Why Functional Medicine and Health Coaching?

I am a nurse practitioner in medical oncology, a metaphor I use to describe my job is: I am part of the team of people who rescue drowning people from the river, pull them out, dry them off so they can continue living their lives. There’s value and satisfaction in that. Over the last several years, I’ve become passionate about looking upstream and asking “who or what pushed you in? And how can we keep you out of the river?” I love not only helping to dry people off; also staying with them as they recover, and restore from cancer treatment. Walking by their side so they don’t fall back into the river. A key part of what puts us in the river in the first place, and will promote recovery and healing once we’re out of the river is lifestyle.

In 2014, I was 44 years old and felt horrible. Insomnia, anxiety and bloating were my main symptoms. I got thru the day with copious amounts of coffee and was addicted to my 4pm large muffin. The message I received from all around me was: Well, you’re getting older, you’re busy working and with 3 kids, that’s just how it is. I learned about functional medicine, which addressed the root causes of my symptoms and haven’t looked back. I’m 52, I feel and look better than ever. Functional medicine looks at the root causes of illness, or “falling into the river” examining WHY and how illness occurs. Health is restored by addressing that (or those) root cause(s).

I incorporated many lifestyle principles into my practice with oncology patients. I would tell them what to change, and provide data and many resources to back up my “patient education.” I delivered this in the way I was trained as a nurse. Some people smiled, and thanked me, others flat out told me “No way. Forget it.” Some people, however, seemed genuinely willing to make changes in their lifestyle to feel better, but just couldn’t get there. They knew where they are now after cancer treatment - depleted, changed in body, mind and spirit, and terrified it will happen again. They may know where they want to be, and are at a loss as to how to get there.

They could see me standing in the place of health, waving frantically at them “Come over here!” I could rattle off all the benefits of why they should come over here. But I couldn’t tell them or help them get over there to where they want to be.

I could have said “Forget it. They don’t want it bad enough.” But I knew that was incorrect. I could have stayed with my job- I worked for a large hospital system, with decent pay, benefits, and a retirement program.

Instead, I embarked on a journey to figure out how to help people feel better with lifestyle changes, which let’s face it, can be incredibly difficult. They seem impossible. Daunting. But they don’t have to be. That’s where I come in with my training as a health coach from the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy: I added to my expertise about cancer and treatments, and my favs- cancer patients - tools to get them (you!) over to health where you want to be. Ways to make the change guided by me, but not dictated by me. There’s a huge difference in that.

That’s where the benefits are, that’s how change happens. That’s how bridges are built.