Episode 172
Dr. Holly Donahue:Sleep Deprivation Makes Natural Healing Impossible And Here Is Why
Dr. Holly Donahue:
Sleep Deprivation Makes Natural Healing Impossible And Here Is Why
Discover why sleep might be the missing piece in your healing journey; naturopathic doctor Holly Donahue reveals the profound connection between sleep quality and your body's ability to heal naturally.
From hormone balance to immune function, learn why sleep deprivation could be sabotaging your health goals and natural healing efforts. Holly shares her expertise on how sleep impacts everything from blood sugar regulation to stress management, and why traditional treatments often fail without addressing sleep quality first.
Whether you're dealing with chronic health issues or simply want to optimize your wellbeing, this episode uncovers why quality sleep isn't just about rest—it's about giving your body the foundation it needs for true healing. Learn why prioritizing sleep could be the game-changer in your path to wellness.
From hormone balance to immune function, learn why sleep deprivation could be sabotaging your health goals and natural healing efforts. Holly shares her expertise on how sleep impacts everything from blood sugar regulation to stress management, and why traditional treatments often fail without addressing sleep quality first.
Whether you're dealing with chronic health issues or simply want to optimize your wellbeing, this episode uncovers why quality sleep isn't just about rest—it's about giving your body the foundation it needs for true healing. Learn why prioritizing sleep could be the game-changer in your path to wellness.
First Aired on: Dec 30, 2024
Episode 172
Dr. Holly Donahue:Sleep Deprivation Makes Natural Healing Impossible And Here Is Why
Dr. Holly Donahue:
Sleep Deprivation Makes Natural Healing Impossible And Here Is Why
Discover why sleep might be the missing piece in your healing journey; naturopathic doctor Holly Donahue reveals the profound connection between sleep quality and your body's ability to heal naturally.
From hormone balance to immune function, learn why sleep deprivation could be sabotaging your health goals and natural healing efforts. Holly shares her expertise on how sleep impacts everything from blood sugar regulation to stress management, and why traditional treatments often fail without addressing sleep quality first.
Whether you're dealing with chronic health issues or simply want to optimize your wellbeing, this episode uncovers why quality sleep isn't just about rest—it's about giving your body the foundation it needs for true healing. Learn why prioritizing sleep could be the game-changer in your path to wellness.
From hormone balance to immune function, learn why sleep deprivation could be sabotaging your health goals and natural healing efforts. Holly shares her expertise on how sleep impacts everything from blood sugar regulation to stress management, and why traditional treatments often fail without addressing sleep quality first.
Whether you're dealing with chronic health issues or simply want to optimize your wellbeing, this episode uncovers why quality sleep isn't just about rest—it's about giving your body the foundation it needs for true healing. Learn why prioritizing sleep could be the game-changer in your path to wellness.
First Aired on: Dec 30, 2024
Table of Contents:
Table of Contents:
In this episode:
In this episode:
In this eye-opening episode, I explore the critical connection between sleep deprivation and our body's ability to heal naturally. My guest, naturopath Holly Donahue, reveals why inadequate sleep sabotages even our best efforts at recovery and shares powerful insights about the intricate relationship between sleep, hormones, and healing.
Introduction
Holly Donahue is a naturopath who transformed her own health journey by understanding the fundamental role of sleep in healing. After struggling with depression and hormonal issues in her youth, she discovered that addressing sleep and its connection to overall wellness was key to recovery. Today, she helps others understand why prioritizing sleep is non-negotiable for anyone seeking true healing.
Episode Highlights
The Destructive Cycle of Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation creates a cascade of hormonal imbalances that directly impact our body's ability to heal. When we don't get proper sleep, our cortisol rhythm becomes disrupted, leading to blood sugar instability and increased inflammation.
- Poor sleep disrupts natural cortisol patterns essential for healing
- Sleep deprivation affects blood sugar regulation
- Disrupted sleep patterns increase stress on the body
Why Natural Healing Requires Quality Sleep
The body's healing processes are intricately tied to our sleep cycles, making quality sleep essential for recovery.
- Sleep is when the body naturally detoxifies
- Deep REM sleep is crucial for healing and hormone balance
- Natural healing becomes impossible without proper sleep patterns
The Blood Sugar Connection
Blood sugar regulation and sleep quality are deeply interconnected, creating either a virtuous or vicious cycle for our health.
- Blood sugar imbalances can wake you up at night
- Cortisol responds to blood sugar fluctuations during sleep
- Balanced blood sugar supports better sleep quality
Circadian Rhythm and Natural Healing
Understanding and respecting our natural circadian rhythm is fundamental to achieving restorative sleep.
- Morning sunlight exposure helps regulate sleep patterns
- Natural light exposure impacts hormone production
- Modern technology can disrupt natural sleep cycles
Immune System and Sleep Connection
Sleep deprivation significantly impacts our immune system and ability to stay healthy, especially during stressful times.
- Poor sleep reduces immune system resilience
- Sleep deprivation increases susceptibility to illness
- Quality sleep supports natural immunity
Notable Quotes
"Cortisol balances both blood sugar and sleep. So when you wake up in the morning, cortisol should be not elevated, but it's going to be higher in the morning. Then it starts to drop off. This is your circadian rhythm of your body."
Holly Donahue
"Sleep deprivation causes these small irritations that can truly escalate into these major frustrations. So now you can't truly manage your stress effectively."
Holly Donahue
"The truth is it's maybe just your blood sugar and your sleep."
Holly Donahue
Other Resources:
Other Resources:
Connect with Dr. Holly Donahue
Connect with Dr. Holly Donahue
Watch this interview:
Watch this interview:
Episode Transcript
Holly Donahue:[00:00:00] Sleep deprivation can bring up so many emotions. It causes this small irritations that can truly escalate into these major frustrations. So now you can't truly manage your stress effectively. Many people get sick, because they're in this incredible drive. You've pushed through it and you've lost your actual resilience.
Holly Donahue: Your body naturally doing methylation naturally detoxing so that when you close your eyes to go to sleep at night, you're going to have a deep REM sleep.
Julie Michelson:[00:01:00] Welcome back to the Inspired Living with Autoimmunity podcast. I'm your host, Julie Michelson. And today we're joined by Dr. Holly Donohue, licensed board certified naturopathic doctor dedicated to helping individuals find joy in good health and achieve their full potential. With over 17 years of experience, she focuses on personalized preventative care to support balanced and healthier lifestyles.
Julie Michelson: Her passion for naturopathic medicine stems from her own health journey nearly 30 years ago when she experienced severe headaches, hormonal imbalances, and depression. Dr. Donahue runs a full time clinic in New Hampshire, where she works with patients daily, guiding them toward healing their bodies naturally.
Julie Michelson: She's also the founder of Simple Health [00:02:00] and offers a trusted resource for those seeking natural health solutions. She believes that better health is within reach for everyone and is committed to guiding patients through their wellness. In today's conversation, we're talking about the importance of sleep and nutrition to create wellness and the connection between blood sugar, stress, and sleep.
Julie Michelson: We further explore how getting back to nature is not only essential, but the key to total empowered wellness.
Julie Michelson: Holly, welcome to the podcast.
Holly Donahue: Oh, thank you so much for having me, Julie. It's so grateful to be here. It
Julie Michelson: is truly my pleasure. I'm really excited for our conversation and I would love for any of my listeners that aren't already familiar with you, which hopefully most of them are. Um, I would love for you to share a little bit of your journey of how you became an expert in the wellness space.
Julie Michelson: You know, is this, was this a [00:03:00] lifelong passion and dream?
Holly Donahue: So no, and you'll love my story. So when I was 16 years old, I had severe depression and severe PMS menstrual cycle, horrible cramps. Like I just used all my energy throughout the week to actually function. And then on weekends I would sleep and then I would get up and I would do it again.
Holly Donahue: And I did really well in sports and school, but however, I didn't realize that it was a detriment to my health and that, you know, every, everybody else was feeling differently than I was. And so I was like, huh. And I started really doing a deep dive into like, how could I heal myself? And so now push yourself forward into your twenties and now I've graduated college and I'm doing okay, but not great meaning like physically I was challenged to lose weight.
Holly Donahue: I just felt like I was holding on to so much and I thought there was something really like wrong with me. And the truth is, is there was nothing wrong with me. It's just that my hormones are in balance. [00:04:00] How it started was when I was 18, I went and I saw my gynecologist, right? You get your yearly exams at that point once you start cycling and she's like well If you're having horrible menses and horrible clotting then let's give you the birth control pill.
Holly Donahue: I knew you were gonna say it I'm like, I'm not sexually active like I'm 16 or 18 years old at that point, right? And I'm like, so I took it, took it home. And I looked at it and I'm like, I took it once and I felt so bloated. And I'm like, this is really odd. Just taking this pill. Like that makes no sense. My mother was a mental health therapist.
Holly Donahue: So she was worried about now I have depression and she was really worried about my depression. So she's like, well, let's get you some support around that. I'm gonna take you to the psych psychiatrist that I send my patients to. And I'm like, okay. So I walked downstairs into this home. Her office was out of the home, and she was an interesting looking woman.
Holly Donahue: No judgment. But she looked at me out of the top of her glasses and she said, so tell me why you're [00:05:00] here. And I, and she said, I'm told by your mom you have severe depression. I said, I do. And she said, are you suicidal? I said, no. Have you ever had suicidal thoughts? No, and she's like, okay, well, I'm going to give you some, um, Prozac or lithium.
Holly Donahue: I can't remember. And, um, you're going to start taking this and it's going to allow you to feel better. And I said, okay, it was about a seven minute conversation and I turned around and I started to go up the stairs and she said, now you go take that and you get that filled. And I'm like, thank, thank you.
Holly Donahue: And, uh, have a great day. And she's like, well, you really need to get that filled. And I said, I'm not feeling this. There's no pill that's going to make me better. Now I was 18 years old at that point, and I knew that taking a pill for an ill was not going to heal me. So now move forward. I'm now in the apparel industry.
Holly Donahue: I'm loving what I do. I kept searching, kept searching. I was going to solve this problem because I still did not feel great. I found Dr. James Sadamo, the founder of the blood type [00:06:00] diet, and he saved my life. And that's truly my story. And so when I was 30, he said, we need more naturopaths and you'd be great at that.
Holly Donahue: And I'm like, I really love what I do. So I'm just going to stay here. No, we really need more naturopaths. I'm like, that's fantastic. I'm 30. I'm not going back to school, not doing all the education, nor could I ever see myself as a doctor. He said, okay, well, I'm just going to keep planting the seeds. Two days after 9 11.
Holly Donahue: I got laid off into a job that I love six figure income. It was fantastic. They no longer needed me because I set up all their systems and I was known as a change agent in the apparel industry.
Julie Michelson: So
Holly Donahue: here I am 20 years later practicing and it's the best thing that I've ever done. Wow.
Julie Michelson: Amazing. So you, I mean, the interesting thing is Innately, you knew there was another way, which [00:07:00] is amazing because, I mean, how many, you know, how many teenagers handed the pill are going to not take it, you know, because it made them feel bloated, if it could maybe fix the other things, or, Um, you know, who leaves a psychiatrist's office and says, no, you know, this is all feels wrong.
Julie Michelson: It feels wrong. So you honored, you honored that voice that new, I love it. And I'm
Holly Donahue: one of the other things that happened as well, just so you guys know is when I was seven years old, I got strapped, I got strapped ear all the time and strep throat. And so my mom came to me at seven and said, we're going to have your tonsils taken out.
Holly Donahue: And I looked at her and I said, We're not doing anything. And she said, well, your sister's had them out. They feel fine. I said, that's great. I said, nobody is going to cut me and take anything out of my body. And she goes, but honey, you're going to feel better. And I said, you're not selling me on this. [00:08:00] You can cancel that appointment.
Holly Donahue: Cause I'm not going. I walked away. Now that was seven years old. Okay. Yes.
Julie Michelson: Yeah. Oh my gosh. That's amazing. I mean, seriously, that's really pretty unheard of. Um, and so, you know, I'm glad you enjoyed your time in the apparel industry, but clearly you are doing what you were supposed to be doing. I know. I mean, how, and you do too.
Julie Michelson: How many adults do you know that do shush the voice, right? They're told there to be polite or, you know, or they have the, the, well, the doctor's the expert. So they say, take a pill. I'm going to take the pill. I know that's a me. How's your depression now?
Holly Donahue: I have no depression. I have not had depression since I was 30 years old, probably 28.
Holly Donahue: Once he started, Um, so people are going to be like, well, what did you do? [00:09:00] He fixed my thyroid. I stopped eating food. That was not good for my body. I started exercising first thing in the morning instead of in the evening, I slept better. I just changed my whole lifestyle and I began to learn what my body needed.
Julie Michelson: Yes. Underscore my, because I love that you say, you know, it is true. People are like, well, what did you do? I'll do that. And, you know, that then I'll be healed. And it's like, well, yeah, I mean, there is an umbrella. You need to hit those things. The sleep, the exercise, the food, the stress, all of the things. Um, but it's going to look different for each of us.
Julie Michelson: So I love that. Um, I know that Reese, by the time this is airing, you have recently come off your blood sugar summit and you've been running all these amazing programs. I want to talk [00:10:00] because we really don't, haven't spoken. And to me, there's such a direct connect between autoimmunity and obviously inflammation, but, and, and blood sugar.
Julie Michelson: Um, and I was, I want to talk a little bit about, or a lot of it. really want to talk about sleep, but then also including this, you know, what, what does what you're eating have to do with sleep? Because usually by the time someone finds me or you, you know, they're not, they're in a cycle, you know, they're not sleeping well, they're not eating well.
Julie Michelson: It's this, you know, chicken egg. It's not pretty. Um, so can you share with us a little bit about, you know, the importance of sleep and I think everybody understands the importance, but like, really, what role is it playing in this path to wellness?
Holly Donahue: Yeah, so such a good question, because one of the first things that I want to say is, um, [00:11:00] What you mentioned, like I figured out what worked for me, I created my vision for my health.
Holly Donahue: And then I leaned into my naturopath at the time to help support me. And so when we're looking at Whole health. Like we do in the natural medicine world. It's the seven, I think of the seven pillars of wellness. Um, not, not only including like your vision of where you're feeling, but we're also looking at physical gut health and brain, your mental, your emotional and your sleep.
Holly Donahue: And so Julie, when you asked me this question, the first thing that comes to my mind is that all of those pillars that I just talked about really provide a natural approach to healing, right? Um, so it's the physical symptoms that brings the patient often to the clinic, but then it's up for me to get to the root [00:12:00] cause of really what's going on.
Holly Donahue: So And by the time patients get to me, I always get this comment. It's really interesting. You are my last resort. So when I think about sugar and I think about sleep, the first thing that I want to talk about briefly is the foundation of your medicine and who you are is your nutrition. Yes, it's your genetics, knowing your genetics and its understanding.
Holly Donahue: But we also know that from the external world, we can affect our genetics called epigenetics, right? But if we know, like I learned what nutrition works best for me, I don't have a label on it. I don't have to keto yours. Yeah, I don't have to say I'm any of these. However, what I know that works for me personally is high protein, high veggie, you know, fats and like no grains.
Holly Donahue: Right. But I had to figure [00:13:00] that out. So I want to empower each listener here is. One of the things I talk about is how can you begin to learn your own body and how can you feel the energy from the foods that you're eating when you eat a balanced nutrition? You're going to naturally balance your blood sugar.
Holly Donahue: So what does blood sugar have to do with sleep and the foundation of who we are? Unfortunately, many of us are running around in a dysregulated environment. Our nervous system is in the sympathetic, the, the fight or flight, the go, go, go. We're, we're human doings, we're running, we're running, we're not being in our body.
Holly Donahue: We're not taking the time to be in the parasympathetic, which is the rest and the digest and the yin and the breathing. So we're in that cycle of running, especially coming into the seasons that we're in, depending on when [00:14:00] this is actually put out. Yeah. So yeah, so you're in this hustle and bustle and you're not stepping back and being like, what's important to me, cortisol balances, both blood sugar and sleep.
Holly Donahue: So let's talk briefly about this Arcadian rhythm. Then I'll bring cortisol in and I'll tie it all back together if that's okay. Of course. Absolutely. Absolutely. Sympathetic is your cortisol is your friend until you take it out of control, meaning you push and you push and you go and you go and you never relax.
Holly Donahue: So when you wake up in the morning, cortisol should be not elevated, but it's going to be higher in the morning. Then it starts to drop off. This is your circadian rhythm of your body, by the way. Then you have a little ideally, hopefully exactly. And then it drops off and then melatonin kicks in and says, Oh, really?
Holly Donahue: It's time for you to go to sleep. So then thank [00:15:00] you for that, like peaceful energy,
Julie Michelson: right?
Holly Donahue: So then if we talk about blood sugar, if blood sugars balance, cortisol is going to do what it's supposed to do. It's going to naturally do the rhythm. It's going to naturally balance itself. It's not going to have spikes.
Holly Donahue: It's not going to be highs and lows. However, cortisol will kick in. If your body can't regulate the blood sugar, if you take in too much sugar into your body, cortisol is like, holy cow, like so much insulin's being like, you're in that stress, you've got all this sugar. And then cortisol comes in to, for you to survive because what your body doesn't know, it doesn't know that you're in a like stressed out state.
Holly Donahue: All it knows is like, holy cow, I need to run from that saber toothed tiger, but we're living in that sympathetic state. We're driving the cortisol up. Our blood sugars are up and down, up and down. Our cortisol is kicking in because you've got to be in survival and your blood sugar has got to be balanced for you to survive.
Julie Michelson:[00:16:00] And it becomes the, it's this two way street, right? Because our, our beautiful. acute stress response. If we were living back when a saber toothed tiger would be our stressor, right? You want your body to release blood sugar and energize you so you can run, right? And so it becomes this, so when we're living in this, It's constant state of stress, whether we're aware of it or not.
Julie Michelson: We're driving blood sugar. And when we increase our blood sugar, we're driving like, how do you get out of that? Where do you start with people?
Holly Donahue: Yeah. So the exactly where I start with people, which, which is what I've been taking people over through the last. Five days or so with sugar cravings and release your sugar cravings is start to be aware of how much starch and sugar that your body needs.
Holly Donahue: Because people think like, well, I'm not eating sugar, but [00:17:00] then they're not looking where shouldn't sugar lurches and where it's like hiding and like in the sodas or even iced teas at the store. Like it's, you could be eating like all this fruit, but it's sugar. So figuring out how much. carbohydrate that your body actually needs and fat and protein ratio.
Holly Donahue: That is what we call our macro nutrients. Also, I'm balancing out your hormones. So your hormones become dysregulated when everything has to go to stress and cortisol. So what many people don't realize is vitamin D and cholesterol is the best backbone to cortisol, but vitamin D and cholesterol also the backbone to every single hormone in your body, including insulin, including estrogen, including progesterone and testosterone.
Holly Donahue: And so Why are people having these cycles that are off these menstrual cycles that are [00:18:00] off or even men andropause and whatnot. It's that push. They're utilizing that cortisol drive and then their lymph becomes affected and you can't detox naturally. So I start with nutrition and then we cycle into how stressful is your life and how can we begin to balance stress and how is your sleep patterns?
Julie Michelson: Yeah, and, and they're all like, you can't just go after one. They all impact each other. And I love that you brought that up. We tend to not, especially in today's, you know, the push, push society. I love that you highlighted, like, we have resources. That have to get allocated. So it's like, okay, you know, here's a vitamin D and cholesterol.
Julie Michelson: We're going to make hormones with, you know, if we're using it all up for cortisol, we're out of luck. And I love that you [00:19:00] brought that up because I do, I mean, it's, I see, you know, men and women. I have had. Male client. I've had more than one male client with lower testosterone than me and higher estrogen.
Julie Michelson: That's not okay. And these were not, these, these were, you know, younger, 30s. One was in his 30s. One was in his 40s. That shouldn't be,
Holly Donahue: yeah. And the other piece that I also think of as well with having the hormone imbalance is really like eating whole nutrients dense food. And so if you're eating food that has obesogens in it, has estrogen disrupting foods in it, like it has to go somewhere.
Julie Michelson: So
Holly Donahue: the body is going to, you know, store it. And then it can also throw your hormones off. as well. And if you're not detoxing appropriately, and I'm not saying just [00:20:00] go on a detox for three weeks and then you're one and done just to lose weight. I'm like your body naturally doing methylation naturally detoxing so that when you close your eyes to go to sleep at night, you're going to have a deep REM sleep.
Holly Donahue: The other piece that many people also don't think about was sleep to step back into that. is your, if you're not eating the foundation of your nutrition and figuring out what works for you and how much workout do you need? How much stress can you take on? By the time you go to bed at night, you're not realizing that your sugar could be doing this.
Holly Donahue: And that's, what's truly waking you up and not letting you get into deep REM sleep.
Julie Michelson: I love that. Let's talk about that. Cause again, as some, it is. often, you know, pieces of a puzzle. And so when, when I want to talk about the wake ups and then I want to talk about the quality, because you touched on both and they're both so important.
Julie Michelson: I know so many people that [00:21:00] say, Oh no, my, you know, my sleep is good, but the quality is not, they're not getting restorative sleep. Um, There is, you know, what are some of the things if you're in, if listeners are, are in a wake up pattern, meaning, okay, you know, my, maybe my routine is good and I go to bed on time and I'm working on the things, but I notice I wake up around the same time every night.
Julie Michelson: Um, what are some of the things? So blood sugar, blood sugar.
Holly Donahue: Yeah, blood sugar could definitely be one of those things. So one of the pieces that I work on with like the sort of symptomatology that you're talking about with the patient, the first thing, again, like I'm going to keep harping on this. I go back to whole nutrients, dense foods, do you need fat before you go to bed to get her?
Holly Donahue: Yeah. They're balanced. Do you need protein? Like insulin is needed for protein and carbohydrates, but what do you need? Like, what does your body need? Are you starving your body and [00:22:00] not eating enough calories? Which is truth to like 60 to 70 percent of Americans. They do not. Especially women. Yeah. Yeah, they're in this cycle, exercise more, eat less, right?
Holly Donahue: That's what we were told
Julie Michelson: for a long time. That is right. That
Holly Donahue: is right. Yeah. Like people don't realize the importance of protein and you have to figure out what works for you. Like I give you a general idea of one gram per pound of body weight, but maybe that's too much for you. And that's your ideal body weight, by the way, maybe that's too much for you.
Holly Donahue: Right. Maybe you need to eat a little less. Maybe you just need to eat protein at each meal. But why am I saying protein? Protein and fat sustain you for longer periods of time. Yes. And so sometimes I'll say to a patient, maybe you need to have a handful of almonds or walnuts before you go to bed. We'll move through that cycle.
Holly Donahue: Um, I'm sleeping a little better, but still not. Okay. Well, what is [00:23:00] your meal? When did you last eat? Try to not two to three hours before bed. So your food is digested. So you're not digesting and being woken up. Like these are all real pieces. Like I don't just say eat this and you're going to sleep, right?
Holly Donahue: Yeah. So if you don't eat the right balance nutrition for your body, like Julie was saying, your blood sugar can drop at night. And it's going to wake you up because now cortisol is going to kick in and it's like alarm, alarm, alarm, alarm, alarm. And so then you're like, Whoa, why did I wake up? Right. Or if you don't, if you are challenged with doing your sleep, sorry, I teach people what is your sleep ritual before you go to bed?
Holly Donahue: Yes. Are you looking at blue lights before you're going to bed to stimulate your eyes? Like, are you looking at a phone? Are you having disruptive conversations where you're going to solve the problem throughout the night? Cause you couldn't solve it. Like, what does that look like? You [00:24:00] want to get as much into a calm state and be as grounded as you can before you go to bed.
Holly Donahue: If you're someone that lives in your head, I sometimes suggest people buy earthing mats, grounding mats to help around them for sleep.
Julie Michelson: I think that's brilliant. I know people always laugh at me when I'm like, all right, we're going to start working on sleep. And the first thing I have people do is start getting morning sunlight in their eyes.
Julie Michelson: And they're like, wait, I thought we were working on sleep back to circadian rhythm. Guess what? It starts first thing in the morning. I always think of. You know, when we, we think of circadian rhythm, it's the same with all the things, stress, food, circadian rhythm, sleep, all right. If we think of, you know, back to times when we're running from a tiger.
Julie Michelson: What did the day look like? Like, we know light drives our circadian rhythm, and we know that with technology, [00:25:00] you know, if you, it's just like with stress, like, if you are not being intentional about doing things to compensate for today's world, You're not going to be nailing it, like for sure, and think about, it just always makes me happy to think about, um, if you, you know, think about nighttime, when we talk about nighttime rituals, well, what were we doing at nighttime?
Julie Michelson: We were sitting in front of a fire, right? Like we had that nice orange light, think of sunset, think of fire. Like who gets stressed out sitting in front of a fire outside? Like nobody, like we need to, I'm not saying everyone needs to go sit in front of a fire, but, but that's how like. woven in these rich, you know, our bodies are designed for certain things that if we're not being intentional or missing, by the way, if you were sitting outside in front of a campfire, you would [00:26:00] also be grounding and earthing when, you know, you know, so, um, I think so much of it is, is comes from, you know, we've gotten so far away from nature and natural rhythms and and real food.
Julie Michelson: I mean, Pick a thing. It's all, you know, now I'm not bashing technology. I love that we're on almost opposite sides of the country and we get to have this beautiful conversation. So it's just that I know you and I are going to take steps to protect ourselves.
Holly Donahue: Exactly. And I love what you said that it's all back to nature.
Holly Donahue: Hence why I love being a naturopath. Like, um, getting outside in nature, like, even though it's starting to get cooler here in New Hampshire, it's like, I'm still walking outside and bare feet and until I can't, I mean, I always can't even walk in the snow, but it is a little bit more chilly. And I've got to be ready for that, like cold energy to like jolt me, but [00:27:00] just might not want it.
Holly Donahue: You know what I mean? You know, we are, you know, so many children are behind devices, eating processed foods all the time, not able to digest the processed foods. They're, they're getting judged on their social media channels. It's disrupting who they are, disempowering them. And so I know that's a whole nother conversation, but it's like, get back to like people and energy and love and connection and groundedness.
Holly Donahue: And then it's not always about Julie or I giving you the answers. Like I walk through my patients and I literally am teaching them if I could say like to become their own doctor, like, what does that look like? What is the symptom? How do we solve it? Even back to like childhood, you know, so for the sleep and the sarkadian rhythm, like, were you a child where you got woken up?
Holly Donahue: Like, is this something that's still going on in your life? Or were you a child to like, just be left alone and cry [00:28:00] to go to sleep? Like this can all be things that we're working through to get you to sleep more soundly, you know, um, or were you spoken To about like you eat too much and you're overweight.
Holly Donahue: And so you still have, or did you have to finish what was on your plate?
Julie Michelson: Or, I mean, you know, I know I always say, Oh my gosh. Um, but it is, it is because until we address some of those patterns and stories, it's hard to create true lasting change. You know, we need to at least create the awareness of. Where did this come from?
Julie Michelson: Right? Especially, as you said, heading into the holidays, um, because this, I'm guessing, will be airing between Thanksgiving and the end of the year, um, and even that, you know, I mean, everybody has stories, everybody has patterns that somehow may tip toward impacting their health in a bad way. [00:29:00] I always joke, I've yet, have you met anybody I've yet to have when I, we talk about like comfort foods and powder, you know, and all the, all the things we have tied into food.
Julie Michelson: Have you ever met anybody who said my mom made the best salads and that's my comfort food? Like I've yet to encounter it.
Holly Donahue: Hopefully, maybe my daughter. I don't know. We'll see. That's so funny. And the other thing about talking about the holidays that I kind of want to talk about as well, when you're talking about like sleep deprivation, that can bring up like so many emotions if you're not getting deep REM sleep.
Holly Donahue: And your immune system, like why do so many people get sick through the holidays? Because they're In this incredible drive. And as soon as that like is over or in the middle of the holidays, you're sick at Christmas or you're sick at whatever your holiday is. Right. Because you've pushed through it and you've lost your actual resilience.[00:30:00]
Holly Donahue: Um, and the sleep deprivation. It causes this, like, small irritations that can truly escalate into, like, these major frustrations. So now you can't truly manage your stress effectively. Right. I was just thinking about, um,
Julie Michelson: you know, think of a toddler. Who's sleep deprived? Nobody wants to be around a sleep deprived toddler.
Julie Michelson: And it's because they're not trying to compensate for how they feel because they're sleep deprived, right? Like, it's just out there. Um, we are, that's just a human without the filters. You know, so it makes sense if you, I don't know why that was the visual as you were talking. I was thinking, Oh, of course, like, you know, think of tired.
Julie Michelson: Nobody wants tired, cranky baby.
Holly Donahue: That's right. That's right. Irritable or angry. Or like with your blood sugars up and [00:31:00] down, you're not sleeping, you've got anxiety, or you end up in sadness or depressive feelings, and then you're just like, what's wrong with me? Like, I need an anti anxiety drug or an antidepressant.
Holly Donahue: The truth is it's maybe it's just your blood sugar and your sleep. Right. Absolutely. I mean,
Julie Michelson: yeah. Or, you know, any hormone imbalance can create a lack of stability and emotions. And, and it's really scary how we don't, we don't ever anymore. Well, you do think about, you know, I, I, you, we do jump to like, what's wrong with me.
Julie Michelson: And then we want somebody to fix it for us. Um, and it's, you know, often we just need to, get to those foundational things that we've all gotten so far away from. Some of us have come back to them. Um, but that is, that [00:32:00] is the healing path. And I always say, I'm not anti medication. There's a time and a place.
Julie Michelson: Um, and if somebody is on Medicaid, like don't stop taking your medications, but doing these things is going to help those medications work better until your doctor says, Oh, you know what? You don't need that. Um, or until you have that conversation of like, Hey, I want, I want to try something different, but anything we do will work better.
Julie Michelson: If we're eating well, sleeping well, moving well, grounding all the things, right. I love. Um, I want to highlight when you were going through your list of, you know, can we get back to, you know, connection, people, energy, and love, like, these are actually really important things. And I think we learned over the past several years how devastating it can be to health to lose those things.[00:33:00]
Julie Michelson: You know, I remember in 2020, the first time I had friends over, um, which was not very far into anything, you know, but just the, I was like, I'm hugging you, like we're gonna, and the, just the Joe, like we, you know, that was the first I thought, oh my gosh, because some people went a really long time isolated and, and.
Julie Michelson: You know, that's an extreme loss of connection, but we, we have it often with these virtual, virtual life, right? We're alone on a screen, but we're, we're not truly connecting with people.
Holly Donahue: Well, and touching is so healing. Yes. I remember in 2020 and we were having Thanksgiving and Christmas and my mother came to me and said, Honey, like nobody's having Thanksgiving.
Holly Donahue: Do you think we should? I
Julie Michelson: go,
Holly Donahue: I go, we're with you guys all the time. My parents are now in their nineties, you know, they've survived a couple of different COVID [00:34:00] episodes. It's just like, no, like we don't know how much longer we might not all be together as a family. And I'm not missing this day. So you can just get that out of your mind.
Holly Donahue: And we're all coming over all 15 of us for Thanksgiving. It's a no brainer. I'm not even questioning it. Yeah. Okay. She said, and she's somebody that does all natural, but she still was listening to the play. What's good for us and for me.
Julie Michelson: Right. Right. And, and yeah. And again, it goes back to how were we created to be and live?
Julie Michelson: And it is those things. It is connected. It is eating real food. It is getting good sleep. It's having a nighttime ritual. It's Experiencing love and touch and, and, and, and, and, um, and so I love that. I, I had no idea where our conversation was gonna go today. I [00:35:00] knew it was gonna go somewhere good. 'cause I always love talking to you.
Julie Michelson: Um, I love that. I'm like, let's talk about blood sugar and sleep, and we're talking about connection and love because there's no one thing. That is gonna heal somebody. It, it, it's, we need to start feeling what's going on in our bodies or in our heart, you know, in our emotions, like we're so used to pushing things down, um, and, and that like pause, especially again, this, as we're in holiday time, which can be really hard for people.
Julie Michelson: Focus on, um, you know, well, what do I need? What would make it a good holiday? And, and listen to, you know, if you're sleeping well and prioritizing that rest and recharge through the holidays, however you spend it, whatever you need, whatever you do, it's going to go better [00:36:00] for sure.
Holly Donahue: And what Julie just said, your intuition will be stronger.
Holly Donahue: And so use your gut, which we didn't, we don't even have time to get into here. However, like use your gut instinct and learn to say no. If you really don't want to do something that's going to stress you out, I want to share with you. And in a way, like as a doctor, give you permission that it's okay to say no.
Holly Donahue: Like that is healing for you because that is your boundary for yourself. And you're not disrupting your, you know, your body by saying no. And then if you do go out and you go to these parties that have all these things that you feel like you can't eat. Like one of the things I talked about yesterday is like, look at the table and make really good choices for what you get to eat so that you feel good.
Holly Donahue: So you don't go home feeling like garbage, because the reality is people think they sleep better when they drink alcohol and there's no judgment, but you don't sleep better when you [00:37:00] drink alcohol. It's just a
Julie Michelson: fact.
Holly Donahue: Yeah. Yeah.
Julie Michelson: Yeah. No, it's so true. And, and I love that you said that and maybe we'll, maybe we'll do another episode where we, because I, I really do feel like so much of chronic illness comes from the disconnect again back to the polite.
Julie Michelson: Can you tell my story back to the polite girl who is taught not to listen to her instincts, right? And then we, we just lose. We innately are wired. To have intuition. And, and I love that you brought that up, that that can guide us. So maybe we'll, maybe we'll do another episode just on, on that. I'm listening to your gut.
Holly Donahue: Yeah, totally. You start to listen to your own voice and I empower people with that. And, um, you know, I'm just, I'm really just so grateful to be here and like, just spread the word of health, but [00:38:00] also remember. Like if you don't have a perfect day, tomorrow is always day one though. Your next meal or your next thought or your next step, just change it because perfection is not health.
Julie Michelson: No, well, perfect. That's a whole nother podcast. Because perfectionism, you know, somebody asked me once, like, do you have many clients that are perfectionists? And I was like, I haven't met one that wasn't in, in one way or another, you know, that's. Tends to be a driver of not great things.
Holly Donahue: So,
Julie Michelson: yeah. But
Holly Donahue: just be kind to yourself and love yourself.
Holly Donahue: And it's okay to like, be like, Oh, like, I know if I eat this I'm not going to feel good. It's okay. You made that choice. Yeah. Right.
Julie Michelson: Yeah. I love it. So it's empowerment and knowing, right? Like eventually, that's one of my favorite things about helping people figure out what are the foods that support them, what are the foods that [00:39:00] don't is, you know, I have some sometimes foods.
Julie Michelson: Some things that I'm going to enjoy, you know, that on it on occasion, and they're not everybody's probably thinking like ice cream. I'm talking like tomatoes, but it's different for everyone. Right. But I know, like, for me, gluten is an absolute no, no, there is no gluten in the world that is worth how I am going to feel and how long I'm going to be sick.
Julie Michelson: It'll take me out. That's not a sometimes food for me. So, but you know, you use the word empowerment, which is one of my favorite word, that is the point of this. conversation of me even having the podcast, right? And so that's when we get to that point where we really know like, okay, what might be worth it?
Julie Michelson: What's it going to do? When's the right time? That's empowerment. So we can enjoy and not suffer consequences that we didn't realize we were [00:40:00] going to suffer. So that's the gold. I love that.
Holly Donahue: That is the gold and knowing you and knowing what you want and staying in your vision is so important for your health.
Holly Donahue: There's no pill that's going to solve that for you. No.
Julie Michelson: So we're at the point where people are leaning in because they know I'm going to ask you for one step that they can take. starting today to improve their health.
Holly Donahue: Honestly, I would say it's breathing, stop and breathe and really be aware of your body and really be grounded in yourself. Like if you're going to drink a cup of coffee, like smell it, feel it, feel joy in it, know what it is, be connected to it. And just like breathe and just enjoy being in your own company and loving yourself.
Holly Donahue: And there's more people are going to want to be around you, but just live in your body more.
Julie Michelson: I love that. That was a lot of one things, but
Holly Donahue: they're all connected. Just live and be present. Maybe you can say that [00:41:00] like live and be present in anything that you do, just be present with your breath and present with yourself.
Julie Michelson: I
Holly Donahue: love
Julie Michelson: it. And it is one thing and, and the breath will get you there. And so I, it's, it's the hardest question and I ask it all the time. And so I don't ever actually expect it to be like, boom. This is it. Yeah. But that is the start. I love it. You know, living in your body and being present. So, uh, thank you so much.
Julie Michelson: You've given us such amazing gold and there's so many things I want to have you back to talk about again. So hopefully you'll, you'll join us again. For everyone listening, remember, Oh, I forgot that I'm rewinding it. We're not even going to cut this out for people that are listening on the go and aren't going to check the show notes that I'm going to talk about.
Julie Michelson: Where can they find you?
Holly Donahue: Oh, love that. So you can find me at Simple Health Incorporated online. I do [00:42:00] blogs and everything, or you can actually email us at info at simplehealthnh. com, newhampshire. com. So feel free to reach out to us. We're always doing all sorts of fun things and even get on our email list and you get our, my weekly, uh, raise your energy email that can help you with simple steps.
Holly Donahue: Love it.
Julie Michelson: Thank you again. Yeah. For everyone listening. Remember you can get those transcripts and show notes by visiting inspired living. show. I hope you had a great time and enjoyed this episode as much as I did. I'll see you next week.
​[00:43:00]
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Connect with Dr. Holly Donahue
Dr. Holly Donahue
Dr. Holly Donahue, a licensed board-certified naturopathic doctor, is dedicated to helping individuals find joy in good health and achieve their full potential. With over 17 years of experience, she focuses on personalized, preventative care to support balanced and healthier lifestyles. Her passion for naturopathic medicine stems from her own health journey nearly 30 years ago, when she experienced severe headaches, hormonal imbalances, and depression. Working with a naturopathic doctor transformed her health and inspired her to pursue a career in naturopathy, helping others experience the same transformation. Dr. Donahue runs a full-time clinic in New Hampshire, where she works with patients daily, guiding them toward healing their bodies naturally. She is also the founder of Simple Health and offers a trusted resource for those seeking natural health solutions. She believes that better health is within reach for everyone and is committed to guiding patients through their wellness.
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