Revitalizing Health: My Experience with Functional Medicine and a New Path to Wellness
How often do you think about your health? It is a daily thing for me! It is inconvenient that when we most appreciate health is when we are not feeling so great. Whether it is general wear and tear on the body, inflammation, weight struggles, gut imbalance, autoimmune disease, or any other number of things that can go wrong in the body, we have all experienced some kind of struggle. And as we get older, it seems natural for our health to decline, but that does not have to be the case; we do not have to live with symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, or pain. Functional Medicine may have the answers to you feeling your absolute best.
Five years ago, after struggling with intense brain fog, fatigue, and weight gain over a year post-partum, I asked my doctor to do a full thyroid panel. That was when my primary care physician diagnosed me with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, an Autoimmune disease that can cause hypothyroidism. From my understanding, with Hashimoto’s, the immune system creates antibodies that attack thyroid cells, which can lead to an underperforming thyroid. Our thyroid produces hormones that regulate blood pressure, body temperature, metabolism, growth, development, and so much more. The exact cause is unknown, but common triggers are infections, exposure to toxic chemicals, emotional life changes, environmental triggers, or pregnancy. I started seeing an Endocrinologist in May of 2019, they put me on a common thyroid medication, and told me there was little else I could do to treat it. I have struggled with symptoms off and on, and the thyroid medication helped some, but did not stop my symptoms from coming back from time to time, leading to more lab work, an increase in medication, and so on and so forth. It has been a long journey with trivial improvement, and it has felt like something I will always have to live with.
At the beginning of the year, I chose a word for the year, “Nourishment.” I wanted to focus on my health and nourish my body and mind. At the end of January, I hit my breaking point with my weight struggles and decided to go on weight loss injections. I was at my heaviest without being pregnant, my clothes did not fit, I was depressed, I was struggling with PMDD, and I felt like I had no control of my life. Weight loss injections profoundly changed everything for me, and I will forever be so grateful for how they have helped me. I have improved so many aspects of my health by losing weight, and it only encouraged me to continue improving my health. That is where Revelation Health and Well-Being comes in!
In 2021, a friend introduced me to her friend, Tandi, and I immediately felt drawn to her. She has such a warm-hearted energy that makes you feel safe; the kind of person that you feel comfortable talking about the hard things with. It is not often that I feel immediately comfortable with someone, but with her it was easy. Tandi is a Registered Nurse and is board certified by AHNCC as a Nurse Coach. She is a wealth of knowledge in health in all aspects: physical, mental, and spiritual. She is even certified in Reiki and Yoga— she is such an inspiration to me. Over the last few years, we have gotten to know each other better and she has heard my complaints and concerns about my health and mentioned on multiple occasions she had some ideas that could be helpful for me. I finally got serious over the last month, so I messaged her, and she ordered lab work. The lab work was unlike any lab work I have ever done, and it was so insightful. It included a urinalysis, a complete metabolic panel, lipid panel, thyroid panel, Vitamin B12 & Folate, Testosterone, Estradiol, Cortisol, Progesterone, Vitamin D, Thyroid Antibodies, and so much more. I scheduled a time to meet with Tandi and her husband, Dr. Mark and while I typically have anxiety about talking to doctors about my concerns, I was excited and optimistic.
Their brick & mortar office is on their land, and it is so beautiful there. I drove down a long gravel road, passed a charming home and pool, a large chicken coop, and pulled up to a barn. They greeted me outside and brought me back into a room where we talked for two full hours about my health. I have never spent two hours with a doctor, the longest I have spent with a physician was under general anesthesia. They both asked me questions… so many questions— and it was so encouraging to have an open conversation where I didn’t feel rushed or that my concerns were falling on deaf ears. I love the dynamic between Dr. Mark and Tandi, two brains working together are far better than one. Dr. Mark is kind but has a no-B.S. energy while Tandi adds a gentleness to their dynamic, they balance each other perfectly. After we went through a comprehensive questionnaire, Dr. Mark did a physical which also included a body composition test which I had never done before. I think the body composition test and in-depth lab work should be standard practice at any primary care office since they are such accurate indicators of how healthy you really are. We then went over the lab work—and this was my favorite part. Maybe you can relate with me that lab work can be difficult to understand. Sure, it can say whether you are in normal ranges, but what does normal even mean? Are normal ranges even where I want to be? Dr. Mark went over each lab result and explained them in a way that was easy to understand. Whenever we came across a result that was not in normal range or closer to being abnormal, we went over things I can do or supplements I can take to improve my health.
Once we finished labs, Tandi asked me which aspect of my health is most important to me. People have different goals, it could be weight loss, healthier lipid levels, mental health, improving energy, training for a marathon, or anything else, we all have our own meaning of health. They tailored their suggestions based on my current goals and that made the changes feel more achievable. I felt encouraged that I don’t have to change every aspect of my life all at once to work my way toward feeling my best. Tandi recorded all the suggestions and sent them to me in a message so that I have them for my reference. I started a couple new prescriptions, and they sent me the information to the supplements they suggested I incorporate into my daily routines, but I never once felt pressured. I felt empowered.
This is just the beginning. Later on, I will have labs redrawn to see how the changes I make improve my health. For now, I am focusing on incorporating the things they suggested into my life and creating better habits so that I can feel my best and live a long, healthy life. Overall, I had a five-star experience with Revelation Health and Well-Being. If you are interested in working with them, or want to know more, I’ll share all of their links so you can see if they feel like a good fit for you! Even if you choose to work with someone else, I truly believe functional medicine is the way of the future, and I hope this encourages you that you can get the answers your looking for and find relief and health in all of your years.
Website: Revelation Health & Well-Being Website
Podcast: Rev Up Health
