My life from birth through my early 40s was fraught with constant, severe stress. I won’t go into the details here, but suffice it to say that life was hard. By the time I reached my early 40s, all of that stress had accumulated — snowballed, really — to the extent that I had developed autoimmunity and also immunodeficiency. Running on adrenaline and cortisol had destroyed my gut lining, and I later learned that my body had been converting muscle to sugar to give me the energy to “flee from the pursuing tiger”, which metaphorically represented decades-long, extreme, chronic stress. My face was puffy, and my body habitus was an apple-shaped torso with relatively thin arms and legs — the classic “cortisol body” presentation. In my 30s, I’d consulted my family doctor, the nurse practitioner and a PA in that clinic, along with the nutritionist, and all of them told me to “eat less and move more”. The problem was that I was barely eating and was moving almost non-stop, including daily structured exercise like power-walking and bike-riding. How was I supposed to eat any less or move any more? The more I followed this advice, the more exhausted I was and the more disproportionately my weight was distributed.
At the age of 41, I experienced a traumatic life change that was a blessing in disguise. Through the process of healing my nervous system, I rediscovered myself. A component of that transformation involved pursuing functional medicine to help reset my body. I learned that the gut is the center of all chronic disease. I discovered previously-unrecognized food sensitivities that were destroying my gut lining, causing large food molecules to enter my bloodstream, firing up my immune system and triggering inflammation, including autoimmunity. I learned that excessive cortisol was damaging my cells’ mitochondria and affecting my thyroid function, exacerbating my exhaustion. I learned that fat is metabolically-active, living tissue that triggers further inflammation and perpetuates ongoing fat storage. The big picture: When the gut lining is disrupted by any type of stress, be it food sensitivity, lack of sleep, impaired relationship dynamics, an overwhelming job or work environment, etc., any and all body system(s) can be thrown into chaos. It was eye-opening and also filled me with hope that I COULD feel better with some changes and support.
Within a couple of weeks of embarking on a new way of eating and managing stress, I felt like a new person. I found aches and pains that had been ongoing for so long that I didn’t realize they were there until suddenly, they weren’t. Every day felt like a miracle. As my body and mind rested and healed, my body mass shifted. I effortlessly gained muscle and lost fat and a massive amount of retained fluid that had been accumulating for YEARS, and I was eating more than I ever had. My mind was ready for bed at 9 pm, and I awoke very morning around 5:30 without an alarm. Looking backward, I could hardly believe that I was living in the same body as the year before.
That was also the beginning of my decision to pursue functional medicine and ‘healing foods as medicine’ on my career path. Following the same recommendations that I now teach to my patients and clients, I kept my autoimmune condition in remission for nearly 7 years with no medication. In the fall of 2024, I found myself once again with an extraordinary amount of accumulated stress. My corporate healthcare job required me to juggle several different roles due to short staffing and I was working 80-90 hours per week with very little sleep, no structured exercise, and grabbing food whenever and wherever I could.
I’d been overworked for nearly three years, and in that burned-out state, had landed myself in another autoimmune crisis. I couldn’t comfortably hold a pen to sign my name on a form. I was unable to manage buttons, zippers, buckles, or shoelaces and had to wear pull-on clothing and slip-on shoes. I knew this situation called for drastic change, so I made the difficult decision to leave that job. For the first couple of months, all I wanted to do was sleep, but in true overachiever fashion, I had, based on a fear of not working at all, taken on a panel of private, home-care patients with significant needs. I was getting calls at all hours of the day and night, 7 days per week. One by one, I phased out of that role over several months and awoke one morning to realize that lack of sleep wasn’t the main problem: It was, once again, my gut. I put myself back on the protocols that I use with my patients and in TWO DAYS, my hands were completely pain-free! I went all-in and within four months, was back to my healthy body mass and exercising daily and without pain or fatigue. THIS APPROACH WORKS!
As a healthcare clinician, I voraciously consume evidence-based recommendations that I now pass along to each of my patients and clients. Whether you’re coming to see me for weight loss, autoimmunity, diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, skin conditions, brain fog, exhaustion and fatigue, or non-invasive body contouring, I’ll teach you what I know so that you can live your best life, starting with your gut health. When the gut is healed, weight, even stubborn fat, is released with ease.
If you’re inspired to take the next step on your healing journey, book your free call using the link at integratedwellnesspllc.com or message (406) 219-7874. I’ll be glad to visit with you!
