Provider Spotlight: Beth Westie, DC


Headshot of Dr. Beth Westie

Dr. Beth Westie is an author, speaker, women’s health and nutrition expert, and the founder of Eat For Your Cycle & Nutrition For Your Hormones. She is the author of the Best Selling book, “The Female Fat Solution”, the Eat for your Cycle™ Method, and the host of The Female Health Solution Podcast. Dr. Beth has made it her mission to change the way women view their health. Traveling the country to educate and empower women to take their health into their own hands, she uses nutrition to help women work with the natural cycle of their bodies to achieve lasting weight loss results.

“I’m on a mission to guide women to a better understanding of their body’s natural cycle, and how it effects their health and weight loss. Weight loss programs are designed to set women up for failure, until now. There is nothing specifically designed to take into consideration a woman’s ever-changing hormones. My goal is to educate and enlighten as many women as possible on how to Eat for your Cycle™. When we feel like we have control of our bodies, we are empowered to take control of our health,” states Dr. Beth on her website: https://drbethwestie.com/

After struggling for over a year with ovarian cysts and being told that her only option to fix the issue was to go on birth control, Dr. Beth started developing her own way of healing by researching more on managing her hormone health, combined with her Eastern Medicine training. To learn more about Dr. Beth, her 12-week program, and to purchase her books, visit her on her website or find her on social media: www.instagram.com/drbethwestie, www.facebook.com/drbethwestie, and www.youtube.com/c/drbethwestie.

Watch our interview with Beth Westie, DC:


TRANSCRIPT:

So, seeing all of these things kind of come together and connect, things I always love to say about health, in general, is that everything is connected, every system is connected. Nothing operates independently of anything else.

It’s not just about, “Oh, I’ve been taking a multivitamin for a month, yay.” Okay, well have you been depleting your system for years? Have you been in a really stressful job for the past decade? No wonder why your cortisol levels are fried.

Meet Dr. Beth Westie

Quick background on the type of practitioner I am, I’m a chiropractor by training, but I’m also certified in acupuncture and Eastern medicine, specializing in female hormones, women’s health, and fertility. And I got into this field because I always knew that I wanted to be a doctor, I was an athlete growing up and I knew that I wanted to use athletics to pay for my undergraduate degree and everything else. But I knew I wanted to go to graduate school.

The practice that I had, and the women that I was seeing, and the issues that they had, again, and again, and again, was what kind of just led me down this path.

I started diving into other ways to help work with women’s bodies, you know, using alternative medicine, using Eastern Medicine. That’s what led me down the path that I, you know, of how I work with women’s health today.

Why is hormone testing important to you?

Hormone testing provides an in-depth look at what’s really going on and a lot of women have the same experience that I did where you don’t get complete answers. Nobody looks at your full system. You know, if you go in with one complaint, all they look at is that symptom, and they’re not actually doing any deep dives. No one looks, you know, further upstream on what’s happening in your system to create that symptom.

So, doing the hormone testing allows you to see what’s going on, where your levels are at, how your body is processing all these hormones, and then it gives you this roadmap, this complete roadmap to what your system is actually doing. And that’s one of my favorite things, when I go over a report with somebody, my favorite things to hear, are women say, “Oh my gosh, this completely explains everything.” “This describes exactly how I’m feeling here and here, right?” Like, because I’ll go through and talk about, you know, what we’re seeing. I’m like, yes, that’s why this, this, and this, and it really connects all these things together that are happening in their system.

Why did you choose DUTCH?

One of the things that I’m actually really impressed with DUTCH tests®, is the amount of provider support that you have, like, the education, the resources, everything else for providers, and for patients too. Like, people can log on, watch videos, and understand more about what their test results are. So, for somebody who is in the health field, and they want to do a deep dive, they want to, you know, really learn how to help women more. You guys do provide so much great information to get started, to make it easy, to serve patients better, and on a more complete basis.

When you look at the amount of information that you guys have, on video, it’s the provider videos, everything else. And then you guys also offer consult calls. So, especially getting started, it was that, it was the combination of the videos, the other documentation that you can read, and, like, process on your own time. But I signed up for consult calls, too. That was fantastic.

And to have them, like, step by step walk you through, “Oh, this, this, and this.” And they still have that as an option. Even for somebody who’s done, you know, I’ve done hundreds. I don’t even know how many DUTCH Tests® I’ve done. A lot. A lot of DUTCH Tests®. But even if there’s something kind of funky that pops up, I can still be like, “Hey, what do you think about this?” or like, “I would love to go through this and hear somebody else’s thoughts on it.” So, there’s a collaborative effort there, as well, which is fantastic, to get that support as a provider.

How have you incorporated DUTCH testing into your practice?

The way I work with women is virtually and I run online programs and things like that. And so, one of the things I actually started incorporating in my program is the DUTCH Test®. I didn’t used to do this. A couple of years ago, I just went off of what other testing they had or how they presented, things like that, and gave them recommendations from there, and did guidance from there, and got, you know, good results, you know, with a majority of gals. But now, with the DUTCH Test®, I can literally pinpoint exactly things. Nothing gets missed for anybody, and they get better results, faster. And then, they can see things shift and change when we do an update.

What are you excited about in your practice?

I really love what I do. I love what I do, and I love going through DUTCH tests® with people. Nothing makes me more excited than, like, uncovering because it’s like solving a puzzle. It’s solving a puzzle. Somebody is like, “I’m not feeling good. I’ve gone in to see these five other practitioners, you know, and I’ve not gotten any help from it.” And just laying things out and having women understand, you know, this is a thing, you’re not crazy for feeling this way and then, here’s your roadmap to start from, to move towards the direction of you feeling better and functioning better. So, that you get to keep, get and keep, the right results. So, I just love being a part of that journey for people.

I have a couple of books that are out, which I love in terms of just education for women, and that’s what I keep going for. I love educating, and just informing women more about how their bodies function, so that they can keep, you know, the healthiest self possible. My first one is called “The Female Fat Solution” this is on Amazon, and then I have “The Female Menopause Solution” on Amazon. This talks about how to eat for your hormones and cycle and then how to eat for your body in menopause. When your hormones shift and change throughout the month, you have a different body, it’s important to kind of align with what your hormonal system is doing at that time.

What do you like about DUTCH that you don’t see in other testing?

There’s other, like, blood testing. Not that it’s not good, but it’s just, like, the tip of the iceberg in terms of information. To see what your level is as a snapshot. You know, in your system, fine, but it doesn’t tell you how you’re processing it, how your liver might be, you know, stuck in processing some of these hormones. Or how your adrenals are impacted by your lack of sleep or insomnia issues. So, seeing all of these things kind of come together and connect, things I always love to say about health, in general, is that everything is connected, every system is connected. Nothing operates independently of anything else. So, by getting just, like, a snapshot blood test, you’re only looking at a tiny piece and not actually seeing how everything incorporates together.

With the DUTCH Tests®, you see those complete pictures, everything is tied in. So, you know, the sex hormones, the adrenal hormones. And then you look at all of the nutrient levels that get measured, right? The neurotransmitters that get measured. Those are important to see that information and how it affects and impacts your other hormones, too. So, just how complete it is, how your body processes, that’s like my favorite thing about it. And then, of course, to help women realize that their health is cumulative, your health is cumulative.

It’s not just about, “Oh, I’ve been taking a multivitamin for a month, yay.” Okay, well have you been depleting your system for years? Have you been in a really stressful job for the past decade? No wonder your cortisol levels are fried. No, it’s really allowing you to see the complete picture about what’s been going on for your health over a longer span of time, which can help them and understand, then, how long it might take to get back on track with some things, because, of course, we’d all like results yesterday. I want to feel better yesterday, but it can take awhile. It can take awhile and understanding that I’m seeing that information just laid out there, like that, is, it’s a great, you know, not only like I said, that roadmap to understanding what’s going on in your system, but it’s also great for an educational tool for people, so they, like, everybody can understand, ”Okay, yep. Here’s where I am in my journey, it’s just going to take that long.”

How does home testing and drop shipping help you with your patients?

I feel like the, like, having it shipped to their home, and now more than ever, I think people are getting used to virtual visits, right? At home testing, sending it in, and honestly, it’s convenient. You know, having that, it’s a convenience that I don’t have to go in anywhere to take a test. I don’t have to be there at a certain time, or re-arrange a schedule, or worry about if a kid is going to get sick, or da-da-da-da. It’s that much easier to have it just ship right to their home, they take it, and it gets sent in, and there you go.

What’s your approach to solving unique hormone-related issues?

So, the adrenal test that you guys have is so valuable, because it’s really, really helpful to see what your adrenal function is, what your cortisone, your cortisol levels are, and how this all ties in together. So, there’s a lot of gals that can have a cortisol level right in the middle of the day, that is fine, you know? So, if you were to go in and get a saliva cortisol at a clinic, and they’re like, “Oh, look, it’s fine, you’re fine, see you later!” You know, yet they’re like, “Oh, my gosh. I wake up, and it takes me an hour to actually feel like I wake up.” ”Like, I feel like a zombie for the first hour before I actually feel like my brain is working.” ”And I feel good for a little part of the day,” which is when they would get their saliva cortisol. And then at night time, they’re so fatigued they can’t get off the couch. Like, that’s not normal. That’s not normal and those are signs of adrenal fatigue.

But when you get this test, and you see the levels, and it lays it out there for you and, like, to really understand, listen, if you do not put your health as a priority, it’s not going to get better. If you do not focus more on rest and recovery, this isn’t going to improve.

What changes have you seen in your patients after using the DUTCH Tests®?

Just hands down getting faster results, better results, more understanding, more compliance, more, I’m going to say, patience with their own systems. You know what I mean? Because sometimes, you can feel like, “Oh, well, I’m doing this thing, and if it doesn’t get better in a month, it must not be working.” Based on whatever we’re seeing your levels are, it’s easy for them to see, “Oh, this is bad.” ”Okay, it’s going to take at least a few months for this to really turn around.” Yes. And really having that understanding and expectation, as well as not missing anything.

So, before doing DUTCH Tests®, right, it’s like, “Oh, yeah, things are improving. Right?” But there’s other things that maybe were missed that are not improving, and now, after the DUTCH Tests®, it’s like, they’re improving much quicker and at a better rate, but we’re also not missing things.

Why would you recommend the DUTCH Test® to other providers?

I call it an easy tool. Once you understand, as a provider, and I would say, that’s probably the biggest barrier as a provider to get started with something like this, is just that, it’s a different thing, and it’s not something that a lot of schools go into.

Sometimes, it’s really hard to get started with it, but it allows you to really see way more in depth on patients, right? It’s, like, inch-wide, mile-deep on their health, really focused on their endocrine system and really getting that to improve, because a lot of times they’ll go, “Oh, yeah. I got a blood test run and everything was fine.” Everything was fine, right? They got a CVC run. But your adrenals are tanked. So, that’s why you feel like garbage. You know, it allows you to really see that view. And again, it is such an easy, fast tool to use for somebody’s health to guide them, to what I would consider real wellness, not just, you know, slapping a band-aid on a bullet hole.

So, once you understand how to read the test, how to go through it, how to make recommendations, it’s such an easy path to take people through and really, really valuable, really, really valuable.

But at least twice a week, I have gals that break down on the phone in tears because they are so grateful for the information to understand what’s going on in their body.

What’s your favorite wellness advice you give to your patients?

Nutrition-wise, I always recommend women get more protein. That’s, like, one of the number one nutrients I find women aren’t getting enough of. You’re not getting enough protein to build and maintain muscle tissue, to withstand the detoxification that your body would need to go through to process those hormones properly, to combat stress and cortisol levels, all that stuff.

So, getting enough protein is one of the number things that we focus on nutritionally, as well as, you know, clean eating, all that other good stuff, of course, right?