Voices in Health and Wellness

Restoring Women’s Pelvic Health With Functional Medicine with Leslie Jones

• Dr Andrew Greenland • Season 1 • Episode 66

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Painful periods, vulvar pain, and feeling dismissed by the system don’t have to be a life sentence. Functional medicine practitioner Leslie Jones explains why women’s pelvic health is so often misunderstood—and how a root cause approach can transform relentless pain without rushing to surgery.

Leslie shares her recovery from severe Lyme disease and how it shaped her focus on menstrual pain, vulvodynia, and hormone balance through integrative care. You’ll hear about a young woman steered toward hysterectomy for extreme pain who found relief with a simple nutrient intervention.

We explore vulvodynia science, including C-fibre hypersensitivity and immune dysregulation, and how neuroinflammation, nutrient gaps, and nervous system overdrive can be reversed to restore intimacy and ease.

We also tackle cultural narratives—why “cramps are normal” is a myth, how social media spreads both hope and confusion, and what Gen Z and Millennial patients now expect. Leslie explains the clinic’s toolkit: nutrition, supplements, and electroceuticals like laser therapy, ozone, IVs, and neurofeedback.

You’ll also hear how they manage long consults, insurance gaps, and info overload, plus how they're expanding access through a curated supplement store and future education programmes.

If you’ve felt brushed off, told to “just relax,” or pushed toward invasive options, this episode offers both validation and a way forward. Subscribe, share, and leave a review.

🧑‍💼 Guest Biography

Leslie Jones is a women’s health specialist and functional medicine practitioner with a deep focus on restoring pelvic health. Drawing on years of clinical experience and a whole-person approach, Leslie works with women navigating pelvic pain, hormonal imbalances, and long-term postnatal issues.

In this episode, Leslie shares how conventional care often misses the bigger picture when it comes to pelvic wellbeing—and how functional medicine can uncover the root causes of discomfort and dysfunction. Her perspective is grounded, empowering, and refreshingly real.

📱 Contact Info and Social Media Handles

Please confirm these or provide missing links before publishing:

  • Website: https://www.alabamafunctionalmedicine.com/
  • email: info@drmcwhorter.com
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alabamafunctionalmedicine/
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alabama-functional-medicine/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/memberAFM
About Dr Andrew Greenland

Dr Andrew Greenland is a UK-based medical doctor and founder of Greenland Medical, specialising in Integrative and Functional Medicine. Drawing on dual training in conventional and root-cause medicine, he helps individuals optimise their health, performance, and longevity — with a particular interest in cognitive resilience and healthy ageing.

Voices in Health and Wellness explores meaningful conversations at the intersection of medicine, lifestyle, and human potential — featuring clinicians, scientists, and thinkers shaping the future of healthcare.

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Dr Andrew Greenland:

Welcome back to Voices in Health and Wellness. This is the show where we speak with the clinicians, founders, and thinkers shaping the future of integrative care. I'm your host, Dr. Andrew Greenland, and today we have Leslie Jones with us, who is a functional medicine practitioner based in Alabama with a distinctive focus on women's pelvic health, an area that is often misunderstood and overlooked in mainstream medicine. So, Leslie, thank you so much for joining us and welcome to the show.

Leslie Jones:

Yeah, thanks for having me. So glad to be here.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Can you share a little bit about your journey into functional medicine and what ultimately led you to focus on pelvic health specifically?

Leslie Jones:

Yeah, absolutely. My journey in functional medicine came from my own personal health uh struggles. In my early 30s, I suffered a really severe case of Lyme disease. And um for around 10 years, I just hurt uh all the time, and it progressively got worse to the point where I needed two hip replacements in my early 30s. And every part of my body suffered my brain, uh brain fog, um uh constipation, skin issues, eczema, uh, just low energy, severe fatigue, where I would get short of breath just in simple conversation. And all of that led me um to Alabama Functional Medicine, where I now get to work. Um, but I was here as a patient, and uh Dr. Ryan McWater helped point me to a direction to get me um through a functional medicine pathway that could just give me my life back. And that stirred a desire and a passion to share that with others when I um got completely restored from my journey with Lyme disease. Um and then I get here and I learn um all that we can offer in the world of pelvic health, and that is just amazing because it's such a almost forgotten area. There's things that OBs do do that are great, but then there's there's a lot that's missed, and a lot of women are just led to believe that they have to suffer, even from just simple period pain. We're taught as women that this is just normal, it's a normal part of life, and it's not it. That is so far from the truth. Cramps are not normal. That is our body signaling us that we are deficient in something, we are missing some key nutrients, and we can essentially eliminate those cramps, and your period should be a surprise. And then from so from those early years of of painful periods to some of the worst and most painful conditions of uh vulvadinia, which is where women suffer in silence and some even almost suicidal because this pain is so unbearable. Um even just to touch, like around um the vulva uh area or the clitoris, um, it can just be um mutilating pain, as we had one describe it. Uh sex may not even be on the table because of how severe that is. And even if sex is on the table, it's extremely painful, they feel broken. They and the traditional world of medicine just has no answers for them. It's so sad and heartbreaking. Um, but we are able to watch women just get their lives back from this kind of uh pain and to be restored and to not feel broken anymore. And to see those transformations are one that we have like the most passion about because they're the group of people who just seem to be left without any other solutions. Um, we also work with women in menopausal um changes, getting the hormones balanced, um working a lot with getting their testosterone right so that then their estrogens can also balance out. Um so just amazing transformational work that we get to do. And that's big become a passion of mine too, as I've seen how we're able to help women get away from these pain and discomfort and just being led to believe that they just have to suffer.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Thank you. It's always very interesting hearing your origin story. And obviously, you had a personal health journey that drew you into functional medicine. Um, but was there a defining patient story that sort of took you into this world of pelvic health or something in the practice? Because I'm not quite sure whether it was something you wanted to do that area, or whether it was just something that your practice were doing that you became interested in.

Leslie Jones:

Yeah, so one of the really defining moments um was a patient that uh Dr. McWater had, this is a little bit before my time with the practice, but he had a patient who he sent to all of the traditional ways, just like 14 out of 10 pelvic pain pain. He sent them to all of these different therapies, like a Mayo clinic, the all the big places that you send to that you send people. And they all said she needed a hysterectomy. This girl still was young, she wanted to have a family. And so she came in and one day just curled up in a ball, like the fetal position, and just asked him, okay, well, what are we gonna do now? And his reaction was like, Oh man, we like I I've sent you to all the weeds, there's not any more weeds left, you know. He's like, But man, I'll I'll research, I'll see what I can find. And so he did. And just like he continues to do for patients now, he went home, he researched, and he found a supplement. He's like, I don't know. He had been uh he had beginning to learn about vitamin D during this part of his journey and how much help it would. So he's like, hey, we'll try it. So yeah, this girl tried the supplement in a month, like 80% of her pain was gone. She didn't have to have a hysterectomy. And I think by maybe two or three months, it was 100% gone. Um, so that was really a defining moment for him. Uh there's so there, what else did he not learn in medical school? Can I think, you know? Uh he said he always tells a story about in medical school they teach you that 50% of what you're learning is right and 50% is wrong, and you'll spend the next part of your career learning which 50% is which.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

I'm sure I had the same thing when I was um in medical school as well. It's a common adage.

Leslie Jones:

And so he he just dove in after that. And uh my journey of um of chronic disease kind of coincided with him transitioning it from more traditional medicine into uh functional medicine. So I kind of get to learn and grow along the way. Um, and now I'm just so excited to be a part of it. It's the best nursing I've ever done.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

And so, how does your day pan out? What's a typical day for you in the practice in terms of um your role? Are you predominantly clinical or do you have any other roles?

Leslie Jones:

I'm more administrative. Um, I will back up our clinical team, but I'm more um kind of the uh managerial side of things and helping to build and grow our practice. And uh, we've opened a second location um this year, so that's been really exciting. So we're just trying to find more ways to reach people, and and that's part of my role, and that's what I love um the most is building those um new ways to reach people and help people uh across the country. So I don't know that my day is a very typical uh day-to-day, but uh just a lot of a lot of different avenues trying to manage the day-to-day, um the day-to-day clinic processes, um, but also trying to reach and grow.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Thank you. In terms of your patient population, we're trying to understand on some of these calls how younger generations are in uh reshaping what they expect from health clinics. What are you noticing for millennial and Gen Z women in your practice?

Leslie Jones:

Yeah, I think the younger generations are really being attracted to functional medicine. They are questioning the mainstream um, the mainstream mantras, uh, I guess um they want the root call cause. Um so I think they are really being attractive to what we offer. Um as with anyone, uh insurance doesn't you know cover a lot of what we offer. So cost is always um you know a factor that plays in, but they want it, they they crave it, and and they're really um, you know, kind of throwing away the the sick care model uh of the traditional medicine. They want the they're becoming much more open-minded to the functional medicine world, I believe.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Well, it's fantastic to hear, and as somebody who works in functional medicine as well, I'm delighted to hear that. What what do you think is working in terms of messaging that they're they're picking up these signals and having this interest in a root cause approach and you know something a little bit different, which is not the sit care model? What are they um consuming that's driving them towards practices like yourself?

Leslie Jones:

Yeah, I think there's a lot in the world of social media now uh where they see a lot of different people talking about different options. So they're seeing their pain being being displayed and somebody saying, hey, we can fix it. Um so I I think social media has a huge um emphasis on it. Uh it's it's part of what we're trying to grow and to build as well. Um yeah, yeah, go ahead. What are you seeing in in your area?

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Well, actually, it's um there's been a bit of a downturn in functional medicine in the UK, and I actually think the cost of living crisis is actually starting to bite because it is private medicine. And I've noticed a lot of practitioners in my space in the UK, actually more wider than the UK, are noticing a similar thing. So we're all trying to work out how to reach people to show them the value of functional medicine and trying to get them back on board. But there's definitely been a bit of a downturn in the last year or so. And I don't think it's because there's no demand, because there's obviously as you and I both know, there's plenty of people that need our help, but we just need to be able to get to them. And knowing what you just said about social media, um, how has that influenced the way that your practice structure your communications to you know to get these messages out to this particular generation?

Leslie Jones:

Yes, uh social media can always be um be difficult. It requires a lot of you know continual posting. So it's one of those that we're not great at yet, um, that we're striving to get there. Um, but you know, trying to reach across the different platforms, but it's still a growth uh point for us right now.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

And in terms of um, I mean, functional medicine puts a great emphasis on education. Do you find younger patients come in already educated? I presume you from what you've just been saying, they probably be, or do they have very specific requests for what they want from you?

Leslie Jones:

When you say specific request um versus being educated, tell me more about what you want to do.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

They come in and say, right, I this is what I think I have, this is what I want, this is the test I want to have, this is the treatment I need. I mean, how I just wonder whether you're getting those kind of patients, you know, who have have consumed a lot, they're they're educated, they're read up, and they present different kinds of demands to you as practitioners.

Leslie Jones:

Yes, uh, a little of both, but we do get a lot of um, we do get a lot of patients who come in and they've been like their own biochemists. You know, they've had to dig and study because they've been to so many different places. I mean, they may have been to seven doctors before they've seen us, and they've had to self-dig and research. And that's one thing that we want to um push back and tell them, hey, we got you. You know, we don't want you to have to feel like you have to be your own researcher. Um, but yeah, a lot of them come in, they've been digging and researching themselves. There's like, I think maybe this is what's going on, but they're looking for a guide and a plan and someone to help them step through it. And and some come in and say, I don't know what's wrong, but help me. But yes, a lot are really researching themselves uh before they get here.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

What are some of the challenges in doing this kind of work? And perhaps in in this particular population of women with you know pelvic pain must present some challenges. What are the things that you face?

Leslie Jones:

Yeah, specifically, I'm gonna talk specifically about like the menstrual pain. The biggest challenge is fighting against the belief that cramps are not normal. It's funny, we one time put a post out on Facebook that says uh cramps aren't normal. Um, and we got a lot of backlash for that. People were like, oh man, are you telling me, you know, there's some doctor telling me that my cramps aren't normal. I've had them all the time. Well, you know, helping people understand that common isn't normal. Like those two don't equate. Just because it's common doesn't mean it's normal. And so just that limiting belief, um, that's a real that could be a real struggle. I feel like the um the Volvedinia crowd is also there's a lot of hopelessness there. And uh there's a lot of Facebook groups where those the women are are just I mean, there are times when when it'll break your heart to read some of what they write. And um I think it's again just helping pull them out into a place of hope because they have been led to a hopeless place so many times. Like nobody has given them even remotely a solution or help. Um that they just need hope in something else. But you know, when you when you've been let down so many times, like putting your hope in one more thing is hard. It's hard.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

And speaking of um Facebook groups, I mean, I presume that sometimes generates sort of myths and misunderstandings. What are the kind of the common myths and misunderstandings you have to regularly debunk with your patients?

Leslie Jones:

Yeah, so related to the Volvadinny, especially, one thing we um we have to work against is that it's not just anxiety. I mean, I've had patients who have told us or have been told by their OBs that they're just anxious, they're they're in pain and sex is uncomfortable because they're just anxious, and so they just need to go get drunk to have sex. It's just you can't even imagine that that would come out of a physician's mouth, but it does. And so helping them realize that it is not anxiety, it is not not their problem. They literally have an immune system where they have too many um type C fiber nerve endings in uh their uh vulvae area where that just makes the pain like so much um more intense, kind of in comparison between uh from when you like pinch uh between your shoulder and your elbow that skin and how painful that is versus pinching your elbow. That extra painful skin between your shoulder and your elbow on the back side of your arm is much more painful. It's like those type of fibers that they have 10 times more nerve endings um there that just kind of light you up. But when we get the immune system regulated and we use some of our mini modalities, um we can totally change that and get them to a place where sex is not only possible but comfortable and amazing, and they get to experience how it's really designed. Um yeah, we have to overcome those um obstacles of it's you or internal and thank you.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

I mean, do you and do you also find um younger women are more open to talking about pelvic health issues as to comp as compared to older generations?

Leslie Jones:

It it is becoming better. I I know like it used to be very hush hush, like the you know, almost taboo to talk about those things. And it still is to some extent with some, but I do think they're happy that it's getting better. We're seeing a directional shift. And I think that you know, Facebook groups help them, like the they'll talk in those areas of Facebook groups that are specifically for them where they know other people are like them, they'll be open, but there are still many who suffer in silence because they think they're the only ones hurting. So if they're not attached to another group, many of these people um like that one patient who was told to just go get wasted by her OB, she's never told um her mother to this day. Um, she's never told really, you know, up until she had some of the treatment, she started talking a little bit more after some of the treatments with us. But up until that, she maybe a best friend knew a little bit, but otherwise she kept that silent because she felt so broken because of that. And that's just a heartbreaking story to hear. Um, so yeah, there's still a lot of shame um around it. Um, but I feel like we are moving in a better direction. And we hope that the more awareness that we can get out there that um that, hey, this condition exists, you may have a friend, like let's open up about it, let's talk about it, and let's fix it.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Great. And what's and what are some of the things that are working particularly well for you and your colleagues in the practice right now, whether it's clinical, operational, or admin side of things?

Leslie Jones:

Um, yeah, so we we like to be on the cutting edge in uh the technology world. And so we use a lot of from a clinical side, we use a lot of um um laser therapy, ozone therapy. Uh, we love um a therapy called ISIS, a microcurrent neurofeedback therapy, which helps get patients out of fight or flight. Um so we love incorporating those technologies. Uh, we we refer to them as electraceuticals. Um Dr. McWater often tells the story of his progression in functional medicine. He started out, you know, in pharmaceuticals and traditional medicine, and then he ran, then he learned about nutraceuticals, so the supplements and how they can help change the body. And then he started learning about electroceuticals, and that's where we see the biggest shifts and the fastest shifts is when we change um when we work with the body from the standpoint of changing the energy, of using good energy to make shifts in cellular level. Um, that's where we get the most impact. So that's where we see um the greatest impact clinically, when our patients will dive in and really utilize those therapies, anything from IV therapies to some of those other um uh lasers or um um ozone therapy, microcurrent neurofeedback therapy, any of those um help make those big shifts where we see truly transformational healing in a shorter time. Um, sometimes supplements can work great for some people and work really quickly, but if when they've been suffering for a long time, adding in those electroceuticals really helps shorten the timeline to healing.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Amazing. And what are some of the um the biggest time drains for you and your colleagues in the practice?

Leslie Jones:

The biggest time time drains are sometimes at education points. So while some come in um knowing a lot and they they've researched, there's still so much to educate them about how much um, you know, not just diet and lifestyle, but how much you know, this equipment and the uh supplements, how much all of those things play into their lives and how they can change and how you have to dig into, um, I mean, you know, from all the patients that you work with, how long it takes to really dig down to get to that root cause. And and you know, our our consults, you know, scheduled for an hour typically turn into like two hours because there's so much to uh to uncover to really get to the root cause. So um, so that can be a drain where you, you know, if you can't see as and help as many patients because of the time that it takes, um, it time is our biggest resource. Um, so that's all always a challenge. Um, and how can we shorten it? Um, both both for us from a clinical standpoint, but also for the patient. A lot of times that um that first visit is very overwhelming because it's uh so much information at one time. So one thing that you know we're trying to work through is how can we make that into more bite-sized portions, give them like small bites that they can implement now, and then okay, in the next, you know, the next visit we'll add a few more. Um, but while at the same time making them feel like we have a plan for the whole journey and helping, you know, convince them that this can uh really make a difference for them.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Thank you. And are you and your um and Dr. McWerta um planning to grow and scale the practice? And and if so, how are you sort of planning to do that?

Leslie Jones:

Yeah, absolutely. We definitely want to keep uh growing. And one of the major ways that we want to grow is through our um what we call our Seleux Essentials um supplement line. Um, one of our passions is just to help um help people across the globe. From the people, not everyone can come see us here in Alabama in our clinic. And so for those that can't, we wanted to have a great resource where they can come and find the help they need without having to dig so much. So we've um launched our Shopify uh supplement store so that we can have like curated supplements, and we're also in the process of developing some of our own um some of our own self-developed supplements as well. So they can have a place where they know this is trusted quality products, trusted information, and they can go there, you know, specifically for women. They're they're the buyers of their household. They go there to fix themselves and to fix all of their family. Like we know who the people are, are um in charge of that everyone's health. And so we just want them to have like a place where they can go and feel safe and feel comfortable about the information that they're giving. So we are constantly working to grow our product line and to grow um the awareness of that store so that more people can get the menstrual relief they need, can get uh natural weight loss, um, and just all of the even the foundational health, you know, supplements that are just great for everybody because uh we're we're all deficient in a lot of some of the basic things like vitamin D, um, omegas, magnesium. Um, so that that's one of our biggest concentration areas that we want to grow is to just expand the reach of our supplement store.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

That sounds fantastic. Um you also considered experimenting with group programs or online education or digital tools to support patients. Is that something that you and your um team have thought about?

Leslie Jones:

Yeah, yeah, we we have definitely thought about some um online courses and would love to include that um in the future. Um, another way that um is kind of hopefully on the horizon, but um maybe in the next uh year or so is to start networking with um other um nurses or health coaches who just need like a mentorship program who can kind of um work alongside some of our providers as they're working with their own um with their own clients, like either health coaches or RNs who have their own business working with their own health, uh with their own clients who then just need someone to bounce ideas off of and to continuously learn from. So that's one way that we're hoping to kind of expand our reach and expand our ability to influence and help people, um, hopefully in the coming year.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Thank you. Are there any parts of the practice that you and your colleagues have deliberately chosen not to grow and scale? And what will be behind that?

Leslie Jones:

I wouldn't say that we've deliberately chosen not to grow in and scale yet. Um we have we don't really focus on men's health a lot. Um, we we take them, we help them when they come, but it's often we the women come in, uh, we get them better, and then they bring their husbands in because they can't keep up anymore from a sexual health standpoint. And so we don't really you know target uh men in our audience very much, but we still you know take care of them. Um pediatrics has been another um area where we're um not growing quite yet, um, but it may be something you know in the future where we'd love to be able to um you know to have someone under our umbrella to be able to help take care of those uh children who are looking for um, you know, the parents who want their children to be in functional medicine from um you know the from the cradle. Like they want um, you know, they want that approach from the beginning. And so we hope to be able, you know, to offer that at some point, but it's not one over focused areas more immediately.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Thank you. I mean, do you think functional medicine is becoming more accepted by conventional providers, or is there still a wide gap here in your opinion?

Leslie Jones:

Ooh. Um I think a lot have adopted um vitamin D. I hear a lot more um from friends and family members and things that they're checking vitamin D at least, that that's at least becoming important. And we didn't see that before, you know, you know, 10, 20 years ago. Um, but I still think that there's a big gap. Um I I do hear a little bit, especially even after uh COVID, I think the supplement side of it, uh some of the few basic supplements, vitamin D, uh, magnesium, even they're starting to gain some traction. But I still feel like there's a pretty big gap. How about you? Well, I'm curious to what you're seeing as well.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

Um, I think it's still very much um a separate entity. I think it's still regarded as very niche. I don't think a lot of um conventional providers really understand what functional medicine even is. I don't think functional medicine is necessarily a very good label for the work that we do because as soon as you say functional medicine to somebody who's ever heard it before, they say, Well, what's that? Is it true? Is it dealing with functional disorders? You know, these are some of the questions you get. So I sometimes badge it as integrative medicine because it kind of then people can kind of work that out that that probably bridges the gap between conventional medicine and perhaps something a little bit more um uh alternative. Um, but yes, I I I do get funny looks and I don't think there's a real understanding. Um, yeah, that's my kind of take on it. Yeah, I agree. I agree. And on that note, is there any is there anything that you wish more GPs or OBGYNs understood about the kind of work that you're doing?

Leslie Jones:

Yeah, it's been understood that we are resourced for for them, a referral source. When they get stuck, they they are they have to see so many patients and so um they're so busy, and they don't even, because of the insurance model, like doesn't even allow them time to go and dig deeper for for things. I just wanted to know that we're a source for them. Um, you know, if they have a patient that is stuck, you know, we might have some tricks that um that can help or some resources, and we do have a few um um OBs and GYNs who will refer to us for pelvic floor um therapies for like bladder leaks and things for non-surgical options. Um, so we're we get a little bit here here and there from um some, but I wish they would just know that we'd love to, you know, kind of partner with them and um and just be a resource, a referral resource so that you know, if they're stuck, we we want to have their back.

Dr Andrew Greenland:

On that note, Leslie, thank you so much for joining us this afternoon. It's been such an interesting conversation as a fellow functional medicine practitioner, really interested in hearing about your work and your specialization in pelvic health. Really, really fascinating. Um, I'm sure it'll be um a very well received conversation. I'm sure we're gonna get lots of people tuning in. But thank you very much for your time, really appreciate it.

Leslie Jones:

Yeah, thanks for having me. This has been great.