Nursing U's Podcast
Nursing U is a podcast co-hosted by Julie and Caleb. We embark on an educational journey to redefine nursing within the modern healthcare landscape.
Our mission is to foster an open and collaborative environment where learning knows no bounds, and every topic—no matter how taboo—is explored with depth and sincerity. We delve into the essence of nursing, examining the intimate and often complex relationships between nurses and their patients amidst suffering and death.
Through our discussions, we aim to highlight the psychological impacts of nursing and caregiving, not only on the caregivers themselves but also on the healthcare system at large.
Our goal is to spark conversations that pave the way for healing and innovation in healthcare, ensuring the well-being of future generations.
'Nursing U' serves as a platform for examining the state of modern civilization through the lens of nursing, tackling issues that range from violence, drugs, and sex to family, compassion and love. We will utilize philosophy, religion and science to provide context and deeper understanding to the topics we tackle.
By seamlessly weaving humor with seriousness, we create a unique tapestry of learning, drawing wisdom from the experiences of elders and the unique challenges faced in nursing today.
Join us at 'Nursing U,' where we cultivate a community eager to explore the transformative power of nursing, education, and conversation in shaping a more whole and healthier world."
Disclaimer:
The hosts of 'Nursing U', Julie Reif and Caleb Schraeder are registered nurses; however, the content provided in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing shared on this podcast should be considered medical advice nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or health concerns. The views expressed on this podcast are personal opinions and do not represent the views of our employers or our professional licensing bodies.
Nursing U's Podcast
Ep #011 - Bacteria, Balance, and the Art of Nursing
Can fecal transplants offer a glimpse into the dynamic symphony of our inner world, while simultaneously shedding light on societal dynamics? Join us on Nursing U as we uncover the powerful potential of our microbiome, not just in digestive health, but as a mirror to broader societal patterns. We explore fascinating connections between our gut health and well-being, diving into the intriguing possibility that bacteria exchanged through kissing could impact our mental health. As we navigate this biological tapestry, we discuss the "hive mindset" concept in healthcare, where seamless, non-verbal communication among professionals fosters a harmonious environment akin to a symphony.
Our journey doesn't stop there. We also tackle the challenges healthcare workers face in maintaining joy amidst workplace stress, offering insights into mental fortresses that protect against negativity. In a thought-provoking conversation with Tucker Carlson, we scrutinize the effects of industrial farming and genetically modified foods on our health landscape, inspired by Casey Means’ enlightening book "Good Energy." This episode promises a unique blend of science, philosophy, and practical wisdom, revealing the intricate dance between our microbiome and the world around us—a dance that nurses are uniquely positioned to lead.
Podcast: The Tucker Carlson Show: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1gaa5mOEUdQgl3EgoYIXPJ?go=1&sp_cid=aa883edea9eadbf9c[…]embed_player_p&utm_medium=desktop&nd=1&dlsi=c304a798ab2f4b63
Book: "Good Energy" by Dr. Casey Means & Calley Means: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=dr+casey+means+good+energy&hvadid=692361787875&hvdev=c&hv[…]hydadcr=22566_13493360&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_1z41y4f8t0_e
Hi, I'm Julie.
Speaker 2:And I'm Caleb. Welcome to Nursing U, the podcast where we redefine nursing in today's healthcare landscape. Join Julie and I as we step outside the box on an unconventional healing journey.
Speaker 1:Together, we're diving deep into the heart of nursing, exploring the intricate relationships between caregivers and patients with sincerity and depth.
Speaker 2:Our mission is to create an open and collaborative experience where learning is expansive and fun.
Speaker 1:From the psychological impacts of nursing to the larger implications on the healthcare system. We're sparking conversations that lead to healing and innovation.
Speaker 2:We have serious experience and we won't pull our punches. But we'll also weave in some humor along the way, because we all know laughter is often the best medicine.
Speaker 1:It is, and we won't shy away from any topic, taboo or not, from violence and drugs to family and love, we're tackling it all.
Speaker 2:Our nursing knowledge is our base, but we will be bringing insights from philosophy, religion, science and art to deepen our understanding of the human experience.
Speaker 1:So, whether you're a nurse, a healthcare professional or just someone curious about the world of caregiving, this podcast is for you.
Speaker 2:One last thing, a quick disclaimer before we dive in. While we're both registered nurses, nothing we discuss here should be taken as medical advice. Always consult with your doctor or a qualified healthcare provider for any medical concerns you may have. The views expressed here are our own and don't necessarily reflect those of our employers or licensing bodies.
Speaker 1:So let's get started on this journey together. Welcome to Nursing U, where every conversation leads to a healthier world.
Speaker 2:I think we should just pick up where we left off, talking about the microbiome fecal transplants. I guess, starting with what a fecal transplant is for those who don't know, it's when someone has C diff. We already did one little educational segment on C diff, what it is, but a fecal transplant is one of the solutions. Julie and I participated in a I think it was a CDC trial of fecal transplants. They were running in one of the hospitals that we worked in early in my career and what it is essentially is someone whose microbiome has been completely destroyed by C diff.
Speaker 1:Let's explain what a microbiome is for people that might not know.
Speaker 2:Well, the microbiome is essentially all of the bacteria that are responsible for breaking down our food. We have the chemical processes of chemical breakdown, the enzymes, and hydrochloric acid is the first. Actually, it starts in the saliva. The saliva has millions of bacteria of different types and the enzyme process begins there and as it moves through our gut, it essentially the bacteria assist in breaking down the food and it consumes the same food that we consume down the food and it consumes the same food that we consume. It consumes it, you know, creates a lot of the, the gases that are created, uh, with the breakdown. A lot of those come from the microbiome.
Speaker 2:Um, but like I said when, when I explained what cdif is and how the, the good bacteria, releases an enzyme that locks the spore in a dormant state and when that good bacteria is removed, it enables the, the bad bacteria, to proliferate, which is mean gosh. I don't even think it's metaphorical as a, as an extrapolation point out to the rest of our experience of of life, that when, when good people do nothing, bad people proliferate, bad bad actions proliferate. I mean, I think it's. You know, the, the know the concept of as above so below. This is as below so above. You know we're talking about the microbiome, but it you know, I think well, we'll get to how the microbiome connects all of us a little bit later. But I think it's a poignant point to make that it's happening at that micro level as well as the macro level.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So that's kind of what what we're going to talk about, and it'll be some science, some you know, clinical information at the at the bedside level, and then we'll kind of take it out to the grand level, the world, the universe level, you know, a spiritual level really, of how it can kind of metaphorically relate to where a person is in their life, where they fall in the whole consciousness of the world and along with some things that we don't really think about, that happen behind the scenes, as far as you know, genetically modifying things that destroy our microbiome and how a lot of that may fall.
Speaker 1:A lot of the sequelae from that may fall on the nurse's lap and it may not be in the front of the nurse's mind, but it is affecting everything that we're doing at work, in our, in, you know, our one, our one little shift a lot of times has a grander effect because of lots of other things. So we'll kind of weave in and out of that subject today A lot of interesting conversation. Caleb is a very deep thinker and and can has a good way of pulling metaphors. Really is what I I think out of, you know, relating things from science to spirituality, right back to the nursing field. So I think it's a really interesting conversation.
Speaker 2:Thank you. So do you want to explain the process of everything that happens in a fecal transplant? So our audience is kind of on the same page with us. And take them to the ICU bed where someone is dying from C diff overwhelming C diff infection, to we're doing a fecal transplant. What's our process?
Speaker 1:What's the policy and procedure for fecal transplant?
Speaker 2:No, I mean, there really was one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there really is a policy and procedure, but the basics of it and of course we're not going to bring up articles or anything. You can Google it and I'm sure it's on YouTube, I'm sure there's probably a video on it. But when a person is very, very, very, very, very sick with C diff, their gut cannot absorb anything. A lot of times they're on TPN because we don't put anything in the gut to make it work any at all.
Speaker 2:What's TPN?
Speaker 1:TPN is a total peritoneal nutrition which is actually it's like a tube feeding but it actually goes in the vein. So they all have a central line and it's a big bag of fluids that has a lot of electrolytes, sometimes insulin, just all the nutrients you know, electrolytes, things like that, to keep to keep our system running as best as it can without using the gut. So these patients are usually very, very sick and you know, I don't know, these days they might be using fecal transplant sooner rather than later. When we kind of first started it was for some of these later cases that everything had been done and nothing had worked. A lot of them had already been through surgery to take out a lot of that damaged gut. So a lot of them had a colostomy, ileostomy, depending on how far up they had to go, which is where they bring the bowel out to the outside of the stomach and then you know you have the bag on it.
Speaker 1:I remember putting vancomycin directly into the gut, which you know we use vancomycin. But even to avoid going through the oral, through the esophagus, through the stomach small intestine, we would put it right into, you know, a transfusion right into the gut. So a fecal transplant, because in our what we produce, in our gut, the feces that we produce, has some of this good bacteria and has a lot of the things that our gut can use naturally to perform well, optimal. So they and I don't know who they is somebody came up with the idea that, well, what if we had someone who was kind of related, which I don't know if it has to be related, but these people were related, they were of the same family.
Speaker 2:It has to be from the same home, home Because they've cultivated the microbiome.
Speaker 1:Like what you're eating where you're living around.
Speaker 2:All the bacteria that exists in the home is really homogenous. Everyone shares the same.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, right. So we would ask the family, or the family was asked to leave to stool, bring their stool in. So if you want to do a Ziploc, what were they given? Were they given something?
Speaker 2:Surely a sterile container, sure, I mean, I don't know, I don't remember.
Speaker 1:I mean, I don't know.
Speaker 2:I don't remember. I think it did come in one of those samples. Well, what?
Speaker 1:we got was that. But I do know that it was then taken to the lab and it was put through some kind of like process, kind of like you would do, like composting or I don't know, juicing.
Speaker 2:That's weird, but you know you push the juice down.
Speaker 1:Well, that's because that was done in the lab. So we would get the juice, so the stool would be brought in, it would be taken to the lab, it would be compressed down, like really, if you think about a juicer, you take the cucumber and the celery and you put it in and you get the juice and it separates the juice from like the pulp. You put it in and you get the juice and it separates the juice from like the pulp. So we didn't have any of the solid, it was the liquid, and so then the lab would bring us the liquid stool, whatever was left over, and we would take a 60cc syringe and pull it up and basically give it to the patient either through their stoma or an NG tube, maybe it had buy, bypass the stuff.
Speaker 2:No, it had to go through a dobhoff, so dobhoff, bypass. It bypasses the stomach and you, it's got a little metal, it's longer, it's like a long, like a long NG tube. So yeah, it's tiny, it's just kind of long-term feeding, but it does.
Speaker 1:It goes past the stomach and into the small intestine. Yep, so then we would.
Speaker 2:Otherwise it would make them terribly sick.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, right, yeah, and it didn't smell. I mean, it didn't smell good and it was weird. I always thought this is very weird, this is weird, and you know I think we had to sign it off on the mar and you know. But whatever it was really really really made a difference in the patient, sometimes overnight. You could tell a difference. They, you know, if they were becoming septic from the infection of their gut and it had become systemic throughout their body that you might notice a change in their vital signs. They might be less t in their vital signs, they might be less tachycardic, their blood pressure might stabilize out a little bit to where you could come off some of the the blood pressure medicine that you were using, um, and over time it can. It would literally heal their gut and the insides of it and allow for their body to start making their own good bacteria and building back up their microbiome, which is just the inner linings in the linings of the inside of the gut.
Speaker 1:But interestingly also, I don't know if people have heard of the gut brain connection, because they're neurotransmitters that are in our brain serotonin, dopamine. I'm sure there are others, I don't. I'm one of these people who I, if I'm going to explain something, I really have to look it up and read it. I don't retain a lot. I retain some, but not a lot. But there there are neurotransmitters that are in our brain. They are also found in the gut, so that then you could connect to kind of a mental health as well. Um, which I think we'll talk about a little bit later, but that's the gist of a fecal transplant, which is putting in healthy stool to a very, very sick person to recultivate the microbiome yes.
Speaker 1:So that it improves that microbiome and and it really actually works. Yeah, it's incredible, it really is.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And so in thinking, thinking about that, you know you have, you have come up with some interesting ideas about that to me make complete sense.
Speaker 2:Well, it's you know. So I've researched it quite a lot Once I, once I, I, once the I mean all my ideas are kind of predicated on the real life experience that we share. And then, over time, because we were right on the front end of that, I mean those that trial was, you know, I think, really unheard of at that time, and part of, I believe, part of the reason that we were chosen for that is that we had a pretty prolific strain of C diff that brought the CDC into our hospital and it because essentially every person that got that strain ended up dying and we we traced it back to, I believe, the curtains in the room. The housekeepers weren't cleaning the curtains. Do you remember that?
Speaker 1:Yes, right, yes, I do.
Speaker 2:So all of the data that's been coming out over the last 10 years, once I started connecting, once the dots started connecting for me, that PTSD really, uh, it was damaging the, the lining of our gut. Then I was like, okay, what, what's going on here? Because I've got all this experience of watching people go from their deathbed to being discharged from the hospital and that's a miracle, because that just doesn't happen. So I mean, not, not everybody that gets that survives. You know, you know that's unrealistic, it's not, it's not a for sure thing, but the people that it helped, it was profound, yeah, dramatic, yeah, it was dramatic.
Speaker 2:And, and you know the the dramatic thing is, like I said last week, you know, they go from completely emaciated like they're just skeletons and they are just sick and it's like the essence of who they are is just gone. And you know they're operating at such a low level of consciousness, consciousness. So then, to read about, you know, all the NIH studies that are discussing how our mental health is impacted by the microbiome that's called that we cultivate, making those connections. It was just, it just became very real to me, like this is, and so I've spent, you know, a lot of time just working it through the mental workshop.
Speaker 1:Halo's mental workshop.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Thank God, we have Halo's mental workshop.
Speaker 2:Oh, come on, come on, no, no. So there's so many things. So the NIH? Well, it's not just the NIH. There are so many studies out there. You can go find a dozen articles about this. They're linking our microbiome to our mental health, to our physical weight, how much we weigh. So there are strains of bacteria that, if it's found in the gut, you're overweight. There are other strains, if they're found in your gut, that cultivate skinniness. I mean, it's like this microbiome thing is really controlling so much of who we are.
Speaker 1:Well, it's very individual. So is it genetic, do you think?
Speaker 2:Well, I think genetics absolutely plays a part of it, because, well, I mean it really, I mean that kind of with our DNA and that's a whole nother. Another branch of the conversation, epigenetics I, I, I'm fascinated, fascinated by it, but I don't really, I don't fully understand it. That's a very complex subject that I would need, you know, to really delve into. So all of the, all of these ideas that I'm sharing are just that they're. They're just ideas. It's not like I've researched anything, it's just pairing it with the profound experience that we've had. So the idea, one of the ideas, it's, it's also linked to depression.
Speaker 2:So some of the different types of bacteria are correlative with either positive or negative mental health. So to me, you know, it almost makes, it raises the question right of could kissing be a a means of transference of these good or bad bacteria? You know we live in a pretty promiscuous society and that bacteria and that has only gotten, you know, more rampant over the years. And and I certainly don't want to, you know, bash anyone for, for their, their choices, or how they're living, or or anything. But what if our mental health was deteriorating because depression was spreading through kissing?
Speaker 1:or it's not unlikely. I mean it, it's not, there's possibility.
Speaker 2:Yeah, why not? It's a wild idea. But I mean, there's what was it? 10 million, or it's like 10 to 80 million bacteria are exchanged in one 10 second kiss.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's wild.
Speaker 1:It is.
Speaker 2:So you know, it would be something for an academic to study and really dig into, but it makes a lot of sense. What else, oh, I remember If it's controlling our emotions in that way, it kind of takes me to the hive mindset that if, if the thing that is healing the person that's sick with C diff is the rest of the you know quote unquote hive that is in the home, because that that was, that was the key. They had to be from the same home because it was his, it's his genome or not, because it's his microbiome that is being recultivated, even though it's in somebody else. They share such a similar microbiome that that is what heals him. So if you take that and extrapolate it out to the rest of society, the idea that our, our ability to experience joy and happiness not that, not not to do away with the personal accountability for cultivating joy and and mindfulness and all the, all, the, all the things I mean that that actually becomes if, if the idea that that our microbiomes are connected, like the, you think about someone on the other side of the world, or the other side of the country, or the other side of the state, and then within a few hours they text you and you're like how, Like, how did you know?
Speaker 2:And you're like and we're connected. That's what the answer always is we're connected. What is that I mean? That you know? That's to me is is like some very, very low grade experience of what it would mean for us to be really in an expanded consciousness like that. At an expanded consciousness, we're really utilizing and maximizing our capacity and our brain power. We would be able to commute or communicate in profound ways that we can't even really, we can't even really dream about, because it's so far beyond our ability to perceive at this point, because we're so constricted in the state that we're in.
Speaker 1:Well, and give an example of that. So you were telling we were talking about how you can be in a room in maybe a critical situation with a nurse. It doesn't have to be critical Just in there doing something, Maybe you and maybe maybe she's trying to get a Foley in, or maybe she's trying to get the patient to take meds from applesauce, or I mean something and you walk in and that nurse doesn't even have to say any words as another nurse or healthcare provider. Sometimes they can be a respiratory therapist, they can be a CNA, that doesn't matter. Go in and you don't have to say words.
Speaker 1:You are communicating in some other language something you are higher realm the higher realm between I know what you need, let me get this for you and you don't even have to say any words. You know, if the, if grandma is grabbing and you grab and she grabs a spoon, and you know, like, you just know to go in and maybe hold grandma, or you know, get another thing of applesauce, or you know, distract or without. I mean no one has to say, can you distract her, can you hold grandma? You just it's, it's annoying. You know, in in a the critical, you know situation patient comes to the er. Those nurses are working in symphony, yes, like an mi, for instance oh, yeah, yeah done what needs to be done or any kind of code, any, any, any situation like that.
Speaker 1:It is like a symphony, without anyone really even having to talk. That is that there is something there, there is something in that kind of environment that is greater than just words coming out of your mouth. It's you know, and it like it. It's like a hive mentality, which you said, we all, know what?
Speaker 2:no, it's a vibration or a something in there, and you know it's a mix of all the training that we have, all the experience that we have, all of all of it just mixed together to create the symphony. Yeah, and so how does that relate to microbiome? How does that I controversial? One of the thoughts that I've had is that when families started being broken up, when fast food came into the picture, we started eating foods outside. We started eating more outside the home than inside the home. What that did was that it stopped cultivating that familial bacterial milieu, if you will, that the, the, the cultivation of the family microbiome really diminished. I mean the, the home, obviously, like, obviously, that still is a critical piece. But you know, the mom or the dad that's cooking their hands, regardless of how, I mean, unless you do a sterile cleansing of your hands, you're transferring bacteria. Just a fact you pick up the, you pick up the handle on the, on the pan or the spatula or whatever.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, the wash rag or any anything, that's just right there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and and and. Back in the day, you know, hand washing was a thing, but not like it is today. We've we've sterilized a lot of everything and I think it's not good for us. I think there's a, there's a balance to be struck. I mean, I think that is that's true in a lot of ways, that finding balance is the key conscious mind, our ability to perceive information so profoundly, so profoundly as all the data suggests. Then, at some level, it's that bacteria that's been cultivated and shared amongst the friends that creates that connection that stays with you. I mean you have memory. I mean you have the memories Like what is it that passes through the consciousness that causes you to remember the person in the first place?
Speaker 2:You know, I don't think anybody has that answer the idea that you thought about this person and then they called you, so they were thinking about you, implies that there's this broader hive mind that is underlying our ability to perceive and I guess, to get really philosophical and current with our modern state the idea that artificial intelligence is offering us. You know what? What is it that? Neuralink and all these, all these implantable neuro, you know neurological devices, that what is it that they offer us? It's offering us instant access to information that would take multiple lifetimes to cultivate in, in an education you could never.
Speaker 2:I mean, you know, maybe Elon Musk has it. You know, I don't have access to that, I'm very limited but it's offering that expansion of consciousness to a degree that we could never attain in a single lifetime. And so one of the tools in my mental workshop is to play the opposite game If it's happening on one side, it has to be happening on the other. And the idea is that if that opportunity of an expanded consciousness, the experience of an expanded consciousness, is happening in our technological world, then it must be happening in our real world, not in an augmented way, but it's happening in a real way. That's as simple as it gets that we have the capacity somehow. We have the capacity to elevate our consciousness, and the experience of being in that room when someone's coding and we don't need words is an experience of that expanded state. I mean, I don't have the answer on how to get to that.
Speaker 1:Right, I don't. You wouldn't be able to say you can't. You can hardly even describe it.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So here's another interesting thing In art there was a Russian artist that was emerging in Russia doing abstract art, at the same time that Picasso was. They never met, never had any connection whatsoever, but and it wasn't just those two. There were many, many abstract artists that were emerging at the same time, which you know indicates this hive mind, that the unawareness of the hive mind that you know it's time for this idea to emerge. And so multiple people received the message that it was time for this idea to emerge. And and so multiple people received the message that it was time for this idea to emerge. And so if you play with that idea, if, if I'm having the idea of expanded consciousness, there are hundreds and thousands of other people that are having this idea of consciousness expansion, and and you know it makes perfect sense, I mean just the idea of consciousness expansion, and you know it makes perfect sense. I mean just the idea of Neuralink is just like what? Like?
Speaker 1:Well, explain what that is for people.
Speaker 2:Well, neuralink is essentially there, I mean. So let me share the positive of Neuralink. The positive of Neuralink is that it gives people with severe spinal cord injuries, high spinal cord injuries, the ability to provide for themselves in a way they never could otherwise. They can use Neuralink to communicate with computers, to write, to edit, to command functions on computers that they could never accomplish otherwise. And that's already, I believe. I believe that's already happening. You know they, they did the monkey trials, I believe, which that makes me.
Speaker 1:I mean, why are we? Why are we testing on monkeys? Why are we?
Speaker 2:like what. I know that I don't like that at all, so the human trials are underway now, so that is a very positive thing. I mean, one of the problems is we haven't even figured out how to handle data breaches in the technology that we already have. So I have a. You know that's heavy withdrawal for me or a heavy drawback, like you're just going to hand over your ability to navigate your cognitive functions independently with sovereignty. Hand that over? Yeah, I don't think so.
Speaker 1:Well, it's a very interesting concept about the microbiome and PTSD and how traumatic events or chronic stress changes the microbiome over time. Well, okay.
Speaker 2:So so think about this how many times have you been sprayed with fecal matter?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I, mean, how close do you have to get to it?
Speaker 2:How close do you have to get to it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean I've been real close, real close.
Speaker 1:And and how long sometimes those patients are there that you care for them over and over and over and over again. They're in the same room, so you also are now in that room and you're in that room at least every two hours, yes, at least, and up and close and personal with that patient, turning and their sheets and touching. Yes, we wear gloves, but that is. And if they have C diff then yes, we are in a gown, but a lot of times they don't even have C diff.
Speaker 2:So sick patients who are stooling, even in Like how many thousands of people's dna do we carry? Right we are carriers of the entire collective man, the, all the ideas that I've already shared about, you know, the family being connected through the, the microbiome, and that we have that.
Speaker 1:We have taken on all of the communities, for lack of a better word, shit we've taken on all their shit, which is so true and it's, I think, a concept that is rarely. I've never, I've never put the connection there. But you know, workers wonder sometimes why. You know, maybe you've never even had a lot of traumatic things happen. You're like I'm different, like I feel different, or I mean it could be just the interaction with other people.
Speaker 2:Uh-huh. Well, I think the personal action, or where it becomes our responsibility, is figuring out how to cultivate joy and happiness. That really transcends those things, that those become structures in your life, having the hobbies, having deep connections. When those deep connections are broken because, in a large part, because you, you need to just go home and be silent, you need to go home and just sit in a dark room. Your kids don't understand that, partner doesn't understand that, nobody can understand that. Figuring out how, figuring out what brings you joy in that, figuring out how figuring out what brings you joy keeps you above, above the threshold of going into depression.
Speaker 1:That's exactly what I was thinking. That's exactly what I was thinking, too, is knowing that that can be part of why you're not able to, you know, handle shit that's going on at work. Or if you that's a good word, for it is a threshold and try to stay above that, it it won't leach in so bad. You know it kind of like when I was thinking about, I was thinking some kind of protection, some kind of protecting yourself from, you know, the energy of others, or you know just the taking on other people's stress and the stress that they're going through, either a patient or a co-worker, or you know there's a lot, a lot of things in the hospital that are stressful, and you know we're all individuals and deal with it all differently. And so you know you can work with a crew who, you know it just rolls off their back. It's really not that big of a deal and that's one kind of energetic environment.
Speaker 1:And then other nights you can being, and you can feel that, and, I think, maintaining a level of positivity, happiness, you know, and then people will be like well, you know, if I'm around them, then how can I be happy? Well, you, it's a choice, so you're not letting them leech into you. And you know you've got some kind of imaginary, you know suit or you know blue gown, I don't know. Put on your blue gown. Yeah, put on the blue gown To keep that from absorbing. You know? Very interesting and and something I've clearly never thought about now also.
Speaker 2:You know we'll rep. You know you sent me the the interview with tucker carlson. I'm not a huge fan, right and I.
Speaker 1:I came across it from someone else who loves him, but you know, and she prefaced it by I, know, you don't like him a lot. I was like like I don't know him so I can't say I don't like him I just over the years, and mostly during COVID, when I was watching a lot of news. I wasn't right either, so let's just call it a truce. It's fine, but he had a very, very interesting interview. Very interesting, very interesting.
Speaker 2:We can, we can post a link to that because it is fascinating and it connects it connects right to this microbiome conversation that the idea that the microbiome is so integral to our overall health, mental and physical, and we have, by integrating industrial farming and genetically modifying our foods. And then the FDA cohorts it's F know, it's FD and a federal drug administration yeah. Yeah, so hold on. Is it food and drug? Food and drug? Food and drug, food and drug? Sorry.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it seems federal. But yeah, it seems federal and I'm sure I mean it is yeah, and drug and drug Food and drug Right. Interesting.
Speaker 2:We can genetically modify the foods and then we can modify the drugs to match those genetics. It's like, what are we even doing? Why are like and this, this video that you sent it, just so, I mean, it's just right on point with this whole idea and how.
Speaker 1:It how it explains where, why we are where we are now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's very sad and you know, we listened to that after, after the last episode where we talked about finding the positive and this is the modality of provision of care that we have right now. You know, and, and the doctor that is talking, you know she abandoned her career to pursue, to pursue the fight of fight, pushing against, pushing back against these, these things that are in place. It's convicting I still it's convicting to see her take such a hard stand and I don't know how she afforded to do that, but she, she saw it early, earlier than any of us saw what was happening.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I think too, you know how you said some it, the ideas come. So to those that they come. You know it probably not only came to her, but it came to other people, but they just come. And you know it probably not only came to her, but it came to other people, but they just come. And you know it's not a it's not a diss to other people like, oh God, why didn't I think of that? It's not that, it's just, it's their time, it's the time for this to come.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the book, her, her name is Casey means M E A N S and she wrote it with her brother actually, and the book is called Good Energy, so we'll put a link down there. It's just, it's it's very interesting and you know, I think, I think overall it takes a lot of the shame away from like for me that it's not all my fault, you know it's not because I was weak, it's not because I just couldn't handle it.
Speaker 1:It's not because, you know, I should have been a better nurse or I should have been able to. I should have been able to do this. I should have been able to manage my kids and working like other people do it, you know. I mean there's a lot of, a lot of shame that I and and negative self-talk that I went through, that I had to come out of for years. You know, why do I drink so much? Why do I tell myself I'm not going to drink when I drink? And then you, just all of those things. But there's, there's so many more behind the scenes, things that are happening to influence that, yeah, to influence and pull you down. That. That that do pull you down, that you are. You do not see. You do not see all of this happening.
Speaker 1:And it sometimes feels overwhelming when you're introduced to concepts that you've never thought of before. And it feels overwhelming and it feels unfair and it makes you mad and you know you want to like, oh my God, we got to cure that, we got to fix it all, but that's not it's. You have to just stay away from that kind of thinking and just take it like what can I do in my daily life to to just be better and to make me feel better, be better for my family, be better for the people who are, who I influence, who I'm around, and that's kind of again back to that threshold of keeping yourself at this level so you're not taken down, you're not drawn down into that. You know just very negative and dark place that you can, that you can get to, not only just choosing but just being mentally taken there by the way that our bodies are working and all the influences that are around us all day, every day, in the workplace and just in our environment where we live and cause. We just live here on earth and it's just here the way it is, you know.
Speaker 1:So not letting it overwhelm you and and you know if, feeling overwhelmed, to just literally think of what can I do? What can I do positive for myself today? What can I do to make this better, to make me feel better? Oh, I can put a screen outside. I have home, I have a voice. I can do things. I can change my mind, I can. I can choose to be happier at work. I can choose to not even work there anymore. I, you know, we, you have a lot to get you out of that headspace of like doom and gloom of. You know everything that we're not being told behind the scenes. So I don't want people to focus on that. I want awareness is key and can but take it as a helpful dose, not as something that's going to take you farther down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's our mission, that is our mission. Not forget the negative, but not ignore the negative, but cultivate more positivity, for sure, yeah, so as you were talking, it would be. You said so how do we like, what can we actually do to mitigate the damage of taking on the community's? You know stuff. Have you ever heard of colonics?
Speaker 2:Yes you know stuff. Have you ever heard of colonics? Yes, what if we found a colonics professional to come in and like finish this conversation, like completely like cleaning out our system, to like purge, purge our microbiome of all that we've carried you know, all that we are carrying of of the community. I don't know that we could ever get rid of all of it, but just but even just knowing what if that makes a difference. Yeah, would that make a difference?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so, hey, anybody who's listening, if you know anybody who does that or has a lot of background in gut health, that would love that would want to come on and we would love to just chat, because it's such an interesting conversation and I think it it matters. Clearly it matters what we put in our gut. I mean, you can eat you know fast food every day and you know a certain way or certain places.
Speaker 1:You know how you're going to feel versus going to a nice salad bar, you know, maybe having a nice chicken and vegetable meal. You know, you feel different. So we, we know this, we know this, but to get into the real science of it, I think would be a very interesting conversation, relating it back to a mental health for us, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so what we're asking for is somebody that knows some shit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he knows how to deal with shit.
Speaker 2:Some shit yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean, you know we know there's shit about shit.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So we're also going to start asking for what we want, which is we want this podcast to be shared, and we want people who need to hear, who want some laughter, who want some lightheartedness maybe some you know some of these serious concepts that we get into, and the only way to do that is to for them to find it is to share it. We are on YouTube now and we will be doing situations like this each week. We'll on Sundays, they're going to, our new episodes are going to air. Just bear with us. The technology is getting better and better every week as we do this.
Speaker 1:If you could subscribe or follow on the podcast, share it, share it on your social media and then comment we love, we love and I always hear people say that on their podcasts. Oh, we love it, and I always hear people say that on their podcast, oh, we love it, but we really do love it. It's so fun to hear what people think and any other ideas that you have that we could talk about, or questions that you have, or questions to episodes that we could follow up. You know, whatever, because what I think we're trying to do is build a community of nurses who just want to have real talk. They want to be authentic.
Speaker 1:You know, this podcast is very organic. We don't do a lot of planning, we don't really have like a outline. You know, our conversations are very organically, they just we just talk, and that is something that we want to kind of keep it lighthearted like that, so that we can talk about tough subjects and things that don't feel good in a feel good way, you know. So we're just asking for what we want, which we should, everyone should, because we're all divine, we all, we all possess a spark of God.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, so we'll see you next week. Okay, it was fun, so fun, always fun, always fun.
Speaker 2:We hope you've enjoyed this week's episode.
Speaker 1:Remember, the conversation doesn't end here.
Speaker 2:Keep the dialogue going by connecting with us on social media posted in the links below or by visiting our website.
Speaker 1:Together, let's continue to redefine nursing and shape a brighter future for those we care for. Until next time, take care, stay curious and keep nurturing those connections.
Speaker 2:And don't forget to be kind to yourself.