For-Profit healthcare systems put their bottom lines above our health and well-being. We all must learn how to become our own health advocates and advocate for the health of our loved ones. Certified health coach Michelle McCoy talks about Holistic Health from a Christian perspective.
Download a Free Chapter on forgiveness from my book "The Christian's Guide to Holistic Health". Just fill out this form and you'll get instant access to the download and be subscribed to my Health Tips Newsletter.
Show Notes
1.
Today's Guests...
2.
Topics Discussed...w / Time Stamps
3.
Resources Mentioned...
4.
Transcript...
Scroll through the text below to read the full transcript.
Michelle McCoy 0:00
Everything in our body, mind, spirit soul, it's all connected again, our creator was brilliant in his design of the human body. And so if we don't recognize that, and if we are just looking at the pain point, like what is that pain point you're having, let's say, you are going to a neurologist because you're struggling with migraines, chances are the neurologist is not going to be looking at your nutrition. He's not he or she is not going to be looking at your whole lifestyle and what is going on that could possibly be causing these migraines. And so it's really kind of a band aid approach. It's a throwing spaghetti at the wall approach. And let's just see what sticks and is very ineffective.
David Sandstrom 0:48
Welcome to the Natural Health Matters podcast where it's all about maximizing your health potential, so that you can look and feel your best at any age. I'm your host, David Sandstrom, Naturopathic Doctor and Biblical Health Coach, and this is episode number 105. Today, we have in the show, Michelle McCoy. Michelle is a board certified holistic health coach, host of the Treasured Wellness Christian podcast, and a TV show host for sawin.tv. She uses a Godly approach to support women who've been struggling with fatigue and pain to reclaim their health. Michelle, Welcome to Natural Health Matters.
Michelle McCoy 1:29
Thank you so much, David. It's such an honor and a great pleasure to be on your show.
David Sandstrom 1:33
Thank you. Well, I've been looking forward to meeting you. We have a mutual friend, Pooja Chillacurry, who was on the show. And she recommended you and she said You make a great guest. And I think she was absolutely right, I think we're going to have a great conversation. So tell us, just give us a 35,000 foot view, Michelle, of what you do today.
Michelle McCoy 1:53
Yeah, so I am a holistic health coach. And what that just essentially means is that I take look, take the whole body approach, right? Because we are all very individual and one person's food can be another person's poison, or vice versa. It's that idea of bio individuality. And so I look at the body as a whole to get to the root cause of what is the issue? What is the problem going on that Mind Body Soul spirit connection, because it's all creative, it's all connected, our creator was brilliant in his design, and how he created it all to work together well, and it's like the body if one part of the body is not working, like the other parts are affected as well. So I do work specifically with women in all areas of their health to feel better, but specifically women who are struggling with their pain and their fatigue, maybe after a lifetime of caring for others, everyone else in their family that you know, I've been there too, like your own health goes on the back burner. And especially during this time in midlife. There's a lot of emotion that goes into that, right? Like, where you just seem to look up and your nest is empty, and you're like, Okay, now what do I do now? And how do I want to feel? And how do I even do that?
David Sandstrom 3:24
Yeah, well, you know, I mean, hats off to what you're doing, because that's a, that's a tall order, right? I mean, when somebody's you know, maybe 40-50-60 years old, and then come to the realization Hey, I'm not getting any younger, and I don't feel the way I want to feel, I don't really feel the way I would like to feel. So they go to the doctor. And, you know, you know, the story, oh, you're just getting older, your blood work looks normal. You know, maybe you need to get on an antidepressant. Right? How common is that story. So what they're using is a reductionist approach that human beings are nothing more than a body, we're just a collection of random collection of atoms and molecules on if you have an emotional issue, then we you must have some kind of a chemical imbalance, let's correct it with pills. I'm not completely against that approach. It can be very appropriate, very appropriate at times. But that shouldn't be our frontline. Right. That shouldn't be our our first go to method for helping people. So exactly. Yeah, yeah. So you know, as you said, we are spirit we have a mind and we live in a body and all three parts to a human being are interconnected, and interdependent, what affects one part of us will inevitably affect the others it has to and it goes both ways. So talk to us a little bit about talk to the Natural Nation. Ahh, share with them a little bit about that spirit mind body connection, that I'm sure you share with your clients.
Michelle McCoy 4:58
Well, the thing is As we are all connected everything in our body, mind, spirit soul, it's all connected again, our creator was brilliant in his design of the human body. And so if we don't recognize that, and if we are just looking at the pain point, like, what is that pain point you're having, let's say, you are going to a neurologist, because you're struggling with migraines, chances are, the neurologist is not going to be looking at your nutrition, he's not he or she is not going to be looking at your whole lifestyle, and what is going on that could possibly be causing these migraines. And so it's really kind of a band aid approach. It's a throwing spaghetti at the wall approach. And let's just see what sticks. And it is very ineffective. And I know this firsthand with my experience with my daughter, and also with my own health journey. And it's very frustrating as the patient as the client, as the person that is going through the struggles going through the the feelings of just being told that they're normal. And they're, they're really not feeling normal. So oftentimes to what is going on with us physically could be a direct result from what's going on, spiritually. And that is something that I have personally been diving into a lot more in the last five years. And it's, you know, science is even catching up with that, right? They even talk about that how it's all connected, there are mental what we think we can actually, that can actually happen if you are having that negative mindset all the time, well, then that's what you're going to get in your life negativity, and vice versa with a positive. So it's truly all connected.
David Sandstrom 6:56
Absolutely. I couldn't I couldn't agree more. So Michelle, you mentioned that you had a health struggle of your own. Can you tell us more about that? How did you get to where you are today? And what was your issue? And then how did you recover from it?
Michelle McCoy 7:10
Sure. So the the initial beginnings of me getting into holistic and functional medicine goes back about 20 years when our daughter was sick. She was coming home from school with headaches and migraines. And she was having debilitating migraines about three to four times a week, she was also having some skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. And, you know, of course, we did all the normal taking her to the pediatrician, we started doing all of these tests. But David, it took three years for them to figure out what was wrong with her three years. And at no time did any doctor suggests that it was something that she was eating, we did do the food allergy testing twice. But it did not come up where she was positive for anything, no allergy, no intolerances. But every, every time I would go and she was going by this time to the top neurologists in our area that our insurance would cover. And so I would ask them like, Well, what about the hormones and the foods? What about you know, could I put her on a specific nutritional plan to see and they were like, no food has nothing to do with why she's sick? Well,
David Sandstrom 8:31
That's what they're taught in medical school.
Michelle McCoy 8:33
Exactly, because they only get like a 30 minute class in medical school on nutrition. That's not enough to know anything really. And so they were focusing on the head, they were focusing on that pain point and they were not looking at her body as a whole. And she was getting sicker and sicker. So being a mama bear you know, you're you're doing everything I was researching. This is before the internet age really exploded. And so I was at Barnes and Noble. I was at the library I was researching. And I was doing my own investigating, you know what, taking her off of foods, just trying different things. And finally, I went out of state to a herbalist and that herbalist took one look at her and knew exactly what her issue was. And come to find out the migraines, the headaches, the skin conditions, her failure to thrive really was all a gluten intolerance.
David Sandstrom 9:37
Wow.
Michelle McCoy 9:39
Isn't that amazing?
David Sandstrom 9:41
And what year was that when you figured that out?
Michelle McCoy 9:44
Oh my goodness. So she was eight and she's 25 now so I mean, that was just, it was so long ago and
David Sandstrom 9:52
that was before becoming going gluten free was in vogue, right? You are you're a pioneer back then.
Michelle McCoy 9:58
I really felt like Like a pioneer, David, because I was making things from scratch, I was creating my own flower ratios, because I would go to Whole Foods and I would get a bag, one bag, and it was $75. And it was food that she didn't even like. I mean, there was one type of bread out there. And it literally did taste like cardboard. I mean, that's why you get that joke about gluten free tastes like cardboard, it has come so far. Now, it absolutely does not taste horrible at all. But I was making bread, I was making two separate meals every night. So that she had, I would have loved to put all of us on a gluten free nutrition plan. But it just wasn't feasible at the time. Right? You know, looking back Hindsight is 2020. I should have done that anyway, because my health was suffering at the same time. And I was ironically having migraines myself while I was working on trying to get her healthy and taking her for those three years to all of those appointments. And so, of course, I passed down that gluten intolerance to her. But I didn't get that connection right away. It was a few years after. And I was just feeling worse and worse. I was struggling with debilitating fatigue. And so I just had to do the deep dive into my own health and research and become my own investigator as to what was going on and make the changes.
David Sandstrom 11:29
Well, you know, for those listening might well I just want to point out episode 90 on my podcast, Natural Health Matters. I had Dr. Tanya Paynter on she's Naturopath and she specializes in migraines. And she has a 90 plus percent success rate on resolving migraines not just relieving them, but resolving them, which is absolutely phenomenal. And she does what you're talking about, you know, it's not just food, but it's a whole person approach spirit mind body. And it was great interview. If you're dealing with migraines, I highly recommend going back checking out that Episode Episode 90. But anyway, just thought I'd throw a plug in for that one.
Michelle McCoy 12:08
No, I'm glad I wrote that down. Yeah,
David Sandstrom 12:11
Okay. Yeah, she was great. She was a really great guest, we had a super good conversation. So tell tell us more about the way you kind of bring people up to speed because I'm imagining, because I was a practitioner. And most of the time when someone came to my office, they'd seen several practitioners. And there was a bit of an education that needed to go on, on, you know, if if you want to do something, if you want a different result, you've got to do things differently. Right? So so how do you go through that with your with your clients and make it help them make that transition or embrace a more natural and holistic healing methods?
Michelle McCoy 12:51
Well, I really like to put them in the driver's seat because they are ultimately in control of their own body, if I were to tell them what to do. I mean, how is that any different than then, then then being on a diet, you know, following Jenny Craig or something, I don't want to tell people what to do, I want to help them to come to their own conclusions that this is the right action step or the right lifestyle change that they need to make for themselves. And so there's a lot of soul searching that goes in to that there's a lot of journaling, a lot of tracking, like being aware and in tune to how your personal body is feeling. It's a lot of quieting the noise of the world, and what the world says health looks like. And just really getting still an intentional. And I believe we should all begin with seeking God first in that like, God, show me what is it you want me to learn through the situation, whether it's a scary diagnosis, or if you are simply just wanting to lose some weight, or you're struggling with fatigue, like, what ever it is invite God in because he as the ultimate healer and creator. He knows our bodies better than we do. Yeah, and but then we are our next best advocate for our own health. So we need to take the bull by the horns and we need to be the ones to say, No, I'm not going to feel this way any longer. I you know, I am still young. I still have a lot of time. I still have things I want to do and have to do. And I want to do it in a better healthier way.
David Sandstrom 14:40
Yeah, absolutely. I was going to ask you about that because you say in your website that you are your own advocate for your health and your own best advocate and you learn to trust yourself and your God given intuition. So how does someone dial into that? Do you use fasting prayer? How you know specifically how would someone do that? It
Michelle McCoy 15:01
really, it's, it's getting alone with God, it's really getting alone with the Lord with a journal with your Bible, and just taking that intentional time to seek Him for that specific issue. Because again, he's not going to steer you wrong. And he will always give you the wisdom if we ask for it. And, you know, and that's really, that may sound very simplistic, but that takes time. You know, that takes time. It takes intentionality, it takes faith, it takes a lot of trust. And sometimes you might find that God asks you to do something that maybe you recall that he asked you to do a few years ago, and you weren't ready to do it, or you were hesitant or just flat out disobedient. And you know, God's not going to punish us, but he's definitely going to discipline us. And sometimes, you know, trials might be allowed to happen because of that disobedience. And so really just getting alone with God, seeking his face and seeking Him as our Creator, to give us the guidance that we need. So, you know, Lord, what is it I should be working on right now? Because you might think it's your physical health, but maybe it's actually your spiritual health that you need to be working on first.
David Sandstrom 16:37
So how would you define spiritual health?
Michelle McCoy 16:42
Well, certainly different from the way the world defines spiritual.
David Sandstrom 16:46
I've kind of thought so.
Michelle McCoy 16:49
Yes. So and it's, it's interesting, right? Because that word is thrown around so much now. And it's as a Christian, you don't want to align yourself necessarily with that, but yet, it's very much a part of who we are. So it's really just being that believer of Jesus Christ, and just really letting him lead you and guide you, in your life in every every single aspect of your life. So let me give you a for instance, a lot of my clients struggle with sleep. And so sleep is very elusive to some of them, they are constantly running the to do list through their mind, they are struggling with quieting their mind, and just being able to be still. Well, there are a lot of verses in the Bible that talk about being still and just also being able to lie down and sleep in peace because your life is protected. That's in the Psalms. There are two really great verses in the Psalms. And of course, I'm blanking on what they are now, but
David Sandstrom 17:54
Keep Talking; I'll find it. I know the one you're talking about
Michelle McCoy 18:00
And I feel like ones like a four or something, but it you know, reciting these verses over and over and meditating on these verses, can really help align your heart and turn your heart posture towards the Lord instead of yourself. Because within our own strength, we really can't effectively make the changes that we want to make. We can do it for a minute, we can do it for a week, we can do it for a month, maybe. But we are human, we are flush, and we can fall back, we can fall down. Yeah, so it's really relying on that strength of the Holy Spirit that we've been given to help us with every, every single change. They're are
David Sandstrom 18:48
Walking with him right walking with all areas and surrendering to his his goodness. Yeah.
Michelle McCoy 18:55
Which is not easy. I absolutely admit that is not easy. And but I, I will say with surrender and obedience comes a stronger faith.
David Sandstrom 19:05
Yeah. The regular listeners to the show, they know this, but I'm gonna share it with you. It's my contention that we maximize our health potential when we align our lives more fully with God's natural design for spirit, mind and body. Now, there's a lot there. I mean, if you're gonna surrender to all aspects of your life, my spiritual health, my mental, emotional health, my relational health, my occupation, you know, my exercise, and my physical health, the food that I'm choosing, you know, acknowledging the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. There's a lot there. You know, that's easier said than done. Right? Here's the verse that I found. I don't know if this is the one you were thinking about. Michelle, but this is in Proverbs chapter three, verse 24. When you lie down, you will not be afraid when you lie down, you're asleep will be sweet. And I love that verse because that's the best the position you want to be in, in safety, and in peace when you've completely surrendered to God, you know that you've, you've, you've done your day, your your day is done. And you've done things God's way to the best of your ability, and you can lie down in peace, and not be fearful. Because we're in good hands when we surrender to Him. He knows he's like a, he's like a Safari on a guide on a jungle safari. He knows the way right, he's experienced. And when we surrender, that when we listen to Him, Jesus said, If you love me, you'll do what I say. And when we do that, we get into this place a piece in which you'll enjoy a supernatural piece that brings health, you know, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. I mean, who would argue that any of that is not health promoting? It obviously, obviously, is, and as you mentioned earlier, the thinking might have been before we hit record, but the medical literature has started to catch up with biblical wisdom that's been written for 1000s of years. But they're starting to catch up and which is encouraging.
Michelle McCoy 21:02
It is encouraging, isn't it? Yes, it is. And so just meditating on the promises that God gives us and the truth in his word, will go a long way to bringing us that peace.
David Sandstrom 21:13
Yeah, yeah. In order to meditate on His Word, we have to know His word, right. So I tell my kids almost on a daily basis, there's a reason why we're reading the Bible. And you know, this is not just a ritual thing, here, we're gonna, we're gonna apply this to our lives. Because if you want, you want wisdom, and you want to be able to draw upon that, when you need it, you it has to be there, it has to be in your head first, and then hopefully move from Head to Heart. But that's a whole nother that's a whole nother podcast.
Michelle McCoy 21:40
Right, for sure. So,
David Sandstrom 21:41
Michelle, I'd like to hear your views on the the innate ability of our bodies to heal themselves. Do you have had something that you can share with us on that?
Michelle McCoy 21:52
Well, I feel like once we acknowledge that we can be our best advocate for our own health, once we take down that power, take that power back, and no longer leave it in the hands of our healthcare system, which, ironically, really is not a health care system, we have a disease manage management system. That's right. Yes, and it's sad, because they do not have our best health in mind. They, it's a whole other topic, but it's money driven, it really is money driven. And so, you know, it really is up to us to do that hard work, to research to learn to ask for help to pray, finding out what our unique body needs, how we can live, you know, more of that optimal life. And you know, really just not taking no for an answer or being your own best detective. And not taking no for an answer. If you go and you are being told that your labs look normal, but you feel like crap, still, then taking back your health and, you know, doing the steps that you need to do by finding out researching, asking for help, like that's going to go a long way to empowering you. Because nobody can empower you, we can empower ourselves. And that's going to help you to feel more confident in taking care of yourself. And what I love about women changing the course of their own health is that they are the heartbeat of their home. And so when they learn what optimal health is and how they can achieve that it trickles down into the family unit.
David Sandstrom 23:39
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I love the idea that you're encouraging people to be their advocate it to be their own advocate, because no one knows your body better than you, right. I gotta share this quick story a couple of weeks ago, my mom's 90 years old. And she had a fall, and she cracked her elbow. And she ended up in the emergency room. And they admitted her and why I really don't know. I mean, you don't really admit people generally for a broken bone, but they did. And my brothers that down in Florida, I live in Georgia. And they said, you know, Mom's not doing very well. And so I said I'm gonna get on an airplane and come down. So I came down and I saw her and she was so lethargic. She could hardly keep her eyes open. I said what kind of meds do you you guys have her on? Oh, well, we don't generally give that out. I said, Well, I'm a family member and I'd like to know because this is not normal for my mom you know, she can you know she's not as sharp as she used to be. That's a memory issues but she was could have been carrying on a good conversation before she got here. I'd like to know what you given her. Turns out they were given her morphine and and you know, that will definitely make you sleepy, and it shuts down your digestive system and she wasn't eating. And she she vomited. Without getting too graphic. It was it looked like a cup of coffee to me. And the doctor came in and I said, you know, Doc, it looked like coffee. And he said what do you think? That is he's like, I don't know. That was before I knew they had her on the morphine. Well, then when I saw the the med list and I saw the morphine, I said, You gotta get her off the morphine, because that, you know, any opioid will shut down the digestive system. I think what we saw her vomit was yesterday's coffee that she drank, it looked like coffee because it was her digestive system was not processing it and finally said, I have to get this out of the body because it can't stay here. So the next time I talked to the doctor, the next day, I said, you know, you know that the morphine will shut down the digestive system. He's like, Yeah, it definitely does. I say, Well, that was that's the problem. That's why she's not eating. And that's why she's so lethargic. Oh, well, you want us to get her off? Yeah, yep. Please do. You know, so, I believe that if I didn't insist, and I wasn't my mom's advocate who couldn't speak for herself at that moment, I don't think she would have lasted another week. Because you can't, you know, and when you're failed to begin with, you're not going to last a week to 10 days without food, you know, it's just not gonna happen. And they, you know, their, their approach would have killed her. So I just, that's fresh in my mind. And I just thought I'd share that with you and the audience that, yeah, we've got to be our own advocate and advocate for our loved ones, as you were for your daughter. You know, being that Mama Bear, and doing what you can, using your intuition to, to pursue health in the best fashion possible. And I really commend you for doing that with your daughter and doing it with your clients. Now, I just, I just love the idea that you're teaching people to do that.
Michelle McCoy 26:39
I think people forget that. They do have that power. You know, I think we have spent maybe a lifetime of maybe giving away our power and just trusting the experts for our own health, whether that's mental or physical. And, you know, it's it's okay to question. It really is okay to question. And I think that's when we get the answers that we're looking for us, when we keep on questioning, you don't have to wait six more months to your you get your repeat labs, to say no, no, no, I don't want to wait six months, I actually would like to dig deeper. You know, I think about my hypothyroid issue that I've been battling for eight years. And I had to fight to get more testing done other than the traditional tests that they do. And it's like, no, I know, I know that I need more I need to know, I need to get to the root cause of what is going on. You know, I had to ask for specific tests, I had to ask for an ultrasound of my thyroid, I had to ask, these things should be common sense if you give a diagnosis. But I mean, that's just me. Because
David Sandstrom 27:52
Unfortunately, common sense is not so common.
Michelle McCoy 27:55
Right. But and because I look at the whole picture. And I don't just put a bandaid on it, then it's it is a little more common sense to me. But I it's just the tragedy that is the tragedy of the system that we have now.
David Sandstrom 28:09
Yeah. So speak to speak to the Natural Nation a little bit about the doctor does the lab work, and it comes back normal. But you know, there's something amiss, you know, you didn't feel like this last year. What do you tell a patient that comes to you with with those kinds of labs and that kind of a story?
Michelle McCoy 28:29
Well, we, you know, through kind of discussion, what is it that she is looking for the most right? Like what, let me just talk about the fatigue issue, because that is so prevalent in my community. You know, why are you still feeling tired? So let's take an inventory. Let's go through your day. And let's take an inventory and see what can we do? If you because there's a lot of insurance issues, too, as well, like some people aren't ready to order their own lab tests, some people are really at the mercy of the insurance company. So what is it you can do in the interim of that six month check? Or that three month check? What can you do? Lifestyle wise, changing up your food, changing up your sleep habits? Like what is it let's take take an inventory and see where your fatigue causes are? Or what are your fatigue triggers, what is going on? And we just take it from step by step through the day. You know, we we can just look at one area or we can look at the whole day you're looking at your body as a whole. Let's look at your whole day. And let's see where we can make little changes. It could be as simple as you're drinking way too much coffee and you're not hydrated enough. You're simply not hydrated. People think they're drinking a lot of water when they have like three glasses a day.
David Sandstrom 29:58
Right? Right. And a lot of people don't realize that coffee is diuretic and will actually dehydrate you. They think they're getting the water through the coffee, but they're not. It makes it makes the condition worse.
Michelle McCoy 30:09
I've heard that argument so many times from my own husband, I might add. A third coffee is made with water. So my rule of thumb is water before coffee every single day, you need to be drinking a full glass of water before coffee. And you know that that little switch, it's just that little switch makes such a difference in the way you feel that you want to then build on that.
David Sandstrom 30:36
Michelle, do you do functional lab work with people? Are you really mostly focused on the mental emotional connection?
Michelle McCoy 30:43
I can do lab work, I've actually done that with a few of my clients that have requested it. Yes, I support them in ordering their own labs online. And then we discuss it when they come in.
David Sandstrom 30:56
Would you you deal with a lot of women with fatigue? What have you found is some of the more common? I mean, there's a lot of reasons why somebody can experience fatigue. But what are the top one or two reasons why people are experiencing chronic fatigue?
Michelle McCoy 31:11
Well, there are so many different types of fatigue, right? Yeah, you could be suffering from just the general fatigue of staying up too late watching the hockey game or you know, whatever, and it a few nights in a row, not getting enough sleep as a new mom. It could be adrenal fatigue, chronic fatigue. And, you know, I really believe there's so many factors, but I think the environmental toxins too, are draining us. They're just draining, we have our cell phone glued to us all day long it is on our body, it's almost like an appendage. And you know, that is not helping that's kind of draining us more, we have so much information overload we, I was just saying this the other day to somebody that I feel like people have lost the art of being still really being still, especially Christians, when we are told to be still and know that I am God. I think it's so hard for us, and especially women who just are used to that mentality of Go, go go, you know, you have a family to take care of you might right now be in that sandwich generation, where you have kids at home, still, they might be in high school, but you have aging parents that you're taking care of. And so you are Go, go, go go. And you don't feel like you are allowed to stop, you don't feel like you have that ability to stop and be still. And, you know, I would say that's the very thing, that's the very time that you need to you need to get quiet, you need to be still you need to rest rest is so important. So we could have so many different reasons for fatigue, it could be our nutritional eating, it could be our it could be too much sugar, it can be too much caffeine, which is you know, it almost sounds like an oxymoron. Well, I'm drinking a lot of caffeine, I shouldn't be tired. Well, number one, you're drinking too much caffeine, you're dehydrated. So that's why you're tired? Or is it all of the sugar you put in your coffee, it could be that there's so many different reasons, it could be too many simple carbohydrates that are just turning into sugar in your body. It could be that you're not eating enough. I mean, I see that all the time where people just are not eating enough. They're not eating enough protein, they're not fueling their body for their busy day that will drain you it will take away from you. So you want to add in things into your your day your your nutrition that is going to actually fuel you and not take away from you.
David Sandstrom 33:50
Yeah. Do you feel as though fear and anxiety can wear somebody out and create fatigue?
Michelle McCoy 33:56
100% Absolutely. After what we have gone through in the last two and a half years, there is so much fear and anxiety and even in the Christian body. And it is very overwhelming. But here's the thing God has called us to not fear he has said that he will be with us he is he actually calls us up in Joshua. He says, Do not be afraid be bold and courageous. You know and that he is with us and He will not He will not forsake us. He will not leave us so we are he's not given us a spirit of fear. But wow, it's easy to forget that sometimes when we are going through a trial or when we are hard pressed on every side like Corinthians says
David Sandstrom 34:43
And it's sometimes it feels like with our fear. It's somehow protecting us. You know, it's it's a defensive mechanism and we feel maybe a little bit safer. But in the meantime we're struggling with a chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system and you have hormones being produced at rates that they shouldn't be cortisol and adrenaline and norepinephrine and the other stress hormones and catecholamines running around in our systems that'll wear us out, we were never designed to stay in the stress response, the fight or flight reflex, were designed to press in, and then quickly move out. So when we're when we're experiencing fear and anxiety, that can be very, very chronic and really, really be a burden to our systems, especially the adrenals. So yeah, I found that to be very true with with my clients when I would have my practice. So it's quite common.
Michelle McCoy 35:43
And if I could just share real quick too, when I went through my Bout of severe adrenal fatigue, just a few years ago, it was because I was I had been in a fire what I call a fire, some people call it wilderness, some people, you know, just just a trial, and it had been going on for three years, and I could not get out of that fight or flight mode. So my body was not truly able to rest and digest, it was not truly able to be in that state of rest. And it was very difficult. And that's what you know, when you stay in a stressful situation for so long, you might have one good day, but then you crash, you're always waiting for the other shoe to drop, right. And that's kind of what the situation was. And so it just really made it hard on my adrenals. And at that time, perhaps if I had rested more, if I had been more in tune with what was going on, instead of pushing my body even more, to work out to do the things that you know, I really didn't have to do sometimes, but that I felt I should, you know, not saying no to things, you know, it just maybe I would not have been as sick as I was. However, that was a very trying season in my life. And when the fire was over, my body shut down. So it's very important to be in tune with your body and to be aware of that time to rest. Jesus tells us to come away with him and rest. So it's not just resting by laying on the couch watching Netflix, it's come away with him. And rest because he is our true rest. And that's something I had to learn. And if I'm being quite honest, I'm still learning that because I do have that gogogo mentality, it's very difficult for me to slow down and rest.
David Sandstrom 37:39
Well, that's a nation I want you to listen to what he does hurt Michelle say, here we have a practitioner who understands these principles, but still struggles once in a while. So don't beat yourself up. If you're if you're having if you're struggling with some of this because we all do it. It's it's just part of being human. That's right. Alright, Michelle, so we're running out of time, but I would like for you give you a chance to share what you would consider to be the most important thing out of this conversation today. What would you like people to take away?
Michelle McCoy 38:10
Oh, wow, I guess I would have to say that you you know, I truly want you to believe that you are your own best advocate for your health and that you can take back your health if you have been struggling. If you have been, you know, dealing with a diagnosis, you know, take it back. Get quiet with the Lord, ask him to, you know, show you the steps that you should take. And tactically I mean, try to make sure that you are treating your body as the temple of the Holy Spirit that it is, are you staying hydrated? Are you eating enough? Are you eating protein at every meal? You know? Are you getting restorative sleep? Are you getting that fun, healthy movement in every day? You know, are you taking time to really seek the Lord every single morning because that is where you are going to get your TrueNorth you know when you are having that vertical relationship that's going to help the rest of your day. And I guess I mean, that was a lot but
David Sandstrom 39:13
No, that's good. That's a good word. Thank you for sharing that that was really really good stuff. So if some If this message is resonating with someone and like they'd like to get a hold of you what's the best way to do that?
Michelle McCoy 39:26
The best way is following on the podcast, the Treasured Wellness podcast and you can listen anywhere that you are listening to podcast just look up treasured wellness and you will find it and the second way is my website treasured wellness.com And there you can also listen to the podcast. You can find out more about me you can sign up for a free coaching call if you would like and also I do have a fogging and fatigue blueprint on there that is completely free that you can download and if you are struggling with low energy. And that can help give you intentional action steps to take right now to start regaining your energy with some really delicious recipes as well.
David Sandstrom 40:08
Excellent. And I'll make sure to put a link to that in the show notes for sure. Michelle, thank you so much for spending time with us today. I appreciate you.
Michelle McCoy 40:17
Thank you so much, David. It's such a pleasure.
David Sandstrom 40:20
Likewise. For more, go to the show notes page at davidsandstrom.com/105. There you can find an audio as well as a video version of the podcast. I always have a full downloadable transcript that you can put on your device and take with you and read it later. Or you can scroll through right there on the show notes page and read it as well. And I always include some type of a free content upgrade to help you go deeper with that subject. Make sure you tune into the next episode. I'm talking with Benoit Kim Benoit is a mindset expert and he has some great things to share about how to shift our thinking into a more productive fashion. And we talk about suicide prevention and how to recognize the type of behavior and someone that might be contemplating suicide and how to get that person some help. So it's a great conversation. I think you're gonna really enjoy this episode 106 coming up in two weeks. That's it for now. As always, thank you for listening, and I'll talk with you in two weeks be blessed.
Everything in our body, mind, spirit soul, it's all connected again, our creator was brilliant in his design of the human body. And so if we don't recognize that, and if we are just looking at the pain point, like what is that pain point you're having, let's say, you are going to a neurologist because you're struggling with migraines, chances are the neurologist is not going to be looking at your nutrition. He's not he or she is not going to be looking at your whole lifestyle and what is going on that could possibly be causing these migraines. And so it's really kind of a band aid approach. It's a throwing spaghetti at the wall approach. And let's just see what sticks and is very ineffective.
David Sandstrom 0:48
Welcome to the Natural Health Matters podcast where it's all about maximizing your health potential, so that you can look and feel your best at any age. I'm your host, David Sandstrom, Naturopathic Doctor and Biblical Health Coach, and this is episode number 105. Today, we have in the show, Michelle McCoy. Michelle is a board certified holistic health coach, host of the Treasured Wellness Christian podcast, and a TV show host for sawin.tv. She uses a Godly approach to support women who've been struggling with fatigue and pain to reclaim their health. Michelle, Welcome to Natural Health Matters.
Michelle McCoy 1:29
Thank you so much, David. It's such an honor and a great pleasure to be on your show.
David Sandstrom 1:33
Thank you. Well, I've been looking forward to meeting you. We have a mutual friend, Pooja Chillacurry, who was on the show. And she recommended you and she said You make a great guest. And I think she was absolutely right, I think we're going to have a great conversation. So tell us, just give us a 35,000 foot view, Michelle, of what you do today.
Michelle McCoy 1:53
Yeah, so I am a holistic health coach. And what that just essentially means is that I take look, take the whole body approach, right? Because we are all very individual and one person's food can be another person's poison, or vice versa. It's that idea of bio individuality. And so I look at the body as a whole to get to the root cause of what is the issue? What is the problem going on that Mind Body Soul spirit connection, because it's all creative, it's all connected, our creator was brilliant in his design, and how he created it all to work together well, and it's like the body if one part of the body is not working, like the other parts are affected as well. So I do work specifically with women in all areas of their health to feel better, but specifically women who are struggling with their pain and their fatigue, maybe after a lifetime of caring for others, everyone else in their family that you know, I've been there too, like your own health goes on the back burner. And especially during this time in midlife. There's a lot of emotion that goes into that, right? Like, where you just seem to look up and your nest is empty, and you're like, Okay, now what do I do now? And how do I want to feel? And how do I even do that?
David Sandstrom 3:24
Yeah, well, you know, I mean, hats off to what you're doing, because that's a, that's a tall order, right? I mean, when somebody's you know, maybe 40-50-60 years old, and then come to the realization Hey, I'm not getting any younger, and I don't feel the way I want to feel, I don't really feel the way I would like to feel. So they go to the doctor. And, you know, you know, the story, oh, you're just getting older, your blood work looks normal. You know, maybe you need to get on an antidepressant. Right? How common is that story. So what they're using is a reductionist approach that human beings are nothing more than a body, we're just a collection of random collection of atoms and molecules on if you have an emotional issue, then we you must have some kind of a chemical imbalance, let's correct it with pills. I'm not completely against that approach. It can be very appropriate, very appropriate at times. But that shouldn't be our frontline. Right. That shouldn't be our our first go to method for helping people. So exactly. Yeah, yeah. So you know, as you said, we are spirit we have a mind and we live in a body and all three parts to a human being are interconnected, and interdependent, what affects one part of us will inevitably affect the others it has to and it goes both ways. So talk to us a little bit about talk to the Natural Nation. Ahh, share with them a little bit about that spirit mind body connection, that I'm sure you share with your clients.
Michelle McCoy 4:58
Well, the thing is As we are all connected everything in our body, mind, spirit soul, it's all connected again, our creator was brilliant in his design of the human body. And so if we don't recognize that, and if we are just looking at the pain point, like, what is that pain point you're having, let's say, you are going to a neurologist, because you're struggling with migraines, chances are, the neurologist is not going to be looking at your nutrition, he's not he or she is not going to be looking at your whole lifestyle, and what is going on that could possibly be causing these migraines. And so it's really kind of a band aid approach. It's a throwing spaghetti at the wall approach. And let's just see what sticks. And it is very ineffective. And I know this firsthand with my experience with my daughter, and also with my own health journey. And it's very frustrating as the patient as the client, as the person that is going through the struggles going through the the feelings of just being told that they're normal. And they're, they're really not feeling normal. So oftentimes to what is going on with us physically could be a direct result from what's going on, spiritually. And that is something that I have personally been diving into a lot more in the last five years. And it's, you know, science is even catching up with that, right? They even talk about that how it's all connected, there are mental what we think we can actually, that can actually happen if you are having that negative mindset all the time, well, then that's what you're going to get in your life negativity, and vice versa with a positive. So it's truly all connected.
David Sandstrom 6:56
Absolutely. I couldn't I couldn't agree more. So Michelle, you mentioned that you had a health struggle of your own. Can you tell us more about that? How did you get to where you are today? And what was your issue? And then how did you recover from it?
Michelle McCoy 7:10
Sure. So the the initial beginnings of me getting into holistic and functional medicine goes back about 20 years when our daughter was sick. She was coming home from school with headaches and migraines. And she was having debilitating migraines about three to four times a week, she was also having some skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. And, you know, of course, we did all the normal taking her to the pediatrician, we started doing all of these tests. But David, it took three years for them to figure out what was wrong with her three years. And at no time did any doctor suggests that it was something that she was eating, we did do the food allergy testing twice. But it did not come up where she was positive for anything, no allergy, no intolerances. But every, every time I would go and she was going by this time to the top neurologists in our area that our insurance would cover. And so I would ask them like, Well, what about the hormones and the foods? What about you know, could I put her on a specific nutritional plan to see and they were like, no food has nothing to do with why she's sick? Well,
David Sandstrom 8:31
That's what they're taught in medical school.
Michelle McCoy 8:33
Exactly, because they only get like a 30 minute class in medical school on nutrition. That's not enough to know anything really. And so they were focusing on the head, they were focusing on that pain point and they were not looking at her body as a whole. And she was getting sicker and sicker. So being a mama bear you know, you're you're doing everything I was researching. This is before the internet age really exploded. And so I was at Barnes and Noble. I was at the library I was researching. And I was doing my own investigating, you know what, taking her off of foods, just trying different things. And finally, I went out of state to a herbalist and that herbalist took one look at her and knew exactly what her issue was. And come to find out the migraines, the headaches, the skin conditions, her failure to thrive really was all a gluten intolerance.
David Sandstrom 9:37
Wow.
Michelle McCoy 9:39
Isn't that amazing?
David Sandstrom 9:41
And what year was that when you figured that out?
Michelle McCoy 9:44
Oh my goodness. So she was eight and she's 25 now so I mean, that was just, it was so long ago and
David Sandstrom 9:52
that was before becoming going gluten free was in vogue, right? You are you're a pioneer back then.
Michelle McCoy 9:58
I really felt like Like a pioneer, David, because I was making things from scratch, I was creating my own flower ratios, because I would go to Whole Foods and I would get a bag, one bag, and it was $75. And it was food that she didn't even like. I mean, there was one type of bread out there. And it literally did taste like cardboard. I mean, that's why you get that joke about gluten free tastes like cardboard, it has come so far. Now, it absolutely does not taste horrible at all. But I was making bread, I was making two separate meals every night. So that she had, I would have loved to put all of us on a gluten free nutrition plan. But it just wasn't feasible at the time. Right? You know, looking back Hindsight is 2020. I should have done that anyway, because my health was suffering at the same time. And I was ironically having migraines myself while I was working on trying to get her healthy and taking her for those three years to all of those appointments. And so, of course, I passed down that gluten intolerance to her. But I didn't get that connection right away. It was a few years after. And I was just feeling worse and worse. I was struggling with debilitating fatigue. And so I just had to do the deep dive into my own health and research and become my own investigator as to what was going on and make the changes.
David Sandstrom 11:29
Well, you know, for those listening might well I just want to point out episode 90 on my podcast, Natural Health Matters. I had Dr. Tanya Paynter on she's Naturopath and she specializes in migraines. And she has a 90 plus percent success rate on resolving migraines not just relieving them, but resolving them, which is absolutely phenomenal. And she does what you're talking about, you know, it's not just food, but it's a whole person approach spirit mind body. And it was great interview. If you're dealing with migraines, I highly recommend going back checking out that Episode Episode 90. But anyway, just thought I'd throw a plug in for that one.
Michelle McCoy 12:08
No, I'm glad I wrote that down. Yeah,
David Sandstrom 12:11
Okay. Yeah, she was great. She was a really great guest, we had a super good conversation. So tell tell us more about the way you kind of bring people up to speed because I'm imagining, because I was a practitioner. And most of the time when someone came to my office, they'd seen several practitioners. And there was a bit of an education that needed to go on, on, you know, if if you want to do something, if you want a different result, you've got to do things differently. Right? So so how do you go through that with your with your clients and make it help them make that transition or embrace a more natural and holistic healing methods?
Michelle McCoy 12:51
Well, I really like to put them in the driver's seat because they are ultimately in control of their own body, if I were to tell them what to do. I mean, how is that any different than then, then then being on a diet, you know, following Jenny Craig or something, I don't want to tell people what to do, I want to help them to come to their own conclusions that this is the right action step or the right lifestyle change that they need to make for themselves. And so there's a lot of soul searching that goes in to that there's a lot of journaling, a lot of tracking, like being aware and in tune to how your personal body is feeling. It's a lot of quieting the noise of the world, and what the world says health looks like. And just really getting still an intentional. And I believe we should all begin with seeking God first in that like, God, show me what is it you want me to learn through the situation, whether it's a scary diagnosis, or if you are simply just wanting to lose some weight, or you're struggling with fatigue, like, what ever it is invite God in because he as the ultimate healer and creator. He knows our bodies better than we do. Yeah, and but then we are our next best advocate for our own health. So we need to take the bull by the horns and we need to be the ones to say, No, I'm not going to feel this way any longer. I you know, I am still young. I still have a lot of time. I still have things I want to do and have to do. And I want to do it in a better healthier way.
David Sandstrom 14:40
Yeah, absolutely. I was going to ask you about that because you say in your website that you are your own advocate for your health and your own best advocate and you learn to trust yourself and your God given intuition. So how does someone dial into that? Do you use fasting prayer? How you know specifically how would someone do that? It
Michelle McCoy 15:01
really, it's, it's getting alone with God, it's really getting alone with the Lord with a journal with your Bible, and just taking that intentional time to seek Him for that specific issue. Because again, he's not going to steer you wrong. And he will always give you the wisdom if we ask for it. And, you know, and that's really, that may sound very simplistic, but that takes time. You know, that takes time. It takes intentionality, it takes faith, it takes a lot of trust. And sometimes you might find that God asks you to do something that maybe you recall that he asked you to do a few years ago, and you weren't ready to do it, or you were hesitant or just flat out disobedient. And you know, God's not going to punish us, but he's definitely going to discipline us. And sometimes, you know, trials might be allowed to happen because of that disobedience. And so really just getting alone with God, seeking his face and seeking Him as our Creator, to give us the guidance that we need. So, you know, Lord, what is it I should be working on right now? Because you might think it's your physical health, but maybe it's actually your spiritual health that you need to be working on first.
David Sandstrom 16:37
So how would you define spiritual health?
Michelle McCoy 16:42
Well, certainly different from the way the world defines spiritual.
David Sandstrom 16:46
I've kind of thought so.
Michelle McCoy 16:49
Yes. So and it's, it's interesting, right? Because that word is thrown around so much now. And it's as a Christian, you don't want to align yourself necessarily with that, but yet, it's very much a part of who we are. So it's really just being that believer of Jesus Christ, and just really letting him lead you and guide you, in your life in every every single aspect of your life. So let me give you a for instance, a lot of my clients struggle with sleep. And so sleep is very elusive to some of them, they are constantly running the to do list through their mind, they are struggling with quieting their mind, and just being able to be still. Well, there are a lot of verses in the Bible that talk about being still and just also being able to lie down and sleep in peace because your life is protected. That's in the Psalms. There are two really great verses in the Psalms. And of course, I'm blanking on what they are now, but
David Sandstrom 17:54
Keep Talking; I'll find it. I know the one you're talking about
Michelle McCoy 18:00
And I feel like ones like a four or something, but it you know, reciting these verses over and over and meditating on these verses, can really help align your heart and turn your heart posture towards the Lord instead of yourself. Because within our own strength, we really can't effectively make the changes that we want to make. We can do it for a minute, we can do it for a week, we can do it for a month, maybe. But we are human, we are flush, and we can fall back, we can fall down. Yeah, so it's really relying on that strength of the Holy Spirit that we've been given to help us with every, every single change. They're are
David Sandstrom 18:48
Walking with him right walking with all areas and surrendering to his his goodness. Yeah.
Michelle McCoy 18:55
Which is not easy. I absolutely admit that is not easy. And but I, I will say with surrender and obedience comes a stronger faith.
David Sandstrom 19:05
Yeah. The regular listeners to the show, they know this, but I'm gonna share it with you. It's my contention that we maximize our health potential when we align our lives more fully with God's natural design for spirit, mind and body. Now, there's a lot there. I mean, if you're gonna surrender to all aspects of your life, my spiritual health, my mental, emotional health, my relational health, my occupation, you know, my exercise, and my physical health, the food that I'm choosing, you know, acknowledging the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. There's a lot there. You know, that's easier said than done. Right? Here's the verse that I found. I don't know if this is the one you were thinking about. Michelle, but this is in Proverbs chapter three, verse 24. When you lie down, you will not be afraid when you lie down, you're asleep will be sweet. And I love that verse because that's the best the position you want to be in, in safety, and in peace when you've completely surrendered to God, you know that you've, you've, you've done your day, your your day is done. And you've done things God's way to the best of your ability, and you can lie down in peace, and not be fearful. Because we're in good hands when we surrender to Him. He knows he's like a, he's like a Safari on a guide on a jungle safari. He knows the way right, he's experienced. And when we surrender, that when we listen to Him, Jesus said, If you love me, you'll do what I say. And when we do that, we get into this place a piece in which you'll enjoy a supernatural piece that brings health, you know, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. I mean, who would argue that any of that is not health promoting? It obviously, obviously, is, and as you mentioned earlier, the thinking might have been before we hit record, but the medical literature has started to catch up with biblical wisdom that's been written for 1000s of years. But they're starting to catch up and which is encouraging.
Michelle McCoy 21:02
It is encouraging, isn't it? Yes, it is. And so just meditating on the promises that God gives us and the truth in his word, will go a long way to bringing us that peace.
David Sandstrom 21:13
Yeah, yeah. In order to meditate on His Word, we have to know His word, right. So I tell my kids almost on a daily basis, there's a reason why we're reading the Bible. And you know, this is not just a ritual thing, here, we're gonna, we're gonna apply this to our lives. Because if you want, you want wisdom, and you want to be able to draw upon that, when you need it, you it has to be there, it has to be in your head first, and then hopefully move from Head to Heart. But that's a whole nother that's a whole nother podcast.
Michelle McCoy 21:40
Right, for sure. So,
David Sandstrom 21:41
Michelle, I'd like to hear your views on the the innate ability of our bodies to heal themselves. Do you have had something that you can share with us on that?
Michelle McCoy 21:52
Well, I feel like once we acknowledge that we can be our best advocate for our own health, once we take down that power, take that power back, and no longer leave it in the hands of our healthcare system, which, ironically, really is not a health care system, we have a disease manage management system. That's right. Yes, and it's sad, because they do not have our best health in mind. They, it's a whole other topic, but it's money driven, it really is money driven. And so, you know, it really is up to us to do that hard work, to research to learn to ask for help to pray, finding out what our unique body needs, how we can live, you know, more of that optimal life. And you know, really just not taking no for an answer or being your own best detective. And not taking no for an answer. If you go and you are being told that your labs look normal, but you feel like crap, still, then taking back your health and, you know, doing the steps that you need to do by finding out researching, asking for help, like that's going to go a long way to empowering you. Because nobody can empower you, we can empower ourselves. And that's going to help you to feel more confident in taking care of yourself. And what I love about women changing the course of their own health is that they are the heartbeat of their home. And so when they learn what optimal health is and how they can achieve that it trickles down into the family unit.
David Sandstrom 23:39
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I love the idea that you're encouraging people to be their advocate it to be their own advocate, because no one knows your body better than you, right. I gotta share this quick story a couple of weeks ago, my mom's 90 years old. And she had a fall, and she cracked her elbow. And she ended up in the emergency room. And they admitted her and why I really don't know. I mean, you don't really admit people generally for a broken bone, but they did. And my brothers that down in Florida, I live in Georgia. And they said, you know, Mom's not doing very well. And so I said I'm gonna get on an airplane and come down. So I came down and I saw her and she was so lethargic. She could hardly keep her eyes open. I said what kind of meds do you you guys have her on? Oh, well, we don't generally give that out. I said, Well, I'm a family member and I'd like to know because this is not normal for my mom you know, she can you know she's not as sharp as she used to be. That's a memory issues but she was could have been carrying on a good conversation before she got here. I'd like to know what you given her. Turns out they were given her morphine and and you know, that will definitely make you sleepy, and it shuts down your digestive system and she wasn't eating. And she she vomited. Without getting too graphic. It was it looked like a cup of coffee to me. And the doctor came in and I said, you know, Doc, it looked like coffee. And he said what do you think? That is he's like, I don't know. That was before I knew they had her on the morphine. Well, then when I saw the the med list and I saw the morphine, I said, You gotta get her off the morphine, because that, you know, any opioid will shut down the digestive system. I think what we saw her vomit was yesterday's coffee that she drank, it looked like coffee because it was her digestive system was not processing it and finally said, I have to get this out of the body because it can't stay here. So the next time I talked to the doctor, the next day, I said, you know, you know that the morphine will shut down the digestive system. He's like, Yeah, it definitely does. I say, Well, that was that's the problem. That's why she's not eating. And that's why she's so lethargic. Oh, well, you want us to get her off? Yeah, yep. Please do. You know, so, I believe that if I didn't insist, and I wasn't my mom's advocate who couldn't speak for herself at that moment, I don't think she would have lasted another week. Because you can't, you know, and when you're failed to begin with, you're not going to last a week to 10 days without food, you know, it's just not gonna happen. And they, you know, their, their approach would have killed her. So I just, that's fresh in my mind. And I just thought I'd share that with you and the audience that, yeah, we've got to be our own advocate and advocate for our loved ones, as you were for your daughter. You know, being that Mama Bear, and doing what you can, using your intuition to, to pursue health in the best fashion possible. And I really commend you for doing that with your daughter and doing it with your clients. Now, I just, I just love the idea that you're teaching people to do that.
Michelle McCoy 26:39
I think people forget that. They do have that power. You know, I think we have spent maybe a lifetime of maybe giving away our power and just trusting the experts for our own health, whether that's mental or physical. And, you know, it's it's okay to question. It really is okay to question. And I think that's when we get the answers that we're looking for us, when we keep on questioning, you don't have to wait six more months to your you get your repeat labs, to say no, no, no, I don't want to wait six months, I actually would like to dig deeper. You know, I think about my hypothyroid issue that I've been battling for eight years. And I had to fight to get more testing done other than the traditional tests that they do. And it's like, no, I know, I know that I need more I need to know, I need to get to the root cause of what is going on. You know, I had to ask for specific tests, I had to ask for an ultrasound of my thyroid, I had to ask, these things should be common sense if you give a diagnosis. But I mean, that's just me. Because
David Sandstrom 27:52
Unfortunately, common sense is not so common.
Michelle McCoy 27:55
Right. But and because I look at the whole picture. And I don't just put a bandaid on it, then it's it is a little more common sense to me. But I it's just the tragedy that is the tragedy of the system that we have now.
David Sandstrom 28:09
Yeah. So speak to speak to the Natural Nation a little bit about the doctor does the lab work, and it comes back normal. But you know, there's something amiss, you know, you didn't feel like this last year. What do you tell a patient that comes to you with with those kinds of labs and that kind of a story?
Michelle McCoy 28:29
Well, we, you know, through kind of discussion, what is it that she is looking for the most right? Like what, let me just talk about the fatigue issue, because that is so prevalent in my community. You know, why are you still feeling tired? So let's take an inventory. Let's go through your day. And let's take an inventory and see what can we do? If you because there's a lot of insurance issues, too, as well, like some people aren't ready to order their own lab tests, some people are really at the mercy of the insurance company. So what is it you can do in the interim of that six month check? Or that three month check? What can you do? Lifestyle wise, changing up your food, changing up your sleep habits? Like what is it let's take take an inventory and see where your fatigue causes are? Or what are your fatigue triggers, what is going on? And we just take it from step by step through the day. You know, we we can just look at one area or we can look at the whole day you're looking at your body as a whole. Let's look at your whole day. And let's see where we can make little changes. It could be as simple as you're drinking way too much coffee and you're not hydrated enough. You're simply not hydrated. People think they're drinking a lot of water when they have like three glasses a day.
David Sandstrom 29:58
Right? Right. And a lot of people don't realize that coffee is diuretic and will actually dehydrate you. They think they're getting the water through the coffee, but they're not. It makes it makes the condition worse.
Michelle McCoy 30:09
I've heard that argument so many times from my own husband, I might add. A third coffee is made with water. So my rule of thumb is water before coffee every single day, you need to be drinking a full glass of water before coffee. And you know that that little switch, it's just that little switch makes such a difference in the way you feel that you want to then build on that.
David Sandstrom 30:36
Michelle, do you do functional lab work with people? Are you really mostly focused on the mental emotional connection?
Michelle McCoy 30:43
I can do lab work, I've actually done that with a few of my clients that have requested it. Yes, I support them in ordering their own labs online. And then we discuss it when they come in.
David Sandstrom 30:56
Would you you deal with a lot of women with fatigue? What have you found is some of the more common? I mean, there's a lot of reasons why somebody can experience fatigue. But what are the top one or two reasons why people are experiencing chronic fatigue?
Michelle McCoy 31:11
Well, there are so many different types of fatigue, right? Yeah, you could be suffering from just the general fatigue of staying up too late watching the hockey game or you know, whatever, and it a few nights in a row, not getting enough sleep as a new mom. It could be adrenal fatigue, chronic fatigue. And, you know, I really believe there's so many factors, but I think the environmental toxins too, are draining us. They're just draining, we have our cell phone glued to us all day long it is on our body, it's almost like an appendage. And you know, that is not helping that's kind of draining us more, we have so much information overload we, I was just saying this the other day to somebody that I feel like people have lost the art of being still really being still, especially Christians, when we are told to be still and know that I am God. I think it's so hard for us, and especially women who just are used to that mentality of Go, go go, you know, you have a family to take care of you might right now be in that sandwich generation, where you have kids at home, still, they might be in high school, but you have aging parents that you're taking care of. And so you are Go, go, go go. And you don't feel like you are allowed to stop, you don't feel like you have that ability to stop and be still. And, you know, I would say that's the very thing, that's the very time that you need to you need to get quiet, you need to be still you need to rest rest is so important. So we could have so many different reasons for fatigue, it could be our nutritional eating, it could be our it could be too much sugar, it can be too much caffeine, which is you know, it almost sounds like an oxymoron. Well, I'm drinking a lot of caffeine, I shouldn't be tired. Well, number one, you're drinking too much caffeine, you're dehydrated. So that's why you're tired? Or is it all of the sugar you put in your coffee, it could be that there's so many different reasons, it could be too many simple carbohydrates that are just turning into sugar in your body. It could be that you're not eating enough. I mean, I see that all the time where people just are not eating enough. They're not eating enough protein, they're not fueling their body for their busy day that will drain you it will take away from you. So you want to add in things into your your day your your nutrition that is going to actually fuel you and not take away from you.
David Sandstrom 33:50
Yeah. Do you feel as though fear and anxiety can wear somebody out and create fatigue?
Michelle McCoy 33:56
100% Absolutely. After what we have gone through in the last two and a half years, there is so much fear and anxiety and even in the Christian body. And it is very overwhelming. But here's the thing God has called us to not fear he has said that he will be with us he is he actually calls us up in Joshua. He says, Do not be afraid be bold and courageous. You know and that he is with us and He will not He will not forsake us. He will not leave us so we are he's not given us a spirit of fear. But wow, it's easy to forget that sometimes when we are going through a trial or when we are hard pressed on every side like Corinthians says
David Sandstrom 34:43
And it's sometimes it feels like with our fear. It's somehow protecting us. You know, it's it's a defensive mechanism and we feel maybe a little bit safer. But in the meantime we're struggling with a chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system and you have hormones being produced at rates that they shouldn't be cortisol and adrenaline and norepinephrine and the other stress hormones and catecholamines running around in our systems that'll wear us out, we were never designed to stay in the stress response, the fight or flight reflex, were designed to press in, and then quickly move out. So when we're when we're experiencing fear and anxiety, that can be very, very chronic and really, really be a burden to our systems, especially the adrenals. So yeah, I found that to be very true with with my clients when I would have my practice. So it's quite common.
Michelle McCoy 35:43
And if I could just share real quick too, when I went through my Bout of severe adrenal fatigue, just a few years ago, it was because I was I had been in a fire what I call a fire, some people call it wilderness, some people, you know, just just a trial, and it had been going on for three years, and I could not get out of that fight or flight mode. So my body was not truly able to rest and digest, it was not truly able to be in that state of rest. And it was very difficult. And that's what you know, when you stay in a stressful situation for so long, you might have one good day, but then you crash, you're always waiting for the other shoe to drop, right. And that's kind of what the situation was. And so it just really made it hard on my adrenals. And at that time, perhaps if I had rested more, if I had been more in tune with what was going on, instead of pushing my body even more, to work out to do the things that you know, I really didn't have to do sometimes, but that I felt I should, you know, not saying no to things, you know, it just maybe I would not have been as sick as I was. However, that was a very trying season in my life. And when the fire was over, my body shut down. So it's very important to be in tune with your body and to be aware of that time to rest. Jesus tells us to come away with him and rest. So it's not just resting by laying on the couch watching Netflix, it's come away with him. And rest because he is our true rest. And that's something I had to learn. And if I'm being quite honest, I'm still learning that because I do have that gogogo mentality, it's very difficult for me to slow down and rest.
David Sandstrom 37:39
Well, that's a nation I want you to listen to what he does hurt Michelle say, here we have a practitioner who understands these principles, but still struggles once in a while. So don't beat yourself up. If you're if you're having if you're struggling with some of this because we all do it. It's it's just part of being human. That's right. Alright, Michelle, so we're running out of time, but I would like for you give you a chance to share what you would consider to be the most important thing out of this conversation today. What would you like people to take away?
Michelle McCoy 38:10
Oh, wow, I guess I would have to say that you you know, I truly want you to believe that you are your own best advocate for your health and that you can take back your health if you have been struggling. If you have been, you know, dealing with a diagnosis, you know, take it back. Get quiet with the Lord, ask him to, you know, show you the steps that you should take. And tactically I mean, try to make sure that you are treating your body as the temple of the Holy Spirit that it is, are you staying hydrated? Are you eating enough? Are you eating protein at every meal? You know? Are you getting restorative sleep? Are you getting that fun, healthy movement in every day? You know, are you taking time to really seek the Lord every single morning because that is where you are going to get your TrueNorth you know when you are having that vertical relationship that's going to help the rest of your day. And I guess I mean, that was a lot but
David Sandstrom 39:13
No, that's good. That's a good word. Thank you for sharing that that was really really good stuff. So if some If this message is resonating with someone and like they'd like to get a hold of you what's the best way to do that?
Michelle McCoy 39:26
The best way is following on the podcast, the Treasured Wellness podcast and you can listen anywhere that you are listening to podcast just look up treasured wellness and you will find it and the second way is my website treasured wellness.com And there you can also listen to the podcast. You can find out more about me you can sign up for a free coaching call if you would like and also I do have a fogging and fatigue blueprint on there that is completely free that you can download and if you are struggling with low energy. And that can help give you intentional action steps to take right now to start regaining your energy with some really delicious recipes as well.
David Sandstrom 40:08
Excellent. And I'll make sure to put a link to that in the show notes for sure. Michelle, thank you so much for spending time with us today. I appreciate you.
Michelle McCoy 40:17
Thank you so much, David. It's such a pleasure.
David Sandstrom 40:20
Likewise. For more, go to the show notes page at davidsandstrom.com/105. There you can find an audio as well as a video version of the podcast. I always have a full downloadable transcript that you can put on your device and take with you and read it later. Or you can scroll through right there on the show notes page and read it as well. And I always include some type of a free content upgrade to help you go deeper with that subject. Make sure you tune into the next episode. I'm talking with Benoit Kim Benoit is a mindset expert and he has some great things to share about how to shift our thinking into a more productive fashion. And we talk about suicide prevention and how to recognize the type of behavior and someone that might be contemplating suicide and how to get that person some help. So it's a great conversation. I think you're gonna really enjoy this episode 106 coming up in two weeks. That's it for now. As always, thank you for listening, and I'll talk with you in two weeks be blessed.
