1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,800
Hello, my name is Tracy Martens and I want to thank you for joining me for another episode

2
00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:12,760
of YQG In Bloom.

3
00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:18,680
Now make sure that you like, follow, subscribe to my podcast or my YouTube channel so that

4
00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:24,120
you can get any updates and you will know when we have new episodes coming up.

5
00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:29,240
And today I am here on location with a naturopathic doctor, Adrienne DeLuca.

6
00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:30,240
How are you doing?

7
00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:31,240
I'm good.

8
00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:32,240
How are you?

9
00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:33,240
I am awesome.

10
00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:35,600
Now let's just start off really easy.

11
00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:38,560
What is naturopathic doctors?

12
00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:39,560
What is that?

13
00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:42,880
So naturopathic medicine, it's a form of primary care.

14
00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:44,440
So I'm kind of like your medical doctor.

15
00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:45,440
I can order lab work.

16
00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:46,440
I can diagnose.

17
00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:48,920
We do physical exams.

18
00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:51,000
But we kind of work with the root cause more.

19
00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:55,000
So instead of treating just the symptoms, we'll treat the actual cause and try to get

20
00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,800
to that root cause of things.

21
00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,120
So I use a lot of herbs, I use nutrition movement.

22
00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:02,440
We talk a lot about stress management.

23
00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:08,720
I do a lot of acupuncture and I do a lot more lab work, you know, more in depth than your

24
00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:10,360
medical doctor would.

25
00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:12,240
So yeah, we're kind of that primary care.

26
00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:13,680
We work with doctors.

27
00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:16,080
It's not that we're anti, you know, Western medicine.

28
00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:17,840
So you guys can work in conjunction with each other.

29
00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:18,840
Totally.

30
00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:19,840
There's a time and place for both.

31
00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:23,920
And I think they should both, you know, NDs and MDs have a place in your circle of care.

32
00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:25,080
Well, that's great.

33
00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:33,040
A lot of different medical conditions come from like B12 deficiency or iron deficiency.

34
00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:34,040
Yeah.

35
00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:36,160
So I see a lot of women in my practice.

36
00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:39,280
So that's a really good example is the iron.

37
00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:43,000
When it comes to lab work, there's these reference ranges of what is normal.

38
00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:48,200
And so what I see a lot is women being told that their lab work looks normal.

39
00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:52,520
And then when I look at it, I'm like, well, you're just above that deficient line.

40
00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:53,760
Definitely room for improvement.

41
00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:58,840
And so that's what I kind of call like optimization is we're focused on getting that number to

42
00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:02,320
where I know women feel well and not just like enough.

43
00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:03,320
Yeah.

44
00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:10,760
And you definitely have to follow Adrienne DeLuca on Instagram because I saw that she

45
00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:11,760
does a lot.

46
00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:17,040
You have a post on that and she does have a lot of really great information as well

47
00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:18,360
as on your website.

48
00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:20,400
Your blogs are really good.

49
00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:22,480
I really enjoyed them.

50
00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:24,120
The blogs are a lot more in depth.

51
00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:25,120
Yeah.

52
00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:26,960
So my website is Wellness with Adrienne.

53
00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:31,400
So wellness-with-adrienne.com.

54
00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:35,120
So the blogs are a lot more in depth and then the reels are super short, but try to keep

55
00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:37,600
them really informative and quick information.

56
00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:40,000
Well, that is a lot of information.

57
00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:45,920
When you went in depth about the iron deficiency and I was really shocked to find out that

58
00:02:45,920 --> 00:02:52,640
some labs and some doctors classify just above the deficient line as normal when...

59
00:02:52,640 --> 00:02:53,640
Yeah.

60
00:02:53,640 --> 00:02:54,640
It's insane.

61
00:02:54,640 --> 00:02:56,640
Like I've had so many women and especially teenagers.

62
00:02:56,640 --> 00:02:58,040
I see this a lot.

63
00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:00,880
I had a girl a few weeks ago.

64
00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:03,880
She was a teen and her doctor said her iron was normal.

65
00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:04,880
She was exhausted.

66
00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:05,880
She had headaches all the time.

67
00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:09,280
She was a heavy bleeder around her period.

68
00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:15,200
And so for example, with iron, the low end is about 11 and she was at 12 and her doctor

69
00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:16,200
said she was normal.

70
00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,640
And I was like, in a couple of days when you don't take your iron supplement, you're going

71
00:03:19,640 --> 00:03:20,640
to be deficient.

72
00:03:20,640 --> 00:03:23,920
So it's really good to just have a second opinion on your lab work.

73
00:03:23,920 --> 00:03:24,920
Yeah.

74
00:03:24,920 --> 00:03:27,320
And my appointments are a lot longer than your medical doctor.

75
00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:29,440
So I don't see you for five or 10 minutes.

76
00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:31,840
I see you for usually an hour.

77
00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:35,240
So I have more time to actually look into things and explain them to you and have you

78
00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,880
understand what your lab work is saying and ask more questions about your symptoms and

79
00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:41,200
things like that.

80
00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:46,280
For say your schooling, is it the same as for an MD or?

81
00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:47,280
It's similar.

82
00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:52,600
So you still need your four year undergrad and then our medical school is four years.

83
00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:57,200
So in first and second year, we do all the same biomedical science as your medical doctor

84
00:03:57,200 --> 00:03:58,200
does.

85
00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:03,720
So we've got immunology, microbiology, anatomy, like all the ologies.

86
00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:07,560
But on top of that, we're doing our botanical medicine, Chinese medicine, all the stuff

87
00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:09,180
that we do.

88
00:04:09,180 --> 00:04:12,840
And then in our last year, we have an internship where we're in the clinic.

89
00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:16,560
You have so many hours and so many patients and you have to do all your check marks.

90
00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:20,120
So the only difference is that your doctor does four years plus they have a two year

91
00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:23,200
residency, whereas we don't have to do a residency.

92
00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:25,660
If you pick a focus, that's kind of up to you.

93
00:04:25,660 --> 00:04:27,600
So when I was in my internship year, I did pick a focus.

94
00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:28,600
I did pediatrics.

95
00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:29,600
Yes.

96
00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:38,360
Adrienne has her own podcast and it's called Wellness in Windsor with Dr. Deluca on Spotify.

97
00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:43,200
And it's really good, your story on how you ended up as a naturopathic doctor.

98
00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:45,240
I wanted to ask you about it.

99
00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:50,960
But when I read it, or I listened to it, it was a really good story on how you ended up

100
00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:56,240
because this is nowhere where you were going towards in your story to get there.

101
00:04:56,240 --> 00:05:01,560
But a lot of people I think will resonate with that because when you think out, well,

102
00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:06,040
I want to be an ambulance attendant and that's what I'm going to do.

103
00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:08,880
And you change your mind, but people won't.

104
00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:12,040
They're like, okay, this is what I said, so I'm stuck there.

105
00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:18,680
And your story really resonated with me on following your heart and just listening to

106
00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:23,760
all the signs and you ended up somewhere which I think is a perfect fit.

107
00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:24,760
Yeah.

108
00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:29,040
Well, and a lot of my colleagues, they have those big stories where it's like, I was so

109
00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:33,440
sick and then I saw my ND and they fixed me and then I became an ND.

110
00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:38,280
And so I always kind of felt like kind of off because I didn't have that.

111
00:05:38,280 --> 00:05:43,440
But like I told women in my office all the time, I'm like, you have intuition.

112
00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:46,600
We've been convinced that we shouldn't listen to it.

113
00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:47,600
It's true.

114
00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:48,600
So I think that's what I did.

115
00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:49,600
Yeah.

116
00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:51,760
And that's how you find what really fits with you.

117
00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:56,520
And a lot of people, it's usually their first, second or even third career is before they

118
00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:57,520
get it right.

119
00:05:57,520 --> 00:05:59,720
Well, and I feel so lucky that I found this.

120
00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:01,160
Figured it out in school.

121
00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:03,760
I just had a little extra schooling, but it was still good.

122
00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:04,760
Yeah.

123
00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:05,760
Okay.

124
00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:08,680
So definitely hit her up at Wellness in Windsor.

125
00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:12,320
Wellness in Windsor with Dr. DeLuca is the podcast on Spotify.

126
00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:13,320
Yes.

127
00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:14,320
Okay.

128
00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:16,440
Now my rant for that is over.

129
00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:18,800
Now do you prescribe a lot of supplements?

130
00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:23,920
Because I know a lot of people are deficient, don't get enough sunlight and I wasn't sure

131
00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:27,400
if that is an issue for everybody.

132
00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:29,400
Definitely not for everyone.

133
00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:33,560
I'd say there's kind of, if we were to make it really broad, there's two reasons people

134
00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:34,560
come to see me.

135
00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:38,520
You're either trying to prevent disease and you live a healthy life and you just want

136
00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:40,360
to add that extra piece.

137
00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:43,600
And then there's people who have symptoms or they have a condition or they're looking

138
00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:47,440
to get diagnosed and we're really hitting the nail on the head.

139
00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:50,760
So if you're coming to see me and you're like, I just want to live a healthy lifestyle and

140
00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:54,320
you know, prevent cardiovascular disease, prevent cancer.

141
00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:57,040
Usually I don't give you a lot of supplements.

142
00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:01,680
The one caveat to that would be if you're like a vegan or eat a vegetarian diet, you're

143
00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:03,600
never going to have enough iron and B12.

144
00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:06,680
So you're going to be on that supplement.

145
00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:08,680
Usually I kind of see it as a pyramid.

146
00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:14,100
So if the bottom of our pyramid was, you know, stress management and eating well and exercise

147
00:07:14,100 --> 00:07:19,240
and all those things, for me, it's kind of like if we have all of those under control,

148
00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:23,320
then supplements are like the next step to like level up.

149
00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:25,280
I don't take a whole lot of supplements myself.

150
00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:29,240
The things I take, I have like an identified purpose to take them.

151
00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:34,040
So that being said, if you see something on TikTok, maybe ask your naturopath before,

152
00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:37,720
you know, diving into that supplement because there's a lot of nonsense that happens on

153
00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:38,720
social media.

154
00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:44,160
But then when it comes to like, if we have a specific goal that we're trying to reach,

155
00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:47,560
so if you need more energy and the things you're doing aren't enough or if you have

156
00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:50,920
PCOS or endometriosis, fertility, I see a lot.

157
00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:55,320
So there are supplements that I, you know, prescribe for like increasing egg quality and all those

158
00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:56,800
types of things.

159
00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:57,800
Then there's supplements.

160
00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:02,040
At the end of the day, I always let patients know what the benefits are, what the risks

161
00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:07,840
are and then cost is a factor too because supplements can get really pricey.

162
00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:12,840
But to answer your question, what I'll say is I usually take people off more supplements

163
00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:13,840
than I put them on.

164
00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:18,160
A lot of the time people come in and they have like this, this grocery bag, like of

165
00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:21,480
a list of all these supplements and I'm like, okay, why are you taking this?

166
00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:23,540
Like you don't need half of these.

167
00:08:23,540 --> 00:08:27,920
And then I'll usually change up sometimes like the dosing or the brand.

168
00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:32,360
And sometimes, you know, the drugstore brands, they're usually cheaper because they're not

169
00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:33,440
in the active form.

170
00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,600
So if you're taking that supplement with a specific goal in mind and you're not seeing

171
00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:40,840
that, then we'll probably switch it to a better quality that's in the active form that's going

172
00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:42,360
to do more for you.

173
00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:49,720
Now you did say, I noticed in there about fertility and different supplements.

174
00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:54,120
Women's health and women's fertility is something that you really enjoy working with.

175
00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:55,120
I love it.

176
00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:56,120
That's your passion?

177
00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:57,120
Yeah.

178
00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:00,840
So when I was in second year of medical school, I took an extra course to become a naturopathic

179
00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:01,840
doula.

180
00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:06,240
So I was trained to help women during labor, but then also support them like prenatal and

181
00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:07,240
postpartum.

182
00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:10,520
So in naturopathic school, you learn a lot about fertility.

183
00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:15,400
So that paired with my doula training is just like this beautiful like full circle thing

184
00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:19,280
because I help women get pregnant, support them through their pregnancy, make their birth

185
00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:22,000
plan postpartum, and then I'm trained in pediatrics.

186
00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:24,160
So then I see their little ones when they need help.

187
00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:26,760
But yeah, fertility is something I see a lot of.

188
00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:31,160
I see a lot of women who are ready to get pregnant and they just want to know that they're

189
00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:33,200
doing everything they can.

190
00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:36,320
And then I see people who have been struggling with fertility.

191
00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:40,560
They may be waiting for IUI or IVF or they may be trying to avoid it.

192
00:09:40,560 --> 00:09:47,040
And what I see a lot or what I do a lot is I see a lot of unexplained fertility being

193
00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:52,840
diagnosed when really there maybe hasn't been enough imaging or lab work.

194
00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:54,840
Like to me, there's usually a reason.

195
00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:57,000
Like 90% of the time there is a reason.

196
00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,840
It's just can we find that reason and address it?

197
00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:03,200
So something I see a lot is, for example, women's in my office.

198
00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:05,960
They're like, I've been trying for eight or nine months to get pregnant.

199
00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:12,120
So they're not at that one year level of being considered like infertility.

200
00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:13,360
But they haven't been getting pregnant.

201
00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:15,140
So that's when we look at lab work.

202
00:10:15,140 --> 00:10:17,720
When you come and see me, like I said, we spend so much more time together.

203
00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:25,240
So a lot of the time I'm diagnosing hypothyroidism that hasn't been seen, PCOS, endometriosis,

204
00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:29,320
just diagnoses that have been missed because someone hasn't taken the time to really go

205
00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:31,840
into depth about your symptoms.

206
00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:37,520
And on that note, when I ask about your menstrual cycle, I always ask, are you a heavy bleeder

207
00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:39,240
or are you regular?

208
00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:40,760
And so women usually say yes or no.

209
00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:45,160
But then when I start to ask the specific questions, it's like, oh, you are a heavy

210
00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:46,160
bleeder.

211
00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:49,960
So your medical doctor doesn't know that you have these symptoms because society has

212
00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:53,800
convinced us that just because something's common, it's normal.

213
00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:58,320
So getting to chat with women a little bit more in depth, I'm able to say, look, you

214
00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:00,640
need to go ask for this imaging, whatever.

215
00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:04,680
Once we know you have PCOS or endo or whatever it is, then it's like, okay, now we're on

216
00:11:04,680 --> 00:11:08,960
track to fix that so that you can get pregnant.

217
00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:10,560
And supplements come into that too.

218
00:11:10,560 --> 00:11:13,160
Acupuncture is really, really helpful for fertility.

219
00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:14,640
It is?

220
00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:15,640
Yeah.

221
00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:19,520
I have had patients who have done four to six treatments and they've gotten pregnant

222
00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:21,280
when they've been trying for a long time.

223
00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:22,280
Yeah.

224
00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:23,280
Oh my goodness.

225
00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:25,920
I had no idea that acupuncture could help.

226
00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:26,920
Yeah.

227
00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:27,920
Oh yeah, 100%.

228
00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:29,600
And supplements can help as well?

229
00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:30,600
Yeah.

230
00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:34,040
There's a lot of nutrition that can help.

231
00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:40,640
There's a lot of supplements, whether it's the sperm or the egg that needs work.

232
00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:42,840
And that's, I don't see enough of the men in my office.

233
00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:44,720
They should be in too.

234
00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:50,040
But there's supplements, like zinc will help with the sperm mobility and motility, things

235
00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:53,840
like a good prenatal in the right dose, in the right form.

236
00:11:53,840 --> 00:11:57,760
There's other certain supplements depending what you're diagnosed with that can help with

237
00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:00,600
egg quality, egg quantity.

238
00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:04,400
And then there's other like herbs, especially your acupuncture that'll help regulate your

239
00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:06,440
period so it is more regular.

240
00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:10,320
And then we can identify when you're ovulating more specifically.

241
00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:11,320
Yeah.

242
00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:13,880
So it'll regulate the ovulation.

243
00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:14,880
Yeah.

244
00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:17,560
Now, are you a certified doula?

245
00:12:17,560 --> 00:12:19,320
I'm like a naturopathic doula.

246
00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:25,880
So I'm not certified through like the, there's like a federal doula little trademark.

247
00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:28,920
This was specifically for naturopathic doula certification that I got.

248
00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:29,920
Okay.

249
00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:35,400
So you can help with the before the getting pregnant, during the pregnancy and then the

250
00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:37,800
postpartum, we don't do the delivery.

251
00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:38,800
Yeah.

252
00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:41,880
I don't currently attend active labor.

253
00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:43,640
I'm just doing the prenatal.

254
00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:48,940
The thing that I'm finding is most beneficial with my doula training is because midwives

255
00:12:48,940 --> 00:12:54,080
are really hard to come by, especially because women don't find out they're pregnant until

256
00:12:54,080 --> 00:12:56,760
five weeks is the average.

257
00:12:56,760 --> 00:12:59,360
And then if they haven't been planning for it and they're like, okay, I don't know if

258
00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:00,720
I want a hospital birth.

259
00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:04,280
I don't know if I want an OBGYN or a midwife.

260
00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:06,520
Sometimes by the time they call for a midwife, there's no room.

261
00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:12,160
And so they're kind of destined to give birth in the hospital with an obstetrician.

262
00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:17,760
And so what I do for those women is I'm filling in the gap with education because in the hospital

263
00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:22,520
we're into a routine of what makes sense for the doctors and we're in and out.

264
00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:26,720
Because a lot of the things that are routine aren't necessarily evidence-based.

265
00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:28,800
It's just what they do.

266
00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:33,240
So I spend a lot of time educating women, helping them discover what they want their

267
00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:35,160
birth plan to be.

268
00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:37,560
I'm not pro vaginal birth.

269
00:13:37,560 --> 00:13:38,760
I'm not pro C-section.

270
00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:42,120
I'm pro informed consent for you.

271
00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:44,360
There's no right or wrong.

272
00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:45,360
There's safety involved.

273
00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:49,920
But then there's also, you know, there's a lot of times in hospital where you're being

274
00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:53,080
told you need to be induced or you're being told you have to lay on the bed and you can't

275
00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:54,080
move around.

276
00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:57,000
And all these things, like you do have a choice.

277
00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:01,280
And so it's about empowering women beforehand to know what their choices are and to not

278
00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:04,720
be pressured by whoever it may be.

279
00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:07,760
And then another thing that's really lacking is postpartum planning.

280
00:14:07,760 --> 00:14:08,760
So like your mom...

281
00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:12,160
You don't even think about that until afterward.

282
00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:13,160
I know.

283
00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:16,520
And I talk to so many women and I'm like, how long did you spend planning your wedding?

284
00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:20,880
Like, okay, you need to spend that amount of time thinking about postpartum, especially

285
00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:25,760
because now we live in this like city atmosphere where we're so far removed from our parents

286
00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:27,080
and our grandparents and our cousins.

287
00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:29,680
Like we're all in our own little homes.

288
00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:32,040
So you don't have that neighbor next door anymore.

289
00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:35,640
Like back in, you know, forever ago when you just dropped your kid off next door while

290
00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:38,260
you went to go borrow milk from your other neighbor.

291
00:14:38,260 --> 00:14:42,560
So there's this huge like lack of like postpartum care.

292
00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:47,240
So I just, I asked like, they seem like such silly questions, but it's like, who is coming

293
00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:48,440
to clean the house for you?

294
00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:51,720
Who's coming to check in on not just the baby, but you?

295
00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:56,040
Who's coming to like make you meals and clean and you know, where does your birth partner

296
00:14:56,040 --> 00:14:57,040
fit in this picture?

297
00:14:57,040 --> 00:14:58,040
Like, are they there?

298
00:14:58,040 --> 00:14:59,280
How long of a mat leave do you have?

299
00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:04,920
Like all these questions, having them laid out can not only like set you up for physical

300
00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:10,320
success, but like during your birth, you will feel so much more at ease that you can have

301
00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:15,540
a more positive birth experience, which automatically reduces your risk of so many things.

302
00:15:15,540 --> 00:15:17,360
If you feel like you're empowered during your birth.

303
00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:18,360
Oh, for sure.

304
00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:24,360
Cause I, I know I got so tired of hearing that when the baby sleeps, you sleep and I'm

305
00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:29,240
sorry because then you're stressed out because when am I supposed to be cleaning the house

306
00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:31,720
and getting the dinners and stuff like that.

307
00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:36,440
So I always took the time when the baby was sleeping to do all the other stuff so that

308
00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:44,280
I could enjoy the baby when he was awake and it was a lot less stressful and he was obviously

309
00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:50,680
calmer cause he wasn't picking up on my stress and people don't realize that each person

310
00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:53,120
has an individual plan.

311
00:15:53,120 --> 00:15:57,680
Like maybe some work, it works for them to sleep when the baby sleeps.

312
00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:01,880
And that's something I talk about with women and like, there are going to be so many people

313
00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:03,400
telling you how to do things.

314
00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:07,440
And I'm just like, do exactly do what's best for you.

315
00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:11,360
But that's a big thing because a lot of us, if our mental health isn't up to par, our

316
00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:16,880
emotional boundaries aren't up to par before baby, that's only going to be like doubled

317
00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:18,120
postpartum.

318
00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:20,880
So I do place a big focus on mental health.

319
00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:25,320
Even when we're working on fertility, I 99% of the time, even if you don't have a diagnosed

320
00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:29,640
mental health disorder, I'm like, go to therapy, like just go and talk to someone and like

321
00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:33,840
fill in any gaps that you need to fill so you are at a hundred percent when you're at

322
00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:35,680
your most vulnerable state.

323
00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:41,120
It's true because you don't even realize like everybody has their own thing.

324
00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:45,120
What works for them is different than what works for somebody else.

325
00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:49,120
And I was bound and determined that there was no way in heck I was going to have an

326
00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:50,120
epidural.

327
00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:51,360
I was going to have a natural birth.

328
00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:57,840
I went to all the classes and I was overdue.

329
00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:02,480
And by a month, because I had bronchitis and my doctor was like, okay, well, we're going

330
00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:03,560
to induce you.

331
00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:07,600
So he pulled on the sack and I was in labor the whole night.

332
00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:11,320
And then he broke my water the next day.

333
00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:15,200
And as soon as I had one, get traction, I'm like, okay, I need the needle.

334
00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:16,200
Thank you so much.

335
00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:23,840
And then there was a girl next to me and she's like, okay, I might want one too.

336
00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:29,200
And then I had no idea I was going to need a caesarean, which I mean, you just don't

337
00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:30,200
get it.

338
00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:35,280
And then to find out afterwards that, oh, you still have the bleeding, even though you

339
00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:36,280
had the caesarean.

340
00:17:36,280 --> 00:17:37,880
I'm like, okay, I wasn't expecting that.

341
00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:41,160
I thought I was getting away from not having that.

342
00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:44,880
And then the hormones were all over the place.

343
00:17:44,880 --> 00:17:49,400
And I think he was a week old and I'm just sitting there crying going, I can't do this.

344
00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:53,360
Well, so there's two things I want to touch on from your story.

345
00:17:53,360 --> 00:17:58,960
Number one is when we make a birth plan, it's not just like this is set in stone.

346
00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:02,280
We make a plan based on what is ideal for you.

347
00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:03,280
And then we make a backup plan.

348
00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:04,280
Oh, that's a good idea.

349
00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:06,560
Yeah, we have a backup plan.

350
00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:11,240
So it's like, okay, if this happens, so example, if you decide to be induced or if you decide

351
00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:14,460
to get the epidural, what does that look like?

352
00:18:14,460 --> 00:18:21,520
And then in terms of the baby blues, so day two, three is when your hormones just take

353
00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:25,240
a crazy, insane plummet.

354
00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:27,780
And that's totally normal.

355
00:18:27,780 --> 00:18:32,520
If that lasts longer, which for a lot of women it does, up to six weeks, they're still feeling

356
00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:36,320
down, they're still feeling super anxious, that's postpartum depression or postpartum

357
00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:38,200
anxiety.

358
00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:40,080
And there are risk factors for that.

359
00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:43,760
So having a doula reduces your risk of those things.

360
00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:47,440
Or having any healthcare provider trained in this who helps you make that birth plan

361
00:18:47,440 --> 00:18:53,440
reduces your risk drastically of experiencing postpartum depression and anxiety.

362
00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:56,560
But there's also a lot of lab markers that do as well.

363
00:18:56,560 --> 00:19:02,920
So having low vitamin D, having low iron, they increase your risk of experiencing that.

364
00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:07,400
So that's something I look at in, ideally you come to me for fertility so that we've

365
00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:09,400
set you up for a good pregnancy.

366
00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,980
But even if your levels are low during pregnancy, we can get those up to reduce your risk of

367
00:19:12,980 --> 00:19:14,880
those things afterwards.

368
00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:15,880
It's very fascinating.

369
00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:23,880
And it's funny you say vitamin D because it seems that C and D, they're key for a lot

370
00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:26,600
of issues that you wouldn't realize.

371
00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:27,600
Yeah.

372
00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:34,240
Vitamin D is involved in so many roles in the body, like immune function, mental health,

373
00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:38,560
you name it, vitamin D has some sort of role, even with osteoporosis, because vitamin D

374
00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:40,520
helps calcium in the bone.

375
00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:48,040
Well even my neurologist in London for the epilepsy caused by menopause, always make

376
00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:54,960
sure that you're on your Cs and your Ds and they help your hormones stay in check to reduce

377
00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:56,560
that during menopause.

378
00:19:56,560 --> 00:19:59,760
Yeah, vitamin D has a huge role in the hormones as well.

379
00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:02,280
Do you go all the way to menopausal women as well?

380
00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:04,480
I do go all the way.

381
00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:07,600
Menopause is very tricky.

382
00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:10,600
It's not my favorite thing, but I am able to help.

383
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:12,800
I don't think it's anybody's favorite thing.

384
00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:14,180
It's no one's favorite thing.

385
00:20:14,180 --> 00:20:15,180
It's so tricky.

386
00:20:15,180 --> 00:20:16,180
There's so much we don't know.

387
00:20:16,180 --> 00:20:21,680
And I think that there's a lot of negative connotation that comes with hormone replacement

388
00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:25,440
therapy, but there's actually a lot of good things that come from hormone replacement

389
00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:28,400
therapy, like a lot of risk reduction with cancers.

390
00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:31,280
So there's just a lot of uncertainty.

391
00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:36,080
The thing with menopause too is I don't have my prescribing license yet.

392
00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:41,320
I'm currently working towards that to be able to give hormone replacement therapy and to

393
00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:44,120
give higher dose vitamin D, etc., etc.

394
00:20:44,120 --> 00:20:46,440
So I don't have a lot of the tools.

395
00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:48,320
There's a lot of herbs that help with menopause.

396
00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:49,720
There's lots of nutrition.

397
00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:55,200
I would say with menopause, there's a lot of stuff I can do for hot flashes.

398
00:20:55,200 --> 00:21:00,160
Everyone with menopause wants me to help them get rid of this, that tummy extra.

399
00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:01,160
Is it there?

400
00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:04,160
And honestly, it's there.

401
00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:07,680
There's things that we can do to get rid of it, but it's a lot of work.

402
00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:09,840
And sometimes people don't want to do all the work.

403
00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:13,680
They just want the supplement and I don't have the supplement answer for that.

404
00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:16,320
Or we just want the plastic surgery.

405
00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:25,160
Now, I know you deal with the infertility and with the pregnancy and the postpartum

406
00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:26,160
and the children.

407
00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:31,280
And you also do deal with women just on a regular basis because you do have a women's

408
00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:32,280
program.

409
00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:33,280
Yeah.

410
00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:34,280
So I created this course.

411
00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:35,280
It's online.

412
00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:36,280
It's self-paced.

413
00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:41,000
It's for people who aren't ready for that one-on-one care, like that individualized

414
00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:43,640
care, or they're just looking for something more affordable.

415
00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:45,280
That's the reason I created it.

416
00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:51,600
Going through naturopathic school, I recognized that my profession is a luxury service, right?

417
00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:55,360
You can't access what I do unless you have really good benefits or unless you make enough

418
00:21:55,360 --> 00:21:57,400
money that you can pay for out of pocket.

419
00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:02,680
So I wanted to create a course that could help educate women on how to be well without

420
00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:03,680
the expense.

421
00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:06,440
And so that's how the course came to be.

422
00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:08,280
And it's really just the foundations of health.

423
00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:13,040
So there's nutrition module, exercise, stress management.

424
00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:15,720
There's a supplement module.

425
00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:17,640
And it's really just the basics.

426
00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:21,920
So it's really nice because I don't have time to go over that in office.

427
00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:26,720
We do over time, but this is like six hours worth of material.

428
00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:32,840
I'm lucky enough with Adrienne that this program is regular $149 online.

429
00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:37,560
And you said it's a six-hour module broken up into five?

430
00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:40,360
Yeah, I think there's six videos.

431
00:22:40,360 --> 00:22:43,040
One's like an intro.

432
00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:46,400
So it's worth about $600 of my expense.

433
00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:48,000
Time if they were to come in to see you.

434
00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:51,760
So it is normally priced at $149.

435
00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:59,040
And if you use the code YQG in Bloom, you can get 15% off, which is great.

436
00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:04,880
Now if people are lucky enough in the Windsor-Essex County area to be able to come in to see you,

437
00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:05,880
where are you working?

438
00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:06,880
Well, I'm here.

439
00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:11,360
So this is All Systems Wellness in Riverside.

440
00:23:11,360 --> 00:23:13,080
I'm here two or three days a week.

441
00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:16,360
And then I'm also practicing out of Valero Wellness in Lakeshore.

442
00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:17,360
Oh, that's great.

443
00:23:17,360 --> 00:23:18,360
Yeah.

444
00:23:18,360 --> 00:23:19,360
That's awesome.

445
00:23:19,360 --> 00:23:21,360
Trying to service two ends of town.

446
00:23:21,360 --> 00:23:23,400
Adrienne, where can we find you online?

447
00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:25,720
So you can connect with me on Instagram.

448
00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:28,440
I'm adrienne.daluca.nd.

449
00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:31,760
I try to answer messages within 48 hours.

450
00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:33,520
And then I also am on Spotify.

451
00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:37,600
So my podcast is called Wellness in Windsor with Dr. Daluca.

452
00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:38,640
Which is amazing.

453
00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:41,560
So make sure you do subscribe to that.

454
00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:42,560
And I loved it.

455
00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:45,000
It was really a great two episodes.

456
00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:46,000
Thanks.

457
00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:47,680
And you're working on your third one now?

458
00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:54,440
I'm coming across some issues, but we do have lots of episodes in the works.

459
00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:57,880
And if you want to message me on Instagram, if you have any questions about naturopathic

460
00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:03,200
medicine, please send them my way because I always try to create episodes with just

461
00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:05,280
common questions that people have about what I do.

462
00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:06,360
Oh, that's great.

463
00:24:06,360 --> 00:24:07,880
Thank you so much for being here today.

464
00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:10,160
I really do appreciate it.

465
00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:12,080
And again, my name is Tracy Martens.

466
00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:16,860
And I want to thank you so much for joining me for another episode of YQG in Bloom.

467
00:24:16,860 --> 00:24:17,840
You guys have a great day.

