Akemi Mercedes [00:00:00]:
The number one diagnosis for men as they're getting older is overactive bladder. So how often are you going to the bathroom? How often are you waking up at night to go to the bathroom?
Greg Todd [00:00:09]:
Oh, freaking. Well, okay, so let me tell you this. Hold on. Wait. Sorry. I don't want to be this podcast enough of me. But, like, at one point, I was waking up sometimes four times a night. Four or five times a night?
Akemi Mercedes [00:00:21]:
Yeah. You shouldn't be waking. You're not old enough to be waking up at all. Once you get over the age of 65, they technically say you can wake up once a night. I still don't personally like that, but that's.
Greg Todd [00:00:32]:
So how the hell do I fix it? I'm asking you a question because I got a problem. Yeah. This is Secrets for Success. Welcome to the Secrets for Success podcast. I'm your host, Greg Todd. Thank you as always, my friends, for joining me. If you have not heard the interview that I did with Michelle Weeks, we recently did an interview, and it was epic. She has an amazing story, amazing practitioner, an amazing entrepreneur, and just a cool, cool, cool chick, y'all.
Greg Todd [00:01:10]:
She is just cool. And, Shel, thank you so much for being on a podcast again.
Akemi Mercedes [00:01:14]:
Thank you for having me.
Greg Todd [00:01:15]:
I appreciate you being here. This episode is gonna be a rapid fire of value. Okay. We know that you treat pelvic health conditions right, and you treat them in such a vast way because you're not just a pelvic health therapist. You are a practice owner for clinics in a multidisciplinary approach. So that's why I'm going to make you answer all these questions, because you know a lot. All right. You scared because you don't know what I'm going to ask you? Okay.
Greg Todd [00:01:46]:
All right, so question number one. I really want this. Like, I know my. I have a pretty wide audience, and I know many of them are either females that have pelvic health issues or they are pelvic health, you know, therapists. So I would love for people just to kind of hear your take on these things. All right. Is that cool? All right, so the first question was, what are some of the. Or at least for you, the most effective treatments that you are using at your clinic for pelvic health dysfunctions?
Akemi Mercedes [00:02:17]:
Yeah, absolutely. So generally when people come in, they have. I mean, it really could be acute or chronic. Right. Issue. So something they've been dealing with for a while or a short period of time. And so we really want to first develop and find the root cause of what's going on because if we just treat your symptoms, we could be missing really what actually is happening and what is driving that. So we use a lot of hands on manual techniques to help us to determine really that root cause of what's going on in your system.
Greg Todd [00:02:49]:
And that's from the get go.
Akemi Mercedes [00:02:50]:
And that's from the get go. That's from day one. Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:02:51]:
Got true.
Akemi Mercedes [00:02:52]:
And then we just treat what we're finding and what that root cause is and progress. We're able to progress people through their levels of care.
Greg Todd [00:03:01]:
Gotcha. Okay, so you just said something where you're like, a lot of times, if you don't find that, that main source of where the issue is, this can turn into a long lasting issue, right?
Akemi Mercedes [00:03:15]:
Yes.
Greg Todd [00:03:16]:
And so you focus on getting to the root problem from the get go. Okay, I like that. So now my question is, how can you find lasting relief from pelvic pain that's affecting people's daily life? So how do you find the lasting relief?
Akemi Mercedes [00:03:33]:
So, number one, find that root cause.
Greg Todd [00:03:34]:
Right.
Akemi Mercedes [00:03:35]:
Number two, we want to start to treat that. So get that initial symptom reduction. Once your symptoms have improved, game's not over. You're not done with therapy. And I think that's where a lot of people stop.
Greg Todd [00:03:46]:
That right there is huge because after.
Akemi Mercedes [00:03:49]:
You know, three to four visits, they're like, yeah, my symptoms are gone, I'm better. Well, you actually haven't worked through the rest of that rehab protocol that you need in order to get that lasting change.
Greg Todd [00:04:02]:
Right.
Akemi Mercedes [00:04:03]:
So we need to continue to address what those underlying reasons were that the problem started in the first place. So we need to strengthen that tissue. We need to make sure that everything is coordinated well, that it can stand up to whatever you want to do in life. So if that's running or jumping or, you know, just playing with your kids, whatever that may be, we want to make sure that we're getting you all the way up to that level without symptoms. And that takes time.
Greg Todd [00:04:31]:
Right. You know, I'm not a pelvic health therapist, nor do I play one on tv, but I do work with Michelle and I have seen her build out a framework showing these different levels. And in the framework, it shows when you reach a certain level, even though the symptoms will more than likely go away, you will not achieve long lasting relief unless you. You start to address the next levels. And then you can feel pretty, rest assured, if you complete those next two levels, that the symptoms not only will go away, but they'll stay away.
Akemi Mercedes [00:05:10]:
Exactly.
Greg Todd [00:05:10]:
I think that that is so huge. And I really think, on a whole, even though I'm not in the pelvic health space, as a physical therapist, I have seen this way too often. Not done properly. And then clients have a bad depiction of if physical therapy actually works or pelvic health therapy services really work, because they're like, yeah, yeah, I did feel good when I was doing it, but then it all came back. Yeah.
Akemi Mercedes [00:05:37]:
So it didn't work.
Greg Todd [00:05:38]:
That's not work. Yeah. Right. So, okay, so here's my next question to you, and I feel like only you can answer this. What makes a comprehensive and collaborative approach different from. From other treatments?
Akemi Mercedes [00:05:51]:
Absolutely. Great question. So most other clinics you go to, pelvic health Orthopedic, they're really looking at what's going on structurally with your body. And we're. We're not just our body. You know what I mean? Like, we can't work in isolation. And so oftentimes there is a nutrition component to that. So if we've got increased inflammation that's in our system, you know, even if our shoulder hurts and our.
Akemi Mercedes [00:06:22]:
But we're also having some digestive issues, there's probably something going on with our gut health.
Greg Todd [00:06:26]:
Right.
Akemi Mercedes [00:06:26]:
That we need to address as well, to get that overall inflammation down in your system, to get you feeling better, completely better.
Greg Todd [00:06:34]:
Right, right, right. Gotcha. That is huge. And most clinics don't have a solution for that.
Akemi Mercedes [00:06:41]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:06:41]:
Because all they do is that one thing and yours. You do explain it. Explain to people that work there, the different types of people that you have.
Akemi Mercedes [00:06:49]:
So we have our therapy team, so that's made up of physical and occupational therapists, and so they are specializing in pelvic health orthopedics. We use dry needling, other manual therapy techniques that are really effective and unique to our practice. And then we have two functional registered dietitians. So that's even different from your standard registered dietitian, because I feel like you could do a whole other. And I'm sure you've talked to lots of registered dietitians on your podcast. You know, so there's. There's some people that are just talking about, like, oh, you need to count your macros or eat, you know, X, y and Z food. We're really digging deeper, so we're looking at, you know, any lab values or we're, you know, ordering additional testing to really dig deep under what's.
Akemi Mercedes [00:07:36]:
What's going on, especially for people that have more chronic conditions.
Greg Todd [00:07:39]:
Right, gotcha.
Akemi Mercedes [00:07:40]:
There's. It's not simple. I'm sure if it was Simple. It wouldn't be chronic, and it would be better.
Greg Todd [00:07:45]:
Right, right, right.
Akemi Mercedes [00:07:46]:
And so we're really going to dig deep in that investigative process from that functional registered dietitian perspective and see how we can help to support and heal their system, which is also then going to help them from the physical aspect as well. And then we also have psychiatry services. So we have a psychiatrist that specializes in prenatal pregnancy and postpartum psychiatry, amongst other things. And so adding that in, too, because we know we're not just our body, but our mind and our mental health are so important on how our nervous system is functioning. And if, you know, something is off with that, if we have more anxiety or more depression, that really is going to impact how we're feeling physically as well. And so we are really trying to address the entire person.
Greg Todd [00:08:39]:
Most public health therapists that I have worked with over the years really have a desire to have what it is that you have created. From whatever reason, they haven't been able to pull it off. You have. So I'm saying that because if anybody is listening and is looking for that multidisciplinary approach, that collaborative approach, I would highly recommend. I'm not trying to do this as a pitch for your stuff, but I'm just telling the truth. And you guys know, if I like it, I'm selling it. Okay. But I think that's really awesome what you've done.
Greg Todd [00:09:11]:
And from what I understand, your people, for the most part, are. They can do virtual visits as well. Yeah. Right. So that's really, really cool. Okay, so anyways, hint, hint, my friends. Okay, so now let's get into some of the nitty gritty. Now, I'm assuming you help people with bladder problems, with bowel problems.
Greg Todd [00:09:31]:
What are some ways for people to be able to regain control? Because, like, I'm a dude, and apparently we have them problems, too.
Akemi Mercedes [00:09:39]:
Yeah, you do.
Greg Todd [00:09:40]:
Y'all don't be talking to us enough.
Akemi Mercedes [00:09:42]:
No, I mean, the number one diagnosis for men as they're getting older is overactive bladder. So how. How often are you going to the bathroom? How often are you waking up at night to go to the bathroom?
Greg Todd [00:09:53]:
Oh, freaking well. Okay, so let me tell you this. Hold on.
Akemi Mercedes [00:09:55]:
Wait.
Greg Todd [00:09:56]:
Sorry. I don't want to make this podcast another me, but, like, at one point, I was waking up sometimes four times a night. Four or five times a night?
Akemi Mercedes [00:10:05]:
Yeah. You shouldn't be waking. You're not old enough to be waking up at all. Once you get over the age of 65, they technically say you can Wake up once a night. I still don't personally like that, but that's.
Greg Todd [00:10:16]:
So how do I fix it? I'm asking the question because I got a problem. Yeah.
Akemi Mercedes [00:10:21]:
We have to look at what you're eating, what you're drinking. There are certain things that are going to irritate your bladder. And what that means is if you eat or drink certain things, that's going to give you the urge to go more frequently. So making sure that you're limiting those or you know what they are for you specifically, because it's not across the board, the same for everybody. And then if you know what they are, try to limit those in the evening.
Greg Todd [00:10:47]:
I do think for me coffee was a huge thing.
Akemi Mercedes [00:10:49]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:10:50]:
And I used to have like a lot of caffeinated coffee. I pretty much only drink, you see, I drink decaf mostly unless things are, I'm like, like Coca Cola. Just go out, go have some regular coffee. But for the most part I only drink decaf. And I've noticed I'm now down to about one time a night. So you're still saying at my age, I'm 47, you should not be waking.
Akemi Mercedes [00:11:12]:
At all and then making sure you're not drinking, know, close to bed. So. Yeah, so maybe if you're drinking a glass of water before bedtime, like. Yeah, then you should be waking up.
Greg Todd [00:11:20]:
Gotcha, Gotcha. There are people out there that are like, look, I've seen therapists before. My previous treatments have not worked. Can you. We don't need to bash anybody. But like, what, what would you say to them? Like, why should they give you a shot?
Akemi Mercedes [00:11:39]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:11:39]:
And should they?
Akemi Mercedes [00:11:40]:
Yeah, they absolutely should. So oftentimes what I've noticed, I think there's starting to be a shift. But a lot of pelvic floor therapists that have come out recently are very hyper focused just on the pelvic floor. And so the extent of their treatment is either internal or external pelvis specific. So they are not looking all the way down. It could be something that's going on with your feet that's impacting your pelvic floor. It could be something going on with your jaw, your head, anywhere in between. And so really if you are going after the source of your symptoms and not stepping back and looking at someone as a whole, you potentially are going to miss what's going on with them.
Greg Todd [00:12:27]:
Right. Okay.
Akemi Mercedes [00:12:28]:
You might get some success. Cause sometimes it truly is a very isolated issue that somebody is dealing with. And so, you know, they can definitely have some wins and can do some good for people, but they're not taking, you know, if they're not really looking at everything and. And really making sure that everything has been addressed.
Greg Todd [00:12:46]:
Okay, gotcha. Well, you have at your practice because you have this collaborative approach. You address mental health. So can we talk about how do you believe pelvic floor dysfunction affects mental health?
Akemi Mercedes [00:13:00]:
Yeah, so I think it works both ways, honestly. So oftentimes. So when we have pelvic floor issues, sometimes. So if it's leaking, if it's feelings of prolapse, which would be kind of like heaviness in your pelvis or feeling like your organs are falling out, or maybe you have pelvic pain, or for men, erectile dysfunction, things like that, those can really impact your feelings of self worth. They're gonna impact what activities you're gonna participate in. So are you not going out as much? Or maybe you have to go to the bathroom every hour? Or you're having GI issues and you're having these episodes of diarrhea, and so you're like, I can't go on a bike ride because I have to make sure that there's a bathroom, you know, every 20 minutes for me to go. Or maybe you are. Your relationship with your spouse or your partner is affected because you're having painful intercourse or you're not able to have intercourse.
Akemi Mercedes [00:13:56]:
And so there's just all of these other ramifications that really, over time, if it's creating that isolation and that withdrawal, you are. I mean, you are going to be depressed about it and it is going to lead you down this path. That's probably not great.
Greg Todd [00:14:11]:
Oh, okay. Of the clients that you see and the clients that you've seen over the years that you've been doing this, how confident do you feel that they can actually be normal again?
Akemi Mercedes [00:14:23]:
Very. 95%.
Greg Todd [00:14:25]:
95%. Okay. You know, that's a hard thing because when you're going through these things, and most of us, when we're dealing with, you know, I'm not gonna say women, I can't talk for them, but even men, a lot of times we don't want to talk about these things. So we, I'm assuming by default, the majority of men that you're seeing, it's been going on for a long time because we want to suppress it. And so we feel like while this is chronic now, when we finally have just said, okay, I need help, but the majority of us feel like, well, I'm never going to feel normal, it might help a little bit, but you're saying 95% yeah. Wow. Well, that makes us feel good.
Akemi Mercedes [00:15:05]:
Thank you.
Greg Todd [00:15:06]:
Okay, here's my next question to you. How do I know if I'm a good candidate for the collaborative approach, like what you do versus the traditional approach, which, honestly, most like pelvic health therapists do? Like what? Like what makes the collaborative approach? Or who's that client that should be seeing you?
Akemi Mercedes [00:15:31]:
I mean, I think everyone would benefit from the collaborative approach, honestly. Because if we're just addressing one dimension of what's going on, even from a wellness perspective. So, yeah, so maybe a traditional therapist can help you to feel better and get that symptom relief, maybe get back to a little bit of what you're doing. But if you're really looking for to feel your best version of yourself, we want to address all of these things just from an overall health and wellness component too. So it's not just, can I do X, Y and Z?
Greg Todd [00:16:06]:
Right. Okay, let's talk about the pelvic floor now. And I hear, okay, this person's got a weak pelvic floor, so they're struggling to crossfit. I hear that they have weak pelvic floor, so they, I can't run as much. Da, da, da, da, da. How does the pelvic floor, like, how does it incorporate with exercise? And what role does it play? And why are people pee peeing on themselves every single minute? Can you explain that in like a minute?
Akemi Mercedes [00:16:35]:
Okay, so really, pelvic floor is one fourth of our core. So I think a lot of people think when you think core, you think abs. Right?
Greg Todd [00:16:44]:
Abs, back, hips. Yeah, yeah. Public floor.
Akemi Mercedes [00:16:46]:
I guess so. So really, pelvic floor, it's like a canister.
Greg Todd [00:16:50]:
Yeah.
Akemi Mercedes [00:16:50]:
So. Or your soda can. So your pelvic floor is the base.
Greg Todd [00:16:54]:
Yep, that's your floor.
Akemi Mercedes [00:16:56]:
Your abs are the front, which are in front. Back, your deep back muscles. The top is your diaphragm.
Greg Todd [00:17:00]:
Diaphragm.
Akemi Mercedes [00:17:01]:
Okay. So you don't want to be able to squash or can. Right, right. You want it to be able to hold up to an increase in pressure.
Greg Todd [00:17:08]:
Gotcha.
Akemi Mercedes [00:17:08]:
So if your can can't hold up to pressure and you push down, it's going to. Things will drop out, Things are going to dry down. That pressure has to go somewhere, so it's going to go the path of least resistance. So if your pelvic floor is the path of least resistance, you're going to have a leak. You might develop some prolapse.
Greg Todd [00:17:26]:
That's a great way to explain it.
Akemi Mercedes [00:17:27]:
Sometimes, if it's your abdomen, you'll develop A hernia, diastasis. I mean, yeah, so.
Greg Todd [00:17:33]:
Oh, that's actually really good. Good. I think you've done this before. Okay. All right. This is fantastic. So typical client. How long does it take for pelvic floor treatment?
Akemi Mercedes [00:17:43]:
Yeah, so generally tissue heal, like if we're going for not just feeling better, but really full tissue healing and starting to return to higher level activities, that's definitely a three month period. We can't make tissue heal faster.
Greg Todd [00:17:57]:
Right.
Akemi Mercedes [00:17:58]:
We're not God.
Greg Todd [00:18:00]:
Right, Right. Okay, gotcha. So I know there's people that you'd recommend for most people to see you or see a professional. Okay, how about for those that are like, all right, is there anything I can draw on my own? Is there any self practices, things that we can do if we are struggling with pelvic floor dysfunction? Something you would tell aunt Tina or uncle Larry who's like, hey, what are you doing? Can you help me?
Akemi Mercedes [00:18:27]:
Okay, so the first step is to make sure you're aware of where the heck your pelvic floor is and what it is doing.
Greg Todd [00:18:35]:
Okay. So bottom pelvic floor, top diaphragm, front abs, back, Back.
Akemi Mercedes [00:18:41]:
Yeah. So if you are going to sit here, it's like so sit with your feet flat on the ground.
Greg Todd [00:18:46]:
Okay.
Akemi Mercedes [00:18:46]:
Okay. Take a deep breath. That allows your belly and your ribs to expand. And then you want to focus on what do you feel happening at your anus, your perineum. You should with inhale, feel a downward movement and an expansion. Or if your sits bones, you can feel like your sits bones are separating.
Greg Todd [00:19:06]:
Yep.
Akemi Mercedes [00:19:06]:
Okay. So that means your pelvic floor is lengthening as it should as you inhale. And then as you exhale, your belly should tighten a little bit, your ribs come back in, your pelvic floor should raise up. And so very subtle. So it's not a big movement. It means you can speak to if you felt that. So if number one, you're feeling that awareness and then you feel that as you inhale, you get that expansion and that pressure.
Greg Todd [00:19:33]:
Gotcha.
Akemi Mercedes [00:19:33]:
That's good. And then if you exhale and you feel that tightening, you're in good shape. If you feel the reverse, we definitely have a little bit of work to do.
Greg Todd [00:19:41]:
Okay. All right. I think I feel that. I also think I have some work to do.
Akemi Mercedes [00:19:48]:
So we know someone that can help you.
Greg Todd [00:19:51]:
Thank you. Couple other things here. Can I ask you like three more? Is that okay? Yeah. What does it mean to have a full tailored plan when somebody comes in is the majority of people just seen the pelvic PT or the ot or when you say a tailored plan, is it. Pretty much everybody's getting nearly everything.
Akemi Mercedes [00:20:19]:
Not always. I mean, it really depends. And so oftentimes what we find is they're coming in for either pelvic PT or ot. That's kind of the service that's drawing them into our clinic. And then we expect to find after the first two to three to four visits, we know that symptoms should be almost resolved or significantly better. So if we're starting to notice kind of on that second or third visit that things are not progressing the way that we would expect them to, then we start to pull, like, what else do we need to kind of draw in?
Greg Todd [00:20:57]:
You just have to. Tools in a toolbox.
Akemi Mercedes [00:20:59]:
Exactly. So then, you know. Yeah, we definitely then recommend, like, hey, you need to set up an appointment with our dietitian. Because really, that's going to be. We think it's going to be a big missing piece, you know, and really important in order for you to get to where you want to be.
Greg Todd [00:21:14]:
Okay. Or.
Akemi Mercedes [00:21:15]:
Or it could be the mental health. You know, it really depends on what's going on with that person.
Greg Todd [00:21:19]:
Okay, so we've talked about the dietitian, we've talked about the mental health, the. The. The psychiatrist. Right. Let's talk about the functional medicine, because I know that that's now starting to be a part of what you all are doing. So what is. What's kind of the approach there? When would the functional medicine person come into play?
Akemi Mercedes [00:21:40]:
Yeah, so that might be people's initial coming in to clinic, because a lot of people are now looking for a different approach to health care. And so, you know, they go to their. They feel a certain way. So maybe they're fatigue and they just, you know, X, Y, and Z is going on. They don't feel great. They think something is off. They go to their doctor, you get your labs drawn, right? They come back, they're like, oh, no, you're fine. Nothing's wrong.
Akemi Mercedes [00:22:07]:
And so then they feel like they've gone to all these doctors or maybe just one doctor at the time. Maybe they go to a couple. I think they're just told, nothing's wrong, nothing's wrong, nothing's wrong. What the functional approach does is it looks at not what's out of range on labs, because that's when we can diagnose a disease. Right, Gotcha. But it's looking at, okay, so what's actually an optimal range? So we want to catch things. We want to catch, you know, so 5.7 for an A1C is pre diabetic.
Greg Todd [00:22:38]:
Right.
Akemi Mercedes [00:22:39]:
We like it to be 5 or below. So if you come in and your lab say that you're at 5.6, your primary care physician's like, oh, you're good to go.
Greg Todd [00:22:48]:
And that's not where you're one point.
Akemi Mercedes [00:22:49]:
You'Re 0.1 away from pre diabetes, where then they're going to all of a sudden, you know, have a completely different conversation with you. So we want to start looking at the trends in your lab work and your symptoms and again, figure out what that root cause is. So our functional medicine doctor then works really close with our registered dietitians and then also with any physical therapy kind of needs that they may have too.
Greg Todd [00:23:16]:
It just sounds like the right approach. It sounds like at some point we're going to figure this out with the team that you have.
Akemi Mercedes [00:23:23]:
Right.
Greg Todd [00:23:23]:
I kind of love this. So, okay. I have two daughters and obviously my wife. Painful periods.
Akemi Mercedes [00:23:32]:
Yes.
Greg Todd [00:23:33]:
So pelvic floor dysfunction. Painful periods. I know too much about this. Okay.
Akemi Mercedes [00:23:40]:
No, it's great.
Greg Todd [00:23:41]:
No, what, what, what, what is a correlation? Is this a hormonal thing? Is this a pelvic floor dysfunction thing? Is it both?
Akemi Mercedes [00:23:49]:
Both, yeah. So it's definitely both. So a couple of things with painful periods. So we specifically also look at organ level movement. And so oftentimes, so our organs are attached to us. Right. They're not just floating around. Right.
Akemi Mercedes [00:24:06]:
So they're attached onto our bones. And so if there's a restriction in one of those attachment points, it can cause pain and dysfunction. So normally what happens. So when we women are cycling, their uterus and cervix actually move, depending on where it's at in the cycle. So imagine. So it's supposed to be at the highest level during ovulation, the lowest level administration felt. So if we've got kind of uterus moving like this, but let's say that it's stuck on this right side, it's not going to be able to move. That's not number one.
Akemi Mercedes [00:24:39]:
That's not comfortable for your body. So that alone can be a source of painful periods. Now, we don't want to just stop there in our clinic because even though I have before I had all of these services, I helped a lot of women that had painful periods just from a manual therapy perspective. And a lot of them got better and they were doing great. But knowing now kind of the whole functional nutrition, hormonal piece, we definitely want to dive deeper into that and really looking at what else is going on with their menstrual cycle. That gives us an idea of, do you have too much estrogen in your system or not enough progesterone? And what can we do to help support your system that way instead of just putting people on birth control?
Greg Todd [00:25:32]:
Gotcha. Wow. Man, you're good at this. Like, wow. Okay, go see her. Okay. Lifestyle changes.
Akemi Mercedes [00:25:43]:
Yes.
Greg Todd [00:25:43]:
What things can people do, like, immediately to at least get the ball rolling? Because I know there's a lot you guys can do for people, but, you know, you're seeing them once, maybe twice a week. There's got to be some other things that are needed to change. What are some of the big recommendations that you're making for a good chunk of your clients?
Akemi Mercedes [00:26:04]:
I think the most important thing for everybody is stress management. Stress management across the board. I mean, who have you met that hasn't been stressed out recently?
Greg Todd [00:26:14]:
Oh, yeah.
Akemi Mercedes [00:26:16]:
So knowing what your stress triggers are and then knowing personally what helps to reduce stress in your life, and then being intentional about incorporating those things more often.
Greg Todd [00:26:30]:
Okay, two more questions for you. There are people right now that are listening that have felt very hopeless in their. Their journey of whatever they're dealing with. What would you say to them?
Akemi Mercedes [00:26:41]:
There is hope.
Greg Todd [00:26:42]:
There is hope.
Akemi Mercedes [00:26:43]:
Don't give up.
Greg Todd [00:26:44]:
Okay.
Akemi Mercedes [00:26:45]:
Keep being an advocate for yourself.
Greg Todd [00:26:48]:
Sure.
Akemi Mercedes [00:26:52]:
Final question.
Greg Todd [00:26:54]:
What steps can I take to be more empowered along my health journey?
Akemi Mercedes [00:27:01]:
That's a great question. I think just doing your own research a little bit. I mean, I. That's kind of a scary way to put it. So it depends on where you're getting your research from. So definitely following, you know, licensed healthcare professionals that are knowledgeable about whatever information that you're looking for. So not necessarily, you know, a random TikTok or Facebook post because, you know, you gotta take some of that with a grain of salt, especially if it's, you know, not somebody that's an expert in that field.
Greg Todd [00:27:35]:
Well, the fact that I did not fully prep you on any of these and you're able to spitball this out tells me that you're pretty good at what you do. Here's what I will do below in the description. I don't know where this will be or what platform this will be on, but you'll see ways for you to be able to get in touch with Michelle, her team. She has a clinic in Florida. She is in Massachusetts. You have two locations in Massachusetts, new location in Littleton, Colorado. And she works with people virtually as well. So I highly recommend you all.
Greg Todd [00:28:16]:
If you are feeling hopeless, if you are having questions, you're like, enough is enough. I really want to get this checked out. She's got some awesome services. Thank you so much for doing this rapid fire. Yeah, you did a really good job.
Akemi Mercedes [00:28:28]:
Thank you.
Greg Todd [00:28:28]:
All right, later.
