Wow, such a good piece. I appreciate how you present everything in a digestible way (pun originally not intended, but kept on purpose).
My grandmother was a “hippie doctor” in the 1970s before it was cool to be one. I have clear memories of playing at her house while she sat in her chair, reading medical research journals. She had wheels of vitamins she took every day; protein shakes; her house was cleaned with organic cleaners; her air purifiers ran constantly. She was insistent that everyone take vitamins and that we know about the health of our poop. (Very fun when you’re 8.)
An (in)famous family story centers on her bringing out her “Poop Book” at a dinner party to ask a four-star general which of the pictures he most closely related to. 💩 She was serious about gut health, she wanted people to be healthy, and she lived an active life until age 90.
This presented an interesting experience for me growing up as a child. My parents leaned away from modern medicine to a degree that definitely harmed me and my brother (both physiologically and mentally). As a 20-something I had to learn how to go to the doctor, ask questions and evaluate medication, but eventually realized that I needed both sides of the medicine aisle in my life. I want a medical doctor to be able to catch the big stuff. And it’s not lost on me that fertility doctors helped figure out how to help me deliver a healthy baby girl after two consecutive, unexplained second trimester miscarriages. (I also did some acupuncture and active body trauma therapy, so I know those were in the mix, but for me, modern western medicine came in clutch here.)
I’ve likened Functional Medicine vs Western Medicine as two warring kingdoms. They’re (often, not always) insistent on discrediting the other in order to be the top dog. Because being the top dog is what the fight is all about? When, as your piece highlights, the top dog would’ve had you living in misery, insisting nothing can be done about how your body was basically at war with you.
Most of my extended family sees functional medicine doctors (or some who lean more toward witch doctor status if I’m being honest), and I’ve noticed the most common reason they’re hesitant to listen to medical doctors is because they’re so often full of dead ends and prescription pads. Whereas FM doctors tend to have this tireless, keep searching posture -- they keep fighting to help you find a way to feel better. And I can’t blame anyone for wanting someone who doesn’t give up on them.
I also have autoimmune thyroid. I discovered it when I was pregnant at 40, and not soon enough because I had a monster case of preclampsia which, it turns out, are linked. I had been battling weight, fatigue etc for years. I went to an MD that was also into a lot of alternative medicine because I never felt good when my labs said I should. Went through tons of tests. Lots of supplements etc.. but by that time, my thyroid was pretty much burned out. I needed so much supplementation that I didn't really consider any other option. And I chose a doctor who was willing to over medicate me.
I think there are a lot of theories, and anecdotal evidence but in the end, no one really knows. I think it feels good to take action (do something!), and making an effort outside of taking a pill gives you some semblance of control. But at the end of the day, my grandmother grew up and lived in rural Wisconsin. Less pollution. Low stress. Diet quality debatable (with all that white flour). But theoretically less allostatic load than me. But pretty much the same result, a funky thyroid as she wound up with Graves disease in her 40s.
Congrats on getting down those TPO's so quickly!!! It is crazy that endocrinologists don't think thyroid antibodies worth focusing on, even though they're clearly a sign that something is off. I'm glad you proved them wrong by moving the needle with a gluten/dairy-free diet.
A fantastic piece. Functional medicine gives me hope and I appreciate you sharing about it. And yet also…I saw a functional medicine practitioner and things did not go well. He diagnosed me with conditions that it turned out I did not have, he put me on needlessly restrictive diets whilst knowing I had a history of disordered eating, and—to be frank—he ought to have given more consideration to my poop. It turned out I didn’t have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. I had microbiome dysbiosis to the point that I had zero lactobasillus bacteria in my gut and candida. That’ll do ya. I had an increase of chronic health symptoms after seeing this functional medicine doctor (and spent a lot of money I did not have), though he did recommend an herb that was vital to my healing. When I started to truly improve it was with the help of two completely allopathic doctors who listened to me and let me direct my own care. My allopathic gastroenterologist ordered the stool test that changed my life, but then he was ok with me picking the probiotics and candida treatment that ended up being the game changers.
My understanding has been that a major part of functional medicine is establishing the root cause of symptoms. Perhaps this is more exceptional than I thought, because that’s not what the functional medicine doctor I saw practiced. But that’s what guided me as I worked with the two allopathic doctors: let’s get to the root. I suppose what happened was I employed the perspective of functional medicine myself and self directed the care I received from those two practitioners. My husband and I did research, requested specific labs, refused some things, tried new modalities, etc. This isn’t something I could have done when I became chronically ill at nineteen—it took eight years of learning and experience. Which is bollocks, really. It shouldn’t take that.
Also poop is awesome and needs to be talked about more. Thank you for that! That’s massive that your thyroid antibodies improved and that you’ve seen changes in your body. Every increment of more energy, less symptoms should be celebrated. Also your reconsideration of stress—spot on!
Oh goodness... this is so deep and resonates hugely to my current condition. I have on-off symptoms in my gut and heart that the GP and cardiologists can't really connect the dots, although my heart bills are clear after extensive tests. I should plan seeing an FM doctor next year. This kind of writing is what motivates me to share my story as well in my publication because we women are often misunderstood (talk about me going to A&E a couple of times of chest pain, getting dismissed because non-cardiac related, yes but why? I had to research it myself). Cheers and prayers for your management and let's keep sharing the word and grow the community.
Wow, such a good piece. I appreciate how you present everything in a digestible way (pun originally not intended, but kept on purpose).
My grandmother was a “hippie doctor” in the 1970s before it was cool to be one. I have clear memories of playing at her house while she sat in her chair, reading medical research journals. She had wheels of vitamins she took every day; protein shakes; her house was cleaned with organic cleaners; her air purifiers ran constantly. She was insistent that everyone take vitamins and that we know about the health of our poop. (Very fun when you’re 8.)
An (in)famous family story centers on her bringing out her “Poop Book” at a dinner party to ask a four-star general which of the pictures he most closely related to. 💩 She was serious about gut health, she wanted people to be healthy, and she lived an active life until age 90.
This presented an interesting experience for me growing up as a child. My parents leaned away from modern medicine to a degree that definitely harmed me and my brother (both physiologically and mentally). As a 20-something I had to learn how to go to the doctor, ask questions and evaluate medication, but eventually realized that I needed both sides of the medicine aisle in my life. I want a medical doctor to be able to catch the big stuff. And it’s not lost on me that fertility doctors helped figure out how to help me deliver a healthy baby girl after two consecutive, unexplained second trimester miscarriages. (I also did some acupuncture and active body trauma therapy, so I know those were in the mix, but for me, modern western medicine came in clutch here.)
I’ve likened Functional Medicine vs Western Medicine as two warring kingdoms. They’re (often, not always) insistent on discrediting the other in order to be the top dog. Because being the top dog is what the fight is all about? When, as your piece highlights, the top dog would’ve had you living in misery, insisting nothing can be done about how your body was basically at war with you.
Most of my extended family sees functional medicine doctors (or some who lean more toward witch doctor status if I’m being honest), and I’ve noticed the most common reason they’re hesitant to listen to medical doctors is because they’re so often full of dead ends and prescription pads. Whereas FM doctors tend to have this tireless, keep searching posture -- they keep fighting to help you find a way to feel better. And I can’t blame anyone for wanting someone who doesn’t give up on them.
I also have autoimmune thyroid. I discovered it when I was pregnant at 40, and not soon enough because I had a monster case of preclampsia which, it turns out, are linked. I had been battling weight, fatigue etc for years. I went to an MD that was also into a lot of alternative medicine because I never felt good when my labs said I should. Went through tons of tests. Lots of supplements etc.. but by that time, my thyroid was pretty much burned out. I needed so much supplementation that I didn't really consider any other option. And I chose a doctor who was willing to over medicate me.
I think there are a lot of theories, and anecdotal evidence but in the end, no one really knows. I think it feels good to take action (do something!), and making an effort outside of taking a pill gives you some semblance of control. But at the end of the day, my grandmother grew up and lived in rural Wisconsin. Less pollution. Low stress. Diet quality debatable (with all that white flour). But theoretically less allostatic load than me. But pretty much the same result, a funky thyroid as she wound up with Graves disease in her 40s.
congratulations! that's major progress!
Congrats on getting down those TPO's so quickly!!! It is crazy that endocrinologists don't think thyroid antibodies worth focusing on, even though they're clearly a sign that something is off. I'm glad you proved them wrong by moving the needle with a gluten/dairy-free diet.
A fantastic piece. Functional medicine gives me hope and I appreciate you sharing about it. And yet also…I saw a functional medicine practitioner and things did not go well. He diagnosed me with conditions that it turned out I did not have, he put me on needlessly restrictive diets whilst knowing I had a history of disordered eating, and—to be frank—he ought to have given more consideration to my poop. It turned out I didn’t have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. I had microbiome dysbiosis to the point that I had zero lactobasillus bacteria in my gut and candida. That’ll do ya. I had an increase of chronic health symptoms after seeing this functional medicine doctor (and spent a lot of money I did not have), though he did recommend an herb that was vital to my healing. When I started to truly improve it was with the help of two completely allopathic doctors who listened to me and let me direct my own care. My allopathic gastroenterologist ordered the stool test that changed my life, but then he was ok with me picking the probiotics and candida treatment that ended up being the game changers.
My understanding has been that a major part of functional medicine is establishing the root cause of symptoms. Perhaps this is more exceptional than I thought, because that’s not what the functional medicine doctor I saw practiced. But that’s what guided me as I worked with the two allopathic doctors: let’s get to the root. I suppose what happened was I employed the perspective of functional medicine myself and self directed the care I received from those two practitioners. My husband and I did research, requested specific labs, refused some things, tried new modalities, etc. This isn’t something I could have done when I became chronically ill at nineteen—it took eight years of learning and experience. Which is bollocks, really. It shouldn’t take that.
Also poop is awesome and needs to be talked about more. Thank you for that! That’s massive that your thyroid antibodies improved and that you’ve seen changes in your body. Every increment of more energy, less symptoms should be celebrated. Also your reconsideration of stress—spot on!
Oh goodness... this is so deep and resonates hugely to my current condition. I have on-off symptoms in my gut and heart that the GP and cardiologists can't really connect the dots, although my heart bills are clear after extensive tests. I should plan seeing an FM doctor next year. This kind of writing is what motivates me to share my story as well in my publication because we women are often misunderstood (talk about me going to A&E a couple of times of chest pain, getting dismissed because non-cardiac related, yes but why? I had to research it myself). Cheers and prayers for your management and let's keep sharing the word and grow the community.
Seventy percent of the immune system resides in the gut, and ninety percent of serotonin is produced in the gut.!!!
i knew it i knew it i knew it