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00:00 – Introduction to Dr Jenny Brockis 01:41 – Health reform and the roots of lifestyle medicine 05:00 – Workplace stress and chronic disease 10:31 – Philosophy of holistic, preventive healthcare 11:10 – The Natural Advantage: why nature matters 14:22 – Forest bathing and science of nature’s effect on stress 18:52 – Biophilic design and urban health 21:10 – The sun: friend or foe? Vitamin D and mental health 26:28 – Nutrition, the Mediterranean diet, and diabetes reversal 32:12 – Gender differences in heart health 34:30 – Final thoughts on consistent daily habits for long-term wellness
The Natural Advantage: Reconnecting with Nature for Mental Clarity & Resilience
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:00:05] Hello and welcome to Unstress Health. My name is Dr. Ron Ehrlich. Well, today we are going to explore connecting with nature. And what a powerful tool. It is, how accessible it is how cheap it is and most importantly how effective it is. My guest today is Dr Jenny Brockis. Now Jenny is a medical practitioner and a lifestyle medicine physician. She connects to what matters, simplifying the complex. And getting the most out of life and work. She’s a speaker, she’s a trainer. And an author, she’s written four or I think five books and we talk about Many of them in this podcast forever curious, she is. Passionate about people performance. And about being practical. Her purpose. Is to inspire positive change that makes work. Work better. For everyone. I hope you enjoy this conversation I had with Dr. Jenny Brockis. Welcome to the show Jenny.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:01:03] Thank you for having me.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:01:05] Jenny, there’s so much we want to talk about today and I think… We kind of have a lot in common philosophically anyway. I was really struck by… The fact that you describe yourself as being. Cautiously optimistic. And at the same time a fierce advocate for health reform. And sometimes when I think about health reform, optimism isn’t really the word that I’d use. But I love it. Tell me why you are cautiously optimistic. Or maybe, and also I know fierce health reform. Tell me what you think the problem is and what we need fixing.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:01:41] So I’ve been working in the… Health and wellbeing space. Since 2009. Helping people at work to Do work better. But also to feel. Better about themselves and to manage their stress more effectively, et cetera, et cetera. And At first it felt like I was… A lonely figure on top of a mountain shouting into the wind. Not making much difference to anybody in particular. And then in 2014, I think it was. I fell over lifestyle medicine. Which. Has actually been in Australia for over 20 years. Became sort of. Create it as a… Society. 10 years ago. And I thought, these people… Are talking the same language as I talk. They’re talking about going back to the basics of. What keeps us well. What can we do to prevent illness and disease? And I thought. This is music to my ears. And coming from. Medical practise. Because I worked as a GP for many years. Where you’re very much reactive. You’re responding to illness. And you’re putting the Band-Aid on. Hoping it doesn’t fall off before they get home. But knowing that… In a short time, they’re likely to come back and need another Band-Aid. My optimism is that. I sense that there’s a growing desire. Within. The health profession itself. And I’m not talking just about doctors. I’m talking about all the allied health. Practitioners. Who see that the existing healthcare system. Is. No longer fit for purpose. It was fine when it was designed, but it doesn’t fit what is needed today. And I think the other aspect is that. Our clients, our patients themselves. Are looking for. A different way of applying health. They wanted to have more autonomy in their choices and their decisions. They want to drive. What they need to do. To stay well, not just for today, but for the next 20, 30 years. So I am cautiously optimistic. Because I sense the wind of change. But anything to do with change within the healthcare system. As we know is notoriously slow. And we can keep banging our drum. Singing loudly from the rooftops. What do you trust? Takes time. So I think we just have to adopt the long-term approach. And know that politicians never work. Like that, they always want the short term gains that make themselves look good. And there’s chip away at it because I think the the undercurrent of desire for change. From the health profession. And from our clients is what’s going to bring it about.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:04:28] Hmm. Yeah, no, no. I tried to share that. I actually, when you put it like that, I share the optimism because If I think the optimism for health care reform. Is going to come from the healthcare industry. I’m filled with dread. I paradoxically. But consumer led. Yes. And I think there’s another interesting area which I think you’re involved in too, and that is the workplace. Very much so. As the place. Where I think There’s a confluence of interest. And, as you know… That not only does good health make sense, but it also makes dollars, which is ultimately what speaks. So this is an area, but I’m intrigued to know too. Jenny and I have I’m getting this right is that you, you know, you came into this area in 2009. But I’m guessing you were a doctor for a few years before then.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:05:20] Absolutely. Yeah It was great, I mean I trained in the UK, I migrated to Australia with my husband because he was headhunted by… A company here. And I’d always had the idea of setting up my own general practise, which in the UK would be almost impossible to achieve. But I was able to do that here. It was magic, absolutely magic. And I was able to practise medicine in the way that I thought. It ought to be practised. Patient-centred. Giving people the time that they need. To be fully heard. And understood and making sure that it was a journey we undertook together to get them. But I did become increasingly. Frustrated. You know, the push to always see more people more quickly. The fact that we were never getting to the nitty-gritty of what was leading people to become unwell. And I also developed the realisation, as you’ve just alluded, that. Much of the illness that we were seeing was coming from this place we call work. Um, people were stressed to the max. Bye. Unrealistic deadlines, taking on too much. Being driven to do more than was actually humanly possible. And suffering the consequences of chronic disease. As I’m sure you’re only too aware. And your audience are. We live in an era of chronic disease and so much of it is preventable. And I think. You’re right, in that the workplace. Has been overlooked. As a potential conduit of. Change. But over the last. Five, ten years, there’s been this real drive. Employers, HR professionals, the same. What can we do? To enhance health and wellbeing in our staff, because they get. They actually do get that. A happy, healthy… Person at work is going to be more productive, more effective and likely to stay at that particular workplace for longer. Makes sense. So that’s.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:07:20] I know you’re in Western Australia, I’m in Eastern Australia for our overseas listeners, and I know in our Eastern states… That has actually been legislated very strongly. The you you have to legally now employers must. Minimise mitigate Um, the psycho social risks in the same way that they would have to. Mitigate the physical risks of employing someone and There are fines now, so I believe there’s never been a better time. To be an HR person because all the things you’ve ever. Told your employer. Needed to be done now have to be But it’s interesting about the workplace, because we were talking about this just before we started that. Talk about a workplace that breeds ill health. And pressure. Healthcare professionals are some of the worst.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:08:11] Unfortunately, you’re quite right, Ron, and erm… I-I-I really- I’m so concerned about what we are doing to some of our youngest and brightest. Who are- Entering. Healthcare as a chosen profession. And yet… The system. Grinds them down. Often before they’ve even had a chance to graduate and get out and practise what they’ve they’ve learnt. So I think. There’s much to do in our own house first. Because I strongly believe that. Unless we are well in ourselves, how can we possibly… Help other people. A health practitioner always comes from that place of service. We always want to make sure. That we are doing our utmost to help the other person. But if they see us. I was tired. Stressed. Overwhelmed. They’re going to be thinking, well, that person clearly doesn’t take much care of themselves. Why should I listen to anything they’ve got to say?
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:09:11] Hmm, hmm. Yeah, I think philosophically, too, I mean, one of the things I’ve observed is a holistic. Health practitioner and knowing many integrative doctors. Is the thing that integrative doctors and allopathic prescription based doctors. Have in common is They want the best for their patients. Both groups want the best for the patients. But I think there’s a philosophical difference. If you’re unwell as a health practitioner. You are into just managing health, managing the symptoms of yourself. And therefore of your patients. Whereas if you are feeling good, and know you can feel good as a practitioner, you want to impart that to your patients.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:09:51] Exactly right. And I think this is where… The fundamental shift in mindset. Needs to take place so that more of the allopathic practitioners… See? What’s possible? Because at the moment, I’m hearing… All the obstacles, all the reasons why. It’s just not practical, why? It just can’t happen. And I’m saying. Oh yes it can! Because. It is already here. Practitioners are already doing things differently. So that they are. Really embracing and enjoying their lives and their work. And imparting. What they have. To their patients. So it’s a win-win for everybody.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:10:31] Yeah, yeah, I know it. Couldn’t agree more music to my ears. Listen, you’ve written a book. You’ve written the book called… The natural advantage. And it takes a holistic approach. And one of the words that I love, and I’m going to say very slowly. It’s a holistic approach that includes all the biopsychosocial environmental factors. Like time in nature. And I love, I, you know, when you break the down Actually, when you put hyphens between each one of those. It makes total sense, but when you say it too quickly. It’s not, but go on, let’s break it down a little bit. Tell us about The natural advance.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:11:10] So I wrote The Natural Advantage because… I came to the realisation, and I think COVID played a part in this. We are so caught up in the busyness of everything. We’ve forgotten just how important it is. To get outside. Even for a short period of time. Busy lives, we don’t. Take the time to think. Let’s go down the park. Let’s cook a footy round the field with the kids or anything like that. And… I was struck by the research. Clearly demonstrated that we are missing out. On the best medication the planet has to offer.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:11:51] I think that is a statement that should be in capital letters on every house. Oh, every, every go on music to my ears, keep going.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:12:01] So… You know, we have a situation where one in seven Australian adults is taking a prescribed antidepressant. Some of those people can’t get off their antidepressants for whatever reason, and that’s a different subject in its own. On its own.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:12:15] We’ve covered it. We’ve covered it, Jenny. Oh, have you? Good. We have. We have, we’ve covered it big time on this. Go on. But go on, yes.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:12:22] And Intuitively, I think people understand that. Getting outside for a walk or a run or something where you’ve got a green… Outlook or Blue Outlook. Fundamentally makes us feel better. But I wanted to. Drill into the science. And reveal. Why that is so, because I think sometimes… We need the scientific proof. It’s all. Very nice to have that feeling. Oh, this is great! But if you understand… Why we have- We’re feeling great. And how important. Difference it makes to our health. Then it gives us Every reason. To get outside more. So the book is really to encourage each and every one of us. Even if we’ve only got a couple of minutes every day. Just step outside. Feel the air on your skin. Sunshine. And just enjoy what nature has to offer us. So in the book, I approach it from. The elements. Water. I’m. And all these sort of benefits to. Health it provides in terms of mental health, emotional health, cognitive health. Immune health. Social health. That very long word that I shared with you. Which was a bit tongue-in-cheek when I did, I have to confess. Yes, I’m sure it was. It really encapsulates that it’s not just one thing. That being outside helps us with. Everything. And it almost seems too simple. And it is simple. But let’s. Uh… Not forget that sometimes it’s the simple things. That can have the biggest impact. On how we are. As human beings.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:14:07] Hmm. Well, let’s break down a little bit of the song. I mean, apart from… Feeling good and you know we’ve been told to do that. I mean, there’s actually a biology. There’s actually of physiology. There’s a biochemistry. Absolutely. There behind it. Yes, which tell us a little bit about.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:14:22] Well, I think that dates back to the 1980s. When the Japanese… First introduced Shinrinryoku, or forest bathing, to the world. Well, they introduced it to the businessman actually in Japan. Because they recognise that. The work ethic there. Was actually creating a high level of stress and in many instances. Leading to heart disease. So it was believed that… Bye. Taking these dressed businessmen out into the woods. And letting them. Just roam around on their own for a little while. Would make a difference. And so the scientists went out. Measure their blood pressure, their heart rate, their heart-rate variability. Cortisol levels, et cetera. And found. Yes, indeed. It does make a significant difference and did help to not only lower stress. So mentally they felt better, but it also. Made a significant difference to. They’re physiological. Health as well. So that was the first part. And then I think the other study which blew my mind. Was Ulrich. Back in 1984. And again, it’s not recent studies. I mean, this has been around for a while. Where he showed that. Patients recovering from gallbladder surgery. If they were allocated a room on a ward. Where there was a window overlooking a green space. Versusa room and a ward. With a window overlooking. A brick wall? There was a marked difference in their recovery. In terms of. Speed of recovery. In terms of. The amount of pain medication required. During that time. And also what the nurses reported. To the patient’s demeanour. During their time in hospital, so people got better, faster. They spent shorter times in hospital. And they felt better too. Win win win win. And so that really intrigued me is to. Really? Good looking outside a window, really? Bring about all that change and then of course we’ve had beyond Ulrich who who talks about stress reduction. We’ve had the Caplans. Who’ve introduced. Their theory about attention restoration and that. Today, you know. Busy lives where we spend so much time indoors looking at a screen. Mentally exhausted. Going outside. Just. Again, you get a physiological response. You activate the parasympathetic system. So you feel. That’s better. But also it starts to restore attention because you’re adopting a softer. What they call a fascinational gaze as you look around you. Broadens your perspective. It’s interesting, it sharpens your focus. While also providing you clarity in your thinking. I like that. I like that very much. Yeah, lovely.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:17:22] Well, I’m sure there’s more! More.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:17:23] Oh there’s plenty more.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:17:25] Okay, go on. Go on. I love it. Hi, Dr. Ron here, and I want to invite you to join our unstress health community. Now like this podcast, it’s independent of industry. And focuses on taking a holistic approach. To human health. And to the health of the planet, the two… Are inseparable. There are so many resources available with membership, including regular live Q&As. On specific topics with special guests. Including… Many with our amazing Unstress Health Advisory Panel. Now we’ve done hundreds of podcasts all worth listening to with some amazing experts on a wide range of topics. Many are world leaders. But with membership? We have out unstressed. Podcast series. Where we take the best of several guests and carefully curate specific topics for episodes. Which are jam-packed full of valuable insights. Join the unstress health community. If you’re watching this on our YouTube channel… Click on the link below or just visit UnstressHealth.com to see what’s on offer. Join Now! I look forward to connecting with you. So, Forest bathing, Ulrich and… Looking out of looking out to nature and Kaplan’s attention. Restoration. Which, yeah, I mean, keep on going. This is good.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:18:52] I think the other thing is that it was realised that while getting out into nature is. The best. It’s the real deal. We can. Do other things if we don’t have the ability to get outside. And this is something I think is really important. There are those of us who live. In situations where. You might not physically be able to get outside. Or you might live at the top of a tower block. And you’ve got very limited access to anything green around you. This is where. What is called biophilic design. Comes to play. Now biophilia was a term. Introduced initially by Eric Fromm, and then made popular by E.O. Wilson. Which is really describing our innate. Affiliation. To nature. And it’s stronger in some of us than others. Some people are like. Oh, don’t give me that nature stuff. All those wriggly stuff don’t like. Other people realise that, yeah. It is important for us and our well-being. For me, it’s about. Health equity. And how can we enable? Everybody. To have better access to green spaces. This is where. Urban planners. Come to play by providing you know, good urban design with lots of parks and trees and shrubs so that people can Get access to Greenree. Easily? Um. Workplaces can introduce. Biophilic design into the workplace. Those beautiful living walls that you sometimes see that are covered in ferns and mosses. That invites you to sort of reach out and touch. And. Simply living plants interspersed around the place can make a big difference to how we feel. Being shown to boost productivity as well. So workplaces like that, of course. Haha So. No, simple things like. Putting a nice picture on the wall. Something natural. Painting your room. Sage green. A similar natural colour or having access to something that’s tactile, something you can touch, it could be a wooden ornament or something like that or polished stone. All these things. Induce that sense of. Calmness and and feeling good.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:21:10] Now, one of the things, one of the probably, I think. Well. I don’t want to give too much away, but what a public health message. That I always think is an interesting one is to stay out of the sun. The demonization of the sun.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:21:26] What’s your view of this? I think we’ve got to get the balance right. I think we’ve done a fantastic job. With the Slip Slop Slap campaign. To minimise the harm excess sun. Can do to our skin. We nobody wants to see. Skin cancers or premature ageing. And things like that. However… We’ve probably taken it a bit too far because some people are now so scared of the sun. They don’t go out. Or… When they do go out, they’re covered from. Head to toe. And there’s no ability for their skin. To access any beautiful. Natural sunlight, which of course we need. In order to. Manufactured vitamin D in our skin. So, I- I think we’ve just got to get smarter in understanding that. Sunlight gives us life. I mean, if there was no sunlight here, we wouldn’t be here having this conversation today. We will have long perished. You know, understanding that sunlight is so important for. Certain aspects of our health. Mental health. So many people, I mean, I was brought up in the UK. And a lot of people in those. Latitudes. Suffer from seasonal affective disorder. Where you’ve got low grey skies. It’s always a bit miserable. It’s a bit rainy and it’s like. We need that natural sunlight to give ourselves a natural boost. When we go outside, even for 10 minutes or so. We get a nice little top up. To our serotonin levels, which, of course, we naturally produce mostly in our gut. But it just gives us that little bit of a boost. I feel better now. So that’s the reason behind that. We need, we need, um… Sunlight, of course, for vitamin D, which is so important for so many different biochemical processes. In the body beyond. Bone health. Um. But also for our cognition as well. So I think. It’s about. Educating people to understand that, yeah, it’s not a good idea to go out. Two o’clock in the afternoon and some bake for a couple of hours. Wearing yours. Incy wincy tindy wincy. Polka dot bikini. But to get the balance right and understand that getting out into natural light, especially the early morning sunlight is really good for us. You don’t need sunscreen at that time. You get the benefit of that. Early night especially. Resetting our circadian clock, so we actually. And hearts are asleep. Patterns as well. And also we give ourselves a chance to manufacture a little bit more vitamin D.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:24:03] Hmm, hmm. Yeah, look, it’s so interesting to hear you focus on this natural advantage. Because again, bringing us back to our geography. You’re in Western Australia where… Although, during COVID… The state was literally cut off from the rest of the world, but Life went on normally, did it not? I mean, you were just basically doing. Going out doing whatever you wanted to do, whereas in the West, in the East, or were you, is that, am I romanticising you?
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:24:32] It was certainly easier here than over race and particularly in Melbourne. Um, but we were constrained for, for part of the time, you know, we weren’t allowed to sort of go out unless it was. Essential. You’re like, you have to go buy food. But we were given sort of… Permission to go out for an hour of exercise every day.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:24:50] Oh, really? I didn’t even know you had that. Yes, we did. OK. Isn’t that odd, though? I mean, here we are talking about. The the benefits of the natural advantage to our immune function and mental health. And one of the biggest public health messages was. Lock down and don’t go outside.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:25:10] And that did so much damage to so many people. So much damage, especially in terms of loneliness. And even now. We’re seeing the aftermath of that. And this was predicted at the time. Particularly in our younger generations, we tend to think of loneliness as… Something that only affects older people. Not true. Yes. And I think, you know, our urban environments contribute greatly to that. And if you’re not allowed out as well. You can’t interact with people and… We’re social creatures. We need that. Face-to-face interaction, even if it’s just walking the dog and you… Cross paths with somebody else and you lock eyes and. Maybe give them a smile and say. Good morning, or whatever it is you say. Yeah, we need that we really do need that
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:25:57] It’s a really I mean, without being too controversial, I think it’s a shocking reflexion on public health officials. But that’s another story. Listen, you’ve you’ve written a couple of other books. Brain fit, brain smart, thriving mind. And smarter, sharper thinking. And you talk about. 12 keys. To improving mental health. Um, I guess we’ve covered a couple of them. Well, what would be those 12? You know, what is some other things that we haven’t spoken on?
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:26:28] I guess some of the other things are first, healthy nutrition. Healthy nutrition is a passion of mine. We… We’ve made. Eating such a complicated business. For a variety of reasons. Through all the marketing, through all the… Advertising that we get inundated with every day. And I think it’s led to so much confusion. People don’t know what’s true, what isn’t true. What’s right, what’s not right. And so. I think they just give up, just do their own thing. But I think it’s very clear that the research does show that. Following. A more natural diet, a healthier… Diet which is whole food based. With minimal processing, locally sourced. Has got to be. The best way. The Mediterranean Star-Love. Eating. Has been the most researched. Pattern of eating. It’s not to say it’s the be-all and end-all, but it’s certainly up there. Indicating that. Following the first rules of eating more fruit and veg. Eating some lean protein. Um. Extra virgin olive oil. Seeds and nuts, fruits and berries, all those sort of things. Make a positive difference to our mood. As well as our mental health and I always stress this when I’m talking about. How to improve mental wellbeing. In the workplace. And I say, well, What are you doing? What are your eating at lunch? If you do stop for lunch, because there’s so many people don’t. And it’s often. Grab something on the go. Often not aware of what you’re eating, putting in your mouth, got no recollection of what it was or what it tasted like. And I think. If we just give ourselves a little bit more space to think, well, what am I actually putting into my body? And how is this going to support me? To feel better. To function better. Is absolutely vital.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:28:22] Yes, well that natural diet, that Mediterranean diet, well, you know, there are so many different diets for people to choose from really, aren’t there? But we’ve just recently, we’ve did… Towards the end of this year, we’ve done quite a few programmes. As we have over the years. On a low carb approach. To… To eating and I would say that that is underpinning. A lot of problems that we see in in our society too. Diabetes, insulin resistance seems to Bad for whatever you’ve got, heart disease, cancer, autoimmune, mental health.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:28:59] Definitely. Yes, definitely. And it’s really interesting. To see that research come out. And to see so many. Practitioners now offering. Diabetes. Reversal. Programmes using diet. Cheers. It’s achievable. And, of course. When people understand the power. Changing your diet does for you. I think people really sort of start to take it on board. And that’s how the message starts to. Ripple out and we get. No, societal. Change in attitudes.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:29:42] We’ve done so many programmes with doctors who had been telling their patients all their professional careers. That type two diabetes was irreversible. Until they themselves got it. Explored a low-carb approach. Well. This is true. I explored a low-carb approach and turned not only their health around… But then went on to turn around the health of so many of their patients. Which brings us back to what we were talking about at the very beginning, wasn’t it?
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:30:09] It was indeed. And I think it’s true. I mean, we get taught. To think in a certain way. I mean, I went through medical school. And I was taught this is the way it is. This is what you have to diagnose, this is how you manage things. Go forth! And be a good doctor. Um. The practise, of course, is always somewhat different. And you start to realise that we’re not all the same. You can’t. Apply. A one size fits all blanket approach. Because we’re different. It’s like. The difference between men and women. Hate to belabour a point, but… A small difference.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:30:50] There is. Yes, you could. Well, be careful. Be careful. You could get cancelled for saying something. As controversial as that.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:30:58] Well, I think it goes back to understanding that. You know, a lot of the information I was taught was based on. Research that has been done on men only.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:31:08] Mm, yes. Because women are too difficult to do research on.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:31:11] Well, that’s right, because we have awkward things like periods. Yes! Did I mention that word?
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:31:17] Yeah, but that’s true, isn’t it? I mean, most of the research has been done on men. For that reason.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:31:21] And particularly in the area of heart health. Ah. And heart disease is a major. Issue for women, particularly once they’ve been through menopause. And most women are totally unaware of that. That they are at increased risk. They don’t know the difference in symptomatology of what to look for in themselves. Because we’ve all been taught the classic. Somebody having a heart attack is somebody. Who’s middle-aged, male, clutching their chests and going… And falling backwards. And that’s not necessarily true. If you’re a woman. I think we’ve just got to realise that…
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:32:02] Let’s treat. Well, what would be some of the symptoms? That a woman should look out for, you know, if they were having a heart attack. That are different from that stereotype.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:32:12] I think the thing is to recognise if there’s been a change in your level of fatigue. So many people are tired all the time. But if you suddenly get excessively tired. And you’re a bit short of breath, and you think you can… What’s going on? Am I going down with something? Am I getting a virus? That could be an indication. It could be feeling a bit nauseous. Eating something. Don’t know. They can be very vague, they can get pain. In the chest or elsewhere. But it’s vague symptoms that they just put down to, oh, I’ve just been doing too much, I need to step back a bit. Rather than thinking. This is not. Me, this is not normal. Perhaps I should just go and check it, get it checked out. Because the other thing is. Women don’t always show the same changes in bloods. Blood work. If they’re having a heart attack. So they don’t get the rise in tropinine levels. To the same degree as men do. So. The treating physician would be saying, well, you don’t seem to have been having a heart attack, you’re okay. Um, so we know that women get diagnosed late. Or misdiagnosed. They are less likely to get admitted to coronary care units. And their outcomes aren’t as good because they’re not receiving the same level of treatment. Their partners might take. So it’s interesting, isn’t it? It is changing. Because. We’re now aware. People present differently. I mean, I guess the classic is appendicitis. We were always taught that can mimic anything. Which is true. And I think we just have to be aware that in a number of… Ailments, we tend to get given. The classic view of something. But we have to have that. Flexibility in our. This isn’t quite fit, what else could it be?
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:34:00] Mmm, yeah. Listen, um, you know, we’ll of course have links to your website and all your books and and they’re wonderful things and I wonder if we might just finish with this one question. Taking a step back from your role as a doctor, as an author, as a speaker. Because we are all on a health journey. Through this modern world. As individuals? What do you think the biggest challenge? For us as individuals. On that journey.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:34:30] I think the biggest challenge is to recognise that… It’s what we do consistently on a daily basis that is going to determine how. Not just how long we live, but how well we live. We owe it to ourselves, to our partners, and to our families. To really put in place those choices that we can make. That they’re going to optimise. Our health and well-being. And not wait at all. We think we’re getting older to start. This is something that we need to be. Encouraging our children to get involved with. So they are a better place because we’re seeing this rise in chronic disease. In our younger generations. They are going to live shorter lives and. The Baby Boomers. And. We need to do something to address that and ask. Why is this happening? What can we do differently? And the key to it is to if we’re living in a way. That doesn’t serve us, that is actually contributing. To our risk of becoming unwell because. We’re living with. Too much stress in our system. Which promotes. More information. Which promotes. Potential for. Other disease and illnesses, then. We’ve got to go back to the beginning and say, okay. What can I be doing differently? To prevent them.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:35:52] Well, that’s a great note for us to finish on and a great message to impart. To our listener Jenny. Thank you so much for. Joining us today, sharing your knowledge and wisdom with us and The wonderful books that you’ve written, which we’ll of course have links to. Thank you so much.
Dr Jenny Brockis [00:36:05] Well, thank you, Ron. It’s been an absolute delight to be with you.
Dr Ron Ehrlich [00:36:09] Well, there it is. It’s accessible, it’s cheap. So. Out there for us, we’ve… Evolved with it. Nature. And while we might congratulate ourselves on being. Modern and sophisticated and all of that. We’re still walking around with our palaeolithic, in fact. Pre-palaeolithic bodies and minds. And we really need to reconnect with. That has made us what we are today. And so we will have links to Jenny’s site and her books. I think that is, there are some great messages there, which certainly resonate. With what we talk about on unstressed health. I hope this finds you well. Until next time, this is Dr Ron Ehrlich. Be Well. Feeling stressed? Overwhelmed It’s time to unstress your life. Join the unstress health community and transform stress into strength. Build mental fitness. From self-sabotage to self-mastery. And together… Let’s not just survive. But thrive. Expert-led courses, curated podcasts. Like-minded community and support and much more. Visit UnstressHealth.com dot com This podcast provides general information and discussion about medicine, health and related subjects. The content is not intended and should not be construed as medical advice or as a substitute for care by a qualified medical practitioner if you or any other person As a medical concern, he or she should consult with an appropriately qualified medical practitioner. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experiences and conclusions.
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