by Markyia Nichols, M.D. (aka Dr. Kyia)
images by Colleen Brown
Female Empowerment
Has always been important to me.
My role models started early with my Mom and Grandmother. My family revolves around my extraordinary Grandmother. She is 93, still walks the track, and always leaves everyone behind. She remains the matriarch of our family. And then there was my mother, who raised me for several formative years as a single mother. She was fierce, hardworking and yet loving. So I have always had strong examples of powerful women, women in charge of creating their lives, women involved in their communities and in their spirituality.
My mom was in the nursing field, so I always had medicine in my life. During my freshman year of college, I had the opportunity to volunteer at a woman’s clinic. That sealed the deal. I knew my path not only was going to be serving women, but serving women as a healer and a teacher. Becoming an OB/GYN seemed foretold. But during my residency at Johns Hopkins, I realized that something was missing in traditional Western medicine.
The more time I spent in the hospital, the more I realized that we were treating only the surface – the leaves and not the roots. We were told, “This is the disease, and this is the pharmaceutical we give the person to treat it.” We were managing a disease, not helping a person. I remember being so frustrated.
My intuition is very strong and has gotten stronger over the years. Someone can talk to me, and I can sense what is going on inside. I remember a patient talking to me, and I knew she had a thyroid issue. I heard what she was saying, and I knew she had an issue, but it wasn’t showing up on the labs. In traditional medicine there was nothing I could do.
In addition, I was frustrated that patients were coming in needing medication to treat the side effects of their earlier medication. But the rubber really hit the road when I became the patient.
Five years into my practice, the work schedule was far more reasonable than in residency, but I was still brutally fatigued. The extra weight was piling on, and my menstrual cycle became irregular.
I knew I was sick. I checked my labs. Not surprisingly, they were within “normal” limits. I realized I didn’t want to start on the medications that I was prescribing for my patients every day. This felt totally out of integrity tome. I was disappointed in myself. I was disappointed by medicine. I wanted to just quit. In fact, I almost retired.
For some reason – I believe I was guided – I went to a conference on Functional Medicine, and just like that, the light went on. The presenter was an OB/GYN him-self, but there he was telling us we had it all wrong. Every word made perfect sense to me, scientifically and spiritually.
So I enrolled in the Academy for Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine, the top Functional Medicine Training at the time. It is functional medicine at its best, and I was my first patient. I learned how to look at labs within normal limits and tease down what was optimal for that individual person. I learned to be present and really listen and to blend that listening with science. I learned that with the right tools, Western and Eastern, one can see where the body’s pathways stop functioning.
For example, take a patient with thyroid dysfunction. You can look at what they are eating, the nutrients they may be missing, even the thoughts that are coming in, and how they are affecting the pathways. You can easily test this and possibly find something really simple such as they might be missing zinc because they are not eating certain foods. You can then plug that gap.
Open the pathway, and the function comes back.
I am a prime example. I had reluctantly started myself on thyroid medications, but as I learned how to work with the functional medicine principles, I was able to get off thyroid medication and return to full health.
This is what I help others do.
It can be complex. But it’s not difficult. Remove what is creating the dysfunction. Fill in the gaps. Change the underlying energy. And our bodies heal.
The beauty of functional medicine is realizing that if we aren’t born with an issue, then we can get back to our state of wellness. The only thing that’s happened from the time when we were healthy is life and lifestyle.
It matters what we are putting in our bodies. Bad food, drinks, environmental toxins, and negative thoughts cause the body’s disease.
Our adrenals are really important as well, so stress is a huge factor. When you remove the stressors, you take the body out of fight-or-flight mode. The body then goes into healing mode because the body naturally knows how to heal. The concepts are simple and scientific, but putting them into practice is not. We all need a little help. That is where I come in.
Five years into my Functional Medicine practice, I was seeing maybe ten people a day for hour-long visits one-on-one. The results were fantastic, and I wanted to reach a lot more people.
Modern technology gave me a pathway, and two years ago I launched online with the first step to wellness, the detox that was required for over 99 percent of my patients as the initial healing step.
This is an exciting time in medicine because people searching for health can find it. My online program is called the Total Body Reset. I call it that because for full wellness you really have to have an effect on the body, the mind, and the spirit.
We begin with a physical detox. Then we move on to the mental detox. Then we move even deeper into the spiritual. When we get to the point where the patient connects with inner guidance, we are complete. Once you are in tune with your inner guidance, you can’t go wrong. Things just flow.
Don’t get me wrong. If I get in an accident, I want all that traditional medicine can do to take care of those emergency needs. But when it comes to prevention and long-term health, you must look outside the box.
Functional medicine is one of the solutions to the healthcare system the way it is. Part of what has been morphing is my desire to educate not only patients but doctors. Think of it this way: If you educate the mother, it rapidly ripples out to help the entire family.
Educating doctors can potentially create a big ripple. For now, it’s interesting, I attract empowered women who are ready for change and are willing to do whatever is necessary to heal. I love it!
I believe for women, the key to good health and to a meaningful life is being present. Get connected. Get plugged in. Speak your truth. Of course we may first have to discover our truth.
I think it all comes back to going within. And there area lot of ways to do that. There is no set formula, but you must find a way to get to that point where you feel centered and feel that life is really “juicy.”
Get into your centeredness first, and everybody within your sphere of influence benefits. It’s like a beam of light.
My number one recommendation for getting back to optimal wellness is a meditation practice. You can start with just 5 minutes a day.
Look, I know you can’t just say, “go, sit still and clear your mind.” But it does not have to be difficult. One of the tools I recommend to help with meditation is called “Brainwave Entrainment” because there is real science behind it, and it works for almost everyone. The program uses different frequencies of sound to balance your brain hemispheres. You literally pop in the earbuds and think about whatever you want. It actually meditates YOU. You can find it online at Brainev.com. They give out a free sample which is 15 minutes long. This is a good start.
My number two recommendation is gratitude. At least once a day, write out things you are grateful for. And say them out loud. And go a little deeper. Say, “I am grateful for this because xyz.” Get to the point where it’s not just words, but you feel the grateful. Be present and feel.
When you ask me about worthiness, I truly believe worthiness is a given. It is non-negotiable. We are ALL already worthy because we are here. There’s no question. Period.
Having said that, I admit I still actively work on feeling worthy. For each leap forward, there is always a bit of fear, or the feeling of unworthiness comes in. That fear is always a great sign for me that I am stepping into something even greater, stepping up my game, so to speak. Breaking through and working to embody even higher feelings of confidence, worth and empowerment just help me to be a better teacher and healer for the women I serve.
Everything I am teaching my patients, I am actively doing myself. I need to make conscious choices daily in order to maintain my balance.
Spirit seems to knock on my door pretty heavily if I’m not following my inner guidance. If I’ve been on vacation or I’ve been very busy and haven’t tapped in daily with my practice, things just feel off. I have learned to recognize that “off” feeling for what it is. I just have to get back to my practice and my guidance. My body takes care of the rest. I truly think that is phenomenal.
The energy on our planet is changing into more of a collaborative feminine essence. This time is a perfect opportunity for women to grow and blossom. We don’t know what great things are waiting unless we are courageous enough to face our fears. If we do, we can’t get it wrong. Really, we can’t.
We also need more play. Being childlike and playful opens up opportunities for Spirit to come through. It’s another special thing about women and reiterates my message to women:
We have it all; the natural intuition to connect from in-side, the strength, the softness, the ability to play, and the wisdom to lead. Clear the toxins and the clutter. Allow your body to heal and allow your inner guidance to lead you, and truly you can’t go wrong.
Markyia Nichols, M.D.
Markyia Nichols, MD, aka Dr. Kyia, is a board-certified OB/GYN com-mitted to integrating the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual components of health. She completed her medical training at the University of Maryland and completed OB/GYN specialized training at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Kyia is a member of the Academy For Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine and has done extensive study in functional and integrative medicine. She is also certified in a variety of energy healing modalities including Reiki, Theta healing, Matrix Energetics, Magnified Healing, Reconnective Healing, and Divine Openings.
Visit Dr. Kyia’s website
drkyia.com