Fast & Functional

Whether you're picking up a packaged snack or cooking stir-fry at home, it can be confusing knowing which oils can help and which can hurt your health. This quick podcast gets straight to the point of: Should you even use/eat oils The dirty secrets of industrial seed oils Which ones are clean, good options Listen towards the end to find out what's wrong with avocado oil! If you're trying to improve your health by eating more nutritious, less toxic foods, and would like guidance and accountability, book a complementary 15min discovery call or transform your health at your own pace through our online program.

We answer all the questions you've had about being hydrated and get you super motivated to start drinking more! Learn how to know if you're hydrated enough, what fluids count towards hydration, and tips to improve your intake. Listen to the 2/3 point to hear my husband's term for hydrating as he takes a big drink!  If you're trying to increase your health by drinking more water, eating healthier, and improving your lifestyle, but need some help and accountability, book an appointment or transform your health at your own pace through our online program.

Since I get this asked this often from my clients, I'm sharing my personal experience with how I've felt in the months after having COVID. I actually did lab tests before and after having COVID (I am such a scientist at heart!), so I was able to see how it impacted my health from an objective standpoint too.  If you'd like to see or purchase some of the supplements I use to recover quickly from illness, go here.  To support your immune system, you need good quantity and quality of sleep, an anti-inflammatory diet, regular exercise, and quick recovery from stressors. For help creating a lifestyle with these components, book an appointment or transform through our online program.

I talk so much about gut health because it's the foundation of overall health. But how do you know if your gut health needs improving? One of the easiest (and free!) ways is to become more acquainted with your bathroom habits.  We have a fun time discussing this icky topic that can reveal so much about your health. Listen in to find out what your BMs are trying to tell you! A great way to address abnormal stools is through lifestyle changes. Lack of exercise, poor sleep, high stress, and an inflammatory diet all contribute to gut issues. For help getting on track, book an appointment or transform through our online program.

While there's all kinds of creams and serums that can help you deal with acne, in functional medicine we want to address the root causes. Why do you even have acne or occasional breakouts? Resolving the imbalances that trigger it will give you lasting results and take the burden off of managing it.  Listen to the end where I tell my own personal story of acne! Then share this episode with someone who can benefit from it.  Want us to answer a question or cover a certain health condition, symptom, or problem? Go here to request it! For a plan and support in making lifestyle changes that can address these root causes, join our online program. Check it out here.

While there may be some special meals you want to enjoy on your travels, eating whatever's available for all 3 meals per day isn't the smartest strategy for your health or how you'll feel day-to-day.  You'll want a pen and paper as you listen to this one. I discuss what I pack for both roadtrips and flights to keep my body nourished while away on trips! For more ideas on feeling your best while traveling, check out our blog post here. From there, you can check out our services and online program if you're looking for help in overcoming your health issues. 

Some might say I'm addicted to learning. Hey, it's one of the things that makes me so good at my job! Sometimes, I like to do things just because I'm excited about what I might learn from it (not because I actually want to do it). Signing up for a half marathon was one of those things. And while I'll never do it again, listen in for why it ended up being such a valuable experience!  Want us to answer a question or cover a certain health condition, symptom, or problem? Go here to request it! For suggestions on much easier and shorter ways to get movement in, join our online program that helps you implement not only exercise but also a healthy diet, better sleep, and improved stress recovery. Check it out here.

Noticing more hair in the shower (my husband calls me out on this in the episode 😬), or seeing a little more of your scalp than you'd like? Listen in to find out what causes hair loss, and what we can do about it! Want to see for yourself what your iron or hormones look like and if they could be contributing to hair loss? You can go here to order your own labs. If you'd like help interpreting them, finding your root causes, and working through a plan to improve hair growth, schedule an appt with us here. If you're more of a DIY-person: in our online program, one of the weeks is dedicated to understanding stress and has a handout helping you identify and implement stress-recovery activities. Check it out here.

We recorded this a week before Thanksgiving, so 'tis the season for gratitude and joy. Though sometimes, 'tis the season to realize how hard it is to feel anything other than overwhelm, exhaustion, or disappointment as you reflect on the year. If you think you could use a little more joy in your life, listen in for the secret recipe.  Want us to answer a question or cover a certain health condition, symptom, or problem? Go here to request it!  In our online program, one of the weeks is dedicated to reducing stress and has a handout helping you identify and implement joyful activities. Check it out here.

I take a break away from my typical style of teaching to get up close and personal with you guys. I share about my story, and the stories of several of those I've helped. I share how these stories have shaped my mission in life, and I leave with you hope and encouragement that through functional medicine and compassionate health coaching, abundant health and a better life is waiting for you!  To learn more about what we do, go here. If you want a low-commitment way to get started, check out my online program here. What’s Functional Medicine? Go here for the answer.

We all know exercise is "good for us", but that general knowledge isn't enough to get us to do it! If you really want lasting motivation, educating yourself on the specific benefits that apply to you can help you achieve that. You'd never guess the second benefit!  Check out my blog posts on exercise here to keep the education/motivation going!  If you need help implementing a workout routine, along with other healthy habits, check out my online program. 

Want to make your time with the doctor more productive? Want to make sure you're not missing key information to your state of health? We cover what you can get out of the appointment and from labs, from a functional medicine perspective!  To learn more about what it's like to work with me, go here. Feel free to use the contact form to send me requests for future episodes!

Many of us desire to eat or drink something sweet, but don't want the negative effects of sugar. Learn what could be hurting your body and what's the best 0 calorie way to satisfy a sweet tooth. For all the dirty details on artificial sweeteners, check out my blog post here. To learn more about Fort Worth's food scene, go to our sponsor here.

Want to have better digestion, better bowel movements, a healthier immune system, and enjoy sweet fruit without increasing blood sugar? Listen in for fun facts on how this fruit can help you (and why Phil is obsessed with it).  For ideas on how to eat it, check out my blog post here.  To get to know the creative folk behind Fort Worth's food scene, go to our sponsor here. 

Ever wonder how effective or safe it is to take what you doctor gives you for flu prevention or treatment? Want to know what natural options exist? Listen to get all the facts so you can make the best decision for you! Go here for the quick reference guide, and here for the blog post. Check out our sponsor at https://www.fwfoodstories.com/

It's not enough to know WHAT you want to do. You have to know WHY. Education without motivation (which comes from the why) never leads to action, which is what you really want. So listen in to get some ideas so you can start taking more ACTION!  Check out the foodie blog and podcast of our sponsor at https://www.fwfoodstories.com/

So you get the required 7-9 hours of sleep, yet you still don't feel ready to tackle the day, and struggle with energy every afternoon. What are you missing? Listen in to find out, and how you can start improving your sleep quality tonight!  For a deeper dive with research to back it up, check out my blog post on this topic: https://vivawisefw.com/why-youre-still-tired-with-enough-sleep/ Check out the sponsor of this podcast: https://www.fwfoodstories.com/

Many of us have insufficient magnesium status to maintain good health. Deficiency can affect everything from inflammation, gut health, mood, sleep, and pain. Find out if you need magnesium and how to optimize your levels!  Read more from my blog post on this topic here: http://vivawisefw.com/how-to-tell-if-you-need-magnesium/ Check out our sponsor, Fort Worth Food Stories: https://www.fwfoodstories.com/

Are you putting in the effort to exercise and not sure it’s really doing anything for you? These exercise mistakes can reduce the effectiveness of your workouts and limit your results.  Read more from my blog post on this topic here: http://vivawisefw.com/stop-making-these-4-common-exercise-mistakes/ Check out the podcast of our sponsor, Fort Worth Food Stories: https://www.fwfoodstories.com/

We've all heard salt causes high blood pressure. You'll learn it's actually not that simple, and that excessive salt can impact other aspects of our health as well.  To read the blog with all the action steps, click here. 

We all know sunlight helps us make Vitamin D. But do you know just how important Vitamin D is? Or the other ways in which is can drastically improve our health? Listen for why it's so important, and how to get it in safe ways.  For my blog post on this topic, click here.  For a blue-light reducing app for your screens, click here.  For blue-light blocking glasses to wear at night, click here. 

Learn the 3 common but destructive thought patterns we all engage in that keep us stuck in self-sabotage, and exactly what you can do to transform your mindset to find freedom! For more guidance on creating structure to follow-through with your plans, download my Routines for Success Roadmap.

Grab a notepad and get ready to hear A TON of tips on how to stay healthy during cold and flu season.

Makayla Ervin, business coach for female entrepreneurs, interviews me on this podcast. Listen in for some mind-blowing studies on the placebo effect! We discuss the power that mindset has over how you feel and achieving your goals.  

Have you been trying to lose weight and get healthy for what seems like forever and you just feel like the results don't match the amount of effort you put in? Maybe you're overlooking some of these common causes of weight loss resistance. 

Listen to in to discover how stress affects your metabolism, energy, gut, etc. I also describe how it affects decision-making, basically making you do stupid things. I wrap it up with ideas on how to balance stress out so it affects you less!

The final episode in our Thyroid Series is all about taking action- learn a few key ways you can best support your thyroid's optimal functioning!

You found out your thyroid is under-performing, now what? Learn what causes the thyroid to not function as well so you know how to best support it!

Find out the symptoms that are most unique to hypothyroidism, what to test for, and what ranges show your thyroid is functioning optimally. 

Fruit has sugar- and is a carb! Gasp! So should we be avoiding it if we want to lose weight? Listen in to find out when and how much to include in your diet.

Follow these tips to fully partake in the holidays while not making your health suffer. For example, learn about the best way to enjoy alcohol without gaining weight.

Find out the truth about the best ways to sleep to maximize your health!

Find out which nutrients you are most likely to be deficient in regardless of your health or diet.

Have you noticed that the "calories in must be less than calories out" method of weight loss doesn't lead to long-term success? This episode explores the reasons why, based on the blog post on this topic found on my website vivawisefw.com.

Learn how the gut can control so much of the body, from your mood to your joint pain to your weight!

This is the second of a 3-part series on gut health. Part 1 discuss Leaky Gut and diet, while this episode discusses how different aspects of our lifestyle un-related to food affect the health of the living organisms in your GI tract and your ability to digest and absorb food.

Did you know we have more bacterial cells than human ones? Learn how to keep these guys healthy, and how they can cause "leaky gut."

If you feel like you're living a generally healthy life and yet don't have the pep in your step that you used to have, listen for ideas on what could be wrong and what you can do about it! Fatigue has many causes, which means there will be many things you want to do to improve it.

How do you know which diet you should follow to get the best results? Are any of them actually good for you anyways? In this episode, we discuss the pro's and con's, what the research says, and what you should ultimately do.

Listen as Katie and Phillip hash out the new 21st century way of doing medicine. Functional medicine is able to address complex conditions such as IBS, chronic fatigue syndrome, allergies, and autoimmunity.