24. Feeling Sane and Looking Sexy with Dr. Whitney McFadden

Susana: Happy Suzday, everyone. Have you ever known that something's not quite right with your health, but your doctor kind of just shrugs their shoulders at it? Or have you ever felt so overwhelmed by the idea of getting more into alternative and complementary health modalities that it's hard to start being more proactive with your health? If so, you're definitely not alone. And as someone who has taken a very integrative approach to her own health while raising a young child, I can tell you that you are definitely in the right place, and you're gonna really enjoy meeting my special guest today.

Welcome to Yoga for Mom Life. I'm Susana Jones, and I help lighten the load of early motherhood. With stage based yoga that complements your child's development, raising kids looks and feels more like thriving. Get started with a free download today at yogaformomlife.com.

So today I am joined by Doctor. Whitney McFadden, who is an MD who takes a very integrative approach to psychiatry and holistic health. Doctor. Whitney, thank you so much for joining me.

Whitney: Thank you for having me.

Susana: Oh, most definitely. Okay. I have so many questions for you. And I know that you work with a lot of moms who come to you with kind of nebulous health concerns, things that haven't been necessarily manifesting into a full blown health condition, but that are definitely hindering their well-being. So will you describe some of the issues that first time mom patients come to see you about?

Whitney: Yeah. Yeah. Moms come to me for a number of different reasons. Oftentimes, are obviously big body transitions happening during pregnancy and after. And not only that, but the managing of having a new child and and what that entails and and not just in the beginning, right, down the line too.

The body is constantly changing and in a place of hormone shift. And, you know, even after that first or second child, the body's a different thing, you know, after after birth. So I you know, a lot of moms will come to me for various different things. Sometimes people will come in the most extreme feeling like they just don't have a tackle on reality. And that's kind of one of the most extreme versions where even people start to behave differently.

And sometimes, you know, not everyone, but sometimes we have cases where moms are really struggling with their sense of real and that the hormone shifts can impair their sleep and they don't even know what's up or down. And sometimes that can be really scary. It can be kind of like the floor is pulled out from under you and you don't know what's what and need a lot more support and need the right kind of care. That's kind of some of the most extreme, and obviously postpartum psychosis is the most extreme of that. And there are a lot of really important steps to take when people are in that state.

And oftentimes, you don't know you are, so it's usually the husband or a family member that's the one telling me what's going on. But if you or you know a loved one who are kind of in that more extreme state, definitely find a provider who can give support in those in those cases as early as possible.

Some of the biggest parts of that that we work with are are being able to sleep, you know, being able to have sleep. Is it expected that you sleep? Are you supposed to?

What's your body need? How much can you endure? And what is possible for you? And we really navigate those questions and all the ways to improve it. And oftentimes, when moms are really tired and not able to work problem solve because they're tired, right, you need support in those moments because you can't think of all the solutions. Yeah. Think of all the possible solutions and nor should you. Right?

Susana: Mhmm. Right.

Whitney: So sleep is a big one. Postpartum anxiety and OCD. So sometimes our brains can go a little cray cray and, like, start to worry all the time. Right? And the worries can be so, so big and so intense.

Like, that's what's in her mind of, like, I just need to keep him alive until then. Right? That's not a quality of life. It's not a quality of life, and it's not enjoying her enjoying her son. Yeah.

Right? She's constantly in fear of something bad happened to him. Right.

Susana: What does that do for in terms of, like, chronic stress? I mean, eighteen years is a long time to be hypervigilant and constantly worrying about a child.

Whitney: Yeah. Yeah. A lot of times, it can change your weight because your body's in such a fight flight freeze response to that sympathetic activation. So the cortisol levels are high, and when the cortisol levels are high chronically, the body retains a lot of weight and the energy levels go down. So it's in this stressed state because at any moment, something bad could happen, so it needs to conserve and keep.

Susana: Yeah.

Whitney: But that doesn't lead to that doesn't lead to thriving, energized, you know, energetic body. Right? That's more like a must protect and hibernate body.

Susana: Right.

Whitney: Which is a whole different, you know, system. And so yeah. And then also depression and anxiety. Right? The thoughts going through her head most of the way contributing to her experience of life then it's really suffer that cause a lot of suffering.

So these these kind of build on each other. And, you know, at times, it'll affect sleep too for her and definitely her ability to concentrate on her work.

A lot of people who are struggling with this get on a lot of medication, which is not bad. Medications have side effects. Yeah. So they're battling the suffering with maybe a little bit of an ease and then some side effects and the band aid approach. And know, meds are great.

And and when you're working with these kinds of things, it's important to be doing nonmed things too because those are the root of the problem. Right. So Yeah. Yeah. And then and then I have moms who are struggling with, like, understanding who they are as a mother in the sense of their own identity of self.

You know? They they might not have known that they were always gonna be a mom, and then they are, and they feel kinda weird. Like, who am I now? Right? How do I integrate this version of me with this past version of me?

Or even moms that wanna be a mom, they're like, oh, this isn't what I thought it was. Okay. How do I integrate this version of me with my past version of me? Especially when your hormones have changed your body and who you think you are.

Susana: Right. Right. Oh my gosh. There's so much truth right now.

Whitney: Our brain has this, like, representation of ourselves. It's called proprioception. It's our sense of ourself in time and space. And then we have all of that. And then over, you know, the course of pregnancy and postpartum, that slowly shifts, but our representation of ourselves in our mind is still often the same, but that who we are and, like, the impact of hormones on our body works at a faster timeline than our nervous system.

And so that can be a mismatch, and that mismatch can be very, like, very anxiety provoking and also just confusing for people.

Susana: Mhmm.

Whitney: So how did how do people really integrate their physical body with their mental representation of self? Yes. That's that can be a process.

Susana: Mhmm. Well, let's take a little a little mini case study, for example. Okay. So and I'm saying mini because, like, it it's, like, based on just this conversation. Okay.

So as you were describing, you know, some of the issues that new mom patients come to you with, there's this sense of like, you know what? My sleep is so jacked up. My world has been so rocked. My sense of self is so weird. I don't even really know what's real right now.

And it's like, know, just hearing you say that, was like, oh, like, really had my own little somatic experience of what you were talking about. I was like, oh, man. Like, it just it brought me right back to a day where I was, like, making dinner for my son, and it was just us home alone. And I just sort of had that feeling where I was like I felt like I was, like, 10 miles away from what was actually happening in the kitchen. And I picked up the phone, and I called my mom because I was like, everything's cool.

We're safe. No one's in danger, but I don't know what's going on with me right now. You know what I mean? And so so just as, a little mini exercise, like, for anyone who is listening to this while they are out on the run to go pick up their child from school or they're on their way into work and they're like, shoot, I just put on yoga for mom life, and now I'm feeling a little feeling a little somatically activated. What is one of those, like, quick little somatic snacks, so to speak, that a person can utilize when they're like, oh god.

We gotta get we gotta get mind and body back in sync like a stat.

Whitney: Yeah. Putting the mind in the body. Mhmm. So I always do the wiggle the toes, wiggle the fingers.

Susana: Wiggle the toes.

Whitney: Put my hand over my heart if you can if you're not driving. Yes. Even or, you know, if you're stopped at a light. And then really get your heart going, you know, the heart flow, that love. Like, think about your kids and your partners and your family and and all that you're and then the love for your body.

Right? The love for your body, what a magical thing it is to be able to to do what it did. Like, wow. You know? The awe, the magic, the the inspiring parts of it.

So really just bringing yourself into this place of, like, awe and gratitude and and feeling that that, like, humanness, skin to skin of yourself.

Susana: Yes. Yes. Like what what like what we would do for a child. You know?

Whitney: Yeah.

Susana: And, you know, you say to, you know, put the mind into the body. And, you know, since I'm coming from the yoga tradition with all of this, like, that is the meaning of asana. You know? Like, down dog is not just for all the muscular benefits and whatever else everything else it does, hormonally and everything. But, like, it is to give the mind a seat in the body, and that's the meaning of the Sanskrit term asana.

Mind, take a seat in this body, in this shape.

Whitney: Be there. Stay there.

Susana: Come back. Be here. So I know it's like yoga is humanity's first form of somatic therapy. You know? So it's really awesome to see how somatic practice is really having a moment in popular wellness right now. So I like to just sort of intersperse that little bit from yoga being like, Hey, Hey. It's been here. Yeah.

Whitney: It's part of it's part of the the practices. I mean, they they're so interwoven into so many different ways of finding peace. Right? Finding finding that place, that seat of neutrality even, love and neutrality. Yeah.

And also, if, you know, if something did come up right in that in my description that there might be a place for some exploration at some point. There might be a spot of tenderness to to touch on it. And and when you're not busy or not in the middle of something to to take a moment to reflect on, like, oh, what is it that I needed in that moment that I didn't get Right. From whoever or whatever or maybe myself. Yeah.

And and the somatic healing of it, right, that, like, dissociation, which you described, coming back in and and giving yourself what you needed, that is so healing. And it's part of that, like, greater somatic practice and somatic therapy that that can really be a game changer for people when they're working with these kind of, like, little t or big t trauma moments and, like

Susana: Yes. Man, I wish I had spoken to you back then. But in the meantime, you know, I've really busied myself with, like, creating this kind of holistic plan of self care, you know, involving various kinds of, healing modalities and this and that to answer that question when I had that dissociative moment, you know, because it would sort of pop in there and it really captured my interest because I'm a professional in mind body healing, you know? So I'm like, Oh, this is weird to be studying myself in this way . But essential and on my path.

And, you know, I'd say that, you know, my own wellness stack, so to speak, over the past couple years since that first happened has included talk therapy, getting onto an SSRI, acupuncture, yoga, a bit of Ayurveda in the form of herbs and diet, and getting way more exercise, like like breaking a sweat, doing functional movement, getting my butt kicked sometimes. You know what I mean? Yeah. And and and I'll say, like, it's really working for me. And also that, like, if I didn't have the holistic assessment skills of a yoga therapist, I would not know how to incorporate all those things in a way that is practical and that makes sense given the role that all those different kinds of modalities play within human physiology and energetics and things and psychology.

So how do you make all of this kind of cohesive for your patients?

Whitney: I usually you know, if it becomes a list of things to do, right, that's, like, more to the plate. That that gets to be challenging.

Susana: Yeah.

Whitney: And I find that sometimes sometimes it doesn't help if we've got the list.

Susana: Right.

Whitney: As you know, we are we are pretty good at finding ways to, like, integrate into life. And those are the key moments. It's like the click moments of integration.

Susana: Mhmm.

Whitney: And that happens doing life, going through life. And so I always I recommend, like, being in nature as much as you can, and you can do that with your kids. So, like, hello. Wonderful. But the amount of healing that happens when you're in nature and the grass bare feet, if you can be, you know, amongst the trees and smelling the flowers.

Just like the energetics of that is so healing by yourself or with your family. I I've had people who don't need to take their antianxiety meds when they choose nature first.

Susana: Mhmm.

Whitney: So that's huge because then you're not dependent on something.

Susana: Right.

Whitney: You just it requires a behavior change, and that's, like, what are the harder things.

Susana: Mhmm.

Whitney: And those are the more, like, root cause. Yeah. The root healing.

Susana: Mhmm.

Whitney: That that we need to think more of, honestly, that we need to know are are more possible. And not just know it in a cognitive way because the list. Right? Yeah. Know it in a cognitive way.

It's the list.

Susana: Mhmm.

Whitney: But to really know it in a visceral way so that your gut is pulling you there.

Susana: Definitely.

Whitney: And and that comes from being closer to your intuition and closer to your body. And that's the yoga practice. Right? It's being in your body, knowing what it needs, asking it, you know, not telling it what to do, but saying, like, body, what do you need? What do I need?

And listening to that gut, that deeper seat. Yeah. Guiding it somewhere. Oh my gosh. I need to be outside right now.

I need to be in the grass. I need to be in the trees. I need water. You know? I need food.

I need to be having fun. I need to be laughing. Right? I need to be moving my body and stretching my body or

Susana: Yeah.

Whitney: Or sweating and and just moving all the the the neurochemicals in our body, you know, into the cycles that they need to be in. Right? Our hormones need the cycles. Our neurochemicals need the cycles, we need the ins and the outs, we need everything cycling.

Susana: My neurochemicals are cycling just hearing you talk about this. I'm like, yes, and they're sparkling.

Whitney: Yeah, and we need the sweat. We need the sweat because otherwise the stress stuff will build up and the sweat actually is another way that they release from our body. Excellent. And we need we need the the right food too. Right?

Like and your body knows what that is because it'll eat it and feel great. Right. When you eat it and you feel, like, tired, like, okay. When you eat it and feel energized, that's that's like, oh. And there's so many ways to feed ourselves amazing food, and and seed cycling is, like, essential.

Seed cycling, eating certain seeds is the birth of your cycle. Oh. So flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds are some examples. You eat each one in different parts of the cycle, but honestly, just, like, get more of those in your diet. Like Cool.

Put them all together, stick them in a little mix, and, like, sprinkle it on your salads and your your foods and your soups and and your breakfast and put it with some lemon juice and some apples and grapes and, like, fruit and berries. And and then just get it in your in your life more. And same with herby greens. Herby greens Mhmm. Basils, tarragons, dill, mint, cilantro, parsley, all of these herby greens, like, in your diet way more, way more, way more.

With these seeds and these greens along with, like, really healthy fats, none of the inflammatory fats, really healthy fats, good clean proteins, and just the most colorful vegetables you can find, your hormones are gonna be freaking happy.

Susana: Yes. Yes.

Whitney: Your body's gonna come back to the way it is it's supposed to be in balance.

Susana: Right.

Whitney: Right? But let's say there's no going back after having a child, it's gonna find its own balance point now.

Yeah. And I'll tell you, you will probably look freaking sexy. Yes. You will probably go sexy mama status because those hormones make you look fucking sexy.

Susana: Yeah. They do. And sex is what got us in this in this rut. So you know?

Whitney: Yeah. That vibrant, you know, and you can tell when somebody's have like, you can tell when someone's eating that natural, nutritious from the earth. They look more vibrant. Their skin is clear. They have good hair.

It's just, like, really nice to to see it. And actually, I'm in a women's group, and one woman gave me that compliment the other day. She was like, oh, I can tell you eat really well.

Susana: I was gonna give you that compliment myself. I was like, Whitney's really embodying this whole thing. Like, I knew you were the right person to bring on to the show because this is not it does not just live in your head. You know? This is a this is a life practice for you.

And

Whitney: Yeah. I do walk the walk. It's true. And it's really fun to do it.

Susana: Excellent. Yeah. I agree.

Wonderful. Okay. What other questions do I have for you? Oh, none. Because I just wanna acknowledge the power of what you said of just asking body, what do you need?

What do I need in this moment? You know? And we have so much information around us all the time, and we might source some inspiration from something like Instagram or something that someone's emailing us or, like, whatever. You know what I mean? Like, from these external sources.

And it's all good to like get those little bits of like, oh, that's a nice approach. Like, oh, seed mix. I heard about that on Susana's podcast. You know? Like, cool.

But it's like the in the moment sourcing of that information really comes from within. You know? And developing that connection of this this inner knowing, just feels very reliable, way more reliable than, you know, seeking it out on the Internet when you're like, ah, what am I needing right now? Is it this? Is it this?

Like, it's harder to get it from this kind of place.

Whitney: Yeah. Exactly. And I'll say, you know, if you've had certain kinds of trauma or upbringings that are challenging where you haven't always gotten yourself reflected back to you, where you haven't had that same, like, positive reinforcement, sometimes that inner knowing and that inner intuition can go silent or dampen, or we could be disconnected from it or dissociated from it. So it is a it is a practice. You know, yoga can help people come back to that intuition.

Right? Their love their kundalini can help people come back to that intuition. Being among intuitive people. Oh my gosh. Oh, yeah.

I was with a chaplain one time. He was like the most intuitive person I've ever met. Oh my gosh. My intuition is so freaking loud, and I don't wanna hear what it has to say. You know?

Like, I was like, that is intense. That is.

Susana: Someone between the worlds right there.

Whitney: I know. And so, you know, we we are often disconnected because we're up here a lot, and we're in our culture, and we're in a lot of parts of society. But, like, going deep into that intuitive sense, that body wisdom, and being in that inquiry of what do you have to tell me? What do you have to tell me? It's it's a whole it'll flip everything on its head, which is, you know, maybe what you want.

Susana: In the best way Yeah. Yeah. Because if you're in a if you're in a health crisis, you know, what is healing is gonna be the opposite to a certain extent.

Whitney: Yeah. Yeah. And it's gonna be it be, like, a little bit, you know, the ground move under your feet. But once your body starts to get in those rhythms and those cycles help and support and and it starts to perpetuate, you're like, oh, this can oh, my energy is back. Oh, my body's starting to look the way that I know it can.

Oh, I'm in community. Okay. I see. It's just self perpetuating. And it's not hard to keep that because feel so good.

You won't want to go back.

Susana: Right. Beautiful. Well, Doctor. Whitney, where can our listeners find you if they'd like to take part in some of your thought leadership in this space? I know you've got a podcast, you've got a gorgeous website, and I'll link all of these things in the show notes.

But is there anything else that you'd like to share with people who might like to work with you one on one?

Whitney: Yeah. So you can find me on Instagram, Whitney McFadden MD, and I also have a website, WillowMindHealth.com, so you can contact me there. Also, I can leave my little my clinical numbers if you wanna text message me. That's the best way. Mhmm.

And then one thing I have to share around health is is especially when you're wanting to kinda get at the root of what's causing health, you know, when your body doesn't feel right and you know that there's a better way to feel more yourself is that you can do it. You can do it. It's it's there's not someone else that's gonna save you from it. It's that, like, you have the power to walk yourself towards it and to get closer to your own health. Mhmm.

And you don't have to do it alone nor should you. Mhmm. And when it feels like a breaking point, just know that you can do it with the right help. Yes. Yeah.

Susana: With the right help. Yeah. There's and and sometimes, you know, it it's such an empowering message. And sometimes it feels, you know, in the life of a mom, like, both the good news and the bad news that we can do it. It's like, well, god.

You know? Yeah. Because You

Whitney: wanna add that to my list?

Susana: Yeah. Well and it's and it's not so much like we choose to, like, put ourselves last on the list of priorities. It's that, like, society has kind of created it to be that way in a large extent. Mhmm. You

Whitney: know? Yeah. And And your biology too somewhat.

Susana: Yes. For sure. So it's like, we can do it, and that is very good news. And I wanna just validate how sometimes that feels like bad news. Mhmm.

Whitney: Yeah. And that's why you're not doing it alone.

Susana: Yes. Yeah. So knowing knowing where to find some proper support feels very good because we don't have to do it alone. And I think that is the the the healing balm that really comes through with that with knowing that we can do this ourselves is that we don't have to do it alone. Mhmm.

Whitney: And community.

Susana: Yes. In community. Like this. I met you this summer, Whitney, on a cruise in Mission Bay, and I was like, wow. She's really got great energy.

And I wanted to speak with someone who has a scope of practice like yours, who can address the medical side and who can address, you know, these more multifaceted layers of what it is to be human, reconnecting with ourselves and reconnecting with nature in these very health promoting ways. It often feels like like a person can only speak to someone who's on one or the other side of that spectrum. So to have someone here who has such an integrative scope of practice is truly helpful and just you're just a wealth of wisdom. So thank you for sharing that today.

Whitney: Thank you so much, Susana.

Susana: Yeah. Most definitely. To build upon everything that doctor Whitney shared with us today, I invite you to join me at yogaformomlife.com. Giving yourself the time and space to put your mind in your body and your body on the yoga mat can only do good things for you. And as you continue to integrate various practices in lifestyle and in your health approach, just know that you have support.

You're not needing to do it alone, but the power really is within you to affect these positive changes. Thanks so much for tuning in, for rating the show, and for sharing this show with the moms you love. It's Yoga for Mom Life, and it's about time.