Physician, Heal Thyself The Podcast

You are not merely what you eat — you are what you digest, absorb, assimilate, and eliminate. And that principle doesn't just apply to your gut. It applies to everything you are taking in spiritually, mentally, and emotionally as well.Continuing the root-cause series, Dr. Ana Lara goes deep on the second and third obstacles to cure: diet and digestion, and chronic stress. She explains the Nature Cure teaching that digestion is not just physical — what you are mentally, emotionally, and spiritually absorbing and failing to eliminate matters just as much as what is happening in your gut. She covers the clinical questions naturopathic doctors ask to assess digestive function, the inflammatory foods most commonly driving chronic symptoms (sugar, dairy, gluten, corn, soy), specialized testing including stool analysis and the Carol Method, and the foundational naturopathic principle of returning to the food God created for us to eat. She then turns to chronic stress — the nervous system in a state of unrelenting sympathetic activation — and connects it back to vagal tone, hormones, blood sugar, immune function, and sleep. From a spiritual and clinical perspective, she addresses the Sabbath not as a religious rule but as a physiological necessity, and closes with practical tools: herbal nervines, prayer, breathwork, sleep hygiene, and the reminder that no supplement can restore what rest and relationship with God can provide.Digestion is a lens for the whole person — what you absorb, assimilate, and fail to eliminate spiritually and emotionally shows up in your gut just as surely as what you eat.Someone can eat a perfectly clean diet and still suffer from bloating, dysbiosis, and malabsorption if the underlying spiritual and nervous system dysregulation is never addressed.The top inflammatory foods to remove when rebuilding digestive health: processed sugars, dairy, gluten, GMO corn, and non-organic soy — plus any food that consistently triggers a negative reaction in your body.The Carol Method is a naturopathic-specific food testing tool that identifies not just sensitivities but foods that create a toxic effect in the body when eaten — including foods that become toxic when combined with others.Chronic stress keeps the nervous system in sympathetic dominance — affecting digestion, hormones, blood sugar, immunity, and sleep. The Sabbath is not just a spiritual practice; it is a biological reset the nervous system requires.Timestamps:0:00 — Introduction: continuing the root-cause series0:53 — Obstacle 2: diet, digestion, and their spiritual connection3:01 — You are what you digest, absorb, assimilate, and eliminate — in all areas of life5:34 — The digestive system as gateway: what naturopathic doctors ask about your gut6:56 — Nature cure principles: eat real, fresh, God-created food8:46 — Phytonutrients, rainbow eating, and removing inflammatory foods11:11 — Gut testing: stool analysis and the Carol Method explained14:02 — Obstacle 3: chronic stress and the cost of sympathetic overdrive15:38 — The vagus nerve, digestion, and how stress drives inflammation17:09 — The Sabbath as clinical medicine: why rest is non-negotiable19:01 — Sleep support: what to take, what to avoid, and why melatonin isn't always the answer20:57 — Herbal nervines, prayer, and nervous system restoration22:18 — Supporting high-performing individuals: optimizing, not just recovering23:44 — Preview: the next episode on toxemia as the fourth obstacle to cureIf you're ready to investigate your root cause with a naturopathic physician who looks at all of it — gut, stress, spirit, and body — schedule with Dr. Lara at raicesndmedcenter.com.

Physical illness is often the last place disease shows up — not the first. Before it reaches the body, it travels through the spirit and the soul. And until we address what's happening there, we are treating the symptom of a symptom.In this deeply personal episode, Dr. Ana Lara takes a full clinical and spiritual dive into the first and most commonly skipped obstacle to healing: spiritual disharmony. Drawing from naturopathic vitalism, Christian faith, and her own experience of disease at 27, she explains why so many chronic conditions cannot be fully understood — or fully resolved — without looking at what is happening in the spirit and soul of a person. She walks through what spiritual disharmony actually looks like clinically: unforgiveness, bitterness, chronic fear, loss of identity, unresolved grief, estrangement from God, and the wounds people carry from childhood that never got tended. She addresses the role of the vital force as the human spirit, the physician's role as one who identifies and removes obstacles rather than manufacturing healing, and the clinical observation that people in chronic disease states consistently report a lack of peace — with God, with others, and with themselves. She also shares a vulnerable personal story of walking to her desk at work and saying aloud, without realizing it, that her spirit felt like it was dying — long before her labs caught up to what her body was already announcing. This episode closes with practical spiritual interventions: prayer, scripture, forgiveness work, gratitude, Sabbath rest, and the simple, unstructured act of calling out to God from wherever you are.Physical illness is often the last place disease manifests — it typically begins in the mind, soul, and spirit, and the body is simply where it finally becomes visible.Spiritual disharmony looks like unforgiveness, bitterness, chronic fear, hopelessness, identity confusion, isolation, moral conflict, and estrangement from God — all of which create measurable physiological consequences.The naturopathic vital force — the body's innate, intelligent healing capacity — is, from a Christian perspective, the human spirit connected to God's spirit. The strength of that connection correlates with the capacity to heal.The physician's role is not to heal the patient but to identify and help remove what is blocking the body's God-given healing intelligence. The patient must be willing — just as Jesus asked those he healed: do you want to be made well?Forgiveness is medicine — not for the person who caused the harm, but for the one carrying the wound. Releasing it creates physiological freedom, not just emotional relief.Timestamps:0:00 — Introduction: how naturopathic doctors search for root cause0:35 — The first question: what was going on in your life before you got sick?3:22 — What an obstacle to cure actually is5:11 — The four obstacles: spiritual disharmony, diet, stress, toxemia7:02 — The vital force as the human spirit connected to God9:43 — The physician's role: removing barriers, not manufacturing healing10:11 — Do you want to be healed? Why some people aren't ready13:00 — The plant metaphor: examining the conditions, not blaming the patient13:53 — What spiritual disharmony looks like clinically17:23 — When multiple life stressors compound: the storm that creates disease18:30 — "The body keeps score"22:06 — Practical spiritual interventions: prayer, scripture, forgiveness, gratitude26:13 — Dr. Lara's personal story: disease at 27 and the moment her spirit spoke35:16 — Why doctors avoid this conversation — and why that has to change36:26 — Psalm 23 and the character of the God who heals38:42 — A challenge: tonight, call out to God and ask him to reveal himselfIf you sense that your healing has a deeper root, Dr. Lara works with patients at a spirit-soul-body level at Raíces Naturopathic Medical Center. Schedule at raicesndmedcenter.com.

Conventional medicine goes straight to step seven. Naturopathic medicine starts at step one — and that difference is why one model manages disease while the other resolves it. No supplement can outcompete a persistent physiological insult. Real healing requires a specific order.Dr. Ana Lara breaks down one of the most clinically important and least talked-about concepts in naturopathic medicine: the therapeutic order. This is the hierarchy of intervention that guides every naturopathic physician — a step-by-step framework that starts with identifying and removing the obstacles to healing before anything else is added or prescribed. She walks through each level: removing obstacles to cure (the "big four" — spiritual disharmony, diet and digestion, stress, and toxemia); rebuilding the foundation of health through the basics of nutrition, sleep, water, movement, and spiritual connection; stimulating the body's innate healing capacity through hydrotherapy, homeopathy, and botanical medicine; supporting weakened organ systems; addressing structural integrity through craniosacral, visceral, and neural manipulation; addressing deeper pathology with targeted natural therapeutics; and, only when necessary, suppressing pathology — which is where conventional medicine begins. Dr. Lara also shares a vivid clinical illustration of a diabetes patient successfully tapering off multiple medications through dietary and lifestyle changes, and explains why she has never — not once — skipped steps one through six to jump to step seven.The naturopathic therapeutic order is a seven-step hierarchy that begins with identifying and removing obstacles to healing — including spiritual disharmony, poor diet, stress, and toxins — before any treatment is added.No supplement can outcompete a persistent physiological insult. Addressing root causes requires real change, not better supplementation layered on top of a damaging lifestyle.Suppressing pathology with drugs or surgery — where conventional medicine typically begins — is step seven in the naturopathic order. It masks symptoms and drives disease deeper rather than resolving it.Structural integrity matters: craniosacral therapy, visceral manipulation, and neural manipulation restore physical structures whose restrictions may be silently driving dysfunction in distant organ systems.True healing is a process patients arrive at themselves — as they feel better, gain mental clarity, and become more self-aware, they begin making correlations and decisions that no prescription could produce.Timestamps:0:00 — Introduction: the naturopathic therapeutic order0:49 — Why the order matters: meet the patient where they are3:21 — Step 1: identify and remove obstacles to cure4:27 — The big four: spiritual disharmony, diet and digestion, stress, toxemia10:47 — What a full intake looks like: the questions we ask and why14:46 — "No supplement can outcompete persistent physiological insult"15:43 — Step 2: stimulate the innate healing ability and rebuild the foundation of health19:44 — Step 3: support weakened and damaged organ systems27:06 — Step 4: address structural integrity — craniosacral, visceral, and neural manipulation30:10 — Step 5: address pathology with targeted natural therapeutics30:45 — Step 7: suppressing pathology — where conventional medicine starts33:10 — Clinical case: diabetes patient tapering off four medications37:19 — Why naturopathic medicine works every time when you stay true to the orderDr. Lara offers a free 50-minute phone consultation for new patients who are ready to work differently. Schedule at raicesndmedcenter.com.

This is our 100th episode!!! I want to give a heartfelt thank you to the support team:Bill Brassow, Owner of PodWorks Studio https://podworksstudios.com/Jio Gaon, Editor at PodWorks StudioNicole Angus, Rooted Success Solutions, social media expert. [email protected] Lynn – Owner of Blaze Experts - https://blazeexperts.com/ All my patients and all the viewers. Thank you for your support.Struggling to lose weight despite dieting and exercise?In this episode of Physician Heal Thyself: The Podcast, we break down how to achieve healthy, sustainable weight loss by working with your body—not against it.Learn how metabolism, hormones, nutrition, and detoxification all play a critical role in fat loss. We also explain why supporting your body’s natural detox pathways is essential as stored toxins are released during weight loss.You’ll discover:How to balance hormones for effective fat burningThe right way to structure nutrition and exerciseWhy detox support matters for avoiding plateausA simple, step-by-step approach to lasting resultsTrue weight loss starts with restoring your health.Disclosure: This content is for educational purposes; this is not intended to treat anyone medically. Speak to your doctor for further guidance.Resource Links: For more information on how to work with Dr. Ana Lara, please visit and schedule your FREE 15 minute phone consultation:Website: https://raicesndmedcenter.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RaicesNDmedcenter/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raicesndmedcenter/#naturalmedicine #naturopathicmedicine #holisticmedicine #healing #botanicalmedicine #raices #physicianhealthyself #mindbody #naturopathicdoctor #functionalmedicine #foundationsofhealth #health #wellness #nutrition #sleep #stressmanagement #exercise #fitness #antiaging

Welcome back to Physician Heal Thyself, the podcast where we explore the deeper layers of healing—beyond symptoms, beyond diagnoses, and into the patterns that shape how we live, think, and show up in the world.Today’s episode is one that many people don’t even realize they’re living through.We’re talking about concussions and traumatic brain injuries—TBIs—not just as physical injuries, but as experiences that can fundamentally reshape your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors… even long after you’ve “healed.”The topics we will discuss are:The Hidden Impact of Concussions & TBIsHow Brain Injuries Create New Behavioral PatternsHow to Identify Your Post-Injury Behavioral PatternsThe Truth About Healing - You Can Rewire Your Brain Strategic Steps to Rewire the Brain & Change Behavior Disclosure: This content is for educational purposes; this is not intended to treat anyone medically. Speak to your doctor for further guidance.Resource Links: For more information on how to work with Dr. Ana Lara, please visit and schedule your FREE 15 minute phone consultation:Website: https://raicesndmedcenter.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RaicesNDmedcenter/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raicesndmedcenter/#naturalmedicine #naturopathicmedicine #holisticmedicine #healing #botanicalmedicine #raices #physicianhealthyself #mindbody #naturopathicdoctor #functionalmedicine #foundationsofhealth #health #wellness #nutrition #sleep #stressmanagement #exercise #fitness #antiaging #concussions #TBIs

Welcome to the podcast.Changing your life doesn’t start with a new diet, a new workout, or even a new routine. It starts in the mind.Our thoughts shape our feelings, our habits, and ultimately our behaviors. If your mindset is stuck in old patterns, your actions—even when well-intentioned—will often follow suit.Today, we’re going to explore how to shift your mindset, identify unhealthy behaviors, and take practical steps to replace them with habits that serve you.Grab a notebook. This episode is best absorbed with reflection and writing.Part 1: Recognizing Unhealthy BehaviorsPart 2: Understanding the Mind-Behavior ConnectionPart 3: Reframing and Shifting Your MindsetPart 4: Breaking Unhealthy Behaviors Part 5: Building Long-term Mindset and HabitsPlease like and share this episode.Disclosure: This content is for educational purposes; this is not intended to treat anyone medically. Speak to your doctor for further guidance.Resource Links: For more information on how to work with Dr. Ana Lara, please visit and schedule your FREE 15 minute phone consultation:Website: https://raicesndmedcenter.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RaicesNDmedcenter/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raicesndmedcenter/#naturalmedicine #naturopathicmedicine #holisticmedicine #healing #botanicalmedicine #raices #physicianhealthyself #mindbody #naturopathicdoctor #functionalmedicine #foundationsofhealth #health #wellness #nutrition #sleep #stressmanagement #exercise #fitness #NewYear #NewYearResolution #Mindset #settinggoals #Behavior #limitedbeliefs #Creatingchange