Bring on the subject experts!

In this week’s episode, we feature Alina Sepeda of Pivotal Acupuncture and Wellness in San Diego.

She is a subject expert in the field of health and well-being, schooled in Chinese Medicine and trained under the renowned Robert Levine in the Berkeley California area. Dr. Levine has practiced Tibetan and Chinese medicine, pulse diagnosis, and raw herb formulations for 35 years.

In this episode you will learn about the disparity and contrast between the more traditional Eastern and Western practices of healthcare. More glaring differences are brought to light regarding philosophy, education and training.

In my own experience, I found the Eastern approach to be far more holistic. It’s more mind, body, soul focused, and the dialogue and relationship formed between the patient and practitioner is deeper with a sense of a shared responsibility for the patient’s well-being on both parties.

Begin exploring new paths for your healing and healthcare, or just take your health to the next level. Join the conversation here with Aries and me. And thanks for listening!

To your happy and inspired life!

Mark Dale Mazur, RLP®
Registered Life Planner

What We Discuss:
• Alina’s life growing up and how she learned to be adaptable from an early age
• Alina as a practitioner: Thorough methodical, giving
• Alina as a person: Spunky, enthusiastic, loving
• A look at western medicine and its strength in research, surgical and clinical (drug) therapy
• Functional medicine defined
• How the body, mind and spirit cannot be separated
• The link between Chinese medicine and functional medicine
• How our bodies begin to tell a story about ourselves
• Common issues many people have some form leaky gut syndrome
• What causes leaky gut?
• Autoimmune disease: What is it and how does it “work?”
• The power of good food, sleep and stress management
• Mark’s experiment with the leaky gut diet and protocol
• Top lessons learned from Alina
• Richard Branson’s one health thing: Working out
• Moving one’s body throughout each day
• Getting in touch with your body
• Meditation to help listening to our bodies without resistance and judgement
• The benefits of loving your body
• Alina’s one thing that happened that without it, she would not be where she is today
• How our struggles can lead us to the very gifts we bring the world
• Routines and best practices
• Alina’s top daily routines:

1. Greeting her son each morning with love, care and compassion
2. At the end of each day she says out loud the things she’s thankful for
3. Meditating before seeing her patients

• How holding space for her patients to feel that space and release
• Friday and Sunday morning yoga to check in with her emotional self
• Why breakfast is the best meal of day
• The importance of maintaining a stable blood sugar level
• Alina’s go to breakfast options: Green drink, protein like sautéed eggs with veggies
• What we should all eliminate from our diet: A toss-up between gluten and sugar
• Wheat is the primary gluten food in the Western diet
• The dynamic of molecular-mimicry with things like grains
• Tamari over conventional soy sauce to eliminate food that contain “sneaky” gluten
• Three words of advice to all: “Slow down now”
• Universal health tip from Alina, move our bodies everyday
• Favorite books on health:

1. Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests Are Normal?: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Hashimoto's Disease and Hypothyroidism by Dr. Datis Kharrazian
2. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
   • What would Alina’s older self, tell her younger self. “Don’t worry. Stop stressing. You will