Three years. Three years of hoping. Three years of trying. Three years of answering hard questions.
It was January 2020, at a funeral, when Katie’s in-laws asked her why she and her husband didn’t have children yet. It hurt.
After trying for so long, Katie assumed she couldn’t have a baby.
Katie had been diagnosed with PCOS, hypothyroidism, and hormonal imbalances. Her cycle was irregular, and her weight, no matter how hard she tried, was always about 30 pounds more than she wanted it to be.
When Katie discovered that a cousin had worked with a naturopathic doctor and was now pregnant, she gave it a shot.
This was her hail Mary, her last chance.
Katie found Waterleaf Naturopathic Medicine on Google and scheduled a call with Dr. Leslie Meyers, a naturopathic physician in Asheville. Digging into Dr. Meyers’ reviews, she felt a spark of hope. Maybe, just maybe, Dr. Meyers could help.
“Dr. Meyers is so positive,” Katie said. “I’d say, ‘I’m worried’ or ‘’I’m scared,’ and she’d turn it into something positive. She is very kind. I liked her right away.”
After listening to Katie and reviewing her background, Dr. Meyers started Katie on a program to help her body heal.
“I knew Dr. Meyers had success with fertility, but I told her that it wasn’t my goal to get pregnant right away,” Katie said. “She agreed with me and was very helpful in figuring out what I needed as a person. She identified my personal needs and helped me to address those needs.”
Katie, who lives in Sylva, about an hour southwest of Asheville, completed her appointments in person and virtually.
Sleep and stress, Katie discovered, were the underlying causes of her symptoms – including the inability to lose weight. By addressing Katie’s sleep, Dr. Meyers was able to help Katie balance her hormones. Katie began working with Waterleaf’s Dr. Emily Colwell to reduce her stress.
“I wasn’t hormonally imbalanced,” said Katie. “I was normal. I don’t have hypothyroidism or PCOS.”
Dr. Meyers recommended supplements, helped Katie improve her sleep and her nutrition while Dr. Colwell helped Katie learn how to manage stress in a healthy way.
Two weeks into Dr. Meyers’ program, Katie’s cycle started to regulate.
“I’ve always had a 31 to 35-day period cycle,” Katie said. “Dr. Meyers put me on supplements, and I started having a period every 28 days. Never in my life had that happened.”
Katie learned that nutrition is the foundation of health. She worked with Drs. Meyers and Colwell to improve her diet.
“We started by eliminating sugars and processed foods and increasing whole foods,” Katie said. “My plan was focused on healing my gut and improving my overall health.”
With adequate sleep, improved nutrition, and stress management, Katie lost 15 pounds in just three months.
“I learned that weight loss didn’t take nearly as much effort as I thought,” said Katie.
Improving her nutrition wasn’t easy, but once Katie adjusted to making her own food, it wasn’t difficult.
“Making the lifestyle change to prepare my own foods was the most difficult part of the whole program,” Katie said.
But it was worth it.
Katie started working with Waterleaf Natural Medicine in October 2021.
In early 2021, her period was a few days late. Although her cycle had been regular for a couple of months, she assumed it was a fluke.
Then five days after her missed period, Katie took a pregnancy test.
“I found out I was pregnant and started bawling my eyes out,” Katie said. “I called my husband to tell him, and he thought I was joking.”
Eleven months after starting her journey with Dr. Meyers and Dr. Colwell, Katie held her baby boy, Kaspian, in her arms. He was born on Sept. 12, 2021.
“I’m very happy he happened,” Katie said. “I’ve already recommended two or three people see Dr. Meyers.”
To get started on your own journey to health, request a free, 15-minute discovery call with Dr. Meyers.