Brain Power with Dr. Eko

S2|E4 Overmedicated & Overwhelmed? How Parents Can Heal Naturally, with Dr. Ruth Odoi

• Dr. Hokehe Eko

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Welcome to Brain Power with Dr. Eko, where each week we explore ways to boost brain health through mind, body, emotional, and environmental well-being.

In this episode, Dr. Eko welcomes Dr. Ruth Odoi, a board-certified internal medicine physician and founder of Oasis Women's Functional Medicine. Together, they dive into the challenges many mothers face chronic stress, fatigue, and the health risks that come with them. Dr. Ruth shares how functional medicine helps women regain their energy, break free from chronic medications, and take charge of their health.

Tune in as they discuss practical strategies for busy moms, how small changes can lead to long-term wellness, and ways to bring the whole family along on the journey to better health.

Listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast platform and check out the video version on our YouTube channel!

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to Brain Power with Dr Eko, where each week, we discuss how your family can boost brain health by addressing mind, body, emotional and environmental health. Hi, parents, welcome to another episode of Brain Power with Dr Eko. It's such a wonderful day, happy to have you here, and I have another amazing guest for you, dr Ruth. It's such a wonderful day, happy to have you here, and I have another amazing guest for you, dr Ruth Odoi. So, as usual, I'm going to have Dr Ruth introduce herself because she can tell you all about the fabulous work she's doing. So welcome to the show, dr Ruth. Hi, thank you so much for having me, drko, I really appreciate the honor to meet with your community to talk. So I am Dr Ruth Odoi. I live in Rochester, new York. I have three sons with a set of twins.

Speaker 1:

Internal Medicine and I'm the founder and CEO for Oasis Women's Functional Medicine, which is located right here in Rochester, new York. Did I say I'm board certified? Yeah, in internal medicine, and I work mostly with women who want to increase their energy levels and really improve their vitality, and my passion is really to help people get off chronic medications by helping them wean off of it safely and also helping preventing them from even you know getting diagnosed with a chronic condition and having to take medications. So that's my passion and I'm so happy to be here. Yes, welcome. I love that we're going to talk about this because, for our parents of children who have either children with ADHD or autism or both or more diagnosis, they often find themselves chronically stressed, which can lead to chronic illnesses, and so I love the fact that you are focused on helping women prevent the chronic illnesses or even get off of the chronic medications or medication they are on for chronic illnesses. So tell us so you have this mom come to you saying I'm stressed, I don't know what else to do, I don't have time. I can get it right these kids I don't. I don't know what to do with my kids. So where are you going to start with this mom and can you walk us through how you would explain it to her how important it is for her to find how she could find time for herself and how she can improve her health? Yeah, I really. You know, being a mother myself, I really start from a place that you cannot pour from an empty place workplace. So that's why it's so important as a woman, or as a mother, to really invest in your own health and your wellness so that you are able to actually be there and pour into your children.

Speaker 1:

So that is the main reason, because what I noticed is that women, with you know, late 30s, early 40s, they have young children and some of them are, you know, at the top tier of their careers or they have finished school for the most part. So they are, you know, in the thick of their career years, and then some of them may also have aging parents. So now they are in the sandwich years. And so, between you know, being a wife, being a mom, being a daughter, they just have little time for themselves and over time, the lack of sleep or the lack of rest just piles on and it becomes fatigue and it becomes exhaustion. And then you have something like chronic fatigue syndrome. And because you don't have energy to work out now you are gaining weight or you are not it's very hard for you to lose weight, and what I know in functional medicine is that obesity sets up the ground for chronic inflammation. And then the chronic inflammation is really the basis of a lot of chronic conditions like heart disease and high blood pressure and even diabetes. So you can see the connection of you being a woman trying to do the best that you can, taking care of your children, taking care of your parents, is slowly setting women up where they get to a place where now you know they've, you know, gotten a diagnosis of either prediabetes or high blood pressure or chronic fatigue syndrome.

Speaker 1:

And they are on different medications. And you know, in conventional medicine we have, like the model where there is a pill for every ill. And what I want to add is that there is an ill for every pill because these pills come with side effects and so once you go on one, then there are side effects. So then you need another medication to counteract the side effects and guess what? The main side effects for a lot of medications are Fatigue. So now you know you're stuck in this like cycle and I just really feel passionate about it, really feel passionate about it and I just want to help women who are stuck in this cycle to break the cycle and really get to the root of the fatigue, to get to the root of their health conditions so they can be healthy and poor from a full place and poor from a healthy place. And once you get into the practice and you get some of these things figured out. It just trickles down to your children and then you know you are setting them up for success. You know because they know that well, mom takes time for herself to do X, y, z, so it's OK for me to also take time for myself to do these things that will help me be healthy.

Speaker 1:

I hope that answered the question very long, but I don't know. No, no, because all of those things are important. And one question that popped up in my head was okay. So somebody listening to this and hears you sprinkle the word functional, what exactly is functional medicine? Yes, I'm glad. Yeah, I'm really happy you asked that.

Speaker 1:

So functional medicine is really a form of medicine where we focus on the root cause of disease. We look at what is causing your disease and it's more personalized. We do more advanced testing that we don't get to do in conventional medicine. So for me, I come in with the knowledge of conventional medicine. I've spent a lot of years getting that training. So I come in with that knowledge plus the knowledge of functional medicine and together be able to come up with a personalized approach to your care and more getting to the root of the problem.

Speaker 1:

So when I think of functional medicine and chronic disease, I'm thinking of an overflowing sink, right, so you can approach it one of three ways. One, you can turn off the faucet, which is like get to the root of why the sink is overflowing. Or two, you can keep collecting from the sink so it doesn't overflow onto the floor. Or three, you can keep mopping the floor, and I think conventional medicine is really focused on emptying the sink, mopping the floor and not turning off the faucet. And it's the analogy. When I think of functional medicine, and I think it's very important that you go to a physician, because we come in with additional knowledge in terms of the actual physiology and anatomy and pathophysiology and more come at it from a different angle. So does that? I've never had anyone describe it like that, like that is so interesting. Medicine is mopping off the floor. Well, yeah, because.

Speaker 1:

But he does say he has a symptom. Actually, you're right, because I was actually trying to describe it to another pediatrician today. She's like what is integrated pediatrics? And I was like well, so, for example, if I see a child that says a child with autism, that says and, and then the parent says they're aggressive, my first question isn't here's some risperidone let's give you, let's let's tap down your aggression. My first question are you constipated? Because so many studies have showed, when there's gut disbalance and there's a lot of backup of constipation and there's yeast overgrowth, that child most likely will become aggressive. And so if we deal with the gut issues, then there's yeast overgrowth, that child most likely will become aggressive. And so if we deal with the gut issues, there's an aggression gone and there's no need for such a strong med like Risperidol. So, yeah, thank you for giving me a new way to explain it. I appreciate it. You're welcome.

Speaker 1:

So, yes, so back to this mommy who tell who you said all these things to. She says yes, yes, I agree. So now, where do I find the time to do the things you just mentioned? What are you going to tell her? Well, that is a good question, and I will go back and remind her that you cannot pour from an empty cup, you cannot pour from an empty place. So you know I work with a health coach, so we meet and we come up with like a personalized plan. And you know they say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a step, one sitting. But there could be one thing that you can do, or there could be one thing that you can tag to something you are already doing that will get you towards a place of wellness. So I would say, don't get overwhelmed with like, oh my goodness, now she's going to tell me to exercise and and and eat well, and and and. No, we, we will look at your schedule, we will look at your life and really come up with a plan. Where, where can we, what can we do today to get you towards, like, a good place, that, or where you want to be, to be the person that you want to be? Okay, wonderful, I love it, great.

Speaker 1:

So what are some practical ways that moms or women, when they are implementing this health journey, can bring their families along with them? Because we're women, right, that's how we are wired. It's like, whatever we're doing, we are sharing it with all of you and you're all in it together. So how can they accomplish that? So how can they accomplish that? Well, I mean so simple thing as just you know, if you are in the kitchen with the kids or you know you have to be around them, you can take steps around the island. If you have an island in your kitchen. That increases the number of steps, like any movement, right, if your kids love to dance, so you can have a dance party. And I do that with my sons and you know my 10 year old is like bye, I'm not doing it. But the seven year olds are still interested and they still want to dance. And you know we put on some afro beats or whatever upbeat music we have and we dance and I get to sweat it out and they have fun and we all do it, you know.

Speaker 1:

And another thing I do is like when my they fight, you know the twins tend to, you know they get into. So I use that as an opportunity to do my breathing exercises, because I call them in and I say let's all sit down and breathe. So then I turn on my app and I'm like, take a deep breath in. So you know, while I'm, you know, trying to, that's wonderful Distress, like an aggressive situation. I thought so breathing. So you know, could that prevent them from fighting Because they don't want to do this? Maybe, but it also gives me that moment to say, okay, I could do my deep breathing exercises now.

Speaker 1:

So there are clever ways to inject things in there here and there, that you know works, that I personally do that because it's hard to find time to do all the things you know and be all the things that you want to be. So you know, just being creative with the time goes a long way. Yeah, and I want to add, because kids learn more from what you do than what you say. So I know it's funny, but I love so clever how the two fighting people have to come and sit down and suddenly be breathing. And yes, they're going to be like what, let's finish the fight, but no, but really you're teaching them a lifelong habit that's going to help them. And hopefully the 10-year-old we can find him somewhere and rope him into this too. But no, it's funny. It sounds funny, but it's actually very powerful because they are learning from you. They are seeing how calm you you'll be coming, they're taking note of all of that and there's there isn't any kid that likes stress in their lives, really honestly. So so well done, mommy, and I hope you hear this name, you're, you're taking note because I, I love you. I'm gonna try it on my.

Speaker 1:

My 12 year old and my seven yearold love to get into it together. Yeah, I mean I'm like, okay, it looks like you're upset, it looks like you're angry, Come on in, let's sit down and let's breathe. And you know, one of them is like, oh, not again. And I'm like, well, yeah, let's do it. And so I turn it on and you know, once the music is on, I'm like, ok, you know, and then we all do the breathing together. The gym, no, you can use five minutes to do something simple and then find another five minute pocket to do another something simple.

Speaker 1:

Or, and you know, if your household, you don't eat a lot of whole foods, you don't have to go from zero to seven days a week. You know, that would be like a shock to your system, your kids and they will not engage. But you can start, you know, one day out of the seven days and do it for months, and then do it another, you know, add another day and do it for more, and so over time the kids get used to it and they just accept that this is what we do here and it's helping you, it's helping them. Yeah, and something else about having your kids cook with you, because when they help there's that sense of pride and then they're more likely to actually eat the thing versus Correct. And we, our kids, we need to teach them how to cook, because I think that's becoming a lost art in this day and age. So the microwavable meals. But if we want to really be healthy overall, we want to get our kids back in the kitchen. And it's such a great bonding time because that's what kids remember, not the fancy things you bought them, it's the times they spent with you, absolutely, and you have to cook anyway. So why not help them too? And they have, you know, those like kitchen utensils for kids on Amazon. So you can buy a kit and you know, get them a stool and they can cut the vegetables while you make the salad and all of that.

Speaker 1:

And what I've also done with my kids is like I have a menu and we sit down and make the menu together and so when they read what we are eating on the menu, I don't have to convince them to eat anymore because, hey, that's what's on the menu. I didn't do this, I didn't do this, that's what's on the menu. And we created this menu together. So, you know, I have like a couple of dishes in my head and so I say, okay, these are the dishes we have. What do you want to eat for breakfast on Monday, lunch on Tuesday and Thursday? And you know, so we create. And then my 10 year old writes it and then I put it on the fridge. So you know, there's no complaining. So about mealtime, so that reduces your fatigue. And another thing that that does it also reduces the decision fatigue of, oh, what are we going to eat for dinner? You already have the menu, so you know, you already know what. So that will save you some energy. Yeah, no, I love that. That's wonderful. Yeah, that is so great.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for all the tips, so practical, that you've shared with us. So if a mommy lives in the New York area and wants to reach out to you, how can they find you? Yes, so we have a website. It's my practice, it's called Oasis Women's Functional Medicine, o-a-s-i-s Women's Functional Medicine, and you can reach me via email at Dr Ruth. Dr is D-R and Ruth R-U-T-H K at OasisFunctionalMedicinecom, and I'm also on Facebook with the same practice name Oasis Women's Functional Medicine.

Speaker 1:

So, yeah, I am all about moms and getting them energized and strong and not tired. Yes, because then we can't really do the mom part correct. All right, all right, wonderful. And then you mentioned you also have a youtube channel where you're gonna put lots of yes, oh yes, thank you for reminding me. Yeah, so I, I will have. I have a youtube channel. I'm going to be putting on a lot of educational stuff. Um, I'm going to be setting up like a um, some you know, sets of supplements that I think every woman should be on that they can just grab and take, um to start with you, okay, and, of course, I'm taking new patients, so feel free to find me on google, um, and, and come by and let's talk, let's get you feeling energized again. Yes, wonderful.

Speaker 1:

And so for parents listening to this, please share this with whoever you think needs to hear this. If you have friends in the New York area, send them to Dr Rup. You won't be, you won't. I promise you. You will not be what's the word? Dissatisfied. You will come out of there stronger, healthier and more whole than you went in. So thank you again, dr Rup. Thank you, koiman. Yeah, it's such a pleasure. So have an amazing day everyone, take care, thank you.