Testimonials

“Maureen Scott's integrative approach to health has profoundly changed my life. After enduring years of debilitating stomach pain, brain fog, anxiety, and depression, her guidance has brought me to a place of thriving. Her dietary recommendations have alleviated my symptoms and restored my vitality.  Additionally, her insight into the connection between physical health and emotional well-being led to the recommendation of trauma therapy. Through this therapy I have been able to confront and release past traumas. Ms. Scott's unwavering dedication, compassionate approach, and ability to instill trust have empowered me to fully commit to my healing journey. Today, I am no longer merely surviving — I feel like my best self, thanks to Maureen Scott's holistic care and transformative impact.” - E.C., Charlotte, NC

“Maureen Scott is a "Life Savior"....seriously!! She has helped myself and our daughter so much with developing better health, eating habits, supplements for better immune support and so much more. She is an amazing wealth of information about so many aspects of health care and continues to educate herself and her patient's about alternative methods to better health. I highly recommend her to anyone having an interest in taking better care of yourself and NOT just taking medications.”- N.G., Charlotte, NC

“For months, I had been experiencing excessive mood swings, difficulties staying asleep, constant panic and hopelessness in all aspects of my life. Life was just not enjoyable. I came to Maureen for an integrative approach in order to look for the root cause of my problem. I didn’t want to just take a pill and cover up the symptoms, as I knew there was a deeper problem occurring in my body. What started out as Maureen helping me discover I had hormone imbalances and correcting them, transitioned into me utilizing her knowledge of how all parts of the body work in synergy with one another. This allowed me to find balance and peace within myself and became a resource to aid in my recovery from the self-hate and body image issues I had for over 20 years.

Maureen’s approach of combining integrative medicine with traditional medicine, meditation and yoga, allowed me to heal from the inside out. I always felt that I was looked at as an individual with my own unique needs and that we were partners in helping me heal myself. Being able to get my body in balance, has allowed me to live my best life.” - A.B., Charlotte, NC

“When I found Maureen I had reported my symptoms over several years to a family doctor, two OB/GYNs, an Internist, and a GI doctor.  I was left feeling that it was all in my head and that I would have to live with the symptoms that left me extremely bloated every night and itchy all over.

Before my first session with Maureen, she asked for a full health history. She read it carefully! She took the time to go through the history with me, not discounting any stories or opinions that I had, and she gave me her hypothesis of what might be going on.  I immediately felt validated.  Then she asked me to take a comprehensive set of tests. Once she had the evidence, she started me on a yearlong healing journey with herbal and prescription medicines, diet and lifestyle changes to both heal the symptoms and heal the root cause. She checked in on me often and was always available in between appointments to answer questions and take my feedback. Because of this I did not need too many appointments. I have to admit — it was a long journey! Now I feel great and count my blessings every day that I am healed and rid of the symptoms from the root cause.

Maureen has a deep understanding of her field, makes her patients feel understood and cared about. She looks at her patients as whole persons rather than a set of disparate organs bagged in a body!” - H.G., Charlotte, NC

“I came to Maureen as a senior with concerns about a strong family history of dementia and recent genetic tests indicating increased risk of dementia.  She was the third health care provider I approached with these concerns and, by far, the most helpful.  For example, one of my concerns was that my homocysteine level (elevated levels of which increase dementia risk) was elevated and prior interventions had failed to lower it sufficiently.  Maureen took her usual evidence-based, integrative approach to this problem, considering it within the context of my overall  physical, mental, emotional, social well-being, using systematically-applied interventions and assessing the results through medical tests.  By the second intervention, my homocysteine level had decreased to an optimal level.  Maureen has extensive knowledge of physiological and biochemical processes underlying physical wellness as well as deep understanding of body-mind practices which promote wellness.  I appreciate her holistic approach which includes beginning each appointment with brief breath work and meditation.  She is assiduous about keeping abreast of the latest research findings relevant to her patient's health needs.  When I've needed her consultation outside of scheduled appointments, she has been available and responsive.  It is not uncommon for me to receive messages from Maureen between appointments recommending that I read newly-published resources that she has discovered relevant to my health needs.  In sum, I am confident in Maureen's expertise as an integrative health practitioner, very comfortable with her interpersonal skills and assured by her actions that my health is important to her.” - B.C., Charlotte, NC

“I came to Maureen with all kinds of skin, gut, and mental health issues. I am 25 and enjoying my youth, but I just knew something was not right although I thought I lived a healthy life. She was honest, direct, and compassionate with addressing each problem as naturally and gently as possible. Only after 4 months of following her treatment I have made a 180 in my health. My skin has become dramatically more clear without prescribed medications or topical creams. My gut doesn’t bother me like it used to so no bloating, no full feeling, less gas and regular bowel movements. My mental health has also become much better - no more brain fog or chronic fatigue - and less overwhelming anxiety or lingering depressing moods. I’m better than my old self and could not be happier with her help. I trust her more than any other health care provider I’ve had throughout my experiences thus far.” - J.G., Charlotte, NC

3 Ways to Boost Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum

By Leah Outten

Last year, I was deep in an overwhelmed momma funk. Being sleep-deprived with a five-month-old plus four other kids to care for and entertain for the summer had me gasping for air– literally. I felt like I couldn’t leave the house because the world out there was scary, yet I felt trapped at home at the same time. I began having panic attacks while driving, scared I was going to crash. I cried all the time and the joy was sucked out of me. I knew I needed help.

I went to see an integrative nurse practitioner, Maureen Scott of Whole Health Charlotte, in hopes of overcoming my postpartum depression, anxiety, and exhaustion naturally. Maureen utilizes a whole-body approach to address spiritual, physical and mental health by using conventional practices and natural remedies. Thankfully, her knowledge and experience in helping other moms did the trick, and I felt much more like myself within just a week of following the personalized protocol she designed for me. I knew I was improving when I could take my crew of five to the grocery store, and I felt calm!

It’s amazing what happens when we feed our body the fuel it needs. Now I love sharing these simple tools to help new moms learn how to get relief and find deeper answers.

Get blood work done to know your deficient areas

I came into Maureen’s office ready to jump on the medicine train for quick relief, but instead she said, “Let’s get some blood work done and see what’s going on first.” She took her time to talk with me about stress relief, deep breathing and my diet, and she instantly noticed some red flags from previous blood work I’d had done.

Getting a blood panel done is an easy way (and insurance should cover it!) to find out what you need for supplement and nutrition, which then can help boost your mental health. Checking for common deficiencies such as iron, vitamin D, vitamin B, magnesium, zinc, and folate levels along with thyroid function can help reveal a physical reason for why we are feeling exhausted and stressed. Pregnancy and breastfeeding can drain us of our own stores of nutrients. If we are lacking important nutrients because we aren’t absorbing or getting enough of them, that affects our brain and energy levels. Supplementing with those much-needed nutrients can make a huge difference!

Know your MTHFR gene status

You may have heard about MTHFR in your Internet travels. The MTHFR gene is basically responsible for converting folic acid to folate for our bodies to use. However, about 40% of people have a variation and cannot process folic acid and detox as effectively. Therefore, our bodies and brains are left lacking important nutrients we need for our mental and physical health– particularly vitamin B12 and folate. Knowing your MTHFR gene status is super important, because you need to know which type of vitamins are most beneficial for your body to actually absorb, as well as things to avoid. 

MTHFR can be linked to miscarriages, clotting disorders, spina bifida, lip and tongue ties, and other birth defects during pregnancy if the right vitamins aren’t taken preventatively. However, it is equally important to know for our own mental health! Knowing gives us another avenue to address the root of the issue, as MTHFR is linked to mental illness.

Having low folate and vitamin B levels can be a marker for MTHFR in blood work, which was a red flag that prompted Maureen to test me. I was able to test for MTHFR with a simple blood test at my provider’s office, but you can also test yourself and mailed in to a company for results.

Take fish oil

Taking fish oil during pregnancy and postpartum is amazingly beneficial, not just for the baby’s brain health, but also for the momma! We hear of the importance of DHA often for our growing baby, yet forget that our brains, that help us carefor these smart babies after birth, are important, too. 

The way Maureen explained it to me as I sat across from her in near tears wanting to feel “normal” again was that as our bodies are developing our baby’s brains, they use up our own stores of fatty acids. We have got to replenish these healthy fatty acids for our own mental health! “During fetal development of the brain, EPA and DHA is critical, and if the diet is deficient in these essential fatty acids, there can be an increase risk of PPD,” says Maureen.

EPA fish oil is particularly shown in studies to be amazing for our mood and mental health. It can be used as a preventative for PPD if taken during pregnancy. Maureen states, “Research shows that mothers who took an increase dose of omega-3 during pregnancy reported less stress and had lower levels of stress hormones, which is very beneficial to the baby.” It also can be used after birth to restore those fatty acids and help find relief from mood disorders, like it did for me.

If you are a vegan or wish to avoid fish, you can obtain these important fatty acids with an algae supplement.

Of course, I am not a medical provider and am not giving you medical advice. The way to boost your mental health naturally starts with a visit to a provider with knowledge in this area– one who will look for keys to your personal health in lab work and by looking carefully at your whole-body symptoms. When we as moms take care of ourselves, searching for answers to the cause of our problems just as we would for our baby if they had an issue, we become much healthier. And that health affects how we parent these little ones we love.

There are many things we can do to boost our mental and physical health, perhaps even to prevent PPD and anxiety all together! It is worth the extra effort to care for ourselves, but know that if you still struggle, don’t be afraid to seek further help with counseling and medication as needed.

This article was originally published on Big City Moms: https://www.bigcitymoms.com/lifestyle-articles/3-ways-to-boost-mental-health-during-pregnancy-and-postpartum/