Unraveling the Health Puzzle: Embracing Functional Medicine’s Holistic Pathway

“Everything looks fine! You have nothing to worry about – you’re in perfectly good health.”

Ever heard that before/after scheduling a visit to the doctor because something felt off? Maybe it was hormonal and you felt moody, bloated, gassy, your cycle was irregular, your mood was low. Or, maybe it was your digestion – you weren’t going to the bathroom every day. Your gut felt heavy, full, weighed down, cramped up. 

 

 

As disheartening as it can feel to get that “everything’s fine, be on your way now” dismissal, going to the doctor is usually an intelligent first step to unraveling the health puzzle. When you have that gut feeling that something just doesn’t feel right, it’s important to rule out any serious causes that require more immediate medical screening and intervention. These might include inflammatory bowel disease, an autoimmune condition like rheumatoid arthritis, some form of cancer, etc. 

 

You did your due diligence by seeing a medical doctor. And, they (hopefully) did theirs by running labs and checking for criteria that matches up to a diagnosis and corresponding medication. In the conventional medical setting, that’s about what we can expect to get. Imagine you found out something was really wrong. Good for you for getting checked out so you can quickly take next steps! 

 

Deciphering the Health Puzzle: What’s Next When There’s Nothing Dire Going On?

 

You still don’t feel well. And, you’re left even more confused than before because there’s no simple explanation. In fact, you might have even been made to feel invalidated. Perhaps you were told that your concerns are in your head and it’s just a manifestation of stress. To be frank, this is the point where things fall into your own hands and we need to do some digging to unravel the health puzzle!

 

You can choose to do this on your own. Or, you can search for an experienced holistic practitioner who will help you. And, let me drop a hint here. I’ve spent countless painstaking years trying to figure out my own mysterious health puzzle. I sorted through confusing and conflicting information. Plus, I experimented with different diets, supplements, and protocols as if I were a lab rat. Of course, this was all before I found my way to functional medicine. Based on my experience, I would recommend working with a holistic practitioner vs. trying to figure everything out on your own!

 

 

Conventional medicine typically stops at the diagnosis and the drug that corresponds with it. Beyond that, there’s not a whole lot of training around lifestyle interventions like coaching on nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and stress management. Meanwhile, these are the factors that underlie our ultimate health!

 

Functional Medicine Identifies the Root Causes of Health Problems

 

The goal of a functional medicine approach is to investigate root causes and connect the dots from one imbalance to another, versus treating each system of the body as its own separate entity. Your hormones are all out of whack? Let’s see what’s going on with your thyroid. Keep getting recurrent UTIs popping up? Let’s look into gut health! 

 

These are all examples of the many connections we can explore and address through lifestyle changes. The purpose is to restore the body’s equilibrium and optimize the ways in which everything works together like the instruments in a symphony. Imagine you’re at the orchestra, and a violinist is totally off tune, producing a horrible, squeaky cacophony. You can just barely hear the violinist, in particular, from your seat in the audience. But mostly, the entire song just sounds a bit messy. How do you think this out-of-sorts violinist will affect the instrumentalist next to them? And if that one is getting thrown off, what about the one next to them?

 

This ripple effect is a good analogy to when one body part or organ system isn’t functioning optimally. Down the line, it leads to suboptimal functioning and agitating symptoms. You might experience low energy, brain fog, headaches, digestion issues, anxiety, depression, recurring UTIs and other infections, high cholesterol, etc. 

 

Unravel the Health Puzzle by Understanding How Body Systems Work Together

To explore how the different body systems affect others down the line, let’s take a deeper dive into the root cause and resulting effects of high cholesterol.

 

Say you’re doing everything your doctor has recommended to help lower your LDL (AKA “bad cholesterol”). You’re limiting saturated fat intake, avoiding sugar and processed carbohydrates, and exercising regularly. However, no matter what you do, you can’t get that dang number down like you could in the past by simply dialing things back a bit. Now, you’re buckling down on these changes more than ever. But, that level just won’t budge.

 

Sure, genetics can absolutely be a big player in hypercholesterolemia. But, there’s more we can explore before writing it off to bad genes, getting started on a statin, and calling it a day. When I see a case like this, one of the first things I want to look at is liver function. Cholesterol is regulated in the body by being brought into the liver to get converted into bile. Bile then moves into the gallbladder where it becomes more concentrated and is stored until it’s released into the duodenum with pancreatic enzymes. This process aids in breaking down our food. Ultimately, this allows our body to absorb the nutrients we consume into our cells to be converted into energy. 

 

When the liver isn’t functioning optimally, you can see a kink in the chain. This leads to impaired clearance of cholesterol, high LDL, and nutrient malabsorption. Ultimately, this impairment can manifest into a multitude of symptoms. When your body cannot efficiently break down and utilize essential nutrients, we can expect fatigue, poor concentration, mood imbalance, and other symptoms to develop over time.

Liver Function: Another Piece in the Health Puzzle

 

One of the liver’s primary functions is to metabolize hormones, such as estrogen, insulin, thyroid hormones, and cortisol. Hormones are chemical messengers that regulate various bodily processes, including growth, metabolism, reproduction, and stress response. When these hormones have completed their tasks, they need to be broken down and eliminated from the body. Estrogen, for example, is metabolized by the liver into different forms that can be easily eliminated. If the liver is not functioning optimally, it may have difficulty breaking it down efficiently. As a result, estrogen levels can build up in the body. This leads to an imbalance known as estrogen dominance. This hormonal imbalance can cause a range of symptoms. These include mood swings, irregular menstrual cycles, weight gain, and even increased risk of certain cancers, such as breast and uterine cancer.

 

When faced with vague or dismissed symptoms that leave us feeling frustrated and confused, it is essential to take control of our own health journey. While conventional medicine may provide valuable insights into serious conditions and offer medications to manage them, it often falls short in addressing the underlying imbalances and providing comprehensive lifestyle interventions.

 

This is where functional medicine steps in. A functional medicine practitioner focuses on identifying root causes and exploring the interconnectedness of various body systems. By examining the relationships between different imbalances and addressing them holistically, functional medicine aims to restore equilibrium and optimize overall health.

 

Functional Medicine: A Holistic Approach to Understanding Your Health

Functional medicine recognizes that the body functions as a symphony, with each system and organ playing a crucial role. When one component is out of tune, it can disrupt the harmony of the entire orchestra. Similarly, when one aspect of our health behaviors is imbalanced, such as stress management, it can lead to a cascade of symptoms and affect other systems.

 

Taking high cholesterol as an example, functional medicine looks beyond genetics and explores liver function as a potential factor. The liver plays a vital role in cholesterol regulation and bile production, which is essential for nutrient absorption and gut microbial balance. Impaired liver function can result in elevated LDL cholesterol, impaired nutrient absorption, dysbiosis, and a range of symptoms affecting energy, concentration, and mood.

 

The interconnectedness of the body becomes evident as imbalances in one area lead to disruptions in other systems. This understanding highlights the importance of a comprehensive approach to health that includes lifestyle modifications like nutrition, exercise, sleep, and stress management.

 

By embracing functional medicine principles, individuals can take charge of their health and work towards restoring balance and vitality. Seeking the guidance of experienced holistic practitioners who specialize in functional medicine can provide valuable support in navigating the complex web of interconnected imbalances and developing personalized strategies for optimal well-being.

 

In conclusion, when conventional medicine falls short in providing answers to vague or dismissed symptoms, we at Rachel Scheer Nutrition offer a holistic approach to uncovering root causes and restoring balance. We empower individuals to take an active role in their health and serve as their guide as they embark on a journey towards comprehensive well-being and understanding the health puzzle.

 

To book your holistic approach to uncovering root causes click here!