E214: Why You Should Consider Seeing a Functional Medicine Doctor

When my journey through the maze of traditional healthcare hit a dead end, I stumbled into the world of functional medicine—a realm where lab coats meet tailored care and your health history is more than just a file number. In a candid retelling, I unveil the eye-opening contrasts between conventional treatments and the personalized approach of functional medicine. I walk you through the depths and nuances of embracing this full-body perspective, sharing how comprehensive lab work, and an unparalleled doctor-patient relationship can truly make a difference. It’s not just about symptom relief; it’s about getting to the core of your health concerns and crafting a pathway to wellness that is as unique as your DNA.

Navigating the practicalities of functional medicine can be as complex as the human body itself. I dissect the financial commitments it entails, recognizing the challenges of out-of-pocket expenses while presenting strategies to manage them, such as savvy use of health savings accounts. This episode unpacks the virtues of patience as we explore the meticulous process of healing from the inside out. For those on the verge of this health care transition or already knee-deep in a functional medicine plan, I offer a treasure trove of insights and advice. Prepare to arm yourself with knowledge to not only make informed choices but to thrive on your path to vibrant health.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:01

Hey there and welcome to the Healthy, hot Mess Mom podcast. Are you a frustrated mom trying to navigate the maze of diet and fitness trends, only to give up before you even start? Do you wish you could stick to healthy habits, have more energy and finally feel confident in your own skin? Are you tired of telling yourself this is the year I'll get healthier, only to find yourself back at square one? Well, you're in the right place. I'm Rebecca, a health-obsessed working mom of two littles and a self-proclaimed hot mess mom. In this podcast, I'm here to help you cut through the confusion and discover practical ways to become the healthiest version of yourself, no matter how chaotic life gets. We'll dive into staying consistent with healthy habits, fueling your body without feeling overwhelmed, and making mindset shifts to keep you motivated. You'll learn to enjoy moving your body, lose weight and feel more energized and confident than ever before. Remember, it's all about progress, not perfection. So grab your iced coffee and let's get started on this journey together. Welcome to the healthy, hot mess mom community on this journey together. Welcome to the Healthy, hot Mess Mom community. Hey there, and welcome back to the Healthy, hot Mess Mom podcast. Thank you so much for tuning in today. It is another lovely Monday and I don't know about you, but wherever you are in the world, if the weather is nice and warm and it has been cloudy and raining for weeks on end, it just invigorates you to live. I don't know what it is, but I am feeling super excited that we finally are out of this dreary end of days weather pattern, because I'm over it. So, anyway, today I want to talk to you guys about functional medicine and if maybe seeking out a functional medicine doctor is something that would be good for you I myself and my husband both go to a functional medicine doctor is something that you know would be good for you. I myself and my husband both go to a functional medicine doctor now we do not go to like a regular family doctor anymore and I kind of wanted to just share with you guys my experience with that and some benefits of going to seek out your own functional medicine doctor, some cons of it as well, just to give you guys a well-rounded approach of kind of what my experience has been. And if you are out there looking for answers or just getting really frustrated with the medical system as it is, this is a good option and it's something to know about if you haven't heard about it before. It's probably hard to come across a lot of Instagram posts.

Speaker 1 2:22

If you're into medical wellness stuff or weight loss and not find somebody who's kind of looking like outside the box and that's kind of how I see functional medicine right, they're looking at things a little bit differently. They're looking at things like a whole body approach, as opposed to treating an illness, which my interpretation of the current medical system is. A lot of times they're reactive, right. This is you have a broken leg, you're going to the doctor, they're putting a cast on and that's great. Or maybe you're not feeling well and maybe they find out you have high blood pressure. They're putting on blood pressure medicine. So if you're maybe experiencing symptoms or maybe you're just like overall not feeling well, you've been to doctors, you're kind of getting the runaround. You just don't feel comfortable with the answers that you're getting. It's always a good idea to seek out second opinions, regardless of it being a functional medicine doctor or not. But I believe that functional medicine looks at things as a whole body approach and they're not simply looking for symptoms and writing a prescription, or symptoms and treating an illness. They're actually looking at your whole body and your overall well-being and treating the whole body as opposed to like a little tiny part of it. That's my experience with it.

Speaker 1 3:31

When I first went to a functional medicine doctor, the first thing that happened was extensive labs were done, definitely more labs than I've ever had done anywhere else. My whole life Even a time when I was hospitalized I never had that many labs done. And it was really cool because then you schedule a follow-up visit and you sit for like an hour, a little over an hour, and go through everything like your health history, you go through the current labs, a full assessment of where you are health-wise and you can answer, you can ask questions, you can get all your answers, all the answers that they can give you at that time, and you kind of make a game plan together. So being in like the regular, you know family doctor type of relationship and going there when you're sick or maybe just going once a year for a quote, unquote well, visit. I always felt very rushed. I always felt like I'm on the schedule and they have 10 minutes to see me and they're in and they're out. They're not asking a lot of questions. You're trying to tell them all these things because you haven't seen them in a while and there's just not a lot of time to get a lot of information or answers. At least that's how I felt with my doctor. So, being frustrated with different things throughout the years in regards to skin things and just overall wellness, I never really felt like a doctor cared right Like. I never felt like the connection to the doctor making sure that I was feeling well when I left, or following up with me at all or being there for me if I needed them.

Speaker 1 4:54

That experience has been different with my functional medicine doctor. You know we have like a chat system. I can ask him questions, I could schedule visits every week if I wanted to. I can have my body fat checked in his facility Tons of different things. So he also does like a newsletter and Zoom calls if you join his newsletter and there's a supplement system that you can buy supplements through him. There's just like a different. It's a different way of communicating with the doctor too, because I feel like I do pay a monthly fee for me and my husband to go, but I don't feel as though I'm limited if I needed to reach out to him either, which is comforting.

Speaker 1 5:31

You know I don't have to go to urgent care anymore. I can simply have a Zoom call or go visit him and get kind of like my symptoms if there's something that I need to be prescribed, done at that time, not feeling like I have to go to urgent care to see a different doctor. I have to go see my family medicine doctor and kind of like not anybody talking to one another if you will that doesn't know like your whole body and your whole health history. So, all in all that to say, if you are kind of like frustrated with the current medical system and like I'm not saying anything negative about doctors per se or like targeting them in any way like I just feel as though there's certain situations where you're just frustrated with how things have been going and seeking outside help, for that is always good. It's always good, no matter like what situation you're in, whether it's a dentist, a chiropractor, a therapist. I mean it's your body right, your choice to do what you want and see who you want, and you know take it and take your problems to whoever you want, right? So if you're in that situation and you are looking for different answers, a different perspective, just have somebody else's eyes on your health history.

Speaker 1 6:34

I do recommend functional medicine. I think just the world of it, I think the way they approach things is, like I said, different, where it's the whole body approach and they're trying to prevent, you know, and treat obviously if you have something, but they're obviously more so looking at prevention. Now, just like regular doctors, right, there are different specialties. So there's some that focus on hormones, there's some that focus on diet and lifestyle, there's some that work in conjunction with health coaches, there's some that work in conjunction with chiropractors, you know there's some that specialize in, you know these fertility or thyroid or something like that. So you can always niche down and try to find somebody who specializes in what your current you know, what you think is going on with your body or kind of what you're looking to explore deeper into. You can always find a functional medicine doctor that's specializing kind of in that world, or a more general one too. If you're just unsure of kind of what you're kind of what you need to uncover, you know that can happen a lot too.

Speaker 1 7:30

So a lot of things that happen during that visit is, you know, at least in my doctor's office, you leave with like a checklist of kind of things that are good things, that are bad things, that could be worked on, maybe some supplements to add to your life and you kind of can take it from there. Now, a con with that is, yes, the onus is on you as the patient, but you do kind of have somebody that's in your corner. Whereas you know I can call my doctor or Zoom my doctor or have a meeting with my doctor once a week, you kind of are not going to be able to do that with a regular family doctor, at least not that I'm aware of or any of that experience that I've ever had personally. You know you go for your well visit once a year, you get prescriptions if you need it, you get some advice and then you're on to the next thing until the next year. So you know, with that being said, knowing that I have this doctor that I can call and use as a resource if I have a question is amazing. You know I don't abuse it, obviously, but just knowing that I can have a visit with him and it's not a 10 minute visit like I can have 30 minutes, I can have an hour if I ask for it that means something to me, like I want that resource. I want to know there's somebody in my corner looking out for my best interest with my health, and I truly feel like that. With most functional medicine doctors, that's what you're getting. You're getting someone in your corner who's really taking you know, your hand and saying this is what we need to do, this is how we can better yourself. This is some ideas. What do you think? And come up with a game plan together.

Speaker 1 8:52

One of the cons that I do want to address and I did say this but typically they're not taking medical insurance, so this is an out-of-pocket expense. However, if you are somebody that's been in the medical system and you've just been frustrated for months, years, and you're not getting answers, at that point most people are willing to spend whatever to get some type of answer or some type of help or some type of just relief and kind of knowing that their symptoms are speaking to something else and they're not crazy. So my doctor does have an out-of-pocket fee. However, I believe it to be very reasonable. I do not think it's crazy. It's well within reason, where I think most people could afford it.

Speaker 1 9:34

However, I do understand medical care and medical costs are very expensive and if you're. You know, paying for health insurance from your company or your job, like that is an additional expense. However, you know, like I said, if you're in that point and at that point in your life where you're just frustrated with everything that's been going on and you're looking for an additional resource, I think it's well worth the money. But it is something to consider. You know you might be able to use select spending dollars. However, most of them are not going to take traditional health insurance. So just something to be aware of, something to be mindful of as you're in your search for doctors to partner with. Most of them are not going to take the insurance. The other thing, too, is there potentially could be some testing that's outside of the norm, so outside of what medical coverage is going to have, so you may have to pay more out-of-pocket expenses that way as well.

Speaker 1 10:22

Again, another great resource to use your flexible spending dollars or an FHA, I think it's called, if you have it, things like that, like putting that money aside if you know. You know next year you're going to need to do some additional testing, kind of finding out what that cost is beforehand. So that way you're not too overwhelmed, you know, financially to get involved with something like that. But to me I always will put dollars into my health because I know it's going to translate into just exponential growth, just overall my well-being, my energy and everything. But it is something to you know as a con, out-of-pocket expense. You know everybody's financial situation is different, but it is something to know and something that can be viewed as a con. You know, after your visit depend upon who you go see, maybe you can have a free consultation before you visit them.

Speaker 1 11:09

But once you're part of their practice like really just getting to the, whatever your issues are, whatever your problems are, your concerns, really diving into that deeply and realizing that this is kind of a doctor who's looking at your whole body. So it might be a staged approach in trying to get you well, trying to get to where you are, and a lot of times you know, going to a regular doctor, they're hearing your list of symptoms and they're writing a prescription for it. I don't see that being that way with functional medicine. I see them truly trying to heal your body. So it might take a lot longer and that's something also to be aware of. It's not going to be a quick fix, not going to be an overnight thing. It's truly looking at your body and figuring out how we can make it well in stages and figuring out what exactly is the root cause of your issues and understand.

Speaker 1 12:00

The cons of that could be that it could take a lot longer than maybe. You're typically used to just getting a prescription and having a band-aid on something and never really figuring out what the issue was. So, again, a con. But I think all the pros just completely outweigh. I mean, if you have any issues and you have not been able to uncover what they are, for a regular doctor it's going to be a great, great resource for that. It is definitely somebody who's on your, in your corner, on your side, really wanting to get to, like I said, that root cause. Whether it's a thyroid issue, an acne issue, just diet, maybe it's hormones, whatever it is, they are going to dig and dig and dig until they get to that root issue because they're treating the entire you right, which is huge, because we aren't just skin or we aren't just a bladder or one organ or the other. We are a whole being and all of our parts are connected. So it's kind of so crazy that most doctors don't see it that way that one thing isn't affecting the other when it definitely could be. Like gut health, for instance, is a big thing. Right now. Functional medicine is really going to dive into gut health and making sure that your gut microbiome is appropriate and is good and healthy, because that could affect so many other things where that might not even come on the radar of a regular, traditionally trained doctor. So, again, something to be aware of.

Speaker 1 13:10

I'm just here to spread the information. I think you know the world of functional medicine doctors. There's so many out there. Some advice with trying to find one is, like I said schedule a free consultation, go on their Instagram pages, go on their websites, ask if you can reach out to current patients, if they're willing, if they have testimonials, you know, just really get a vibe for that practice, because they're all kind of running things a little bit differently, just like regular doctors, and I think for the most part they want to help. So they are usually on social media and they maybe have a website that's engaging and you're able to schedule some time with them. Maybe they have a podcast. Check out a podcast if they have one. I know Dr Will Cole is a very popular functional medicine doctor out of Pennsylvania. He does a ton of Zooms. He has a podcast so you can easily get his vibes, see what he's talking about, maybe see what his main focuses are. He's written some books, so a lot of functional medicine doctors have done that. So there's ways to learn about these people before you know, signing up with them or even scheduling a consultation.

Speaker 1 14:09

But you know another con, just to put it out there sometimes it's hard to get an appointment with these doctors because they are spending a lot more time with you as a patient so they're not going to be able to see the patient load that a regular, traditionally trained doctor taking insurance is going to, where they have 10-minute slots. You might be going to a doctor who's spending an hour with you and then 30 minutes every time after, or maybe it's an hour every time and they're really taking that deep dive, so they may not have as much availability. So finding a doctor who has availability A lot of these doctors which is a pro are doing telemedicine, which is huge because then you could go to somebody anywhere across the United States or, heck, even in the world. But if you do like that personal approach, you can find someone in your area. Like I said, dr Will Cole is a popular one in Pennsylvania. I know he has treated friends of mine in California via telemedicine, so that is amazing that they're able to do that now.

Speaker 1 15:07

I just truly wanted to do this episode and get this out, because I do think that there is such a need for a different approach in this world and a non-physiological, like just a personalized approach I guess is what I'm trying to say where someone's actually going to take all of you into consideration instead of just a symptom, and really understanding who you are, what your health history has been, what your parents' health history is, really understanding all of the things that make you you and how to better that. Because on this podcast I'm all about being the healthiest version of yourself that you can possibly be in some midlife, so I am striving to do that for myself every single day. It's not perfect, it's not pretty all the time, but I do believe that partnering and working with a functional medicine doctor helps me get to my goals and helps me get to them faster, and it also has someone that I know I can go to if I feel a certain way or if I'm feeling off or if I want just an opinion about something health related. To me, it's having another advocate in my corner that really cares about my general wellness, which I think is hard to find. So for me and my family it was the right decision to look for one and be part of his practice. It was the right decision to look for one and, you know, be part of his practice. So I hope this episode gives you some type of information on you know how to select the doctor pros and cons. I think there's so many more pros than there are cons, but I hope this just gives you an idea of kind of like what their vibes are usually, what you can do to seek out one, why you might want to consider one and some things that might be challenges if you do want to consider one.

Speaker 1 16:43

Like I said, some of the cons of the finances and not taking insurance, additional labs and stuff like that. But all in all, I truly believe that we all deserve to have somebody in our corner when it comes to our health, and I do believe functional medicine doctors. I'm not saying that other doctors aren't. I just think that the current medical system puts so much time constraints on them that they don't have a lot of time to sit with us and really get to know us and really take deeper dives and get to the root cause of our illnesses. So in my opinion, functional medicine doctors are super beneficial. You know, I'm not saying I've never been to an urgent care or I never went to a regular doctor, and I will definitely go to a hospital if need be. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a doctor myself. But in my personal opinion, in my family's life, we have found that partnering with a functional medicine doctor was the best decision for us. So I hope this episode helps you in some way and I will chat with you next week.

Speaker 1 17:38

Thank you for tuning in to the Healthy Hot Mess Mom podcast. I hope you found some inspiration and practical tips to help you on your journey to a healthier, more confident you. Remember it's all about progress, not perfection. If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to subscribe, rate and leave a review. Your feedback means the world to me and helps other hot mess moms find our community. Join me next time as we continue to navigate the ups and downs of health and wellness together. Until then, keep striving for progress, stay consistent and embrace the beautiful chaos of motherhood. Take care, stay healthy and keep being the amazing hot mess mom that you are. See you next time.