Finding the Root Cause: How Functional Medicine Healed My Chronic Illness
Discovering the underlying factors and holistic treatments that transformed my health.
Welcome to our new Sunday series, on L.O.V.E! This issue is jam-packed with insights on Learning, Organization, Vitality, and Eating for a happier, healthier life and business. Let's jump right in.
On Learning 📚
What is Functional Medicine (FM), and how does it compare to conventional healthcare?
"Functional Medicine practitioners promote wellness by focusing on the fundamental underlying factors that influence every patient's experience of health and disease." - The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM)
Last week, I shared more about my first month as a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach Candidate and what I’m learning in the program.
I first discovered Functional Medicine as a patient when trying to get to the root cause of my chronic illness and escalating symptoms.
Functional Medicine focuses on finding the root cause of chronic disease rather than suppressing symptoms.
Practitioners spend time with patients to take a thorough history and create a timeline. They run precise tests and advanced labs and partner with patients to co-create a personalized health management plan.
Using depression as an example, Mark Hyman, MD (IFM Board President) explains depression is not the cause of depressive symptoms. It's just the name we use for the symptoms of depression.
He goes on to talk about finding the root cause of the symptoms:
"This is where we really need to do the work. It could be because they're eating gluten and they've developed an autoimmune disease like Hashimoto's and have low thyroid and that causes depression. Or it could be because they're eating bad food and have reflux and have been taking Prilosec for 20 years, and they have B12 deficiency. Or it could be because they live in Seattle and have Vitamin D deficiency. Or because they've taken antibiotics and altered their gut flora." 1
After finding the root cause of chronic symptoms, FM practitioners can use an array of treatment options to restore balance and health, including pharmaceuticals, supplements, and personalized lifestyle and environmental factors like:
Sleep & Relaxation
Exercise & Movement
Nutrition
Stress
Relationships
Lifestyle behaviors are where Health Coaches come into the collaborative care team. Changing how we eat, moving our bodies, and the habits that impact our overall health become automatic ways of being, making change difficult.
Next week, I'll talk more about the role of health coaches in facilitating change.
On Organization 🗃️
Relieving self-inflicted pressure and setting up systems for school + Substack.
After officially retiring from corporate last November, I felt internal pressure to start building my business. I felt like I had to prove that I'd made the right decision to change paths by bringing my new vision to life as quickly as possible.
I started working on a new workshop, a new coaching offer, and my website and hired a coach to help me with my messaging. And while I made some progress, I kept stalling before reaching the finish line on anything.
I felt so much internal resistance. It took a lot of journaling and reflection to figure out where it was coming from.
Last year was exhausting with Chris' radiation treatments ending in September and my health challenges. I needed rest, time in nature, connection with family, puppy snuggles, and time to prepare for a new season of life.
So, I pressed pause on all loose ends and focused on being present and taking care of myself.
I started Functional Medicine coaching classes in March. After getting my footing, I decided to relieve the pressure to immediately bring everything to life and focus on school and writing here on Substack.
I don't want to do all the things. I want to do a few things well.
I want to have the mental capacity to absorb everything I'm learning—to read slowly, take notes, develop new skills, and write thoughtfully—and not feel rushed or distracted because I've added too much to my plate.
I have a schedule for classwork and homework, and I am fine-tuning a new approach to writing on Substack. As I organize it, I'll share more about my new system.
How about you? In what ways can you reduce friction in your life and work?
On Vitality 🪴
My current Functional Medicine protocol and how understanding the root cause of my gut issues improved my health.
When I was struggling with chronic digestion issues, I first sought treatment from a conventional medicine team: my Primary Care Physician and a Gastroenterologist.
Testing and labs came back mostly normal. I was diagnosed with IBS & GERD and prescribed various pills to suppress my chronic symptoms.
The meds worked off and on at best, and my symptoms were multiplying. My stomach issues were flaring up almost every day. My face was breaking out, I was tired all of the time, and feeling depressed.
I'd later learn the gut microbiome is closely linked to our immune system and physical and mental well-being.
I discovered the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Functional Medicine and decided it was worth a try.
My Functional Medicine physician asked detailed questions and performed specific testing, including advanced labs and an analysis of my gut microbiome.
The results showed significant inflammation and the underlying cause of my symptoms. I had severe dysbiosis - an imbalance of bacteria in my gut.
There was an overgrowth of harmful bacteria and too few of certain good bacteria. Dysbiosis wasn't a theory; as my test results showed, it was the actual cause of my symptoms.
It was likely the result of my long history of antibiotic use, from recurrent strep throat as a child, dermatologist-prescribed antibiotics to treat acne as a young adult, and black-label antibiotics prescribed to treat a severe infection I'd gotten a couple of years before.
My FM physician put me on a protocol of botanical antimicrobial drops, multiple strains of probiotics, prebiotics, and supplements to repair my gut lining and support my immune system.
After a six-week elimination diet, she also recommended some dietary changes, like avoiding coffee and foods high in saturated fats—known triggers for me.
I'm amazed at how quickly my symptoms improved since following my treatment plan. I thought I'd have to live with these symptoms forever. Now, I rarely have digestive problems! I'm beyond grateful for my Functional Medicine team.
If you've been struggling with chronic symptoms and would like to find a FM practitioner, search the IFM network here.
On Eating 🫐
Exploring Mediterranean diet recipes and balancing cooking with ready-made meals.
We don't follow a specific diet, but I like exploring recipes from the Mediterranean diet because it focuses primarily on whole foods, healthy fats, and nutritious fruits and veggies.
My favorites from last week were honey-dijon-glazed salmon with a Greek-style side salad and Mediterranean chicken meatball bowls.
When I tried to eat healthier in the past, perfectionistic tendencies and all-or-nothing thinking would derail my progress every time 😣.
I wasn't consciously aware of this until a therapist helped me see the pattern, but I had this rigid rubric in my mind of how I "should" be eating. When I couldn't deliver on that, I'd throw in the towel and order takeout. (Make it make sense 😂)
Thankfully, I've broken through this block. While we don't eat "perfectly" (whatever that means), we eat way more nutritious whole foods and balance them with convenience.
For example, I found the recipe for the Mediterranean bowls on TikTok:
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To simplify, I bought a premade pack of Greek-style spinach and feta chicken meatballs from the grocery store. Perfectionist Alyssa may have put them back on the shelf because they weren’t organic or had a sketchy ingredient I’d never heard of listed on the label.
I had the best intentions every time I tried to “makeover” our way of eating, but striving for unattainable standards would leave me feeling defeated and falling back into old habits.
On an evening when I didn’t feel like making meatballs from scratch, the packaged ones were a perfect addition to our meal and kept me off DoorDash.
Do you see perfectionistic tendencies or all-or-nothing thinking showing up when you try to make positive changes?
Share your thoughts in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
If you enjoyed this issue of On L.O.V.E, please hit the like button to let Substack know it’s a good read. I appreciate your support!
With love,
Alyssa B.
Mark Hyman, MD. "One Condition, Many Causes | One Cause, Many Conditions." Institute for Functional Medicine, 17 December 2019, https://video.ifm.org/one-condition-many-causes-one.
So helpful. Thank you.