Life is a journey, and we all have a story.
Since I was a young girl the medical field was always intriguing to me. It appeared challenging, exciting, and also paired well with my life long goal to help others. As I approached the end of my high school years, enrolling in the pre-med program at Miami of Ohio seemed like a no brainer. Once I jumped that hurdle it was off to the Medical College of Ohio, followed by a residency in Louisville.
From there, I had some real decisions to make. Where did I want to be? What type of practice did I want to join? How would I use medicine to help others? The possibilities were endless, and at the end of the day I decided to return to Ohio. I joined a large practice, alongside some of Ohio’s very best OB/GYN’s. I was there to help women. I was there to bring healthy babies into the world. I was there to live out my life long dream of being a doctor.
It didn’t take long for me to notice a disconnect. Like many doctors out there the long hours, the demanding work environment, and the politics of the medical profession began to make me numb. While I had always considered myself a compassionate person, I found myself viewing people as a collection of symptoms. I would hear them speak, write prescriptions, and move on with my day. While I didn’t always agree with the approach, that’s just the way things were.
I spent eleven years operating like this. I began taking sleeping pills and drinking copious amounts of caffeine to keep up with the crazy schedule associated with delivering babies. In the meantime I had babies of my own. I was on birth control pills. And off. And on. And off. Finally one day I woke up to realize that I had three children, a job that was beating me to the ground, and a nearly sexless marriage. Did I change things then? No, I turned to anti-depressants. I tried to get healthy by measuring every ounce of my food. Nothing seemed to work. As I approached my late 30’s I was sadder, larger, and bitchier than ever. I could barely stand to be in my own skin.
And then, I hit the breaking point. Thankfully. After more than a decade living outside of myself, I took some time to look in. Realize my own shortfalls. Recognize what wasn’t working. Explore what else was out there.
As I was reevaluating life as I knew it, I had a patient come to me. She asked about bioidentical hormone replacement as she had heard that other doctors were swearing by them. Admittedly, I didn’t know enough to advise her. It seemed a little like “hocus pocus”, but I didn’t care. Nothing else seemed to make sense either. And so, I booked a conference to explore what all of the hype was about.
In just a few short days my brain was filled with information about hormone therapy and physician assisted weight loss. It all seemed pretty promising, but before I was willing to pass this along to my patients, I decided to give it a test run. On myself, after all what did I have to lose?! I adopted the HCG diet and started taking hormones. I’ll admit it, I was skeptical at first, but as time went on I couldn’t believe the results! In just six weeks I had dropped 30 pounds, I was off anti-depressants, and I said sayonara to my sleeping pills.
Umm, excuse my French but, holy shit. After eleven years of walking around like a zombie, pumped full of America’s finest pharmaceuticals, I had finally woken up. My passion crept back into my life. I was Amy again. And then the light bulb went off … this is it. These results. This happiness. This feeling of physical rejuvenation. This is what I want to share with my patients. This is what I’m meant to do.
As I continued to explore functional medicine, heal myself, and figure out how I would share this with the world, we suffered a great loss in our family. As we said goodbye to my mother-in-law, Connie, everything I had been feeling was reinforced. Life is too short to feel sad, unhealthy, and trapped. It was time for me to make some changes.
And, so … Dr. Amy Brenner and Associates was born. Branching out on my own and opening a personal practice was much more than a career move. It was the continuation of my own journey. My journey to health …
Thank you all for joining me.