Twenty years ago, on June 8, 2001, I graduated from Medical School. I was young, idealistic, and eager to help people feel better and live their lives to the fullest.
To my dismay, this wasn’t exactly how it panned out.
The Truth About Conventional Medicine
From critical emergency care to life-saving antibiotic treatments, conventional medicine is absolutely necessary for so many things in our modern world. I even see conventional doctors regularly myself.
However, nothing in the conventional approach is about up-leveling one’s health. The goal is really to get you to a level of OK. I’ve found in functional medicine that there’s a whole other world beyond the OK. This is the world where patients go from feeling good to feeling great AND finding answers to questions that seem unsolvable in conventional medicine.
Like:
Why am I so tired?
Are you sure my thyroid is ok?
I feel like my hormones are out of balance. Can you check them?
Why can’t I lose weight?
My life is great. Why do I feel anxious or depressed?
In the past, my heart ached for patients like these. I checked their labs and hoped they would come back abnormal so I’d have a solution for them. However, I knew they would likely be normal and the only thing I’d have to offer is something like Prozac. It helped, sometimes. But, I KNEW deep in my heart that there was something more going on. The patients often KNEW too. Their inner wisdom was telling them something isn’t right.
A Smarter Way To Help Patients
I love getting to the root cause of problems in functional medicine. I love getting away from the pill for an ill-approach that is so common in conventional medicine. I love finally having answers for my patients with those common concerns above. I love having answers for myself and my own health and well-being too.
Surely, It’s a marathon, not a sprint. But it’s oh so worth it! Don’t get rid of your conventional medicine doctor. But realize that: “Your doctor is a lifeguard, not a swim coach.” -Greg Glassman
They can likely save you from drowning–essential for life and VERY important. But, they’ll rarely dissect your stroke, dig deep and truly find out what is at the root of the problem that leads to your symptoms and prevents you from living your best life.
Being a doctor was great. I liked it a lot. Being a functional medicine doctor feels so fulfilling to me. I don’t just like it, I love it.
