Whiskey & Wisdom

Maximize the Good, Minimize the Bad with Dr. Mackenzie Jones, NP

May 17, 2023 Whiskey & Wisdom Episode 69
Whiskey & Wisdom
Maximize the Good, Minimize the Bad with Dr. Mackenzie Jones, NP
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Show Notes Transcript

Mackenzie began training with another functional medicine practitioner in town in 2019 and treated many patients at Trinity Wellness Center until early 2023. Currently, she is receiving continuing education from the School of Applied Functional Medicine (SAFM), which teaches healthcare professionals to get to the root cause of lifestyle-driven disease through a patient centered, systems biology approach. She has completed the initial SAFM certificate, which teaches clinicians to more effectively integrate science, research, and clinical insights to treat and prevent disease and maintain health. She is also a member of the Neil Nathan's Functional Mentorship and regularly attends continuing education conferences.

“Studying functional medicine has opened up a new world to me. I look at disease differently, and my “toolbox” to treat disease continues to grow. It is truly an honor to study medicine and all the complementary therapies that may enhance the lives of my patients.”

www.breakthroughfunctional.com

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How to find us:
Whiskey & Wisdom: @whiskey.and.wisdom
Chris Kellum: @ctkellum
LinkedIn: Christopher Kellum
Tyler Yaw: @tyler_yaw_
LinkedIn: Tyler Yaw

Tyler:

welcome back to the Whiskey and Wisdom podcast. Where we're, Chris and Mackenzie are going to take a shot of tequila. Before we get started, I'll probably be like, I can't talk for

Dr. Mac:

a while.

Chris:

Like Tyler mentioned this week, you got me as always. Well, not always. Tyler's here. Always there,

Tyler:

there was one week that you missed. I'll give you, I'll give to you a pass.

Chris:

Yeah. I decided to go outta town and do a trip. Oh, that's pretty good. But we have the amazing Dr. McKenzie,

Dr. Mac:

nurse practitioner, doctor of McKenzie Jones, nurse practitioner. Yes. I know. It's confusing.

Chris:

We'll go, we'll dive deeper into that. It's, it's a lot. But McKenzie is gluten free. Yes. So instead of whiskey. Thank you. Well, she also doesn't really like whiskey. We are doing lon es. You. Thank

Tyler:

you guys. Yeah. Lon, thank you to our neighbors over here at Azalia Station.

Chris:

Yes. I mean, I don't hate it. Lon. I remember back in the day when it was like the tier. Mm-hmm. Like you would get the really cheap plastic bottle and then you were like, oh, let's get a shot of Espon. And you're like, 12 bucks and you're like, mm. Maybe that. Well,

Dr. Mac:

that's where we're back to today. I appreciate it guys. And I'll do drink whiskey.

Chris:

Oh, I'm down for it.

Tyler:

I'm still on 75 hard, so.

Dr. Mac:

Great. Proud of you. Cheer 25 soft next. Yep.

Tyler:

Cheers.

Dr. Mac:

Thank you. That's

Tyler:

good. What You

Dr. Mac:

actually really wanted me to cheat it. Yeah, I'll, I'll sip. I'll sip. You're like lame. Okay, fine.

Tyler:

So Chris is three drinks in and a shot. So this will be a fun one.

Chris:

We started it and then she was like, oh, I'll take a sip. I'm like, I thought you were shooting it because she mentioned she went, was hanging out with a friend. Mm-hmm. And he gave her some tequila and they were like, here you go. And she just shot it straight. Yeah.

Dr. Mac:

That was back in my prime.

Chris:

It was like two years ago, so I thought we were taking shots

Dr. Mac:

and, and he was like, no, you should supposed to sip that for like 20 minutes. I'm like, oh, well you should. You should've led with that.

Chris:

So sipping tequila typically is like a na or

Dr. Mac:

like a higher, I guess I can remember what it was. It was something, it was good stuff. Okay. Yeah, it was good stuff. Smooth stuff.

Chris:

LAN's decent. Mm-hmm. Like if I'm gonna have to take a shot, I would much rather do lon. Yeah. Than what was the,

Dr. Mac:

I always just like house nasty, whatever that is. Yeah. At

Chris:

least Pellan has a

Dr. Mac:

little flavor. I felt bad that made you do tequila. You don't even like it.

Chris:

So Mackenzie, yes. You go by Mackenzie or Mack or

Dr. Mac:

Doc. So you can't call me Big Mac, but you can call me. I was like, when, when I was in sixth grade, I played basketball. Yes. And I was the center and so I was literally like this tall when I was like 12. Okay. Okay. So they all called me Big Mac and then I was like, please don't call me that. So, yeah. So you can go McKenzie's Good. Okay. Z Kinzie. There's so many.

Chris:

I was this tall in seventh grade.

Dr. Mac:

Yeah. So were you, did you play basketball? I tried.

Chris:

Good. Didn't make the cut by like one year, two years. It was in, it was in high school.

Dr. Mac:

Yeah. I I hated softball. I was terrible at that, but I was pretty good at volleyball in basketball. Okay. Yeah. And then I've heard pickle ball is the next thing, but I'm like, I'm not giving in. You're not old enough to play pickleball. I feel like everyone is though. Like even our age, they're like obsessed with it and I'm just like, oh, is it pickleball or golf? Yeah, I

Chris:

play golf. I hear that's an expensive

Dr. Mac:

sport to get into. Well, I took it up in Covid cuz I'm like, what the hell? You know? Well you can't be around people. Yeah, yeah, I know. I was like, I'll just go outside and Yeah. Swing this club. That makes sense. It was fun. Yeah. Do you still play it? I probably play every like, with my supervising doctor. We play about every month, so yeah. Yeah, it's fun.

Chris:

One day someone will invite me to come out there and play golf. Well, you

can

Dr. Mac:

come with me. I will carry your bag.

Chris:

Give be my caddy. Yes. As long as I can drink.

Dr. Mac:

Do I hit this one? Oh, I'll,

Chris:

I'm good. I'll pull it out. I'm like, hmm. Legend of bagger Vance. Well, ma'am, I think you should use this five wood

Dr. Mac:

and I'm gonna be like, I'm like, you know, a hundred yards and the green. You? I don't think so. Well, here's a shot. Let's just go off, off. You have funny thing about my name. I'm actually named after the designer who designed Augusta. Yeah, I don't know why. So er, McKenzie, so that's where I got my name. So big golf fam.

Chris:

So wait, are you from Georgia?

Dr. Mac:

No, my dad wanted to name me Augusta. My mom said, heck no. So I was like, thank you, mom. So they came up with you? Shake that. Okay. Yeah. So that's cool. So wait, where are you from? High Point, North Carolina. Ooh. So that's why I got my little twang. Yeah. I mean, it's not that bad. Yeah, it went away when I came down here. Like, I believe it. Yeah. Such a northerners down here.

Chris:

The furniture capital of the world.

Dr. Mac:

Yes. For many years. We have a lot of nice furniture. Cuz my husband's grandpa, he makes us literally everything. We have this like nice couch table. Oh wow. So he's just like, here you go guys. We're like, oh, thanks.

Chris:

That's fantastic. Yeah. I need an ottoman.

Dr. Mac:

Okay. He'll make, he will make you one. I love

Chris:

that. So we're starting at the top. Okay. I was, no, my brain was, I was like, well, I was like starting at the bottom. I'm like, nah, that's, that's lame. I at the bottom now here. Yes. Yes. Unfortunately I don't like Canada. It's too cold. So we're gonna start at the top. Okay. You're from a high point. Yes. You came here to c w

Dr. Mac:

Yep. In 2009. Okay. And then I actually wanted to transfer to Chapel Hill. I always wanted to go. I know, right. Always wanted to go to unc and I got here and I was like, heck no. This is awesome. So, Hard to leave. Yeah, right. I was like, this is the place. Yes. I stayed here for four years graduated and then got a rob, a job in Raleigh. Mm-hmm. So I moved up there and then I told him I lasted about year and a half, and I was like, this isn't for me. So, came on back, been out here ever since.

Chris:

Nice. Yeah. So you realize that our football team is better than Carolina's for

Dr. Mac:

sure. Like never lost Right. Record's.

Chris:

Good. I haven't used that line yet.

Dr. Mac:

I think there's a shirt, right?

Chris:

Yes. Or it's like undefeated since blah, blah, blah. That's awesome. So what did you go to school for originally? Because I, I've learned that just cuz you're, You got a really long initials behind your name. You don't originally start that way sometimes.

Dr. Mac:

Okay. Yeah. I actually knew probably from like since middle school, I wanted to be either a teacher or a nurse. Okay. And then when I went to the guidance counselor, they said, if you can do the gross stuff, you should be a nurse. I was like, okay, I can, I can do that. So I got my bachelor's of science and nursing, so like nursing degree. Okay. And then I started working in the hospital, was doing 12 hour shifts, working holidays, and I was like, This isn't gonna fly. Yeah. So then I decided to go back to school to get my nurse practitioner. So I started that in 2016. Okay. And I picked ECU because I was like, yeah. I was like, let's switch it up a little bit, you know? Yeah. Go pirates. Go pirates. But it was like a hybrid. Yeah. So I went like, Three times a semester max. So that's not too bad though. Yeah. It was like, you know, good in between. The

Chris:

hospital up there is actually really good. Yes, for sure. It's not part of Novant,

Dr. Mac:

so it's better. Yeah, that's right. I was like, what is it? What is it up there? I forgot. Vi, why? Yeah,

Tyler:

that's right. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Chris:

I, I went to ECU for a semester and I was like, Hmm, y'all expensive. So

Dr. Mac:

I came back here. Are they about to say had too much fun? No,

Chris:

everyone thinks they're like, oh, you went to ecu, you drank a lot. And I'm like, surprisingly enough. I only drank twice my whole semester

Tyler:

there. That's awesome. And Chris was like, I was in the army. I drank enough there.

Chris:

Mm-hmm. That was years later. Surprisingly, I

Tyler:

always forget how like the, the break in between.

Chris:

Yes. Nope. I was at ecu, ran into a guy who was a veteran. Mm-hmm. And he was like, yo, hey, come drink. And I was like, Thank you, sir. We smoked, tah and drank, and that's why I, I did not drink anymore after

Dr. Mac:

that. You're like, Nope, I'm good. Yeah,

Chris:

yeah. Yeah. That was good enough. So we had somebody on last week, couple weeks ago. Mm-hmm. Who's a nurse practitioner.

Dr. Mac:

Should I know her?

Chris:

Do you sh you probably do

Dr. Mac:

Anca, Roberto. Oh yeah. And Tammy. Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Awesome. Yeah.

Chris:

So. You established your titles at the beginning,

Dr. Mac:

please explain. Yes, I will. Oh, and I have to give Tammy a shout out cuz she hooked and Tyler up. Yeah. Nice. Yeah. Okay, so this is where it gets confusing. Okay. So let me know if it doesn't make sense. So, you know how like physical therapist they are getting their doctorate and physical therapy? Mm-hmm. Yes. Mm-hmm. So like, you can say doctor, so-and-so, physical therapist. Mm-hmm. So that's the way they're moving with nurse practitioners. Okay. You can still get your master's right and just be. You know, your name and then nurse practitioner, but now they're pushing us to go get our doctorate. So it's very confusing for people cuz you're like, I'm Dr. McKenzie Jones. But always nurse practitioner, if you leave that out, people get really mad. Which fair enough. Maybe like, if they went to medical school for eight, 12 years and you're calling yourself a doctor without like saying, Hey, I'm a nurse practitioner. So yeah, I've had many discussion with that in like, I think California, it's illegal. You can't say. Even if you have your doctorate, you can't say doctor, nurse practitioner. Oh, that's interesting. I think someone actually just got sued for that. So I called my lawyer. I was like, I've been saying doctor, like I have my doctorate. Yes. And he's like, oh yeah, it's fine if you're in North Carolina. I'm like, so wait. Oh, that's crazy.

So

Chris:

do you have

Dr. Mac:

an md So it's Doctor of Nursing Practice? Yes. And then family nurse practitioner. So it's like, I got my master's and then I got a doctorate and it was like nine more months. So it wasn't anything crazy. Oh, that's not bad. But hey, you know, I'm like, I worked hard for that.

Tyler:

Exactly. Wasn't fun, right?

Chris:

I mean, I asked my friend the other night, she was like, oh, I'm going back to school. And I said, why? Yeah, no, no. And she looked at me, she's like, well, one, I like my job, but I wanna do something else in the world. Yeah. I'm like, but still,

Dr. Mac:

still. But I'm, I went back to, I had to get back to school. I was like, I need to get certified in functional medicine. I've kind of just gone. Off of, you know, my symptoms mm-hmm. And what I've learned along the way. Right. But I was like, I need to, you know, and it was really, it's been really good for me. It's really gone back to the basics. And so I'm about to be certified and then I'll be done with school for a little bit, probably. Nice. Yeah.

Tyler:

If you're like anyone, I'm a nerd, you know, I'll just say if it's like anyone else that I know, especially in like the functional world or like there's not learning. Yeah. Like

Dr. Mac:

learning all the time. Yeah. That's, there's so much out there. You're like, okay, I think I, you know, know enough and then you're like, wow, I could always learn more, you know? Yeah. Yeah.

Chris:

That's like me and watches. People come in, they're like, oh, hey, don't you know this? This vows you? Oh, did you Something, something? Yeah. Yeah. I was like, no, I wasn't working when that movement was produced. Mm-hmm. I don't know anything about that. It's always something. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah.

Tyler:

Always something you can find out about. Yeah. So how'd you get involved on the functional

Dr. Mac:

side? Yeah. So I can kind of give my backstory. That's okay. Yeah. So yeah, I was like really sick most of my childhood. I was had antibiotics a lot. I had a lot of ear infections. By the time I was five, I was diagnosed with asthma. Fast forward to like 16 years old, I was on seven prescriptions and they just kept saying, oh, you have allergies. Wow. Oh, you need this, you need this. You know, or you have you have ibs here, take this. And so, Yeah, really sick. A lot of that and like looking back on it, I didn't even have like a memory of my childhood I think, cuz I just had so much brain fog and like memory issues. Yeah. My mom be like, remember that? And I'm like, no. You know, it's crazy. So, then I went to college N C w and that was when I was 18 and it was Halloween. I remember my now husband Yeah. Is like, you good? And I was like, no, my stomach is not okay. Like you, I think you need to take me to the hospital. So he takes me to Cape Fear emergency room. Yeah. Cause I knew not to go to the big one. Right, right. And so they admit me they're like, oh, you have ulcerative colitis. And I had, they were giving me like opioids for the pain, which I mean, it was painful, but I was like, I don't need all that. You know what I mean? And then I was put on like antibiotics, antifungals. The whole nine. I was telling Tyler, I was like in my dorm room, like so sick, like living on the top bunk. I was like, this isn't gonna fly. So I called my mom, she comes and picks me up and she's like, Hey, so you know, you've gone to all these doctors, no one can help you. I've heard of this guy and Winston-Salem who's a functional medicine doctor, and we were, of course, at that time, we were like, well, I don't know what that is. Yeah. But he takes a different approach, so, you know, let's go, let's go see. So, went and saw him and he. Took one. Look at me. He was like, you're eating foods, you're reactive to, so gluten. So I had to cut that out and dairy. And he put me on like a few supplements that I was malnourished. I had like hypothyroidism and really, that's like what started my journey, cuz I felt better. No joke. Within like two weeks.

Chris:

I'm so sad you can't have ranch.

Dr. Mac:

Well, there's fake ranches. There's vegan ranches. Yeah. There's better ones out there. Yeah. But I can, I can cheat a little bit now. Like feta, you know, like goat cheese.

Chris:

I'm, I could live without. Buns and bread. But ranch,

Dr. Mac:

I'll I'll bring you a vegan ranch. See what you think. Well, I won't tell you it's vegan. Oh, I don't care. I'll try it. Okay. Yeah. Basically I'm like, they, after they eat it, I'm like, yeah, that was gluten free. And they're like, what? You know? Oh, yeah.

Chris:

Yeah. So my wife, we gave up on like buying the ranch mm-hmm. From Hidden Valley because. We went through it so much, we're like, oh, let's just make it ourself. Yeah, yeah. Which tastes just fine to me. Yeah. Have you had the

Tyler:

avocado

Dr. Mac:

ranch? That's, is it teme? I think it is. That's the one I eat. Yeah. Yeah. It's really good. It's very good. Yeah. It's 75 card. There you go. Mm-hmm. Got it. Teme. Yeah. Let's like a Whole Foods

Tyler:

smell. Yeah. And my son's allergic to everything, so we always have to find alternatives to

Chris:

everything. Yeah. Yeah. We're in the South Ranch.

Dr. Mac:

There's ranch everywhere. Right. It's like rancher blue cheese. Right. For your oh no, never blue cheese for me. No. Heck know. But for like the wings, right? Yeah. There at at our church, they're literally, there's like, people are like ranch or blue cheese team. Yes. And I'm like, there's way more ranch for sure. Way more. Oh, absolutely.

Chris:

Random note. Did you know who that ranch was? Supposedly created by a black eye?

Dr. Mac:

I did not know this. I did not know. Yes, I saw that. Was he

Chris:

in the south? He was, well, I guess cons technically the south, I think it was more like Western. Okay. But he had a white wife and he was. My joke in my head, like the, the story I play is like, she brought him mayonnaise and he is like, yo, this is boring. Like what?

Dr. Mac:

Like let's spice this up. What is it like dill or what do they put in it? I don't know.

Chris:

There's dill and salt pepper. A bunch of random stuff.

Tyler:

Someone got Chris

Dr. Mac:

on. Yeah. Already.

Tyler:

How's at? Chris is hungry. It's only the beginning. He's always hungry.

Chris:

It's always, it's the running joke that I always get hungry and I'm like, nah, I'm fine.

Dr. Mac:

Hey, you're on good restaurants.

Chris:

True. That's very true. But cuz we're around good restaurants and you can't eat everything. Talk, tell us a little bit more about like how functional medicine Yeah. Like, works into like an everyday

Dr. Mac:

life. Yeah. I would say really, I, I focus on sleep a lot. I'm like, you know, I'm, I put my phone up by like maybe 8:00 PM Okay. Like, I'm not, you're not gonna do anything stressful or like look at the news or anything that's gonna raise my cortisol. Right. Right. And then I just, you know, hang out with my husband or dogs or read a book or whatnot. And then I try and be in bed literally by like 9, 9 30. I know. And I'm usually asleep by 10 at max. Okay. Yeah. So I'm just, yeah, trying. So you try and have a you know, just a relaxing night where you're not, like, I think a lot of times, like that's when we get our second wind and like mm-hmm. Hey, let's, you know, knock out some work. Like, I did this the other night and I was like, why did I do that? I was like, up till 11, like, oh yeah, crank out some work, you know? And I'm like, no. And then I was exhausted and like worthless the next day. Right. See,

Chris:

My wife thinks I'm crazy cause I do that all the time.

Dr. Mac:

Yeah. So your so your cortisol is like spiking up again at night because the light from your computer and your phone is like, you know, confusing your brain. So it's the melatonin that's supposed to be being released is like, wait, there's like all this light around, right? Like, I'm on my computer, I'm on my phone, and then the, your body's like, I'm, I'm confused. Am I supposed to go to bed or not? So that's why like getting off the phone or like putting on like blue light blockers. Yeah. They block that light. And then I always say like, if your sleep bus comes right, so like my sleep bus comes like 9, 9 30. Like, so go get in bed and try and fall asleep. If you miss your sleep bus, the bus is on. You're not here to miss it, right? You might not go to sleep till 11 or

Tyler:

12. That's interesting. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. That's how my wife is too. Like if like, she'll be tired, but if she's still doing something, yeah. Then she's like up and awake and just like moving around and I'm like, okay, I'm about ready to go

Dr. Mac:

to sleep so I can imagines like, you're being crazy right now, you know? Yeah. Yeah.

Chris:

I'm, my wife hates it because I will will do dinner cause I get off about eight o'clock, so. We'll, we'll eat. We'll chill. Yeah. And I fall asleep watching TV sitting on the couch and she was like, oh. I wake up at 10, I'm like, Hey, you should go get ready for bed. I will wash the dishes, hop in bed and be asleep with a 30 days, and she's so mad. Yes, yes. Same. Also gotta figure out how to stop snoring. I haven't

Dr. Mac:

throw that out. Oh well this might be like too hippy, but if you wanna look into it. It's mouth taping. Have you heard of that? I heard about that. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, it's weird. So if we're, a lot of us are used to breathing through our mouth, right? So we're on our phones all day, we're looking down, our head postures forward and there's actually someone I wanna hook you up with who would be on this podcast would be great talking about it. She's a dentist and has looked into it. It's really cool. Anyway, so. You know, all of us are like looking forward, our mouth's open and we're not breathing through our nose. Well, our nose puts us into parasympathetic. Mm-hmm. Like, you know, into being mm-hmm. Feeling calm. It actually has nitric oxide, which is good for like blood pressure. So anyone who has like, hypertension, right? That's could be maybe we're from the, the it's coming from like, you know, feeling tired. And so yeah, so if you tape your mouth, you literally have. Your body's like, oh, okay. In order to breathe, I have to breathe through my nose. So then you're getting that nitric oxide, you're getting into parasympathetic cuz you're, you're breathing through your nose. Mm-hmm. So I used to do like a whole piece of tape and then it would hurt in the morning when I'd take it off. And now I just do like a tiny little piece and then I sleep like a baby. It's crazy.

Tyler:

I keep seeing this stuff on Instagram that teller's like trying that they sell you tape for nighttime so it doesn't like hurt pulling it off. Yeah, it's called hostage tape.

Chris:

No.

Dr. Mac:

So Chris is like, can you do something else? Right.

Tyler:

So

Chris:

like, my ancestors are saying, no,

Tyler:

no hostage, no. It's like, no, it's been a thing. I don't think I've seen that one

Chris:

though, hostage. It's been a thing like anytime I get my haircut or anything. It. If too much air going into my nose, it freaks me out. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't think that was a thing. Which is really sad. Cause I wanna go skydiving and I'm like,

Dr. Mac:

I can't, there's no to do that. We'll pay attention to if you like, have your head forward or if you're breathing through your mouth soon you can retrain yourself to breathe through your nose. Yeah. It's really

Chris:

cool. Yeah, it's very, I will say it's very interesting. Interesting. Cuz like we've had. Second or third functional Yeah. Yeah. Head that's been on and everyone teaches me something different. Oh, there's,

Dr. Mac:

there's just so much. Yeah. And I mean, I'm, I could talk like probably for like a day about functional medicine. No kidding. Like just keep

Tyler:

going. And that was something that, like we talked about when we met too. Mm-hmm. All of the functional doctors really aren't like in competition with each other because they all focus on something so different or they can help in a different way.

Dr. Mac:

Right. Like we were saying, I think that's really cool. Yeah. Dr. Rutledge, like me and her are friends. They're like, we're both have functional medicine practice at Wilmington, and we're like, Hey, we're the mirror. Right? Right. Yes. Yeah.

Chris:

I mean, you hit a point and you're like, well, everybody needs something. Mm-hmm. And it's not always the same thing.

Dr. Mac:

Right. And you can always do something for your health, right? Mm-hmm. That's what I found out. Yes, for sure. Cause I'm like, oh, I'm good. I've done this for 15 years for my own health. And it's always like, I find something else, you know? Yeah. Surprising.

Chris:

I mean, Wilmington has hundreds of regular doctors and, and not many functions.

Tyler:

No. Yeah. Allopathic doctors. As Dr. Hillary would say, yes, allopathic regular doctors would technically be a functional doctor.

Dr. Mac:

You're like, yeah. I

Chris:

feel like functional doctors are a step above, like they're not regular. They would be more like,

Dr. Mac:

that's right, that's right.

Chris:

In my head, I see them as like specialized. Like when their ear doc is like, oh, go see this guy, or go see that guy. Because remember when we talked to Sarah, she was like, it's always this circle. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You gotta find like something that'll break you out. Right. And I feel like you guys are the breakout where, oh well yeah, we tried

Dr. Mac:

to do that. You find that spot and you're like, oh, let's go here. Yeah, come over here. Yeah. I mean, I think Well, that's like the first appointment I have with people is like, Hey, let's do the basics first. Right? Because I think a lot of times we can get into like, we're almost as bad as traditional medicine. Like here take these supplements, like, you know, take all these protein powders and things and it's like, Hey, if you're not doing the basic stuff, unfortunately you're just gonna be like out supplementing, you know, forever. So, right. That's helping a diet and everything. Yeah. Yes. So, yeah, so that's what we work on. The first appointment is like, okay, you don't have to do all this at once, but like, if you're like, Hey, I'm not gonna work on sleep, I'm like, cool, that's fine. Mm-hmm. Let's talk about your diet, or let's talk about your exercise, or, you know, stress management, you know? Yeah. Doesn't have to be like, you don't have to do it all at once. Yeah. Like, just pick the thing, focus on it. You'll be like, wow, I feel a lot better just doing that, you know? And then you keep peeling the onion. Yeah. What I say. Yep. Kill the

Tyler:

layers. What's something that you see the most in your practice right now?

Dr. Mac:

Probably stress. I just like so many people are just like, they never take a break. They never like take a deep breath. You're like, you realize our cells need oxygen, like to function. Yeah. So if you're literally like, you know, all day, like, and because you're in fight or flight, right? Mm-hmm. So when you're stressed, your cortisol's high, right? Or it could crash and be low but you're in fight or flight and just going, going, going. And eventually your body's gonna be like, Nope. Can't go anymore. You know? And that's when people get You know, fatigue, brain fog, I mean, all sorts of symptoms, right? And they're like, yeah, hey, help me. And I'm like, Hey, let's just like take a day off. Like can you, or even if you can't take a whole day off, like how about just chill for like two hours on a Saturday? And people look at me like I can't do that, you know? Yeah. And you have to like coach'em through, okay, well let's just do 30 minutes, you know, like, just like meet'em where they're at, kind of thing. I

Chris:

feel like. I was thinking about this the other week cuz I threw my back out and I was like, Ugh, it's not fun. I, I literally can't go to work. But, The way capitalism has set us up is that it stresses us out because you have to pay for so much and then you're like, oh, I can't go go there. You can't miss a day. I gotta do this, I gotta do

Dr. Mac:

that. Yeah. It's really our society, it's culture. Yeah, yeah, for sure. So it's like to be, in order to be healthy, you have to be counter-cultural, right? Yes. Mm-hmm. So that's how I've set up my practice is to be more like community and like a membership where it's like, Hey, you have all these people. Like walking, you know, walking it out alongside you and you have other, you know, patients too, so that way you're not alone. Cuz it can be lonely sometimes when you're trying to be healthy.

Tyler:

Yeah. Tell us how you kind of came up with that idea to kind of build that community around kind of being healthy and building a better life for yourself.

Dr. Mac:

Yeah. Yeah. So I think When I look back over, you know, functional medicine for myself, I really had my mom who kind of like mm-hmm. Spearheaded it. Like, she was like, oh, I'm gonna get healthy too. So I had her to like call and talk about it. Yeah. But a lot of times I was like, man, it's like just me. You know? Or I felt like it was just me. I know it's not, but I feel like when you get in community with other people, that's when you're like, Hey, like, I can't, I can't figure this out. Or like, I can't find anything good to eat. Like, where do you go to eat? You know? And then it's like you're, you're bouncing things off each other, you know? Yeah. So I think, I think that's really important cuz in people just fall off the bandwagon and they're like, oh, I tried like, Didn't work, you know? Right. And I'm like, no, let's, like help you not fall off the bandwagon.

Tyler:

Yes. Yeah. How, how do you approach a like a client or a patient that comes to you and they're talking about that stress that, Because society almost tells you to be busy. Right? Right. Because like if you go up to someone like, Hey, how you doing? Busy. And like, oh good. You're crushing it. Yeah. And it's like,

Dr. Mac:

good job. You're right. It's like, it's almost like a metal, you know? Yeah, yeah.

Tyler:

Exactly. So how do you talk to someone to say like, it's, no, it's not like that metal. Like, we do need

Dr. Mac:

to take a step back. So, yeah. I'm, I'm, you know, I'm like, we were meant to, Work, you know, five, six days a week and then take a day off. Mm-hmm. So, you know, I encourage everyone to do that. I also think having really good morning routines and night routines, so I'm like, I'm not telling you not to go work and Right. You know, like, you know, meet your goals and, you know, hustle and all the things. But if we can do. And even like 15, 30 minutes of like, wake up and not just run to your phone. Mm-hmm. And be like, oh God. And like, you know, then you're in this, already in that cycle of like, I got so much to do on my to-do list. Right? Yeah. Yeah. If we can like, you know, get up, go outside, get some sunshine that already is going to release melatonin for that next night. Mm-hmm. Right. It's like really resetting your circadian rhythm. I know. Crazy. So I'm like literally like, Hey, just go outside, sit on a chair, sit on your couch, sit on the ground, whatever, you know, read a book meditate, gratitude journal, you know, whatever. Whatever works for you. Mm-hmm. Take some deep breaths and then you're, you're kind of prepared for the day, you know, and a lot of people I see drink coffee. Mm-hmm. I, when the wake up, not against coffee. Right. But that's also spiking our cortisol and it's literally hitting our adrenals, which y'all learned about from Drella, right? Yeah. Mm-hmm. So it's like hitting our adrenals that's like more, more, more like adrenaline, cortisol, let's go. And then our body's like, oh my gosh. Again, you know, so I'm like, Hey, let's try and eat some protein first. Mm-hmm. So that could be oatmeal, eggs, bacon, right. Like any sort of protein and wait at least, you know, 30, 60 minutes if you can before you have your coffee. And that way it's, it's really just like resetting everything and then your body's not like, bam, caffeine. Right. When my, I wake up. Yeah, that makes sense.

Tyler:

I think it's funny too, how a lot of people think. That success or the way to hit success right. Is like waking up in exactly what you said. Grab your phone, start work right away. Talk about, yeah. But Chris knows I have two coaches and a therapist, and they're much more successful than I am, and none of them do that. They all, like you said, I have a morning routine that's at least an hour long. Yeah, yeah. And none of that. Yeah. Involves a screen at all. Yeah. Yeah. And it's working out eating. Yep. Meditating or then it just gets

Dr. Mac:

you in the right head space

Tyler:

too. Exactly. Yeah. And then with especially with 74 5 hard this time too, I do no screen time until I get back for my first 45 minute workout. That's awesome. When I get back, then I'll, then you feel ready, right? Yeah. Then I'll eat something and then I'll have my coffee. Yeah. And I used to need like, Three, four cups of coffee a day. Like it was embarrassing. Yeah. Yeah. And now just

Dr. Mac:

waiting. And you probably had brain fog still like Yeah, exactly. In that afternoon. Right? Exactly. Because it was crashing. Yeah.

Tyler:

And just waiting. I need less coffee when I drink my coffee later. Mm-hmm. So it's

Chris:

interesting. I just, I guess I, I just, raw dog life. You don't do coffee?

Tyler:

No. Well, not coffee. You do energy drinks sometimes.

Chris:

Very So, I grew up in a lovely southern household, so we did not drink caffeinated drinks. Good. Very minimal red dye. Oh, that's good. And I was like, oh, this is great. And I didn't, like everyone talks about it, but they don't realize like, your parents made you do this, but you didn't know the actual reasons behind it. Right. And some people have like, Like, I knew a kid who literally in their notes was like, you can't have Red Dye 40, because they will go off the charts. That's the

Dr. Mac:

problem with kids nowadays anyways, right? Mm-hmm. Getting, like, look at their

Chris:

school lunch. But I get up and I'm like, everyone's like, you didn't have caffeine. I'm like, I mean, I'll drink it, but I don't need it. Yeah.

Dr. Mac:

Yeah. And then, and it's like, why do you wanna, you know, rely on something like that. Yes. You know? Mm-hmm. But

Chris:

I'm, I was also born in the middle of the day, so I love my nap. Everyone's like, fair enough. Why do naps are for people for. If I get a nap, it's like 30 minutes to an hour.

Dr. Mac:

Yeah. I just think most people over nap and then they feel groggy. Mm-hmm. You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. Like, I feel like if you get like a 15, 30 minute nap, that's good. Yeah. But if you're crashing the afternoon, it's probably your cortisol too. Oh no. It's definitely my cortisol.

Chris:

Yeah, for sure. I wake up with my wife at like six 30 and then I'm like, eh, I'm kind of tired. And then I want an nap.

Dr. Mac:

Midday. Yep. Yep. So go outside when you wake up at six 30, go outside. But I

have

Chris:

to get her stuff ready. Who? I'm a really great husband. Aw, that's sweet. I actually like, get her stuff ready, like, gimme five minutes, I'll be back. I could

Dr. Mac:

potentially see that's, I like coach you through like, Hey, just tell her you need five minutes.

Chris:

Right. I mean, she probably wouldn't notice if I went outside little

Dr. Mac:

bit. Yeah. It really does help. And like interestingly grounding, like just putting your feet in the ground. Mm-hmm. I haven't like totally researched it, but like the. Electromagnetic field of it, I don't know, is very, very good for you too. Interesting. It's funny, I

Tyler:

was just listening to a podcast. Isn't that cool about that? Yeah. With Gary BRCA Connect House. Yeah. Science is wild by,

Dr. Mac:

yeah.

Chris:

I've heard so many people, like over the past few years, they're like, it was a big conspiracy as to why we're all wearing tennis shoes. Because they're like, well, the rubber in your shoes insulate your body so you're not connected to the Earth Fair. But it also goes back to like, you should go outside and like take your feet shoes off and just Yeah. Connect to the earth.

Dr. Mac:

Yeah, exactly. And like, just like get, get nature, right? Yeah. It lowers your blood pressure, you know, brings your getting out of fight or flight, you know? Yes. Yeah. Mm-hmm. So yeah, I just think so many people are stressed and just like, Hey, how can we just like make a little space there, you know? Right. Or like work on morning routine. If you're like, that's good enough, I'm good. Then don't work about, you know, worry about nighttime routine. But I think a good nighttime routine's good too, you know? Nighttime

Chris:

routine is the hardest thing. I know,

Dr. Mac:

I know. Because that's when everything's on tv, right? Like all the good stuff, right? Like primetime news? Yes. Yeah.

Chris:

Well, one, I don't watch the news. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I

Tyler:

definitely don't watch prime time.

Chris:

Too stressful. Yeah. I've been trying, my wife looks at me stupid half the time. Cause I'm like, all right, it's 10 o'clock time to go to bed. Yeah. She's like, what? I'm like, no, you need to start. Yep. Because I, because after talking to Dr. Ru Ru Rutledge. Rutledge, yeah. I feel like there's an H in there for some reason. Hillary Rutledge.

Dr. Mac:

Oh yeah. You're doing the h Hillary. Yes.

Chris:

But after talking to her, I'm like, you gotta have a, a cycle and if we start trying to go to bed mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And forcing it. Cause she still has to shower, she has to do all this other stuff. It. It gets you in the mindset to like start getting Yeah. Your body's

Dr. Mac:

like, oh, I remember this. I've done this before. Yes. You know? Mm-hmm. Yeah. No, totally. Yeah, and then like some people I'm like, Hey, you might just like, wanna take a little bit of melatonin, you know? I mean, don't make sure you're not too groggy in the morning. Right. But if you're like, I'm having a really hard time, you know, getting tired, just take a little bit, you know, you can help too.

Chris:

So, which leads me to taking vitamins, vitamins, vitamins Ashwaganda. Yeah. I

Dr. Mac:

love Ashwaganda. Yeah. So you want me to explain it? Sorry,

Chris:

go ahead. Oh yes. Okay. So I was gonna say, yeah, one, explain it to, what would your suggestion be? Because we looked, I've had friends who've taken different levels mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Of it. Yeah. And I've seen, yeah,

Dr. Mac:

like the effects of it, like it's helped them. Way too much. Too much. Okay. I think I see where you're going. Okay. So yeah, I like Ashwaganda because it's an adaptogen, which just means no matter what your cortisol's doing, right, you could have been going, going, going for five years. Your cortisol's crashed. It's in the toilet. It'll bring it up to where it's supposed to be. Okay. Or if you're like, you know, really in that fight or flight, your cortisol super high, it'll bring it down. So it's kind of, you know, you're just kind of like, Hey, let's like see if this works, you know? The only time I don't use Ashwaganda is if someone has a lot of food sensitivities, cuz it's actually a nightshade. So people react to like tomatoes or eggplant or they're like, yeah, it causes joint pain, or, you know, whatever. I try not to use ashwaganda there, and then there's like other, you know, other supplements out there. But yeah, ideally you're, if you're tired in the morning, probably need to take it in the morning when your cortisol's probably it's like, like not, you know, going up. Mm-hmm. Oh yeah. So a lot of people, their cortisol, there's something called a cortisol awakening response. I think Dr. Talked about that too. I that, yeah. So when you wake up within the first 30 minutes, Or cortisol should be rising like pretty quickly. But a lot of us, cuz chronic stress, not getting enough sleep, we're just like, you know, not, and then we're like, oh, I'm so tired in the morning, and then that's when we're awake at night. Right? Yeah. It's like it's backwards, dark, circadian rhythm. So that's where the morning sunlight really helps come in. Mm-hmm. And so then if we're like, okay, I've done the morning sunlight, I've done yoga, I've done some exercise, I've done all that, but I'm still not where I wanna be. Right. And that's when I'm like, okay, we've done all the lifestyle stuff. Let's bring in a supplement. And see what happens, right? Because I get so many people who, they come to me with like a bag of like 30 things, and I made this mistake like early in my career too. I'd be like, oh, you have joint pain. Take fish oil, take turmeric, or whatever. Instead of like, Hey, like maybe you're eating inflammatory foods. Like, let's talk about that first, and if you're not gonna change your diet, okay, let's maybe meat in the middle. I'll give you some supplements, but, you know, so it's, it's not like a bandaid, right? Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're,

Chris:

our house is in a really lovely neighborhood. And it's interesting because like the back of our house actually faces the sunrise. Okay. Yeah. So, so you can go out there, right? Yes. Yeah. But it kills me. I'm a, a man of the quote unquote city. I don't like a lot of sunlight. Mm. And I'm like, I woke up too early, so I want to

Dr. Mac:

stay in the dark, but think about our ancestors. Right? That's what I tell people. I'm like our ancestors when the sun was going down right in the summer, which is nice, you're like, oh, I can. Stay up till 8 39 cuz the sun's still up. But when the sun starts going down, that's when you should be like, okay, like start getting ready for bed. Even you can go outside and watch the sun go down and your brain's like, oh yeah, okay, got it. Like, this is what's happening, you know? That's funny. And then when the sun's coming up, that's when you should be like starting to wake up because that's like, you know, cavemen, that's what they did.

Chris:

Yeah. I will say that's the basics. We, our house is, Because, because the sun, like, like I said, the sun rises in our backyard. Yeah. Which is where our bedroom is. Yeah. And then it sets at the front of the house. So like our guest bedroom, the front of the house sees the sunset and I'm like, it's very nice cuz you get that

Dr. Mac:

full. Yeah. So, yeah, you're, you're set. Yes. So you just gotta go outside. Yes. I'm just treating you. I'm sorry. I'll stop and I can't help it on the street. I'll be like, oh, I need to tell that person do that. And I'm like, no, no, no. That's what I

Tyler:

love

Chris:

cuz like I, I grew up and I. I love random, like science in history, and I, it's one of those things where I'm like, you know, it'd really nice to be in a spot where you can get that, because Feng Shui people laugh about it and they're like, oh, I'm like, no, that's a real thing. Like there's a reason why a lot of these people have great lives and

Dr. Mac:

long lives. Like I think before the 1950s people were thin, they weren't super. Mm-hmm. You know, like look back, I mean, look back then, like most people were. Probably happier than they are today. Yes. And they were eating, they were cooking, they were eating their meals as a family. You know what I mean? Yeah. Like, let's go

Tyler:

back to that. Eating more local stuff that came from the farms that were around them. Exactly. And not as sedentary

Dr. Mac:

lifestyles and everything. Mm-hmm. And like a lot of times, like even I just learned like chickens, they aren't out in the sunshine. Mm-hmm. So they're eggs. Like if you open a egg and it's like super You know, like, like clear? Mm-hmm. Like not like, you know, pretty and yellow probably doesn't have retinol, which is vitamin A. Yeah. And then you're not getting all the nutrients you should. So ideally when you crack a them in the egg, it should be like yellow and bright and beautiful. And I'm like, RX eggs aren't like that. Right. It should be orange. Yeah. And so you pay like nine bucks now for organic pasteurized eggs. And I'm like, oh, these are pretty, those was 10 bucks and I could have spent three or whatever. My parents

Tyler:

have a bunch of chickens. They get. Yeah, they have. So are they pretty. They're beautiful. Yeah.

Dr. Mac:

So I'll, I'll buy some from you. Right.

Tyler:

There was one time like their chickens got like kind of sick or something, so I didn't lay that much until they got better. Yeah. And so I had to buy my own eggs.

Dr. Mac:

I was so mad. I know. And

Tyler:

I cracked it open. I'm like, What is

Dr. Mac:

this? You're like, this is in the egg, right? I was like, this looks massive. Yeah. There's this crazy statistic. So a squash in the 1920s. Mm-hmm. Right of yellow squash. Yeah. Had a hundred percent of the daily value vitamin A. Right? Like how much you if vitamin A you need in a day. Right now it has zero. That's crazy. You believe that just from like over farming, they don't rest the crops, right? Yeah. So like the crops need to like re you know, replenish and renourish. They don't do that. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. So that's why I think a lot of people are like, well, do I need to supplement? And usually I'm like, most people need at least some supplements cuz you just can't get enough in your food. Right. But also you can't out supplement a bad diet either. Right. So it's like you gotta do this. Yeah.

Chris:

I mean we had a fella on the, a couple months ago who helps people like start their own. Like homesteads.

Dr. Mac:

Oh yeah. Oh, that'd be so cool. And I'm like, oh, I should get listen to that one. Yeah. Should I love that

Tyler:

one? It was really cool.

Chris:

Yeah, it was one of those, it was during our 75 hard series which I think is kind of interesting where we, neither of us drink, so we're inter like we're asking these questions to grow our personalities. Yeah. And this whole last. Two seasons or so, I would say, has all been very health conscious. Mm-hmm. Which is funny because we're drinking on the podcast. Right. It's

Tyler:

like all about balance. Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

Chris:

Yes, yes. And that's what I say. I'm like, I miss those seesaws. Mm-hmm. Like, Kids these days need a seesaw. Oh yeah. Because, oh, yeah, yeah. Because it shows you like true balance and it also will knock you in the fucking face when

Dr. Mac:

you're not paying attention. I tell people that all the time. I'm like, look, 80 20 rule. Right? Or 90 10 if you want. Right. So you're not gonna be perfect all the time. Right. Like you can't do keto for. Four months straight. Well, maybe after 75 Hardy after that, then you're gonna fall off and you're gonna probably end up back where you were. So like, let's, you know, take Friday and Saturday off, or you know, whatever. Whatever it may be. Yeah. Like you're, you can't do it. Yeah. You have to. Yeah. Seesaw. Exactly. Yeah. It'll be

Chris:

reasonable. I just remember. Growing up in like the seesaw, everyone would jump on it and you're like, oh, you know, this, that nice balance, and then that person who jumps off of the seesaw and just slams. Yeah. Kids these days will never

Dr. Mac:

understand. Funny. I tell people their immune systems like that. Like a, like a seesaw? Yeah. So like if you you know, stress, right? Like, like remember during Covid, everyone was like the cytokine storm. Mm-hmm. That's what was making everyone so sick. Mm-hmm. That was where that immune system was like. Bam. Like with the seesaw. Yeah, that's what I was literally, I would think about, so yeah, we're like, okay, let's like get the seesaw back. Right. You're like get it in balance. Yeah. Everything's homeostasis, which is like, I like

Chris:

that. Yeah. Homeostasis. The science person to me is like, Ooh. So the water's not going this way or that way. Yeah.

Dr. Mac:

Just chilling. Yes.

Tyler:

And I know this is kind of, off topic a little bit. Yeah. But I know you're big in your faith. Does that make a big Impact and kind of what you're doing on a day-to-day base basis. And the functional, I

Dr. Mac:

mean, I would say a lot of people come to me and it's like, you know, I'll try and focus on body, mind, spirit. Mm-hmm. So I think a lot of times people are good in their body maybe, but their mind's not good. Right. Even their mindset of like, oh, I'm tired. Well, yeah, you're always gonna be tired if you're thinking every day I'm tired, or, oh, I'm depressed. Which, you know, I mean, people are depressed. But if you're, if you're thinking those thoughts, then your body's gonna follow suit. Right. Right. And then I think spiritual too. If you know at least. What I believe is, you know, God's our provider and you know, he's just our comforter. And so I think without that you're kind of like, who do I listen to? Who do I trust? You know, so. Right. I see a lot of people are when they're spiritually sound, they, they get quicker. A lot, a lot better. That's neat. Or faster. Yeah, better. A lot better. A lot faster, quicker. There you go.

Chris:

You said quicker. A lot better. I was like a

Dr. Mac:

lot better. Quicker. Yeah.

Chris:

Yeah. Which is interesting cuz I've always. Like I grew up in church. And I think that's one of the things like as long as you have a connection mm-hmm. Especially like you said, going outside Yeah. Connects you even if Yeah. I'm

Dr. Mac:

like, god's in nature, right? Mm-hmm. Like you're meeting him there. Yeah. That's why I feel closest to him. Yeah,

Chris:

exactly. Me too. Even if you live in the hood and it's all cement, just getting outside and getting sunlight is very good for you. Yeah,

Tyler:

for sure. Mm-hmm.

Dr. Mac:

Yeah.

Tyler:

It gots pretty cool. It is all meant to be around you for a

Dr. Mac:

reason, right? Yes. Yeah, exactly. And we're just, yeah. Putting up buildings and concrete. Right. I know there's

Tyler:

a song about that

Dr. Mac:

country.

Tyler:

Sorry, I was singing Yellow Taxi.

Dr. Mac:

Oh yeah, yeah. I

Tyler:

was Paradise. Put up a parking lot. Oh,

Dr. Mac:

yep. Yep. I was thinking of Alicia Keys. That's what I was like when I was like, what song are you about? That one? That's an oldie.

Chris:

Yeah. Yeah. Here, I'm gonna need to find that song

Dr. Mac:

that's like, what, like nineties maybe? Yeah. Or two thousands. Yeah. Probably

Tyler:

at

Chris:

Google when, when he was a kid.

Tyler:

Yeah, when I was a kid. We're the same ages essentially.

Chris:

No, we're not. So talking about. Going back to being a kid. Cuz I like to do the whole whoop. Yeah. Go back.

Tyler:

Counting Crows big yellow

Dr. Mac:

taxi. Oh. It was Counting Crows. I forgot about that. Loved them. Yeah. I

Chris:

didn't listen to Crow.

Dr. Mac:

I was like, what if you do? Yes. You got that. Got it. You got it. Yeah. A little gullible sometimes I was gonna play it,

Tyler:

but then I don't

Chris:

want to get a strike. Yeah, please don't.

Dr. Mac:

Oh, with we've, we've done so well. Yeah, please, please don't do that to us. That is crazy that you're like that strict

Tyler:

about it. Oh yeah. Very. You can't even play 10 seconds of it.

Dr. Mac:

Wow. Mm-hmm. That's crazy. That's good to know. I'm never gonna probably podcast, but good to know.

Chris:

I mean, if you ever want to podcast, we have a whole studio. Yeah. With all the

Dr. Mac:

equipment. So you're set up Good. Good to know. Cargo Studios, it's a really great spot.

Chris:

So going back. Growing up. Yeah. In a brain fog. Yeah. Because you were on so many meds. Yeah. So do you think you are a good, like, resource for a lot of people who think their kids are in that same position nowadays? Like do you work with kids or are you more adults? Yeah, I

Dr. Mac:

I definitely don't like, I like pediatrics, but they're not like my specialty. Okay. So I'll see five and up. A lot of times it's gut health stuff, so, you know, a lot of times kids are eating Goldfish in Kool-Aid and it's like, Hey, let's like get some veggies and fruit in there too, you know? And so, yeah, a lot of times their guts messed up, so I kind of meet'em there. And I think that, you know, a lot of times our guts are second brain, so I've, looking back at me, I probably had brain fog from just all the stuff I was taking. But also, I mean, I had so many antibiotics, like when I learned I was gluten, dairy free, I was like, Mom gave me cheese toast every morning and toaster strudels like, no wonder cheese toast. So good though. Yeah, right. I was like, no wonder I was so jacked up though. Like I, you know, find this out later. And me and my mom always like, joke. We're like, look at all those things we did. Like it's just cra it's crazy when you like, and that's what I try and get people a lot of time like in their history when we talk about their history. Like, hey, like take me back at the beginning. Like, let's go through so we know all of your. Kind of joke. It's like a toxic bucket, right? Mm-hmm. We have this bucket. Mm-hmm. And we're gonna throw like, okay, you were a kid, you had a lot of antibiotics, right? Okay. Then you had you know, whatever else happened to you, and you kind of throw this, throw this in a toxic bucket, and then everyone's like, well, you know, I kind of like, I fell apart. I'm like, well, well what happened? Oh, well it was stress. Or, oh, I got in a moldy building. Right? And it's like, make sure your toxic bucket overflow. So it's like, what little things can we take out? And I'm always like, let's do the free stuff first, right? Mm-hmm. Like, let's do the, let's do the lifestyle medicine first and then try and keep digging, right? And I'm always like, root cause resolution, like, let's find out why. Right? Is it you had a tick bite and then that you had Lyme disease, right? Yes. Or like you, hurricane Florence came through. I had so many people, hurricane Florence came through, destroy their house, and it wasn't properly remediated. So then they have mold, right? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. But I'm like, you can't. Get rid of your mold, right? You can't detox it, you can't get rid of your Lyme disease unless we get you into parasympathetic, fix your diet, you know, all the basic stuff first. So that's really where I try and focus. So I dunno if I went off on a tangent, but that's perfect. Okay. Yeah,

Tyler:

that's what I'm here for. Yeah. Awesome. Good. I forgot

Chris:

it now. Sorry. Perfect. So within your business? Yeah. Like what would you. Qualify as like success.

Dr. Mac:

I think anyone who just comes to me and feels a little bit better, you know, or real, a lot better. Yeah. I mean, I think wellness is a journey, you know? So, you know, a lot of times I think people are like, oh, if I just get to this place, then I'll be, I'll be good. Right? And then you get there and you're like, wow, I'm feeling really good, but like, oh, I could feel even better. Mm-hmm. You know, so then it's like, it's ki that's kind of the journey I've been on is like, oh wow, I like did all this stuff, but, oh, I could do that and feel like that. Yes. You know? So just looking back on like. I couldn't make it through a full day's work without taking a nap or being super tired. And now I'm like, wow, I think I have too much energy, you know? Yeah. I'm like, ready to go every day. So I just want other people to feel like that too. You know, like, the mom who comes to me and is like, Hey, I can't play with my kid, you know, I'm so tired, or I have so much joint pain, or My back hurts. Mm-hmm. I can't even play with my kid. And I'm like, that's not a, like, we don't want, we want you to live life to the full. Right? Yes. And so. That's really where I try and focus is like, Hey, let's like get you to where, like, what are your goals though, right? Like, I'm not gonna, I have my agenda in the back of my head, but I'm not, I'm gonna listen to your, you know, your goals and, and what you wanna do. So if I'm like, Hey, I think you should do this, but you wanna work on this, like, we're gonna do what you wanna do, like you're, it's your body, right? You're a patient. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Chris:

So where can people find you? So they can. Interact and try and get these Yeah, yeah.

Dr. Mac:

Questions answered. So it's breakthrough functional.com and I actually have a discovery call for 30 minutes. So, that's where we just make sure we're a good fit. You know, I, I've I'm always honest and like, Hey, I could help you, but I think if you went and saw this person first, you'd get like, immediate relief and then come see me. So I just last week. Mm-hmm. My husband's always like, you're a terrible businesswoman. And I'm like, yeah. I'm like, I want people to get better. Right. That's like my whole yes. Motive and Goal. So this girl called me, said, Hey, I'm having abdominal pain. And I was like, Hey, go see this person who will do visceral massage. Make sure all your valves and your stuff's working, but hey, I think I could work, I could really help you on this part. And you probably are still having some gut issues. Yeah. So I definitely think I could help you with that. But like these people might give you rapid relief. So like, go do that first. Yeah. In the report back, you know,

Chris:

which reminds me, we are due for a miracle on 34th Street remake. What does that mean? The movie? Yes. Oh. So what I, what I mean by that is I love that movie and that's how I live my life. Mm-hmm. Especially at work is if I can't find, if I can't do it for you. Yeah. Like in the, in the quote unquote remake from like the nineties Chris Cringle couldn't find you. Yeah. Like it's like, oh, I don't have the toy for you. I don't have the best deal. Go down the street. Mm. They'll take care of you. Yeah. Or go here and do that. I, I wish more people had that mindset. Yeah. Of like, it's not about making the money, it's about helping you get what you need. Because then

Dr. Mac:

you'll either refer someone else to me or, you know, I'll see your kid or whatever it may be. Mm-hmm. Or you know, come see me while you see these other people are gonna help you with things that I might not be able to. Yes. You know? Yeah. I'm always like, super upfront and. Like, Hey, I can help with this. But you might wanna go see this person too. Yeah. For, for this issue. Or like, Hey, your neck's really hurting. You probably should go see a chiropractor, right? Like, right. I don't know. I can help you with the joint pain that's maybe coming from your foods or, you know, give you a supplement that might help, but mm-hmm. You know, he might wanna go see a chiropractor and get adjusted too. Right.

Tyler:

So kind of going off that same vein too. Yeah. Before I, before I get to my last question is if you were to create your, like perfect patient to walk through the door Yeah. What would that look like?

Dr. Mac:

Really? Someone, I mean, who's gone the traditional route, right? They've gotten the checkup, they're like, yeah, we don't know what's wrong with you. You know, you're having fatigue, joint pain, bloating. Reflux you know, any like, sort of vague symptom of brain fog and the doctor's like, well, you know, it's probably just ibs or, you know, it's probably just you're stressed. Go go take some deep breaths. And then you're like, yeah, but how, you know, like you need someone to like walk you through that. So, really, I don't try and put myself in a box, like, oh, I just treat gut health, or I just treat this. I really try and be like, let's just chat and we'll see if we're a good fit. And then yeah, just anyone who's wanting, you know, to feel healthier, right? Really. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Chris:

Perfect.

Tyler:

Yeah, I love that. So I was thinking about that too because bill reached out to me today and found out that sounds like Mackenzie's gonna get on a call and possibly talk to Yeah.

Chris:

Coach Reggie. Yeah. Yes. I love that. And we were talking about that earlier. Yeah. Yeah. It's like everyone, like you can do, you can live life like me, like just raw dog. An inches living the best life, but the best people. Yeah. The top people in their industry. Have a coach. Right? Like LeBron James. Like he's LeBron James. He does amazing. But he still is a coach. Yeah. An assistant coach mm-hmm. He still works out with somebody, a support. Yeah. Mm-hmm. So like we all need to get back to that point where we're having a support system. Yeah. And

Dr. Mac:

just they're, you know, wiser than me with business. I'm always like, I'm not a business gal. I just was like, Hey, I'm not in an environment that I wanna be, so I'm gonna start my own business. Right. I'm gonna do it my way, but also I'm gonna focus on patience and what I'm good at and what I've been trained in. And then I will, you know, get wisdom and insight from other people. Yes. Right. Yeah. So please, yes.

Chris:

Yeah, absolutely. So shout out to Papa Reggie. Yeah. Papa

Tyler:

Reggie. Yes. Business growers. Go check'em out. Yes. It's So my official final question then. Yes. If you were to tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?

Dr. Mac:

Hmm. So I think it would just be to enjoy the journey. Mm-hmm. So I think a lot of times, at least for me, I'm always like, so future minded. Yeah. Yeah. Like, what's the next step? What am I doing? Like I got my business off the ground, and then I was like, all right, what's ne what's next? And my therapist is like, chill out. You know, like, just take a breath. You know? And so yeah, really just trying to be like, present, enjoy where I'm at. And I think other people can be really stuck in their past, right? Like mm-hmm. In shame, or like, I did this, like, you know, and just, just reminisce on it, you know? And I'm like, yeah, let's, let's Let's just be present and do the best we can and one step at a time. Right?

Tyler:

Yeah. Yeah.

Chris:

I love it. That's good. Yeah. I always forget about that. Like we were, like you said, everyone's always looking forward. Yeah. Or looking back.

Dr. Mac:

Right. It's like, let's enjoy the moment. Yeah. They're not looking at the kids can't. I'm enjoying this moment, like so it's fun. Yes. Yeah. I'm gonna be like, Hey, I was on a podcast once. That was cool. Shout out

Tyler:

now that you're on this one. I'm sure you'll have plenty of other offers now too. No, y'all are awesome. This was really cool. Thank you. Awesome. Thank you. Yeah, this fun. Don't know

Chris:

if your next one will have alcohol. Probably not. Yeah, we try though.

Dr. Mac:

Yeah. Thanks for particular. Yes. Anytime. I'm like, no whiskey, please. Oh, yeah, I finish it. Yeah. Yeah. You're like, I'm over here. You're like, you better finish

Chris:

it. Yes. I'm like, we don't leave alcohol on the table here. Okay. Mm-hmm. Unless it's really shitty.

Dr. Mac:

Yeah, it wasn't. It was good. Good. I'm just, I'm not my, I'm not in my twenties anymore. Right. You're like, you're fine. You're, you're like over,

Chris:

you're, you're half a step past it. Yes. You're fine. Yeah, I'm good. We got you. But yes, you shouted out your, your

Dr. Mac:

business. Yes. Breakthrough functional.com and then I'm on Instagram, LinkedIn. And that's breakthrough functional too. Okay. Yeah, it was, it was a cool finding. My name was super cool too. Breakthrough phone. Yeah. So I had this other name picked out and someone in the community had it. And so I was like, dang it, I'm up to start from scratch. Yeah. So I was in church and I was just like, oh, I don't know what it's gonna be. Whatever. I'm like, God, what do you want it to be? Yeah. And this song comes on and it was called Breakthrough. And my husband like, hits me and he is like, Hey, I think that'd be good. Like breakthrough people need like breakthrough from their health too. Yeah. And I was like, yeah, that's great. And then, No one had it. Like, you know, l p c, like wasn't copyrighted or mm-hmm. Or whatever. And I was like, all right, thanks God. That was, that was helpful. Cause I was like, I don't know what it's gonna be. I was like, at a loss, you

Chris:

know? Yeah. So do you take most insurances?

Dr. Mac:

No, I'm only cash. So I, I was insurance I guess for like three years. Mm-hmm. And I really, I think I talked to Tyler about this. Mm-hmm. I really just felt like, I would just kind of like. You know, it'd be like a 30 minute visit and I'd be like, oh my gosh, I could talk to you for like another hour, you know? And I just, I just saw it didn't work. And I think they say 97% of functional providers don't take insurance. Isn't that crazy? Mm-hmm. Yeah. Because they just put you in a box and it's like, Hey, you have this much time. You know? And then I was, I was coming home, working all night and I was like, this just isn't gonna work. I'm gonna get burned out. You know? So, when another practice in town that I knew of was shutting down, I was like, okay. And I started praying about it, like, you know, is this. Something I'm supposed to do. And literally God was like, here you go. I mean, business model name, everything. And I was like, okay, guess I'm supposed to do this. I never literally thought I'd be here, so it's pretty cool. Yeah. So, so I'm all cash, but I do give an invoice that people can submit to their insurance and see if they'll reimburse them. But I think, I mean, I think a lot of the people you've had on the podcast, like the medical system is obviously broken. Mm-hmm. And so I think, you know, for acute needs, I'm like, you know, if, if someone calls me and like, Hey, I'm having excruciating abdominal pain, Go to the er, right? Like, I mean, what am I gonna do? But yeah, after that it's kind of like, you know, the system's broken. We're, we're stuck in this insurance model and yeah, it's just gotta do something. Yeah. So we're all kind of going to cash.

Chris:

That's a whole nother episode. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Where I sit there and talk about the insurance industry. I know

Tyler:

I heard that Blue Cross Blue Shield is finally starting to. Get their act together though. Oh yeah. And accept more functional and everyth

Dr. Mac:

everything as well. I only do one practice and they're in Winston, the practice I went to. Mm-hmm. But they only take Blue Cross and Aetna maybe. Okay. That's it. Like they won't take United, they won't take Medicare. So it's like kind of a hybrid too, you know? Yeah,

Tyler:

yeah, yeah. I think people are starting to realize that if you can kind of get the root cause of it, you're saving a lot of money right. In end and on surgeries

Dr. Mac:

and stuff. I'm sure. That's interesting. And it's like, is that gonna, is that gonna help you too? Like, I mean, the surgery might help you, but is it gonna fix the root cause, right? Like is gonna keep coming back? Yes. You know?

Chris:

Yeah. It's one of those things where I've learned, like I said this past like two seasons of like, you need to, despite the fact that. I hate going to the doctor. Yeah. Like you need to get out there. Yeah. And if you wanna live a great life and get ahead of it and spend time and be ahead of the issues. Right. You gotta see somebody. Yeah, for sure. And technically it's probably better for you to not use your insurance, but Exactly. I just wanna say thank you for coming on with me. Yeah. Thank you guys for having

Dr. Mac:

me. This is fun. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. Hope you learned something. Absolutely. Every time you're gonna get in the sun. Chris, it's like, no, just in the morning. It's like five. It's the easiest five minutes. Funny you man, you'll to come see me.

Chris:

True. We went on our honeymoon and I tried to put sunblock on and I had the worst. Oh,

Dr. Mac:

did you have toxic sunscreen? Mm-hmm. Probably. Mm-hmm. Tyler's like, Ooh.

Chris:

You'll look at it. Like we said earlier I don't, I didn't grow up with a lot of sunscreen. Yeah. But.

Dr. Mac:

We can guys put like an umbrella up or like a hat on, you know?

Chris:

Yeah, yeah. Well the last time I went to the beach, it was in Cancun. Well, I've been since then, but we went to Cancun, put some Unscreen. That's

Dr. Mac:

fine. The beach?

Chris:

Well, no, I went and like I came back and I had like a rack.

Dr. Mac:

Oh. Like oh, from the sunscreen. We don't know. Or maybe you had some poisoning. So you know what you should do? You should check your vitamin D levels. I have a lot of African American patients who their Vitamin Ds deficient. Mm-hmm. Sorry, has Stellar been telling you this? No, I I was like, he's laughing at you.

Chris:

I was gonna say something. Oh,

Dr. Mac:

I

Tyler:

was like, Tyler's, like I knew exactly where Chris's head is at.

Chris:

No, no.

Tyler:

Get part.

Chris:

Do wanna say thank you. Yeah. Like I said, yeah. Thank you. Even though we've had multiple functional docs on Yeah. We've learned something different from everybody.

Dr. Mac:

Good. I hope you learned something. Yeah. Yeah. If I leave one thing left, like a tip. Oh, sure. I try and always tell people to maximize the good things, minimize the bad, and then prioritize like your stress and your sleep. So that's kind of my like motto I give people. So yeah. I hope that I love it. Yeah.

Tyler:

Thank you. Yeah.

Chris:

So with that, please follow us on social media, check us out, like comment, share. Leave us a great five star review, and if you ain't got nothing nice to say, don't say it at all. That's right. Be it. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. Yeah.

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