016: Ellen Vora MD, Functional Medicine Psychiatrist, Provides A Modern Approach to Mental Health & Sleep Beyond Pharmaceuticals

Episode Summary

🩺Mental health & sleep. It can often be a real chicken and the egg question around what comes first; either way; they are undeniably interconnected. One thing was clear for me when my anxiety was at it’s highest; my sleep was at it’s lowest. What is so unique about our guest, Ellen Vora, is that despite being a board-certified psychiatrist with degrees from Columbia and Yale, she is challenging the status quo by taking a functional approach to mental health. You’re going to love what she has to say about sleep, sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medications, mood and what to do about it.  

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Guest Bio:

Ellen Vora, MD, graduated from Columbia University medical school, received her B.A. in English from Yale University, and she’s a board-certified psychiatrist, medical acupuncturist, and yoga teacher. Dr. Vora takes a functional medicine approach to mental health–-considering the whole person and addressing imbalance at the root, rather than reflexively prescribing medication. In addition to her private practice, Dr. Vora is also a writer, speaker, and consultant for healthcare startups.

Episode Notes

In this episode, we discuss:

🩺How Dr. Vora came to create this new approach to mental health.

🩺Outlining how she approaches the topic of sleep with her patients and why it’s one of the first places that she begins in her patient assessment

🩺A thorough breakdown of her process including initial sleep screenings, sleep habit rundown, and an overview of the fundamentals.

🩺Dr. Vora’s thoughts on CBT-I (Insomnia) and beyond.

🩺Her ancestral mindset and approach to sleep

🩺Thoughts on sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medications for sleep

🩺Applying testing from a functional medicine perspective to mental health

🩺Dr. Vora’s online small groups around mental health

🩺Discussions on the topic of anxiety, depression, bipolar and light’s connection to them all

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EPISODE LINKS:
Email: hello@ellenvora.com
Twitter: @ellenvoramd
Linkedin: Ellen Vora
Instagram: @ellenvoramd
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellenvoramd/

PLEASE NOTE: If you're struggling mentally and financially, can also reach out to our sponsor, BetterHelp with the code 'sleepisaskill' for 10% off: https://www.betterhelp.com/sleepisaskill

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