What's going on Reader,

I hope your new year is starting well!

As you can see, I've been slow out of the gate with this newsletter, lol. I needed most of January to ease into the new year. I think I shared with you once before that New Year's really isn't the start of the new year for me. It's more of a notice to swap out a new calendar. Chinese New Year has become like a soft opening to the year, and by Spring I'm back at full force. I encourage you to do whatever feels healthy and good to you, boo. If you need a slower start, then take it! If you're ready out of the gate, then go for it!

All that said makes a good segue way into my newsletter theme, Community Care.

This season is a great time to check in with your community, but especially your Strong Friends. Our strongest community members are usually supporting everybody else, but who supports them?

It should come as no surprise that I'm a "Strong Friend" in my community. I'm the person many turn to for help and support in daily life and crisis. Recently, I've been learning to become more vocal in reminding my Village that I'm human and also need the same reciprocity of love, care, and support that I pour into the world.

I've also been paying closer attention to my Strong Friends, mentors, and pillars of support to show up for them despite them saying they are fine or got it. I know better! It's important we remain connected and present to spot the difference between actually doing well versus masking a front. The only way you know is to be consistent in community wellness checks.

All it takes is a moment to check in and ask someone...

"How can I support you today?"
"I'm at the grocery store (or favorite cafe), can I grab you anything?"
"I see how busy you are today, let me run that errand for you."
"I haven't seen you in a while. Can I come over to cook for you or help with the DIY project you gotta finish?"

Or, if you can't provide that extra support, at least take a moment to hype up your Strong Friend. Remind them how awesome and wonderful they are. Send them a flattering gif or meme to brighten their day. Send them a prayer to show you're praying for them and keeping them lifted.

Other ideas of community care for our family, neighbors, teachers, colleagues, friends, protectors, and healers include:

Send a meal or dining gift card. (Check out the gift baskets by Spoonful of Comfort for post-surgery or cold/flu recovery, and who doesn't appreciate a DoorDash gift card?)
Write and mail a greeting card and/or send flowers.
Send them a B-complex or adrenal support supplement for an energy boost. (I have great options in my FullScript catalog)
Offer to run an errand or two for them, such as groceries, babysitting, walking the dog, etc.
Gift a much-needed massage or pedicure to help them release tension.

Winter is a tough season for many, but especially our strong friends and community leaders. They often are quiet about their pain and suffer in silence. They survive by keeping a strong front for the sake of not wanting to burden others, and yet, they continue to bear and hold everyone else's crosses. That's unacceptable and we must use community care to show there is a better way!

If we don't support the strongest in our community then we are all setting ourselves up for more illness and harm. Community care means you take the initiative to support others in the way you would like to be supported. It means looking out for each other and not letting anyone slip through the cracks.

Without community care and mutual aid, the health of the collective is vulnerable and weakened. It is through our connection that we access the greatest potential. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, we cannot heal without community!

"We Cannot Heal Without Community."

Do you know who is in your community?

It's also necessary to protect each other's health because when you're sick and tired you're more likely to let bullshit fly, make asinine mistakes, and miss out on opportunities to serve within your divine purpose.

So please remind your friend to go to the doctor if they keep having nagging symptoms. Don't let them downplay it or else you might be cosigning their early demise by failing to validate the red flags. Do one even better by taking them to the doctor's appointment to be there for morale support and advocate for them. Statistically, doctors are less likely to dismiss serious symptoms and concerns when a patient has another person present in the exam room.

This week do some community wellness checks, and make sure your strong friends know they are not alone. If we all do that simple task, imagine how much healthier we'll all be together?!

Now, I haven't forgotten that some of us don't have friends or family who support or check in on us. But this doesn't mean you're alone. Please know that no patient in my practice, in my village, will ever be neglected or forgotten. I'm grateful for your support and here to reciprocate.

My practice is built on the tenet of Community Care. Patients are not just patients, and I'm not just a doctor. We are a community centered on health and wellness. This is how we achieve successful outcomes in a system that tells us illness is normal.

All of my services are designed to provide unparalleled support and accountability. Coaching calls are included in some of the plans to offer regular wellness checks by phone where I'll be that "Strong Friend" looking out for you. I always go above and beyond to determine the root cause of your health concerns and create customized solutions to address them. When you need extra help to find wellness resources or an advocate, I step in and will have your back. One of my favorite movie phrases sums it up - "Nobody puts Baby in the corner!"

Thank you again for being a subscriber to my newsletter and supporting the work I do. I'm incredibly blessed and thankful to be in community with you, and if you stick around, I plan to grow this community in new ways to ensure we all get the community care we need!

Peace, love, and light-filled blessings,

~ Dr. Ray

P.S. Here are some resources to help the communities devastated by the SoCal fires and impacted by the escalation of ICE raids:

1.) Free Glutathione 10% Nasal Spray for Those Affected by the Los Angeles Fires:

Earth Compounding Pharmacy is offering a Free 21-day supply of Glutathione 10% Nasal Spray to patients who may benefit from its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Medication is entirely free for patients affected by any of the recent fires; there will only be a shipping fee if patients request to have it shipped. This offer will end on February 20, 2025.

How to get the Rx:

If you're one of my active patients in the Los Angeles area who could benefit, please reply to this email and I will help you get a 21-day prescription.
If you are NOT one of my patients, but you live in an area impacted by the fires, you can have your Primary Care provider call Earth Compounding Pharmacy to request a prescription for you. Make sure your doctor mentions that it's for the glutathione 10% nasal spray and that you are a patient impacted by the fires.

2.) We Protect Us! Know Your Rights Deportation Defense Manual

Make The Road New York provides resources for individuals who are being impacted by the escalation of immigration enforcement activity, and for individuals who are interested in becoming a support person for those affected. If you are facing deportation or have a previous deportation order, you should reach out to an immigration attorney as these guides are only for information and do not substitute legal counsel.

Click here to access the guides for knowing your legal rights and how to interact with ICE in case you experience or witness an ICE encounter.

Practice Updates:

New Patient Portal

Charm PHR has been replaced with an awesome new patient portal and EHR system, Practice Better.

All patients have been migrated to the new portal. When you book a visit, you will receive access to the portal.

Service Menu Update

Schedule Your Wellness Check

Having good health is not by luck or guaranteed by genes. It requires being proactive and consistent, as well as, working with the right doctor on your team.

Working with Dr. Ray has never been easier! Choose between flat-rate virtual visits (60-minute or 30-minute), Annual Membership Plans, or an All-inclusive Concierge Program.

Book Your Visit Here

ICYMI: What Your Doctor Isn't Telling You About Perimenopause & Menopause

If you missed this pivotal workshop in the Fall, view the replay here! This is a must-see for womb + hormone wellness at any age and background. This presentation includes practical healing tools with tons of information to manage symptoms PLUS a reiki + yoga exercise to help calm hot flashes in minutes!

Get Access to View Here

5-Star Course At New Lower Price!

4-week Program for only $99

(previously was $222)

Dr. Ray's signature Natural Wellness Foundations online course will elevate your wellness.

Learn and integrate natural medicine and effective healing support into your daily routine.

Recently Updated -- Nutrition Guides -- Herbal & Supplement Recommendations

See Preview Here

New Podcast Alert:

Ep: 35 Sacred Roots: Earth Medicine and Ancestral Connection

Last Fall, I had the esteemed honor of being invited as a guest on Goddess Zee's Holistic and Spiritual AF podcast. We had a wonderful conversation about our spiritual roots, natural wellness practices, and ancestral wisdom. Watch or listen to the full episode.

View Here

Health News You Don't Wanna Miss

If you've been struggling with managing food cravings, a virus could be part of the culprit. New research found a virus infecting gut bacteria may be contributing to food addiction.

Recently, the FDA finally banned Red Dye No. 3 in foods, but it was banned in cosmetics decades ago. Learn what red dye no. 3 is and which foods, vitamins, and medicines contain it.

The TikTok ban caused quite a frenzy last month, which poses the question: should social media have more regulation or come with a Surgeon General's warning like alcohol and cigarettes? Consider this: a new research study found social media use linked to increased irritability in US adults.

You're sound asleep then suddenly you feel your leg is on fire like a Vulcan death grip on your calf. Nocturnal leg cramps are the worst! But here's good news, a randomized control trial observed folks had fewer nighttime leg cramps when taking vitamin K2 every day for 8 weeks.

Morning and afternoon tea time just got a new unwanted invader. Scientists recently reported three different types of commercial tea bags can release billions of nanoplastics and microplastics. Plastics have been a growing concern for a long time, but now, we're finding the accumulation of microplastics equivalent to a credit card's size of plastic in human urine every week and up to the size of a plastic spoon in some human brain tissue. Maybe this is partly why folks are losing their damn minds! See here for a list of plastic-free tea brands.

Recipes

Winter Hack for Using Up Greens Powder:

The Scenario: It's winter time and you don't want to drink a smoothie because it's too cold and you just want something warm and soothing. You have a supergreens powder about to expire and you need to use it.

Solution: SuperGreens Latte

Heat up some hot water and add 8 ounces to a blender. Add in 1 scoop of your greens powder and blend for a few seconds. Heat up 8oz organic non-GMO soymilk, hemp milk, or almond milk of choice. Add the hot milk to the blender with the greens mix and blend for another several seconds. Pour into your favorite mug and sip while repeating to yourself, "I'm doing this for my health". Enjoy!

The Recipe Inspo: While cleaning out my pantry, I had nearly a full container of Alaya Naturals Green Superblend powder (unflavored) sitting on the shelf. I haven't been using it because I hate drinking cold smoothies in the Winter, especially now that I live in snowy New England. So I decided to pretend it was matcha green tea powder and turn it into a superfood latte drink to help keep up my servings of leafy greens. I've been making these supergreens soy lattes for 4 weeks now and can happily say they've boosted my energy, reduced my body aches, and made my gut health happy. Warning, this green drank ain't for punks! But it's not terrible either. Cheers!

Connect with Me:

Community is Everything! Without community, we cannot succeed, grow or heal.

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