By Alane Palmer, ND, CNC
www.NutritionallyYours.net
When I think about what “Functional Medicine” is, I think of the functionality of the body and all its wonders. Your body needs to be loved and cared for in it’s very own specific ways. Your body will tell you something is wrong by having a symptom and when that symptom improves it may tell you there is something else that it needs. Your body will tell you what foods it is ok with and which ones it is not. It can be baffling when one person can eat anything they want and another person reacts to almost anything they eat. How do we get our body functioning the way we need it to? And is traditional medicine the only way to treat illnesses and symptoms that get in the way of good health?
I grew up in a very “medically” minded family and whenever I did not feel well I was brought to a doctor for a diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately, I visited doctors way too frequently growing up due to irritable bowel symptoms. The doctors could never find anything wrong with my stomach, they just said it was irritable and I needed to take medication to keep it relaxed. My grandfather was a pharmacist in New York City, and the odd thing was when I got a tummy ache and talked to him, he would say I should drink a cola or ginger-ale. Even though he was a pharmacist, he never told me to take a pill or medication. That always baffled me.
I know modern medicine is necessary and it has saved lives. I always wondered if there was something else people could do to prevent needing so much medication and trips to the doctors. As the years went on, my stomach health got worse, and no one could ever tell me “why” I had constant stomach aches. I was afraid to go on long trips, go out to eat with friends, afraid to go on a date for fear my stomach would “freak” on me. As I moved around and met different people, I started to work in a vitamin store in New Jersey. Of course, I was late my first day due to IBS symptoms. My boss gave me a bottle of probiotics and said it would help to provide my gut some good bacteria, so I did, and the symptoms improved some. Later on, I met a medical doctor that taught me about food allergies and food intolerance. She suggested I give up gluten and see if the gluten protein was causing my IBS. I did and she was 100% correct! All these years, the root cause of my irritable bowel suffering was gluten. The egg noodles, the pop-tarts, the Twinkies, the hamburger buns and of course the chocolate chip cookies I grew up on were the cause of my stomach aches. Of course, as I got older I learned to stop eating junk food but even healthy whole wheat bread has gluten in it.
So, what is the functionality of functional medicine? It is simply put, getting to the root cause of health challenges and treating the body the way it needs to be treated. If the body does not want gluten, then do not feed it gluten and symptoms improve. Kind of cool I think!
Nutritionally Yours is all about getting to the root cause of health struggles and getting you feeling your best in life. We combine natural remedies and techniques along with our medical doctor on staff, that is available if medication and a diagnosis is needed. We consider the entire body and how it works, not just one symptom that needs a band-aid fix. For example, my main symptom was stomach aches due to gluten and medications reduced the symptoms (the band- aid). Years later I learned that my body is autoimmune and gluten was causing all kinds of issues that would most likely have gotten worse as I got older.
Phone: 678-372-2913
Would you like to get to the root of your health struggles and symptoms? Would you like to learn more about the functionality of YOUR body and YOUR uniqueness?
At Nutritionally Yours we would love to work with you to get you back to being the best you EVER!
Email: alanepnd@gmail.com
Website: Nutritionallyyours.net
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Medical disclaimer: Nutritionally Yours is not a medical clinic. Testing cannot be used to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. All test results are to be used as educational materials and as a guide to help support your overall health and wellness. Always discuss health concerns with your medical doctor. We have a nutritionist, naturopath and a medical doctor on staff to help you feel your best.
