Functional Medicine
Of late, I have been connecting and reconnecting with a lot of my female friends and there’s a common theme in our conversations: they are facing health issues and don’t know how to manage them. The reasons vary from the number or combination of ailments to autoimmune conditions to the frustration of failed attempts at “cures” to a disinterest in taking big pharma pills. All of these reasons and more resonate deeply with me and every conversation inevitably ends with me recommending functional medicine (FM.)
FM looks to identify the root cause of health issues and treats the cause not the symptoms. It is a deep dive into your history to build a 360 view of what’s going on in your life, from stressors, environmental factors, lifestyle, diet, etc. Extensive lab work is done in order to collect data on your health. It’s a very personalized approach to your health because at the end of the day, you are unique. The relationship with the doctor and nutritionist is a partnership where both parties are interested in optimization.
I was not super familiar with it until I started researching holistic ways to manage my health. I was a mess. I had ongoing cholesterol and thyroid issues. Severe insomnia. Rheumatoid arthritis. I had a bunch of mysterious infections and was taking antibiotics at least a couple of times a year. I had recently been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition in the form of fibromyalgia which was a beast to “manage”, led to 25 pound weight gain, extreme fatigue, unimaginable pain, locked muscles, brain fog, and I will stop there. I was defeated. I did not have a life. On a rare visit to the gym, I bumped into a tennis friend who recommended Green Circle Wellness and I am so grateful for this chance encounter.
Dr. Pavilonis shared my lab results which showed leaky gut, pre-diabetes, an actual allergy to shrimp, and very high inflammation markers. I was shook, overwhelmed, and tired. Then I met with Faith Perrin, the nutritionist who told me to eliminate alcohol, caffeine, gluten, and dairy amongst other protocols. My jaw hit the floor and kept plummeting to Lower Wacker Drive. All of it was a lot to take in and I was also desperate enough to have a semblance of a life again that I immediately put in the work to rehaul my diet to see if it would make any difference. I barely had energy but lived in the kitchen prepping fresh food! FM was the first step I needed to get my health and life back. I went from bed ridden to mobile and it took 6 months. It has led me to the path of intuitive eating, mindful living, and a recognition that there is an interconnectedness within us that deserves exploration (the power of the mind-body connection is so very real). I also discovered I find the human mind and body endlessly fascinating! I love learning about wellness, nutrition, and brain health and have accumulated a wealth of knowledge that I enjoy sharing.
Thanks to my health crisis, I have had more “Who Am I” moments with food than I can count. The carefree days of letting my stomach lead the way, being restaurant obsessed, living in Italy, and globetrotting the world seemed like a distant dream. I grappled with being a gastronome and the new role of food in my life because it seemed incongruous. At a certain point, I stopped mourning the past/worrying about the future and concluded that the Universe was opening the path to discovering food in perhaps its highest form: as medicine. Here I am, still food obsessed, now in a different way. It’s a journey! And it isn’t over by any means.
A word of caution: functional medicine may not work equally for everyone. I’m coming from a place where things were so dire and it was hard to have hope. FM set me down a path to reclaiming my health and I believe it can make a positive difference in others lives, which is why I’m sharing my personal experience though I cherish my privacy. My sister and mom have also worked with Green Circle, I have helped them in their journey, and they have had incredible results. A couple other friends have also had similar experiences. It’s a small sample size but at the end of the day, I believe that knowing more about your health data and eating clean will positively impact your health.
Top Aha Moments Thanks to FM:
You know your body best. Trust it.
Food is medicine
Learn how to manage stress
Experimentation with foods is key
It all starts with your gut and it has a brain
Sleep is imperative and sleep hygiene is real
Diabetes can be controlled via diet
Lettuce, especially red leaf and romaine, has real health benefits
Processed foods wreak havoc in our bodies (wish they weren’t so damn palatable)
Exercise. In any way that makes your body feel good.
Potatoes have a worthy place on the plate (yay!)
A good sign of health is energy levels
Dates are your BFF when avoiding other sugars
There isn’t a blood-brain barrier
Results can take time. Don’t give up hope!
Nature is healing
A healthy mind can lead to a healthy body
Trauma results in physical ailments. Book rec: The Body Keeps the Score.
Hydrate properly. Dehydration messes with the mind.
Finally, you have to be 100% ready for change and to do the work to maximize the benefits (read: likely eliminate dairy/gluten/alcohol in the short term; as the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures).
