My Journey to Functional Medicine

At one point, I was told a diagnosis of endometrial cancer. When I heard those words, everything paused. I began making intentional lifestyle changes. I eliminated dietary triggers, reduced sugar and dairy, focused on inflammation reduction, improved my sleep quality, and managed stress. One month later, the follow-up ultrasound came back clear. I may claim it was a miracle and I also believe it was a message. It showed me that the body is speaking to us.

The Shift From Symptom Management to Root Cause Investigation

As a nurse working in home health, community health or public health, I see many patients are as if competing with each other, racing who gets the most diagnoses. Many are on a 5-30 medications. But very few had real answers.

Functional Medicine gave me a different lens. It did not only ask, "What disease does this person have?" Instead, it asked, "Why has this condition developed, and what may be contributing to it?" It helped me understand that health is not just the absence of disease. It is the presence of balance and overall vitality.

Functional Medicine Asks Different Questions

Traditional healthcare focuses on identifying diseases and matching medications to symptoms. Functional Medicine focuses on patterns, triggers, systems, and root causes.

Traditional Healthcare	Functional Medicine
What diagnosis is this?	What triggered this imbalance?
What medication is needed?	Which system is out of balance (hormonal, digestive, immune, neurological)?
How do we manage symptoms?	What is causing the body to express these symptoms?
Are the labs normal?	What story do the labs and timeline reveal?

This approach allowed me to see the body not as separate systems, but as an interconnected network. Gut issues can affect mood, stress can influence hormones, and food can impact inflammation, immunity, mood and many more.

The Birth of Root Cause CSI

Root Cause CSI stands for Clinical, Scientific, Investigations. It is not another wellness podcast. It is an educational space where we explore the root causes of many chronic diseases. We do not replace your primary care providers, I as an RN, I bridge the gap between the doctors and the patients. We empower patients to understand their health better.

Why This Matters

We live in a time where many symptoms are often suppressed. Fatigue is labeled "overworking". Bloating is labeled "overeating". Anxiety is labeled "overthinking". Hormonal changes are labeled "normal part of life". But these symptoms are not problems to be suppressed, they are messages that should be investigated. Functional Medicine does not offer quick fixes, it offers a deeper understanding of the body.

If My Story Resonates With You

You do not need to become a doctor to understand your own body, you do not need a long list of labels like diagnoses to find answers. Healing does not always begin with treatment, it starts with investigating.

Listen to Episode 1: My Journey to Functional Medicine

Now available on Spotify and YouTube.