Marriage, Medicine, and a Bigger Mission

Podcast Introduction and Disclaimer 0:00

So many of my patients were sick, you know, they have these chronic diseases, diabetes, heart disease, vascular disease. All these terrible things and they just never got better. And nobody understands the importance of taking care of yourself, of eating healthy, exercising, because at the end of the day, I mean, being at a good, healthy metabolic state in your body is so important. It's almost like the foundation of everything that comes afterwards. Welcome to Beyond the Scale, where real health gets deeper than just the numbers.

I'm Dr. Darren Dubiak. And I am Alexandra Dubyak, and we are not only partners in life, but also passionate partners and integrative care. Blending faith. Family. Functional wellness. and a little life with our dogs. Because true healing happens beyond the scale. This podcast does not contain any medical or health related diagnosis or treatment advice. Content provided on this podcast is for informational purposes only. For any health or medical related advice, please consult with a physician or other healthcare professionals.

Further, information about specific products or treatments within this Podcast are not to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Welcome to Beyond the Scale.

How the Podcast and Partnership Began 1:24

I'm Dr. Darren Dubiak. And I'm Alexandra. I am a nurse practitioner and we work together. We work. And tell you what, so our first episode, I think it'd be fun Ali to let everyone know who we are, why we started the podcast, right? Yeah. Ali is very scripted everyone. So we're laughing and chuckling because she wanted every question printed out so I could ask her. And I don't do that, so I'm very much on the fly. We just kind of argued for five minutes before we hit record because I wanted to know exactly what questions we were going to be asking.

Exactly. I feel like Ricky Bobby right now with my hands in the mic. What do I do with hands right know? I know. Because they can't see the whole mic, I wonder if they wonder what it is. Hey, well, listen, we thank you guys for joining us. We're excited. This is part of the evolution of not only the Dubiax, but Body by Aim. And I, so many people have asked, Well, how did you come together on this? And first off, how did we even come to together? So Allie, why don't you let everyone know that you asked me out first?

Oh my gosh. He's so silly. So I think that the funny part is, Alli and I have been together for eight years now. And we've been married five, excuse me. And, and, uh, the thing that I love about my wife, um, is this one big thing, because on our first date, I told Ali I was going to marry her. Didn't I? You did. And she didn't run. So, And on the third date I not only said we're going be working with each other, but I said, we'll probably going have our own radio show, TV thing or podcast. and guys, eight years later, drum roll.

We are here we are. Hey, we're really doing it. We're Really doing It. And you know, I love watching you on camera and I loved watching doing this podcast here because behind Ali, it was one of the greatest gifts we got your computer and it's Sorry, it was one of the greatest gifts we got is that I got my wife our Song our song that we danced to why can't I think of what's the word for it? Wow our wedding song. Thank you We were married on 821 21 and it Chris Stapleton's millionaire. So that's what behind her.

It's a pretty awesome stuff. All right so Ali I'll tell you what I I have to keep him on track because he will be, he'll be in New Zealand in three minutes.

Building Body by AIM 360 4:15

I will. Okay. Let's first start with the fact that we both work for Body by AIM 360. It's an integrative medicine practice right outside of Pittsburgh, PA. And this actually started out as my husband, Dr. Darren Dubyak's baby. What? 2016? Yeah. So, so 10 years ago, um, I started body by aim 360 and integrative practice and, uh, the city of Pittsburgh. Um, we have grown, ah, rapidly the past 10 and fast forwarding to here we are today. um Allie, think you joined the practice when? I joined the practice in the fall of 2020 and, you know, the craziness of COVID.

Yeah. Darren just happened to, he needed a nurse practitioner. And I remember him saying like, Ali, I need a And I said, well, I don't know. I'll think on it and see who I know might be interested. And he looked at me and was like, no, i need a nurse practitioner, as in I need you. Well, what were you doing? Tell everyone what your background is. So I'm a Nurse Practitioner. i worked in family medicine for a number of years before I met my husband, before we started dating. Yeah, that's it. Family medicine.

Seeing patients every day my practice still rounded in the local hospital. We still saw all of our own patients so I spent time in hospital as well and I don't know it all happened kind of during COVID, you know, I was in a hospital it was craziness as we all know and he somehow convinced me to to go work for him in an integrative medicine setting, which was completely different for me. And if you guys don't know what integrate of medicine is, I think it's becoming more of a popular term nowadays.

But at the time, i wasn't even totally familiar with it. So integrates of Medicine is kind of the best of both worlds. You have this medical side that we're used to, and then you have the holistic, more natural side. We just kind-of mash those together. I always say it is the Best of Both worlds, so I came into this in late 2020. And gosh, I had so much to learn that I was not taught in NP school. And it was hard for me. It was so, you know, it wasn't really difficult transition for healthy ways of eating.

You know, yeah, we can tell everybody to eat healthy, but people think healthy means like, oh, I'm going to pick up that box of cereal because it says that it's high in fiber and heart healthy. Meanwhile, it was serving has like 30 grams of sugar in it. We don't know. we just tell people, hey, eat healthier. So yeah. I don' even know where to begin with that. Well, honestly, there's so much to know and to learn that I had never been exposed to before. So, first off, I appreciate your openness and honesty because, guys, that is what happened, right?

So my wife, who was a complete... tunnel vision, allopathic mindset, 100 million percent, married me, saw all these supplements, not only in the office, but in house, and saw these vitamin IVs that we did. And just, there was a lot of questioning and why. The reason why I appreciate Allie's humility so much is she goes, I need to learn some of that stuff, right? And this is even before you started working with us, right? And started work with me. So my background is where... What's that? I was just kind of, that's right, I didn't...

I kind came in at one point and was kind just casual, helping out. I forgot about that. Yeah. And when you came fully in six years ago, It was, hey, if we're gonna do this, we are gonna this right. So there was a functional medicine university she went through just like I did. And it was really neat to see the evolution of Allie, right? Because you had this young lady who was so brilliant and saw these patients the way she would see them. I'll give you guys an example and I will never forget this.

We had a diabetic patient. here at the office and we will talk about how our office works, but regardless, we treated that patient with supplements, vitamin IVs, some peptides and nutritional coaching. And in 60 days, remember this, completely reversed this patient's diabetes.

Why Integrative Medicine Works 9:20

Ali literally said, well, what's the dose of metformin you're on? Are they on Jardia? It's like Ali couldn't get it through to herself that there was no medication involved. And it was really awesome because I always tell people, you know, that's a dark side. Let's bring you over this way. It was a really nice way to see Ali mature into what we do now. over 8 to 10,000 patients later working together, people said, well, you guys need to do this podcast. The Dubiax are becoming this thing in Pittsburgh where people need know about you.

And I like to tell Allie, and by the way, she cringes at this, but I think we're really the first couple in integrative care and integrator medicine. So, so many people use that word functional medicine, Body by Aim and how the Dubiax really run our practice is truly integrative medicine. But on our next episode, we're going to talk about how Body By Aim does it differently than anybody else. This first episode is more like the lives of the dubiaxe, right? But, you know, it's really neat. So in our title, Beyond the Scale, It's a little bit about our faith, our fur babies, and functional health, right?

I mean, I have OCD, so I had this beautiful home that Ali comes into. My floors were spotless. There wasn't dust anywhere. And all of a sudden, Ali brings 140-pound German Shepherd into my life, that I fell in love with. And it's amazing the thing that loved us to you because the OCD quickly went right out of the equation, right? But, you know, fast forward now. You did. But now we have two fur babies, two big German Shepherds. Allie and I have both been born again, I guess you could say. So Christianity and Christ are a big part of how we are as a couple and as our practice.

We know that God gave us this gift to treat people and our patients know and that's a thing that we wanted our podcast listeners to know is that It really is about faith, family, our fur babies and functional health. And, you know, if you take all those things and you just lump them all together, I think that is life. Al, would you agree? I mean, it's our life, yeah. And that's a fun life, right? So we just did a video on what it's like working with your spouse. So every day to me was sunshine and rainbows.

Obviously to the other spouse, it is not sunshine or rain. It was more just to get a rise out of people. I obviously love working you, but in all seriousness, you do drive me crazy. Yeah. You know, I think it's a testament to the... So guys, we have three offices. We have a big gathering of patients and it is really hard because you know business is the conversation piece of our lives, right? Besides our dogs, it a lot of business. It is hard to come home every night and not talk about business or work and things like that.

I do a really good job shutting off, but someone really doesn't. So I never thought I'd have to force someone to go on vacation to shut off. But I have the force her sometimes. Huh? Well, you know, the yin to my yang. Exactly. I love it. But it's a great way of working with each other. I'm very happy you guys are listening and I hope that we can bring something to you from a couple standpoint working together, but also on how we treat patients and how treat different scenarios. Right? Yeah. Well, I think it is important in this episode, like what was your why?

Why did you start Body by Aim 360? I mean, because it came years before you and I met, so I think people would want to know. So I this is going to lead into our next episode as well, like the birth of Body by Aim, but again, my background was chiropractic care. I always had a very big knowledge on nutrition and supplementation. And going through and getting certified in functional medicine and the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and A4M, it just really opened up my eyes to so many different facets of care, right?

And I saw that, man, we're really doing people with disservice if you're not hitting all these check boxes, And it's kind of how it all started. Actually it is how all it started, right? So, you know, I had this one chiropractic office. That's how I started with two employees and I'm helping someone with pain. But not knowing, there's bigger things that made up the pain. The person's stress level, past injuries, a trauma. Yes, the recent pain of why they were in their job. So it was that person story, right?

And I realized that there was more to what I was doing that could help them. And that's how I started Body by Aim. So I said, well, you know, if we are able to bring in a medical component and utilizing even vitamins a better way or better route of transmission, meaning IVs, right? different medications or peptides and things like that. So I saw that, wow, when we really brought all this together and even just talk therapy. I mean, I realized so many people in pain or who've had constipation for years have had just trauma and it doesn't necessarily mean a physical trauma.

It can mean the chemical trauma, it can be a mental trauma or something, a death or a breakup. And I realized if you would just shut up and listen to the person in front of you. They're going to tell you what they need. That person's going tell, you, Hey, I know I'm in pain, but there's other reasons. And I, and one of my greatest mentors would always tell me, sit on my hand, shut my mouth and let the patient tell what's wrong with them and ask a patient what you or what day thinks wrong. Right.

and Allie, You see me doing that all the time in practice where. I'll come to someone just say, why are you here? Why do you think these things happen to you? Because a lot of times people want to be heard. And they want be hurt on maybe, hey, I'm not making these thing up. So again, coming back to why I started all this, body by aim is really a true 360 degree approach to care.

Patient Wins and Closing Remarks 16:55

When Ali was working in family medicine and she started questioning, you know, what are you doing every day and how are these things working? I knew I had her by the way. So it was an easy, it just wasn't me being persuasive. It was easy. And then getting her, well, bringing you out of primary care, I think that watching you for lack of better terms, blossom into a nurse practitioner who is wonderful in hormone therapy and, and every other piece of dynamics of body by aim. It, it was really awesome, honey, to see how much you grow.

So, but you know, let me ask you this question. so you asked me, what was the birth of Body by Aim? When you came into this clinic six years ago, oh, this is really good. I'm going to put it on the spot. Are you happy you did now, knowing what you know now of how medicine's being practiced in this type of facility versus how you work? Do you have any regrets joining your husband in his practice? No, no, I don't. I thought, you know, as a nurse practitioner in family medicine, I always thought I was good at it because I, was passionate about it.

I like to believe that I'm knowledgeable and I don't know everything, but if I do not know something, then I am going to try like hell to find the answer. And so I've always though, hey, Unsatisfyingly, you know, my patients just never, not all of them, like, I see patients for everything and some of the, yes, they get better. They have a cold, but they got better, so many of my patient were sick. You know, they have these chronic diseases, diabetes, heart disease, you know vascular disease all these terrible things and they just never got better.

And nobody understands the importance of taking care of yourself, of eating healthy, exercising, nobody None of my patients understood that. I could say to them, Hey, you need to exercise. You got to lose some weight. Hey. you know, You need lose weight just to get your diabetes under control. But nobody ever got better. It felt like with these chronic illnesses, it was just a matter of how long is it before they have another exacerbation of this chronic disease before I have to see them and treat them again.

So that's not. the case in our practice, right? Our patients get better, our patients end up having to have a conversation with their PCP because they have lost weight and now their blood pressure is low. They have to come off of blood-pressure medications, they get off diabetes medications. they got off cholesterol medications and all these meds that have side effects. When that was the answer when I was in primary care, it was always like, what medicine can I treat them with or what procedure or test do they need to And now, you know, when we use medications, it's just a temporary fix for us, right?

It's there to help get them to their goal. And then we've given them the other tools to helps them maintain because at the end of the day, I mean, being at a good, healthy metabolic state in your body is so important. It is almost like the foundation of everything that comes afterwards. You know, to kind of circle back to that question, no, I don't regret joining this type of practice. It's been incredibly rewarding. And I absolutely love seeing our patients feel the best that they've felt in 10, 15, 20 years.

I love our patient saying I can get down on the ground with my kids or my grandkids, or I could go hiking and out hike my 10-year-old son because I have so much energy. Or I haven't looked like this since I was in high school. That is so worth everything. The patients get better. All of America's listening right now. They're not. How is it working with your husband daily? Ladies and gentlemen, I love it. Yes. I love you. We make a great team. So listen, I think that what you just said is a good way to end our first segment.

Our first podcast. The next podcast is going to be about the birth, the conception of Body by Aim and what Body By Aim really means. And a little bit about our faith, our fur babies and functional wellness. and functional wellness. So I hope you guys, I will stop bumping my computer. I'm learning this. This is my first episode. God, geez. Hey, we're all learning here. All right. Well, until next time. Until next time, guys, Beyond the Scale, thank you for watching. Tell everyone about this episode.

Watch us, because it's going to be a comedy show, I think, as well, throughout these episodes. Well, there will be that, too. Thanks for spending time with us on Beyond The Scale. If today's episode helped you see your health differently... Like the show. Share it. And we'll see you next on on beyond the scale.