Toledo Naturopathic, Dr. Maleigha Watts

Toledo Naturopathic, Dr. Maleigha Watts Investigating the root cause of chronic health concerns and sharing lessons learned along the way! Dr. Watts has been serving NW Ohio for the past decade.

Toledo Naturopathic offers a spectrum of care: for those that are seeking preventative care, to those with more complex health histories that require more advanced holistic care. Dr. Watts believes in investigating and addressing the root cause(s) to health concerns, in empowering patients to be engaged in their health and healing, and advocating for her patients by serving as a bridge between the

holistic and traditional models of medicine. Dr. Watts completed undergraduate studies locally at the University of Toledo and then moved to Tempe, Arizona for 5 years to train at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (1 of 6 nationally accredited, 4 year naturopathic medical programs in the US). She completed an internship with Dr. MaryK Geyer in Phoenix, Arizona thereafter with an emphasis in primary care medicine. Although the state of Ohio does not license Naturopathic Physicians at this time, Dr. Watts continues to maintain a license in Arizona which requires active involvement in Continuing Medical Education hours (30+) each year.

06/04/2026

"Thank you for not judging me and letting me be human."

Peeps, please listen.

No one knows what walking in your shoes is like. As providers, we should be doing our best to understand this, and to tailor plans to the patient (not squish the patient into a pre-made plan). But even if we try, we still don't live it, and are still making some assumptions on your daily capacity of what you can do/have energy/time/resources for.

And sometimes we are wrong.

If a plan isn't sustainable for you, you aren't failing. If a plan is too strict and causing you anxiety, it is time to ease up. Think of setting out for a destination across town. You might choose the most efficient route (as a provider might try). But we can all appreciate that there are 163,802 ways to get to that destination. Need a detour? A different approach? No shame in that. You still get to the same place, but maybe the timeline looks different.

But the only way you get redirected and back on track, is to have a moment of vulnerability and transparency with your provider. Tell them what works, what doesn't, and have a session together to brainstorm how to make it work better for you. Because that's right: we work for you!

PS: If they are a jerk about it, say Bye. No bullies in healthcare.

PPS: If you are ever given a plan that looks like an owner's manual to a car, an inch thick and told you better do everything perfectly or your body will not heal. Run. Health does not have to be this complicated. And healing shouldn't make you feel like a failure.

All the love to you peeps, today. If it ain't working for you, tweak it.

06/03/2026

Today (Wed June 3) the businesses of downtown Waterville are without electric. Which (as it is typically a black-hole for even a phone signal or data) means we have no charting software, payment software, or phone signal. 🙃

Sarah and I are each working from home and here if you need anything.

All patients on today's schedule will be contacted/notified that appointments will be held by phone or virtual. We hope to be physically back in office on Friday June 5. Thanks for understanding!

1 week into wearing the CGM and day 4 into kitchen renovation (a good ol' metabolic challenge when the kitchen is packed...
06/02/2026

1 week into wearing the CGM and day 4 into kitchen renovation (a good ol' metabolic challenge when the kitchen is packed up/torn apart). 😅

Things I have learned in the past week about my metabolic health:
✅Glucose rises and falls more speedily (insulin is working better!) on the days I start with strength training first thing in the morning. Even better if I can get a walk in later in the day (best after a meal!). It seems to do better on an empty stomach and doing breakfast after (than the other way around).
✅Having my protein smoothie and waiting a half hour or so before having my coffee (with creamer) doesn't cause as much of a glucose spike; very little in fact. It gives my body something to chomp off other than creamer first thing in the morning.
✅My morning fasting glucose that I did on labwork was 98 a couple weeks ago, which was concerning if this was a common theme. I definitely have dip in my glucose about an hour before waking and then it will pop up a little once I'm up and moving (my hunch is that morning cortisol/hormone activity play a role with this) but as a whole my overnight glucose is in the 80s-90s. This is where CGMs can paint a more full picture, than just a blip that you get with a single instant blood draw.
✅I have been unnecessarily afraid of carbs. There's little change in glucose in a meal that has protein compared to one with protein and a complex carb. A carb on its own, however, a whole different story. This would definitely help me to then increase fiber intake (more healthy grains).
✅I have probably been under eating. While I pay attention to food quality, I have never done a lot of tracking or paying attention to macros. My concern with carbs (above) has probably been too restrictive, especially with the kind of activity level I have been getting. Need more fuel.
✅Along with likely needing to adjust macros, timing for me may help. If I don't eat enough during the day, I get the snackies after dinner. Seems like *anything* I eat after 7-8pm, keeps my body chomping away on it for way too long while I'm sleeping. If I can front load more density in the first half of my day (protein, complex carbs, more fiber) I will likely feel more full and less likely to snack later in the evening.

Overall, 1 week in, this has been pretty enjoyable. I have appreciated seeing what my body can do (better than I thought, honestly) and finding ways to continue to improve habits. I am also so proud of my hubby--who is learning about his health along the way, too. He's taking notice of patterns, making tweaks. I think the biggest thing he has noted is that eating refined sugar not only affects him the day off, but the days following.

As we don't usually have "symptoms" that let us track our glucose throughout the day, this objective data is helpful. It certainly helps us to re-evaluate our choices. And thus far, there's helpful information, but nothing that turns our world upside down. Which is good, cuz the kitchen being torn apart is upside down enough. 🤪

Kitchen reno starts today. Pray for us. 😂🤣PS: Very grateful despite my sarcasm. 🥰
05/30/2026

Kitchen reno starts today.

Pray for us. 😂🤣

PS: Very grateful despite my sarcasm. 🥰

05/28/2026

A reminder that there are no magic wands or "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo" in health. The outcomes are not fast/magical nor is the work that went into getting those outcomes.

The last time I saw my Nurse Practitioner (love you Jenna!) she handed me a sample of a Stelo Continuous Glucose Monitor. Well, I was busy on other things (recovering from last year's surgery, getting hormones in line, gaining core strength back, tidying up the diet as it was pretty horrendous after surgery [comfort foods and carbs galore]). Mentally, I just didn't have capacity to add that tool in (albeit a good tool).

Over the holiday weekend our entire household got bloodwork (even the dogs, lol). And my fasting glucose came back at 98 which was surprising, having usually been in the 80s. This prompted enough curiosity and motivation to get out the CGM. Of course, enough time had passed that the sample she gave me had expired (my fault)--but this is just proving my point.

I was given a tool but wasn't in a place to use it. It took 6 months of that little monitor sitting in front of me to finally have the gumption to use it. I had probably 20 other detours of things I was working on before I came back to this gizmo.

On the outside it can look like--"Wow, Dr. Watts really has her s**t together" and in fact it took a lot to get here.

No magical wand.

No Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo.

Just time.

And persistence.

And patience.

Health doesn't happen overnight. Health is an ongoing journey.

First day of CGM wearing at the office...Let's see how the ol' metabolism does on a first day back to work, after 5 days...
05/27/2026

First day of CGM wearing at the office...

Let's see how the ol' metabolism does on a first day back to work, after 5 days off, while shifting gears every 30 minutes with back to back follow ups, and wearing multiple hats throughout the day. 😅

Reminder: cortisol is the only hormone in the body that gets priority preference and activity when surging (i.e. fight or flighting). Think of it as a "first class" hormone.

What do I mean? Ever wait in line at security at the airport? Ever run late for a flight? The line takes forever. The First Class peeps and TSA Pre Check go through first...meanwhile you wait.

Cortisol goes first. Insulin, thyroid, s*x hormones, etc will be more sluggish (i.e. wait in line) when cortisol is abundant.

Wearing a Continuous Glucose Monitor over the course of the next several weeks to experiment and tinker. I have used th...
05/26/2026

Wearing a Continuous Glucose Monitor over the course of the next several weeks to experiment and tinker. I have used this as a teaching tool with patients before but not worn one myself. I had a recent fasting glucose of 98 on my bloodwork, which is a little too close for comfort to me and I want to figure out what's taking place.

The first monitor I put on (Sunday) had me reading below 70s throughout an entire day, despite eating, and while I *can* be hangry that felt extreme--and I was right--it was broken. 😅

Thus, yesterday was my first full day wearing one (good thing it came in a 2 pack, they're sending a replacement as we speak). Generally I tell patients to wear 1 monitor (2 weeks) WITHOUT changing their habits and just going about life, so we can see any patterns that exist. And then once we figure out those patterns, to then take another monitor and make consistent changes based off of what we learned, to see if the data itself changes.

Patterns one might look for:
✅What is a morning fasting glucose, before eating? (Optimal is around 85)
✅ What is glucose right before eating? How long does it take for glucose to peak after a meal?
✅ How long does it take for glucose to level out after a meal?
✅(Ideally for a non-diabetic/non-prediabetic the above entire process should transpire in about 1.5-3 hours)
✅How does the make-up of the meal (carb heavy, protein heavy, fiber heavy, etc) change glucose readings?
✅Does the order of which a meal is eaten make a difference?(vegetable, then protein, then starch may have a better outcome than the starch first).
✅Does activity throughout the day make a difference? Can the activity timing be adjusted to optimize metabolism?
✅Does stress make a difference?
✅Are there any readings that are flagged as too low, and does anything provoke this? Are there symptoms that come with this?
✅What happens at night while sleeping? Note: sleeping on the sensor/applying pressure if you are a side sleeper can cause falsely low readings.

On my first day I noticed (I marked the notable things below with a star or heart):
✅My highest (and first) peak of the day was a quick jump: coffee with creamer. I am wondering if that will be a different experience if I have protein before the coffee (which I'm trying this morning).
✅The second peak of the day was a gradual incline, a protein shake, that had minimal effect.
✅You can see I snacked on meat/cheese/crackers in the afternoon as it stayed pretty steady.
✅The third peak of the day was dinner, my biggest meal and still, didn't peak like the coffee/creamer did. There was a *dramatic* drop of glucose (18 points actually) by going on a mile walk right after dinner. I'm going to eat the same meal tonight and *not* do a walk and see if my evening looks different.

Health: the never ending science experiment. 🙃

Our Water Bottle Graveyard keeps growing...Hopefully their owners will claim them.Sadly, 3 peeps are walking around far ...
05/18/2026

Our Water Bottle Graveyard keeps growing...Hopefully their owners will claim them.

Sadly, 3 peeps are walking around far less hydrated today. 😂🤣

05/16/2026

A reminder that while today could be viewed as the oldest you have ever been...

it is also the youngest you will ever again be.

This little thought helped me to graduate from tricep-push ups on my knees to the real deal this morning. 💪 💪

Each day, do a little something that builds healthy habits into your routine. Invest in your health now. It is easier to make changes now, than to wait and hope you can do it 20 years from now.

Jumped into my car this morning and hubs had put some items on my passenger seat that I was supposed to take to work. O...
05/15/2026

Jumped into my car this morning and hubs had put some items on my passenger seat that I was supposed to take to work. Of course, I had forgotten that I was to do this, but he remembered and took care of it. 🥺🥺

I wish more women (and their partners) understood that balancing the weight of the world, carrying an extreme mental load, and living in a state of high cortisol perpetually can be taxing enough to the body that it can exacerbate hormone imbalances and perimenopause. Chronic stress, high cortisol?

Expect declining progesterone levels.

And heavier, crampier, PMSy-er cycles.

And loss of sleep before your cycle.

And irritability, zero chill.

Taking the weight off your shoulders, easing the mental burden, a fair and equal showing up of partners in relationships/households.

One of the *hardest* root causes to "treat".

Ope. I said what I said.

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Waterville, OH
43566

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