Siouxland Magazine - Volume 3 Issue 2

EB: There’s a fire in my belly that desperately desires
to partner with women to create the very best version of
themselves. We all have times when we feel knocked
down, stuck, hopeless, and unhappy. In these times, we
need someone to walk with us and to believe in us, until we
believe in our own ability.
It is my mission to be that HOPE in someone’s life. I want to
prove to women it is possible to change the trajectory of
your health and to create the life you desire.
SM: What are the most difficult areas of life for you to
maintain/display strength?
EB: I struggle feeling strong when I’m experiencing
something new or when I’m in a situation where I feel
unqualified. When I’m not practicing positive self-talk, I all
too quickly stop myself, or give myself a bailout plan before
I even try. I know I have the strength to try and yet, the reality
that I could fail can cripple me from even starting.
It’s also difficult to display strength in times of vulnerability.
It’s challenging to show the world my imperfections and
insecurities. However, I know there is incredible strength
in vulnerability. It is in our vulnerability that we connect
with others and prove our authenticity. With vulnerability
comes true connection, and with true connection, growth
is possible.
PB: Changing and removing limiting beliefs has been the
most difficult area of my life to master, until recently. When
I completed Medical School and Residency, I was filled
with a great passion and conviction that the world needed
changing—and I was going to change it! People needed to
be healthier, but organized medicine’s strong foundation
is in a disease-based model. My fervent belief is that we
should focus on total well-being, rather than one disease
diagnosis after another. But it became clear that I could not
move a mountain that did not want to be moved without
help. Over time, I began to lose hope. I began to despair.
Over the last three years, I have fully embraced the
words of the 13-th century Persian poet Rumi, who wrote,
“Yesterday—I was clever, so I wanted to change the World.
Today—I am wise, so I want to change myself”. I have come
to realize that I have been as much a victim of my own
subconscious beliefs as my patients are of theirs.
SM: So many things in our world are polarized right
now – including viewpoints on pharmaceuticals or
natural remedies. In your opinion, does it have to be
an or thing? Is there room for and in strong physical
well-being?
PB: I revere my practice in Integrative Medicine because it
is truly the melding of two worlds. There are components
of medicine that Western medicine has truly triumphed in
achieving, while more ancient or natural modes of healing
are unsurpassed in their ability to bring us into a place of
balance. If you’ve just had a heart attack, modern medicine
will save you acutely, more often than not. It possesses
powerful drugs and interventions in its arsenal to bring you
back from the dead—so to speak, and that is definitively
called for in those circumstances. However, once you’ve
recovered from the heart attack, using combinations of
prescription medications and herbal regimens including
adopting healthy food choices and a cadre of vitamin
supplements has been extremely successful at restoring
one to full health. Then with time, one may transition to a
purely holistic course of management.
I have had patients who have refused any pharmaceutical
drugs after their acute phase of recovery and done well
and those who have done poorly. I do believe there is room
for both pharmaceuticals and herbal regimens in today’s
practice of medicine; however, even more crucial than
starting and stopping drugs is truly engaging our patients in
the process of securing their own optimal health. They must
have knowledge and understanding of the dysfunctions
and diseases that ail them and must be allowed to be active
partners in their plan for health. Afterall, they are the true
healers of themselves.
EB: It starts with taking personal responsibility for your
health and evaluating your current reality. Then, you must
take action to choose healthy routines and habits that equip
your body with the strongest armor of defense possible.
There are also situations where medication is necessary
and should be viewed accordingly.
Ultimately, you need to be willing to have an honest
conversation with yourself and ask if changing daily habits
would improve the situation. If yes, then do that. If not or
even if for a season, medication is required to give your
body the self-care it needs, you need to be willing to do
that.
SM: What else should our readers know about you?
EB: I am not a health expert. (Yes, you read that correctly.)
When you make a change, you don’t need an expert. You
need someone you can trust who is a little further ahead on
the journey to show you the way. I am a health advocate, a
pioneer for healthy living and I am a work-in-progress.
I am committed to my health journey and growing into the
best version of myself so that I can authentically lead others
to do the same.
PB: I am Board Certified in Family Practice and will sit for
the Board exam to the newly organized American Board
of Integrative Holistic Medicine-ABPS in May 2021. I am
divorced and live in Sioux City as an empty nester with my
two children migrating home and away to college as their
busy lives allow.
I love travelling, the study of geography, and learning about
other cultures. I have spent significant time in 46-states
and in more than 20-countries around the world. I also
enjoy cooking, singing, and dancing, as well as—writing
poetry, short stories, and journaling, which I believe is one
of the least expensive and most effective forms of selfpsychotherapy.
I am a life-long learner and truth seeker.
Photos Contributed by Erin Bahrenfus and Dr. Paula Bennett.
Siouxland Magazine | strength / 11