We’re so grateful to Mimi MacLean and the other wonderful individuals over at Lyme 360 for having our very own, Dr. Deepti Agarwal on the Lyme 360 Podcast! Tune in to the episode here, and give the blog a read- Mimi and Dr. Agarwal discuss everything from inflammation, diet, and breathwork! Check out the highlights below!
Pain is Multifactorial
Dr. Deepti Agarwal: “Pain is multifactorial. It depends on people’s lifestyles, their conditions, and what other past medical history they have… I’m a traditionally trained anesthesiologist and pain management physician who’s been practicing for a while. I understand how to treat pain from a very traditional standpoint, but I’ve also witnessed a lot of morbidity and increasing morbidity over the years, which has really fueled this quest to understand the root cause of illness and take a more integrative approach to pain. We don’t always have all those answers in a traditional model… I like to look at people’s pain issues from both vantage points and see how we can use the best of both worlds, our traditional allopathic model and maybe another whole health system, and integrate it for the individual”.
Diet is Essential
Dr. Deepti Agarwal: “In the integrative medicine world, we love talking about culinary medicine and how to optimize your body through food. It’s a very important medicine that I think we often overlook. It’s knowing what to eat, and how to optimize that. And I think it’s also one of the hardest and most challenging things to do because food is not just a means of living for a lot of people, it’s also a source of pleasure, right? And so I think there’s a fine balance and figuring out how to optimize your diet. That’s going to be different for everyone, but absolutely in terms of really creating an anti-inflammatory state in your body, you really want to avoid processed foods and sugar. And like I said, that is easier said than done, but whole foods, whole grains, no sugar, that is probably one of the best things that people can do for their diet.”
Breathwork
Dr. Deepti Agarwal: “Breathing is probably one of the easiest, least expensive, and most important things that anyone can engage in… it’s a great way to detoxify the body naturally”.
Mimi MacLean: “Which brings me to another thing, it’s amazing how all of a sudden you could have knee pain and you watch a funny TV show and your pain goes away, right? It’s just diverting the attention of your mind… It’s like teaching your mind to put it somewhere else.”
Dr. Deepti Agarwal: “And what laughter is like, it’s a natural feel good, right? You’re not stressed when you’re laughing and engaged and something’s funny. And so these are all things that I think we sometimes forget, because we’re so wrapped up in our day-to-day lives… Just going back to the basics is really helpful for help.”
Optimize your Life
Dr. Deepti Agarwal: “I’d say that the most important thing that people can do at home, is really engage in a healthy lifestyle. Optimize your lifestyle as much as possible through food, and sleep. That’s one thing that we didn’t touch on: sleep is so important… And, finding some movement or exercise routine in your daily life is also very important to help decrease brain fog and just keep your body healthy”.
It was informative with Dr. Deepti Agarwal’s insight on Lyme 360 that emphasized the importance of a holistic approach to understanding and treating Lyme disease. Her discussion poppy playtime chapter 3 with Mimi MacLean emphasized the need for increased awareness and proactive management of this complex disease.