buying no produce at all, and a tip that Sarah and Tamara call “the plate check.”

Diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome as a kid, Tamara Green was in chronic pain for 9 years until she turned to food to heal herself. After being completely symptom free since 2008, it’s her passion to assist people to eliminate pain, find health and eat nourishing food. She received her BA from McGill University and attended the Institute of Holistic Nutrition to become a Certified Nutritionist. Tamara is a chef who combines her knowledge of nutrition and passion for cooking to help clients create lasting changes in their lives.

Sarah Grossman struggled with hormonal balance and endometriosis for most of her adult life and spent years figuring out that there really is no one size fits all approach to what you should eat. While getting her BA from Hampshire College, she fell in love with nutrition and developed her cooking skills working in restaurants. Sarah became a Certified Nutritional Practitioner at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition and loves assisting and empowering others to feel healthier and manage chronic health conditions through eating healthy food.

Resources:

Living Kitchen Wellness' website: https://livingkitchenwellness.com/

Sarah and Tamara’s Cookbook “The Living Kitchen: Healing Recipes to Support Your Body During Cancer Treatment and Recovery” on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Living-Kitchen-Healing-Treatment-Recovery/dp/0147530636

The Living Kitchen Chocolate Tahini Cookie Recipe: https://thechalkboardmag.com/chocolate-tahini-cookies-the-living-kitchen

This conversation with Dr. David Hass and Carrie Armour preceded the first annual Medical Cannabis Research and Advocacy Alliance conference, to be held in March 2021 (virtually). Dave and Carrie are deeply involved in the world of medical cannabis but come to it from very different perspectives. Dave is a medical doctor who understands the science and has seen first-hand what medical cannabis can do for some patients. Carrie is an attorney who has devoted her professional life to working on medical cannabis policy and regulations. Our conversation helps put context around why it’s been so hard for many people -- doctors and patients alike -- to get a straight story on medical cannabis, and how a very mixed bag of regulations makes it hard to conduct good scientific research. We even address the commercial explosion of adult-use recreational cannabis and CBD, which seems to only add more confusion to this complicated landscape. 
 
Dr. Hass attended medical school at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, followed by residency training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and Gastroenterology and Hepatology fellowship training at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. He currently serves on the clinical faculty at the Yale University School of Medicine and has a unique hybrid of private practice and academics. He is the Medical Director of PACT Gastroenterology Centerin the New Haven CT area, as well as  the Director of Endoscopy at Yale New Haven Hospital – Saint Raphael Campus, where he is  actively involved in the fellowship training program at Yale. Dr. Hass is passionate about both patient and physician advocacy and has served as President of the New Haven County Medical Association and is currently Vice President of the Connecticut State Medical Society State Council. He is a certified clinical hypnotherapist, a modality implemented to treat functional abdominal pain. His clinical interests include small bowel disease, inflammatory bowel disease and complementary and alternative therapies in the treatment of gastrointestinal and hepatic disease including medical cannabis use.
 
Carrie Armour has over fifteen years of experience representing physicians, patients and the cannabis industry as a government affairs attorney and advocacy consultant. As a consultant, Carrie focuses on improving pain management and influencing policies to create highly regulated, compliance focused cannabis programs as well as expanding opportunities for cannabis education and cannabis research. Prior to opening up her consulting firm, Armour Advocacy, Carrie worked for over a decade at the American Medical Association in its state government affairs division. At the AMA, Carrie developed and managed advocacy campaigns to help shape and inform state laws, regulations and policies in support of patients and physicians focusing on public health improvement and protecting the physician-patient relationship.

Carrie began her legal career as a prosecutor at the Cook County State’s Attorney. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University and a Juris Doctorate from Loyola University School of Law. She is on the Board of the Medical Cannabis Research Advocacy Alliance, a Director on the Board of Illinois Women in Cannabis and a member of the International Cannabis Bar Association and the Illinois Cannabis Bar Association. 
Please connect with Carrie at https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-armour-27a2083a/

Lynne Paterson is an expert in nutrition, Yoga,  and other energy healing modalities. She’s a holistic health coach and has trained as a professional chef and taught numerous people and organizations about better eating and lifestyle modification. Lynne passionately educates men and women to improve their health by expanding self-awareness, self-knowledge and self-care through her two businesses: her yoga and wellness business, Prakasa Yoga & Wellness, and health coaching, which she calls Younger As You Age.

Our conversation delves into dealing with chronic pain, especially back pain. We talk about knowing when to rest and when to push yourself, chronic versus acute pain, and even how to think about pain and frame it in your own mind. Lynne explains the concept of energy bodies, which range from physical to spiritual, and we finish our conversation with practical exercises and tips for de-stressing and better connecting to your body.

Lynne Ann Paterson, is a maverick thinker and engaging speaker. Her lifelong interest in natural health and healing has been a guiding thread in her studies of hatha yoga, meditation, food as medicine, and simply being human. She holds certifications in Hatha Yoga, Therapeutic Yoga, Reiki, The Emotion Code and other energy healing tools, and Holistic Health Coaching. She also trained as a professional chef and served as a founding member and Executive Chef for The Change of Heart Lifestyle Modification program and Noble & Baystate Hospitals.

Lynne passionately educates men and women to improve their health by expanding self-awareness, self-knowledge and self-care through her two businesses: Prakasa Yoga & Wellness and Younger As You Age Health Coaching.

Author of the forthcoming book: “Back to Bliss: End Chronic Back Pain Without Pills, Shots, Surgery”, Lynne believes that every ‘body’ has the innate wisdom and capacity to heal his/her/their selves, and that sometimes we just need a little guidance to do so.
 
You may contact Lynne to book a speaking engagement for your group or podcast, or schedule a complimentary consultation for yourself, at the links below:

Therapeutic Yoga: www.prakasayoga.com
Holistic Health Coaching: www.youngerasyouage.com

Kendra Wilde describes Wild Peace as "the practice of cultivating inner calm, strength, and positive growth in the midst of challenging times."

Our conversation covers a range of ways in which parents can succumb to stress, particularly with children who have behavioral challenges. Kendra has spent over a decade researching ways to counteract the effects of chronic stress, and offers a vast array of resources and ideas that are science-based and easily incorporated into a busy life. Her passion and work come from her own experience as a mother who became nearly incapacitated by stress while raising her three children.

Wild Peace is the support Kendra wishes she had during her most challenging times. Visit wildpeace.org to find her interviews with parents who have lived through extraordinary parenting experiences, and her curated library of self-care "micro actions" you can use any time to regulate stress and enhance wellbeing. Kendra has a MBA from Harvard Business School (but she's not too serious). 

This conversation with integrative OB-GYN Dr. Felice L. Gersh, MD, of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine, in California, covers an expansive definition of "women's health issues" from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) to environmental toxins!

We talk about how to be your own health detective, what to look for when finding an integrative or functional medicine practitioner, the history and prevalence of PCOS, and why Dr. Gersh thinks of PCOS as the “poster child” condition for the link between reproductive and metabolic health. We also discuss what endocrine disruptors are and how they work, the perils of physician burnout, and the importance of a good doctor-patient relationship.

Dr. Gersh is a globally-recognized expert on women’s hormones, gut microbiome, and circadian rhythm. She frequently collaborates with numerous research organizations and lectures internationally on women’s health topics. As Medical Director of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine, she focuses on understanding women’s innate physical and emotional make-up. Through her research and practical experience, she has come to understand that women have internal, natural rhythms that are absolutely essential to female health. These rhythms are controlled by hormones, particularly estrogen, and may be kept in balance through both conventional and holistic treatments.

After receiving her medical degree from the USC School of Medicine, Dr. Gersh studied Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Kaiser Hospital in Los Angeles, where she was honored with the CREOG top resident award every year. After graduating, she launched her private practice, founded on a passionate belief in holistic women’s healthcare. From its earliest years, way back before alternative medicine was popular, Felice's practice included acupuncture, massage, and Chinese medicine. Over a decade ago, Dr. Gersh pursued her interest in holistic healing and graduated from the Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona to become one of the first dual board-certified Integrative Gynecologists in the United States.

Felice has been awarded the Orange County Medical Association’s ‘Physician of the Year’ Award for the last 16 years consecutively and Southern California’s ‘SuperDoctor’ Award for the last several years. In her role as a physician teacher, she served as Assistant Clinical Professor of OB/GYN at Keck USC School of Medicine for 12 years, for which she was awarded the Outstanding Volunteer Clinical Faculty Award. Dr. Gersh has also served on the Legislative Committee at the Orange County Medical Association and as a delegate to the California Medical Association numerous times.

You can learn more about Dr. Felice Gersh on her website: integrativemgi.com

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