Embracing Functional Medicine: My Journey to Healing

Embarking on the path of functional medicine has been a transformative journey. It’s been a journey that has not only changed the course of my career but also had a profound impact on my own well-being. Join me as I recount the pivotal moments that led me from a conventional family medicine practice to the world of functional medicine—a shift that has filled my life with meaning and purpose.

When I was 10 years old, I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. My knee swelled up like a balloon and was very stiff and painful. It took some time to be diagnosed because I was on the softball team at the time and it was assumed I had injured myself. But after a knee scope, cast and crutches for most of my 5th grade year not bringing any relief, I was finally diagnosed and sent to see the rheumatologist. My journey with this condition led me to many different medications, some more beneficial than others. I ended up on methotrexate and Enbrel to quiet down my immune system. These brought some relief and I continued to take those through medical school and beyond. The implication was that I would need these for life. 

After medical school I started working in family practice. I really enjoyed the close relationships I formed with my patients. But the pressure to meet the demands of the insurance companies and to see patients in a short period of time left me unfulfilled. Much of my day was focused on managing medications to keep patients' symptoms at bay. I stayed up to date on the newest medications coming out so that I could best serve my patients. Something was missing here but I didn’t know there was another way.

An article written by Dr. Mark Hyman in a health magazine changed everything for me. He wrote about the impact of food on inflammation and suggested trying to eat a different way.  Embracing an elimination diet was a game changer for me and my life. I saw a dramatic reduction in my swelling which taught me the profound influence of food on our well being. After removing the foods that were my biggest triggers for some time I was able to stop my methotrexate all together and cut my Enbrel dose in half (with the guidance of my rheumatologist). 

This was a light bulb moment for me and a turning point in my career and how I thought about health and the body’s capacity for healing.  It was astonishing to me that despite my years of medical training, I had not been taught about this hidden magic available by using food as medicine. The impact of nutrition on inflammation was astounding for my body - I was feeling it first hand.  Why hadn’t I learned this? Why didn’t everyone know about this?

At that point I was on a mission to learn more. Immersing myself in functional medicine felt like coming home. I was in the right place and surrounded by the right people. The functional medicine philosophy resonated with me on a deep level - the body's innate capacity to heal, the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle, the pursuit of root causes over symptom management, and the doctor and patient working together in partnership as a team. Truly inspiring! My love for medicine was reinvigorated. I continued learning and became certified in functional medicine through the Institute of Functional Medicine. I left my family practice job to open up my own office to practice functional medicine.

My job became more than a profession. It was a calling. This was what I was put here to do.  My own journey with Rheumatoid Arthritis was to show me how to ultimately heal myself so I could help others in this way. I became my own guinea pig. And through using what I was learning in my functional medicine training, I was able to stop both of my medications and have not taken them for years! 

Many doctors have a job that they go to from 9-5. I have a calling. Functional medicine is my calling. Helping people find the root cause(s) of their suffering and regain health is my calling. I am on a mission to spread the word of functional medicine far and wide. It empowers patients with options. It offers another way. It brings hope. If I can use it to change my life, you can too!

In health,

Dr. Emily