Category Archives: Coast Live

Speaker 1: A report from the nonprofit Environmental Working Group or E W G found that several popular brands of cereal and oatmeal and granola, and snack bars may con, may contain glyphosate. So that’s the same active ingredient found in the weed. Roundup. All right. Shock here. Dr. Erica Steele from Holistic Family Medicine is in Virginia Beach, and she’s here to explain what this can mean for our children’s health. Okay, so when I heard that news, I was stunned. I’m like, round up what the weed killer is in my kids’ food. Yes. So what do we do as parents?

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Speaker 2: So the most important thing is to stay educated. Okay. And be aware of what you’re actually putting in your body. And that’s universal, right? We shouldn’t be mindless. Just going in. We just listen to a whole grocery store. That’s all about that conscious awareness. A lot of people, especially families, are jam-packed. They don’t have time to read every single ingredient. That’s why I really promote more of a whole food, plant-based diet.

Where you know, if it doesn’t grow in a tree or you can’t pick it, it doesn’t have vital force life energy in it, then you pretty much know most of those foods that, they found, they were foods that were in boxes, in bags, they were processed foods, so we already knew. You already know intuitively. Those foods don’t necessarily have all the most significant things in them. But I think we just needed a little extra wake-up call to say, wait a second, what are we doing to ourselves?

Speaker 1: How do we discover this? I look at the packaging and how many sugars and added sugars and all of those things, cuz I know those are bad for us. Yeah. But, like, how did we come upon this, that there was the same thing in Roundup?

Speaker 2: Yeah. I always say I have this funny analogy when I’m talking about food. It’s kinda like a mul. Business in the front party in the back. Okay. So like, in the front, it’s, it’ll say, heart, healthy, organic, whatever.

But then you flip it over, and you look at the ingredients. There are a couple of literal rules of thumb. One, you put your finger on, their thumb on there, and if the ingredients list is longer than that, it’s not healthy. But I think just over time, with trying to help with the growing population of all the people and trying to feed, they use the herbicides to be able to cut down on some of the weeds. And then now it’s just, Spun out of control. Now we have genetically modified foods. They were trying to replicate different seeds and things like that. I don’t think at the time, like they weren’t thinking, oh, this is gonna, this is some sinister plan,, was just, they were trying to really help with the ever-growing population. Okay. And feeding everyone.

Speaker 1: Okay. So how does it impact a child exposed over a long period?

Speaker 2: So herbicides can affect the neurological system, the hormonal system. So like focus, concentration, and behavioral it also, heavy metals tend to combine with minerals in the body. So that can create all kinds of even aversions to food. Especially when, like teens, they start to have their period, their cycles, and things like that.

It can throw that. It has a lot of long-term impacts, unfortunately, if it’s missed and treated, and that’s why detoxification, even though now it’s a fad, has really been something that’s been in holistic healthcare practice for ages. Okay. Because of all the ever-growing toxicities in our environment, we wanna be mindful of, I’m not afraid of them. We just want to be aware of them to decrease those out of our bodies.

Speaker 1: In your opinion, do you think this is connected to all of the issues children are having today? You’re seeing children that are very large or developed at a very early age. You’re seeing children with focus problems. Yeah. And do you think it’s somewhat related to this at all?

Speaker 2: The environment has a lot to do with the impacts. I think our food supply, I think what we’re eating. We’re eating faster on the go. We’re not eating whole foods.
And it really puts a lot of stress on the liver. The liver has two main essential jobs. You can’t live without a liver, right? And so it’s to metabolize all the nutrition that you’re eating, so your proteins, your fats, your carbohydrates, but also to eliminate toxins. So if the food that you’re eating.

That you’re supposed to be digesting is toxic; what do you think is gonna happen to the body? The metabolism is just gonna go through all kinds of havoc. Got it. And so the metabolism starts to slow because it doesn’t identify the food as food. Cuz it’s really not food. It’s junk. And then the body can’t detoxify it properly.

Speaker 1: Okay. You have a wellness event too. Yes. Where people can get more information, they can find out how they can feed their families properly. Tell us about it. Yes,

Speaker 2: Definitely. We have three children’s health classes where we. Parents, moms, and dads especially how to really help their children and their children’s health.

So we always have about three or four dates. So we have September 15th at two 30, September 17th at five 30, and September 28th at 5:30 PM And again, all of our wellness classes are complimentary till the end of the year.

Speaker 1: Thank you so much, Dr. Steele, and check out those labels, parents out there.

Speaker 2: Please do.

Speaker 1: According to statistics from the Virginia Health Department, women in Hampton Roads are getting diagnosed with breast cancer at higher rates than anywhere else in the state. Several factors are playing a role in this. In the disturbing trend, Dr. Erica Steele from Holistic Family Practice in Virginia Beach is here to tell us about naturopathic healthcare providers like herself. Yeah. And how they can help. How are you doing, Dr. Steele?

Speaker 2: I’m doing well, as always. Good. Thanks for having me.

Speaker 1: Good to see you. Okay, so why do you think our breast cancer incidents are so high? Compared to those in other parts of the state?

Speaker 2: granted, we don’t know specifically, and it’s challenging to isolate a causative, meaning a cause for something to occur.

But we can theorize that it’s a lot to do with toxicity within the area, within the region. There are a lot of companies that produce a lot of toxicity within this region that the body is affected too. But unfortunately, we haven’t done much due diligence in studying hormonal health and the impact of these chemicals and toxic agents on the female reproductive system.

Speaker 1: So how can a physician like you help us avoid having incidents of breast cancer? What can we do now so that we don’t have a problem later?

Speaker 2: Yeah, and this kind of goes into that conversation. People really need to start thinking about their health before they have a symptom. We’re still very reactionary in our approach to our healthcare. We’re like, we wait until we have a sign. We’re tired, we’re exhausted, we’re not feeling well, and then we go see the doctor rather than keeping up with our checkups, doing our physicals, doing lab work routinely, and then also working with a holistic practitioner who is going to really focus on their health, not just diagnose and manage diseases.

Speaker 1: It’s the overall health. Focused on specific things.

Speaker 2: Correct. Exactly.

Speaker 1: Holistic medicine has become very mainstream and acceptable, but there are still some myths about it. What are some of the challenges? Yeah, as a physician, you’re faced with when people come to you, and you’re like, oh, I’m not so sure.

Speaker 2: Yeah, so it’s interesting. I have two camps that come to me. I have those that. They’ve been to every doctor under the sun. They’ve not necessarily like the approaches they’ve gotten or heard. And then they come to me looking for the Hail Mary, right? Yeah. Yeah. So I get that.

But then I also get many DIYs who Google and Pinterest everything to death and think that they come in telling me. You know what it is and want me to cosign on it. Okay, so I get that. But many times, people think that we’re an alternative provider, and we’re not. The US Department of Health and Human Services actually did away with the term alternative medicine years ago.

We’re complimentary because we serve two different roles in healthcare, whereas an allopathic, meaning a medical doctor, diagnoses and manages diseases. We stabilize the health and build the body’s health rather than fighting those disease processes head-on. Okay. We believe that the body can heal itself if given the right environment, and our job is to create an environment conducive to healing, so I work a lot of times very integrative with oncologists and rheumatologists, and many different providers, endocrine. And working with them because they’re trained to manage those disease processes. I call ’em the firefighters of medicine, actually. . . They’re there to want to keep that watchful eye.

We’re there to support and handhold the patient, work with them through their nutrition and ensure they get enough food, digesting and assimilating that. Adequately. And then we’re self-healing, looking at the toxins too.

Speaker 1: And you have ways that people can get more information and have naturopathic awareness classes, right? Yes, exactly. So tell me about how you offer those, how they’re available, and how people can find out.

Speaker 2: Yeah. So every month, we have a different theme. This is actually naturopathic medicine awareness. So we’ll educate people interested in naturopathic medicine and dispel many myths.

So we have three classes Monday, October 15th at five 30, and Saturday, October 20th. Two 30 and then Friday, October 26th at five 30.

Speaker 1: Wonderful. Thank you so much, Dr. Steele; it was much; it was a pleasure having you.

Speaker 1: First, marijuana will become legal in Virginia, but C B D, which is made from the same plant, is already available, and there seems to be a lot of misinformation surrounding its use here to clear it up and clear up some of the confusion is Dr. Erica Steele from Holistic Family Practice and Virginia Beach, Dr. Erica, Hey, how you.

Speaker 2: Hey, how are you? Good to see you.

Speaker 1: I’m good. So break it down. There is a difference between C, b, D, and THC, right?

Speaker 2: Yes. There is a distinction. So a lot of times, people lump it all together. But the C, b, D, there’s CB one, CB two receptor sites that it affects, and I won’t get into all that piece of it, but THC is marijuana.

What people think about when they think about getting high and things like that. C B D is more from a different component of the plant that helps with inflammation in the body.

Speaker 1: Okay. And I understand there are a lot of benefits for C, B D, right? Like it helps people sleep and some other.

Speaker 2: Yes, there are really two distinctions for C B D. Number one is it’s an anti-inflammatory, but a lot of times people don’t realize to get the anti-inflammatory component, you have to have higher dosing. So like a 3000-milligram dosing, two milligrams, five milligrams, what you would purchase in a store is not necessarily high enough to be medicinal for anti-inflammatory components.

Speaker 2: Okay. Yeah.

Speaker 1: So how do you choose whether C B D is good for you or t h C would be Okay.

Speaker 2: So it’s interesting, c B D, again, anti-inflammatory, post-traumatic stress, some mood disorders, not depression though, because taking over some time can make the depression worse.

But if you think about it, brain on fire, any kind of inflammatory process with the brain, it’s gonna definitely have an impact. THC has actually been shown scientifically for tumors to assist with tumor growth. So if a person is growing a tumor, let’s say in the instance of cancer, things like that, it has been shown to reduce those tumor growths significantly, but again, it’s not a cure, and I think that’s one of the things, that we really need to consider is that all of these things are not cures.

A lot of times, we’ll use it. Of course, Thc is not specifically in this state, but we’ll see it being used in other states. More for cancer, more for people that, let’s say, need to stimulate their appetite, those kinds of things. Not necessarily mood disorders. Mood disorders. That can actually make it worse. Oh, wow. Yeah. Okay.

Speaker 1: All right. Good to know. I’ve noticed that you can go online. Like 1000 CBD oil, and then you can go to a pharmacy and get 3000, and it ranges from prices of, maybe $20 to like $150. So should you be leaning towards the more. Expensive because it’s better quality? Or how do you know what you’re getting?

Speaker 2: Yeah, it’s because it’s unregulated, right? Anybody can sell anything for any price. And the price is not always the indicator. But I can tell you that true quality CBD costs more. However, I look for more nutraceutical brands that have GMP certifications, meaning that they’re pharmacy grade, that they’ve been lab tested, they’re certified, et cetera. I stay away from multi-level marketing companies. I know people will probably be what because their model is more profit-centered. It’s not necessarily people-centered. And I’m more of a people-centered person. I’m also not really. Staying on anything for an extended period, like in the case of anti-inflammatory usage, you’ll use it for that short period and then slowly wean off it.

Speaker 2: It’s not really meant to be anything. It’s not meant to stay on for long periods because you have adverse effects.

Speaker 1: Okay. We have the information to get in touch with you, cuz I know that you have a lifestyle course, but we’re out of time, but we put the board up so everybody can get in touch with you. Of course. Dr. Erica Steele.

Speaker 2: Thank you, thank you. Have a great day. You too.

Speaker 1: Welcome back. These days more people are turning to holistic medicine. It’s a practice that considers the whole person, body, mind, spirit, and emotions. Dr. Erica Steele from Holistic Family Practice in Virginia Beach is here to tell us more. Welcome to Coast Live.

Speaker 2: Hi. Thank you for having.

Speaker 1: So I’m really interested in this. I love the whole person, the whole body approach to everything. And so, how do you do this? First of all, what is a naturopathic doctor? Explain how you study and how you help people.

Speaker 2: Yeah, we go through similar undergrad and doctoral training. So it’s a lot of education, but we must be trained to identify, diagnose, and manage diseases.
That’s what an allopathic doctor does. We look for all of the imbalances in the person’s health. And we’re also treating the person, not just their disease process, nutrition, nutrient deficiencies, food, or whatnot. That’s all included, but we’re working with the individual and what the individual needs.

Speaker 1: Interesting. So when you say balance, how do you figure out how to get somebody in balance? Because I know you said you treat the mind and the body. Does all of this go together?

Speaker 2: Yeah. So let’s shift some of the conversation. Yeah. So I’m not treating. Okay. I’m supporting you and holding that space for you to heal yourself.

Okay? So meaning that I’m, you’re not gonna come in, and then I say, you say, Oh, okay. I have this problem here. Here’s how to fix it, right? So, that’s not what we’re doing. What we’re doing is I’m listening to and identifying. What really matters to you and help guide you through, step by step, a healing process.

Speaker 1: Interesting. Yeah. So how is the gut connected to the brain?

Speaker 2: So the gut is like everything, right? Okay. Yes. Like it’s connected to the whole world. It’s because when we’re little embryos in the womb, we’re just this little collection of cells. Splits off, you have your gut in your brain, so it continues evolving from there.

Our GI system houses most of the immune, hormonal, and neurological systems, so it’s essential in helping assist all of the other systems. I call ’em automatic systems to our bodies.

Speaker 1: So how would I help myself, for example, cuz we were just talking off-camera? Yeah. About some issues, I had going on with my sinuses. Yeah. But how do I even help myself?

Speaker 2: Yeah. So as we talked about with the drainages, right? And going on, so that’s an immunological response. We look at the GI system and know we want to help heal the GI system. So we look at where the imbalances are, whether that’s in stress, whether that’s immunological, whether there’s like heavy metals or chemicals in the system.

We want to take the things out of the system that are not supposed to be in there. And we want to continue adding stuff like healthy nutrition and food, but also how you digest and assimilate your food. Cuz it’s not just what you eat, it’s how you break the food down.

Speaker 1: Okay. So do you do many tests to determine what’s going on?

Speaker 2: Yeah, we do the baseline testing that you’d have done at a physical, but then we all do the full range functional testing, so blood stool, serum, plasma, urine, hair.

Speaker 1: so, things that not all doctors would do. You go above and beyond.

Speaker 2: Yes. We’re trained more in clinical biochemistry and laboratory diagnostic. So we know which labs to run, how to read ’em, and how to evaluate and treat based on them.

Speaker 1: Gotcha. Yeah. Okay. And we have some information about your holistic family practice classes on the screen. Explain those.

Speaker 2: Yeah, that’s all self-empowerment to help people understand how to heal themselves.

It’s not a mystery, right? We all know eating fruits and vegetables is the key to good health, but it’s why those habits and those behaviors are not there. So it’s helping to distinguish that for people and then leave them empowered to go out and do better for themselves.

Speaker 1: If somebody’s watching this and they’re interested, and they wanna come to see you, who should come to see you? And how can they get in touch with you?

Speaker 2: Yeah, I treat families, so little kids all the way up to elderly and then people with ear infections up to stage four cancer. So they would call our office and schedule a first visit.

Speaker 1: Oh, that’s so interesting. Thank you so much for all that information. We really appreciate you being here.

Speaker 2: Wonderful. Thanks for having me.

Speaker 1: Sure. All right.

Speaker 1: Welcome back to Coast Live. Holistic Medicine is a personal approach to healthcare that looks at the whole body. Dr. Erica Steele from Holistic Family Practice in Virginia Beach joins us now to help us better understand holistic healthcare. Hey, Dr. Steele. Good to see you.

Speaker 2: Good to see you too.

Speaker 1: So there are a lot of myths surrounding holistic healthcare. Break it down.

Speaker 2: Yeah, so there are many fears and misconceptions. Some people think it’s superstitious, so there are many unfounded, unknown, and natural in allopathic Medicine. They talk a lot about scientific evidence, so what we can prove or disprove.

And then they discredit many ballistic practices because they say you can’t prove or disprove it. But we see between As and the World Health Association Organization. Excuse me. We’re seeing a trend in more research that’s being conducted in holistic healthcare practices. So I really wanted to come on and just educate people precisely what it is, especially in the wake of covid where people are feeling really powerless and unable to, they don’t really know what to do.

Speaker 1: I’m glad you’re doing that because there’s that whole body approach, which brings in mental and spiritual stuff. So how do you work all of this into your healthcare?

Speaker 2: Yeah, this is the perfect time for holistic healthcare. It’s very divinely driven, I believe. So people often come into my practice with a physical ailment.

So they have a sign or a symptom or a diagnosis, what have you, from their allopathic doctor, and they may agree or disagree with whatever treatment methodologies their allopath has provided. So we look at it from a physical perspective. So we would employ functional Medicine. So laboratory assessment, we would look at biochemistry, the physical body, and diagnostics.

And then we look, we break that down in terms of what environmental factors, meaning lifestyle factors, relationship factors, home environment, things like that. The mental as. The conscious mind, subconscious mind, all of the cognitive behaviors and self-sabotaging beliefs, the emotional components, things that are unresolved, things that we’ve stored past traumas, something we haven’t emotionally dealt with.

And then that really connects us more with our spiritual self, our more intuitive self, and then naturally connects us more into a. Breaking the cycles of lifestyle habits passed down from generation to generation. And then I like to see, after all of that, it’s self-enlightenment, or it’s like I am creating the world that I wanna be in and the world that I wanna see. So it’s fascinating, and it’s definitely an exciting time for holistic healthcare.

Speaker 1: So much goes into this, and I’m sure you wanna feel that connection with your provider. So how do you go about choosing the right one?

Speaker 2: Yeah, I do. I do think there’s an element of that intuition. Does this person vibe with me? In my practice, it’s funny because I’m a pretty no-nonsense Kenna gal, and I see people for who they really are, right? And I love them unconditionally. So that brings up a lot emotionally for other people because they’re like, oh my gosh, and Funny what, how the mind and ego works.

So then it nitpicks. I had to wait five more minutes, or this didn’t happen, or that happened. And it’s all just fear, so it takes a lot of courage. So I’ll have people come to my office, like, I’ve been following you for two years, five years, and I finally got the courage to go in.
And Not everything is what it seems true. For example, I’m an ample light and energy, so I tend to attract people looking for healing.

Speaker 1: I love your energy. I can feel it, and we’re just about out of time. But quickly, before we go, is it expensive? And I know it’s not covered by most insurance, right?

Speaker 2: Yeah, we opt not to cover it by insurance. So there’s, insurance is such a big topic, but we really wanna work for you as the provider. So I choose to be a concierge provider. I provide DIY, and as we saw on the screen, I have some virtual intensive programs about to come out in group intensive to make it more affordable as we get more naturopathy or natural.

Students in practice will be able to lower the cost. But overall, compared to other markets, we’re very affordable in approaching it. And it’s really, if you had to put a psychologist, if you had to put a functional doctor, if you had to put a naturopath, if you had to put all these different providers in your healthcare team, you know each one of them with their fees, you’ll find that it’s a lot more affordable. And we have payment plan options and all of that kind of stuff.

Speaker 1: Fantastic. Dr. Steele, thank you, thank you. All right. Thanks for having me.