At 30 years old, Dr. Elizabeth Boham was building the life she had always imagined. She was in the middle of her medical residency, taking care of her health, and looking forward to starting a family. A breast cancer diagnosis was the last thing she ever expected.
In this week’s bonus episode of our HEALing Stories series, Dr. Elizabeth Boham, board-certified family medicine physician and Medical Director of Dr. Mark Hyman’s UltraWellness Center, shares how that unexpected diagnosis changed the course of her life and challenged everything she thought she knew about health.
When Elizabeth discovered a lump that turned out to be an aggressive form of breast cancer, her world was turned upside down. Suddenly, she was no longer just the doctor caring for others. She was the patient, facing difficult decisions, overwhelming emotions, and questions about what her future might look like.
Elizabeth speaks candidly about the fear, anger, and uncertainty that came with her diagnosis, the challenges of navigating the medical system, and what it felt like to question everything she had believed about living a healthy life. She shares the lessons she learned along the way, from the importance of advocating for yourself to recognizing how much more there is to our well-being than simply eating right and exercising.
The conversation also explores the impact of chronic stress, the connection between emotional and physical health, and how Elizabeth's experience ultimately transformed the way she approaches medicine and cares for her patients today.
Through her story, Elizabeth offers a heartfelt reminder that even when life takes a turn we never saw coming, there is still room for hope, self-compassion, and a new perspective on what truly matters.
Key Moments You’ll Love ✨ :
🔬 [3:34] A Nutrition PhD in Medical School and Still Blindsided by Cancer
🤲 [5:48] The Lump Was Obvious and She Went Into Denial Anyway
💉 [8:40] Stage One Triple Negative — the Fastest Growing Kind
🍼 [11:47] Her Oncologist Wasn’t Happy — She Got Pregnant Five Months After Chemo
🧘 [19:10] Weekly Reiki Sessions Changed Her Relationship With Her Body
😤 [22:09] She Was Doing Everything Right — and That Made Her Angry
📖 [24:50] The Oprah Gratitude Episode That Rewired Her Mindset
🌿 [28:00] Acupuncture, Journaling, Forgiveness — the Tools That Actually Helped
💨 [34:28] Breathwork as Nervous System Regulation — Her Daily Practice
🎈 [40:10] A Tigger Balloon and the First Time She Was Ever Proud of Herself
🏥 [45:10] Functional Medicine Asks Why — Conventional Medicine Just Puts Out Fires
💛 [44:15] What to Do When You’re Sitting in the Parking Lot After a Diagnosis
LINKS
Dr. Boham on Instagram @elizabethbohammd
To learn more on how to work with Dr. Boham at the UltraWellness Center, schedule a complimentary discovery call
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