360 Degrees of Health with Dr. Linda Anegawa

Dr. Linda Anegawa works with companies to develop weight loss and lifestyle programs. As a primary care physician, she looks at her patients' health from every angle with the goal of taking them off their medications rather than prescribing more.

Dr. Linda's advice for accelerating health is to look inward and find the stressors, rather than looking for another diet, another pill, another bootcamp or program.  

Dr. Linda's top 3 tips for creating wealth:

1. The health of your body is worth more than anything in the world
2. Banish the words "diet" and "cheat" from your vocabulary.
3. Set aside some time every day for some mindfulness practice

You can find Dr. Linda's book on your favorite platform here: books2read.com/u/bOR8kK
Connect with Dr. Linda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/metabolichealth4life_md/
And on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-anegawa-md/

Connect with Magic:

A Magical Life Podcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amagicallifepodcast/

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wholisticnaturalhealth/

Online: https://wholisticnaturalhealth.com.au

A Subito Media production

DoTERRA Wellness Advocate
At Wholistic Natural Health Australia, we often recommend the use of high quality essential oils.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Transcript

Magic Barclay: 1:00

Welcome back to a magical life. I'm your host magic Barclay. And today I'm joined by Dr. Linda Anegawa. Dr. Linda is an award-winning physician and educator industry consultant and author. She has extensive experience working with a variety of health care entities, developing weight loss and lifestyle medicine programs. She directs weight management services for the USA's digital health firm plush care, where she also practices primary care. Dr. Linda is a frequent contributor to large international media outlets, including CNN, Yahoo news, Huff post Oprah mag, and Fox news. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman school of medicine and completed residency at Stanford university. Dr. Linda is a board certified obesity and internal medicine specialist. And she's a fellow of the American college of physicians. She is now the author of Not Another Keto Book, the Obesity Medicine Solution. Welcome Dr. Linda.

Dr. Linda Anegawa: 2:09

Thanks so much for having me magic. I must say you have a really mesmerizing voice as I'm kind of listening to you talk.

Magic Barclay: 2:18

Well, thank you! Now, please tell us about this book.

Dr. Linda Anegawa: 2:24

You got it magic. So the book that I wrote was intended to be essentially a walk through of a consultation with me. You know, as a medical doctor, specializing in obesity medicine, I often have people coming to see me because they say they want to lose weight. Right? I mean, everybody talks about that. Want to lose weight. I mean, who doesn't want to lose a few pounds? But what I find in seeing my patients, talking to them and really getting to know them is that the weight is really a red herring. Right. Merely a symptom, you know, the same way that a fever could be either due to COVID-19 or lymphoma or a strep throat. Right. And there's so many things that are underlying weight. So what my book is really about is essentially getting to shift the reader's mindset away from achieving a number on the scale and more towards improving metabolic health. And we try to do that with a 360 degree lens as much as possible. So we want to look at what's going on with people, medically, psychologically nutritionally behaviourally right. And, you know, the end result for, you know, what I'm hoping to achieve in the book is to help to erase the diet cheat mentality that I think gets a lot of us into a lot of trouble. So true.

Magic Barclay: 4:00

So many people just focus on what they're putting into their body for a short term, as in a diet, but without focusing on everything that's going on in their life long-term and they wonder where the weight problem comes from.

Dr. Linda Anegawa: 4:17

Exactly. And I mean, starting from even just at a very basic level Magic, I find that so many of my patients who are seeking my advice, they can't even set aside 10 minutes a day to attend to their own needs, right. They're so focused on pleasing other people and living up to everybody else's expectations and all of these different tasks that keep them so busy, right, that. Really needing to learn how to turn that lens inward and make themselves a priority for once. Particularly women, but I see this in everybody.

Magic Barclay: 5:00

Very true. Now the 360 degrees of health, you've just touched on that. Can you just explain a little more what you mean by that, please?

Dr. Linda Anegawa: 5:10

Absolutely. So I think what I mean by that is rather than going to the doctor with a physical complaint and getting some medicine that's supposed to make that better, or, you know, for example, you go to the doctor to get your test results and they find out you've got diabetes, right. So they're going to go ahead and give you a pill to lower your blood sugar. So to me, that's very one dimensional. And what I've seen over my many years of practice is that doing that, treating people with that kind of approach. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to make anybody better. Right. It actually was a tremendous source of frustration to me as a young physician. Right. Because I'm following all the guidelines, you know, putting on all these different treatments for different diseases, which are really just symptoms of what's going on at somebody's roots, right? Like, I like to think of it as, you know, you have a tree with all of these different branches, right. And when we're unwell at our trunk and our roots, those branches don't grow beautiful. Green leaves. So giving somebody a diabetes medicine, maybe you're snipping off the tip of a dead branch, but you're not making that branch grow beautiful green leaves. So, by taking a 360 sort of view of my patients in terms of what's going on with them emotionally, what is their family life like? How are they doing socioeconomically? Do they have access to grocery stores where they can buy nourishing food? Do they have a safe neighborhood that they can walk in without feeling like they're getting mugged? You know, are there behavioral tendencies, um, towards, you know, self-destruction, do they have low self esteem? All of these different things are so, so important in contributing to what your metabolic health fundamentally will be like. So all of them need to be addressed.

Magic Barclay: 7:06

I couldn't agree more. That is absolutely fantastic. Now, something that I often ask people here is what can your expertise do to accelerate health when we're talking health? We're not just talking to physical. We're also looking at the emotional and the spiritual health.

Dr. Linda Anegawa: 7:25

Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, my expertise in obesity medicine, what I absolutely love about this as a discipline is that we really do spend quite a bit of time analyzing people's behaviors, right. So, what are the triggers that lead you to eat? What are the things in your day to day life that make you feel stressed? What are the relationships between your different members of your household like, right. Is there antagonism there? Do you generally feel supported? What is your sleep like? Right. So you can see magic that we're going kind of way beyond calories in and calories out. So a good part of my expertise focuses on all these things. I also have additional certification in something called heart math coaching, and if you're not familiar with it, it's a very, very interesting method that focuses on awareness of our heartbeat and our breathing and how that is a very powerful regulator of our emotions. And I think this is something that many folks don't necessarily think about in our busy day to day lives. Right. So I like to use my expertise with patients to kind of turn that lens inward right. Rather than looking outward for another pill, another diet, um, another boot camp or something to kind of like force their body through in order to get the health improvements that they desire. It's actually all within ourselves. And I like to try to use my expertise to empower my patients to really be able to pull that right out of themselves. And I always tell people you're much stronger than you think you are, right. Where we tend to be so self doubting and skeptical of our own abilities, even some of the most incredibly accomplished people.

Magic Barclay: 9:34

Exactly. You've really summed that up. Thank you. That was absolutely great. Now we talk about wealth here as well, Dr. Linda, and when we're talking wealth, we're not just talking financial. We're looking at emotional and spiritual wealth, and many people, certainly with all the stress going on in a world, find that their emotional wealth is taking a dive. Their spiritual wealth is as well, and that is affecting the financial. So what are your top three tips to increase wealth?

Dr. Linda Anegawa: 10:06

I love that question. Um, and I'm definitely not a financial advisor or any kind of a guru in that department. So I definitely focus on overall metabolic health as the ultimate measure of our personal wealth, right? Because no matter how much money you have, I don't care if you're Jeff Bezos or whoever, right. If your body is sick, all the money in the world cannot fix that. So I think my first tip overall is, you know, just that, right. The health of your body is worth more than anything in the world, more than gold diamonds, money, et cetera. And also. No matter where you are, right? No matter how old you are, no matter how sick you are, health improvement is a process that can begin at any time and can continue along the rest of your life. Right. It's definitely a journey. I know that's definitely a phrase that has been used an awful lot, but I still think it is important to use it because rather than thinking about health improvement as a quick fix, This is a process that you can literally begin at any point, and it's really going to continue for the rest of your life. And there's tremendous joy, I think, in knowing that right. That you are literally walking a path. Um, so that's tip number one. Tip number two is I really love people to completely banish the words, diet and cheat from your vocabulary. I think those two words are enormously draining, you know, and you know, I don't know if you're kind of a law of attraction person magic, but you know, every time you say that word cheat, you're really just cheating yourself. And I think that that's a tremendous drain energy from, you know, what you could be using that energy for, towards making your health better, even if it's something really small. Right. So getting rid of diet and cheat, that's something I do talk a lot about in the book. I instead use the words, adapt and adjust, right? Because we're adapting to change and then we make continuous adjustments along the way. And then I think my third tip. Is it a little bit more spiritual? You know, I do believe in setting aside that time every day, like I said, even if it's like five to 10 minutes, right. Ideally to be engaged in some type of a mindfulness practice, whether it's deep breathing or yoga, but you know, what, if that doesn't speak to you, how about you? Shutting the door, like, you know, putting out the kids and the dog and, you know, just taking a hot shower by yourself, you know, like with some candles, how about brewing yourself a delicious cup of tea and enjoying it outside on your porch, if you're able to in the nice weather. Um, so I think those three tips are ones that I like to use quite a bit.

Magic Barclay: 13:13

And the other thing I would add into that if you some essential oils. Definitely break through that spiritual block or energetic block, spiritual resonance happens with essential oils. So definitely add that in to your cup of tea or in your shower, put it in the shower base and the steam will vaporize it and you will feel fantastic.

Dr. Linda Anegawa: 13:36

Yeah, I think it's so true. I mean, I think sound, scent, sights, are all very, very important in terms of cultivating a more relaxed state, you know, and making even something that's kind of ordinary and every day feel more sacred. Hundred percent.

Magic Barclay: 14:01

Dr. Linda, you're definitely the right person to be talking to here today because we do talk about weight loss. Uh, now weight loss itself is a bit of a negative term. So let's reframe that and call it weight release. Many people struggle with their weight and they're listening to this podcast probably for some really quick tips, what they can do. Have you ever battled with your weight and if so, What led you to make the change, if you haven't, what led you to the field that you're in?

Dr. Linda Anegawa: 14:35

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think probably the most relevant thing to talk about is what led me to this field in the first place. So, you know, as a practicing internal medicine physician, I was teaching young doctors at the bedside and, you know, taking care of patients in primary care who have all your typical garden variety ailments, right? So diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems, arthritis, sleep apnea, you name it and what was becoming very uncomfortable and frustrating for me was feeling that despite me following the guidelines, practicing good traditional internal medicine, most of my patients got sicker, month after month, I watched them get sicker. Rather than weight release, I would say most of them were in a phase of weight accumulation, right. Weight gain and, you know, unfortunately Magic, I don't know if you're aware of this, but a lot of the weight gain was my fault because many of the medications that we prescribe to our patients actually cause or reinforce weight gain, right? The steroids for the arthritis, the insulin and the sulphonylureas for diabetes. I mean, those are some of the big ones. What about the antidepressants too? I mean, there's a whole class of medicines that so many people really look, um, to prescriptions for, but unfortunately they have that side effect of worsening our underlying metabolic health. So, you know, I think for me, I kind of had to hit rock bottom with my own personal and professional sense of dissatisfaction and realizing that I was doing something that didn't make sense to me. It just didn't resonate with me. And I was very fortunate to hear a speaker. I'm a very prominent American physician named Eric Westman speak at a conference. And he is very much a food is medicine kind of guy. And I, when I heard him, I like, I was so blown away because everything he said. Hit me at my core. You know how that feels when, when you hear something like that. And I think I rushed to the podium after the lecture, like I was at a Led zeppelin concert or something, and, um, ended up just talking his ear off for like a good 30 minutes after the lecture. And from there, I began to widen my studies into this brand new field. And that's really what led me, um, into the field of obesity medicine, the field of consulting and helping to develop wellness programs for different entities and ultimately to writing. So I'm still a primary care doctor Magic, but I like to say I'm a primary care doctor in reverse because rather than loading people up with boatloads of medicine and, you know, showing them out the door and see you in three months, my focus is that root cause of what's going on. Right. And in doing that, we then get to take away all of their medicines, which is much more fun. And it's so empowering for the patient and it translates into true health improvement.

Magic Barclay: 17:57

I love that. In my practice here in Australia at holistic natural health Australia, we do exactly that. We look for the root cause, the initial insult and you're right. Patients come to us and on the intake, they're on a boatload of medications. Some that contract indicate each other. Some that will certainly make the health worse. And the information is out there such as a status and how dangerous that can be. But they're not just on one they're on two or three, it's the same type of medication that have the same mechanism of action and they're really suppressing any way that they can get well. So I'm so glad that you're doing what you're doing. Thank you.

Dr. Linda Anegawa: 18:38

Oh, you got it. We could, I mean, we could have a whole podcast about statins alone.

Magic Barclay: 18:43

We could, but I think it probably wouldn't be allowed to go to air. Sorry. Now definitely when it comes to people's weight, stress is the main issue. Now that could be internal stress, external stress, stress from their own thoughts, stress from just being overweight. It causes stress on your body. It changes your endocrine system, changes your immune responses. So what are some ways that you suggest to your clients to reduce their stress?

Dr. Linda Anegawa: 19:16

Yeah, uh, yeah, I definitely think that that's a super, super important question. So it's, I actually dedicate almost like a whole half of my protocol. To helping to manage stress, right? So one half is the fueling aspect and what we eat. And of course it is important. Um, but the second half, which of course I also detailed in my book is flowing and flowing is the process of managing stress through a number of different channels. So one of the most important ways to manage your stress is through movement. And I like the word movement and I don't like the word exercise, and the reason why is, I think that so many of us have this negative connotation with the word exercise. It can sound like something forced. You kind of like are imagining yourself in some ill fitting spandex at the gym feeling self-conscious and people are looking at you and, you know, you feel like you don't. Quite measure up. So I really don't like to use that word exercise. So movement can really be anything, you know, it doesn't have to be running. It doesn't have to be cross fitting. It can be gentle stretching. It can be putting on some music and dancing around the living room. It can be playing with your kids or your cat or your dog, right. Um, it can be a stroll around your neighborhood at sunrise, really anything. And movement, unlike, I would say the typical stereotype of exercise for weight loss, which is, oh, you've got to burn a lot of calories to get weight off. That's simply not true. It's not the way the body works. And as a matter of fact, we have data that show that if you carry excess weight, your metabolic rate drops with physical exercise compared to someone of normal weight. So the movement is there to balance your stress, boost up your feel good hormones, right? Including dopamine and lower your cortisol levels. And as a result that will end up aiding the weight loss process. So I would say that's probably my most important. tip that. I talked to people about the second, which we already touched on is taking time for yourself. Right. No matter what it is. And then, you know, just finding something that you enjoy. Every day, no matter how small and learning to practice gratitude, gratitude is a very, very powerful exercise in reducing stress. And no matter how bad you think anything is, there's always something small you can be grateful for. And when you start that practice every day, it can quickly grow and you find yourself starting to be grateful for more and more things in your life.

Magic Barclay: 21:57

That is such good information. Thank you, Dr. Linda. Now, where can the listeners find this fantastic book?

Dr. Linda Anegawa: 22:06

So you can find the book, um, through my website, which is just anegawa-md.com. It's carried on all major retailers. Um, my Instagram also has the universal book link, so whether you use good reads or Amazon or apple books or Kindle or whatever, you can find me on Instagram at metabolic health for life underscore MD. And I'm also on LinkedIn. You can just search by my name and I'll pop right up there. Aren't too many Anegawas on LinkedIn. And I would absolutely love to hear from anybody.

Magic Barclay: 22:47

So Dr. Linda can be found at her website, which is a N E G a w a hyphen md.com. So anegawa-md.com, on instagram, metabolic health for life. Underscore MD. That's the number four and on LinkedIn at Linda hyphen and Goa, hyphen MD. Thank you so much for spending some time with us today from right across the world there. And people go out and get some of this book in your hands, on your Kindle. Wherever you want to listen or read to it, do it because it's such a good read. And I can't wait to get my copy as well. Thank you so much, Linda, for joining us.

Dr. Linda Anegawa: 23:35

Thanks for having me magic.

Magic Barclay: 23:37

Absolute pleasure. And I have to say, I am just so in awe that there is an MD out there that isn't just a pill prescriber. So thank you. I know it's a little bit controversial, but thank you so much on behalf of humanity.

Dr. Linda Anegawa: 23:54

Of course. Yeah. And I think, you know, the, the tide is turning, right, because. I, I think it's possible to blend what medicine has to offer with alternative therapies and nutritional based therapies and mindfulness-based therapies to really enhance our overall health and wellbeing.

Magic Barclay: 24:17

I couldn't agree more. Listeners, this was episode 70 of A Magical Life. In episode 71, we have a listener question, how can I reduce my stress. And for now, thank you so much, Dr. Linda for joining us and listeners go forth and create your magical life.