My Story

I was pretty young when I realized that my mom was struggling with her health. I knew that she was constantly exhausted and struggling. Her first symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis were at the age of 19, but she was not officially diagnosed until she was in her 30’s.

My father also struggled with his health and at the age of 33 passed away from cancer.

Even as a child, I knew that my parents’ illness was not caused by one single factor and a single cure would never work.

I don’t ever remember not wanting to go into medicine, I wanted to help people. I didn’t know that some of my biggest lessons in health and healing would be in my own family, from my parents’ illnesses to caring for grandparents, one with dementia. 

When I entered the medical field, I quickly realized that conventional medicine was not what I had envisioned it to be. It was a system that simply didn’t allow time to take care of people. Fifteen minute visits were the expectation regardless of how sick someone might be. 

One day, I was working in a rural primary care clinic when my manager told me ‘Walk out of the room if someone has more than two complaints, you only have 15 minutes with them, so tell them to come back another day’. Not my idea of what is needed for healing. 

As I became increasingly discouraged with the healthcare system and my work, my own health started to decline.

At one point, I couldn’t remember words to finish sentences. I was so exhausted that getting ready for bed was a monumental task so I just slept in my clothes. My acid reflux was getting worse and a host of other symptoms were popping up. I ended up on multiple prescriptions a day, one for each new symptom. Most of the conventional testing was not giving  the clues needed to get a firm diagnosis.

Then, I had a colleague recommend that I consider disability. That, was my turning point. In that moment, I decided I was going to make a dramatic shift and take my health into my own hands.

As I started reviewing the current research, I stumbled across Functional Medicine and the Institute for Functional Medicine. They didn’t abandon everything I had learned in conventional medicine, but instead enhanced it with the latest research. Functional Medicine weaves together the latest research, not only in biochemistry, but in psychology, sociology and other fields of science to help the entire person heal. 

I had just discovered Functional Medicine and started to implement its’ principles when my sister was diagnosed with lesions in her brain and spine consistent with Multiple Sclerosis.

I have implemented the principles of Functional Medicine. I no longer take any prescriptions. My improvement has been dramatic. My mom is improving after years of getting worse, which is not normal after having neurodegenerative disease for almost 40 years. My sister’s symptoms of MS have significantly improved and are controlled to the point that she is teaching English in Thailand where it is extremely hot (think over 100 degrees many days). It’s environment that puts most MS patients on bedrest or in a wheelchair and she doing it without prescriptions. 

We stand as a testament, there is hope and healing available.