Journey To Health & Functional Medicine

My journey with health and wellness has spanned over 35 years starting in high school after multiple ankle sprains during gymnastics and a neck injury in a cheerleading accident resulting in an dislocation and being in a collar for 9 months. These injuries introduced me to physical therapy and functional ways of healing the body. It was through these experiences that I first became involved in athletic training and on the path to becoming a physical therapist.

The Accident That Changed Everything

Midway through my Freshman year in college a car hit me on my on my bicycle resulting in a traumatic brain injury. Doctors released me from the hospital as “fine”, but I was not fine at all. I could walk and talk, but could not problem solve simple things, had chronic headaches, and had trouble remembering my school schedule, to go to work or material I learned in classes. Essentially, I went from a straight “A” honor student on a scholarship to a complete “slacker”. I tried to go back to school, but never was able to get my concentration back and had more difficulty with vision and depth perception resulting in driving my car under a truck coming off the freeway and suffered a subsequent repeated head injury. I dropped out of college and for months I virtually slept every day all day long until I thought I had recovered, got up and moved on.

What Seemed Like A Recovery

I picked myself up and employed what I knew of sheer determination to get stronger. I had lost my scholarship and had no money for college. I decided to join the Marine Corps and trained hard. I did a lot of things we now know to improve post-concussion symptoms including aerobic activity, new cognitive activities, healthy eating, and good sleep. I improved substantially. I was a fighter and determined to be the best Marine I could be. As a woman Marine, making up only 2% of the Marine Corps at the time, I worked harder than most of my male constituents. I was frequently Marine of the Quarter and could max the male physical fitness test. Despite my physical strength and endurance, I struggled with tinnitus (ringing in ears), vertigo (multi-directional spinning), significant hearing loss, headaches, and persistent joint pain. They diagnosed me with Meniere’s disease and did a surgery on my inner ear which made my vestibular (balance) system even worse. I completed my 5 years of service, but they would not let me reenlist due to my disabilities. They told me there was nothing else that could be done, and I would likely have a progressive decline in my hearing and balance with the prognosis that I might lose both entirely within the next 10 years. I was offered vocational rehabilitation and went back to school learning to adapt to not being able to handle visual motion or walking in the dark without falling over. People thought I was drunk all the time even though I almost never drank. I experienced continued headaches, dizziness, and pain. I was sent all over to various VA hospitals and given a variety of medical diagnoses and just as many medications which generally made me feel worse. I was 27 years old.

Even More Continued To Unfold

During this time, I also had significant premenstrual syndrome, endometriosis, and ovarian cysts with difficulty with fertility and carrying to term. Again, multiple surgeries with various practitioners who thought they had the answer. Many had temporary or no relief, no permanent fixes. My vertigo persisted and I developed extreme hypersensitivity to lights and sound. I frequently was in the emergency room and sent home with medications and no answers.

Perseverance And A Glimmer Of Hope

I had completed most of my Bachelor of Science during the Marine Corps with night school and distance learning and graduated with a degree in Exercise Physiology in 1998. Through vocational rehabilitation I earned my Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2001. This was my first realization I could do something for my dizziness and neck symptoms and started my vestibular and orthopedic recovery. I kept seeking more knowledge and skills both for myself and patients I treated. I became Board Certified in Orthopedics and Neurology, Manual Fellowship Trained and certifications in strength and conditioning, taping and golf fitness. I studied neurological, orthopedic, and vestibular therapy. I also dove deep into trauma-informed care and chronic pain solutions. Through this exploration, I became skilled at treating patients with multiple trauma and complex medical conditions and applied what I learned to myself. I can only imagine how much worse my symptoms would have been if I did not do as much as I knew.

Still Not Enough

I continued to struggle with mobility and had hip, low back pain, neck issues, headaches and dizziness limiting my movement all the time. I tried Pilates, massage, manual therapy, and physical therapy exercises, but still had pain. At the age of 35 I had a hip surgery to fix the instability and pain. I felt better after, but still was unstable for almost 2 years later until I became trained in and started a whole-body approach to analysis and exercise. This opened a journey for yoga, meditation, hiking, biking, and walking my dogs – things I could not do before or would have significant pain after doing for days or weeks.

And Then The Autoimmune Storm

While my mobility improved, I still struggled with hormonal issues, chronic fatigue, periodic vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss requiring hearing aids, vision problems not correctable with glasses, ovarian cysts, and joint pain. I was hospitalized for the 3rd time in my life for sepsis that seemed to hit me out of nowhere. I met an early integrative medicine MD who was the first to suggest I switch to a Paleo diet vs. medication and I began exploring food as medicine. This began a transformation for my life to feel better for many years. I again, had another episode of adrenal fatigue and a cardiac event which severely impacted my life and career despite the emphasis on nutrition, mindfulness, sleep, and exercise. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, Diabetes, Adrenal Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), Cardiac Arrhythmia, Cervicogenic Dizziness and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) in addition to my multiple orthopedic diagnoses. My hormones were out of control, I had significant weight gain, continued fatigue, my hair was falling out, my nails were brittle, I had allergies to everything, my skin erupted, dark circles and bags under my eyes, and my moods were a constant roller coaster. It took every ounce of energy to get out of bed and go to work. I kept pushing as that is what we do. Running a practice, teaching, serving on committees and doing the best I could. I accomplished a lot, as many of us do, until one day, I just could not do it anymore.

I hit rock bottom and could not practice in my own clinic anymore. I set out on a journey to find answers through multiple means of holistic healing – meditation, yoga, nutrition, mindfulness, gong baths, Tibetan bowls, essential oils, and a host of supplements and food plans for thyroid, adrenals, and inflammation. You name it, I tried it.

Finding Real Solutions

This is when I found functional medicine to incorporate the science of healing and wellness on an INDIVIDUAL level vs. approaches that treat everyone with a specific diagnosis the same. In this journey, I found that all my life factors were cumulative. The ball was set in motion years before my symptoms from childhood traumas, toxin exposures working in an agricultural family business and chemicals in the Marine Corps, poor “good nutrition” recommendations, overtraining with intense exercise and exhausting my adrenals from trying to overcome obstacles through pure perseverance. I discovered there was a way to establish a program of nutrition and activity specific for me and my genetics to address all of my “Diagnoses” by addressing the ROOT cause of my SYMPTOMS vs. treating all of my DISEASES. I decided to go back to school formally for functional medicine to help myself, my family and my patients who also have shared similar journeys with thyroid, adrenal and endocrine dysfunction.

Not Just Managing, Living My Best Life

I share these pictures because I came from a point of barely being able to walk across a room with a cane. My shoulders would often dislocate doing everyday activities like my dogs pulling on their leash, my ankles rolled just walking, my hip gave way frequently and I had constant pain and stiffness in my upper back and neck. I could not turn my head without falling over or getting dizzy. Lights, sound, and activity became overstimulating that I stopped going to social events especially concerts or live performances. It was terrifying to always prepare to go anywhere and avoid anything that might trigger me. My fear of falling was extreme and I avoided uneven terrain, walking alone or being near an edge that I might fall off. I was always ill and on the verge of a medical crisis or emergency room visit.

Now I do aerial acrobatics flipping, spinning, and hanging upside down without vertigo or joint dislocations. Hiking on rugged terrain including 14ers and along ridges with steep drop offs. I can ski steep slopes with control, balance on a paddleboard and, sky dive, rock climb, snow shoe, ice skate, even aerial on skates, golf, kayak, really anything I want to do. I thoroughly enjoy getting out there and being active with my nieces and nephews and can keep up with them. I no longer have vision or dizziness issues. My hearing has improved substantially and I often go without my hearing aids now. I am able to work with less effort than ever before. My brain function has returned, I have mood regulation and clarity of thought, my hormones are balanced and I sleep well which I had never been able to do before. I am able to maintain a healthy weight without effort and I am the best I have ever been with my mind, body, and spirit. I love my life with my husband and fur babies exploring all this great world has to offer. We spend as much time as we can in the mountains and outdoors foraging, growing and preserving our own food, dipping into cold streams and lakes, hiking and exploring new places, camping out and communing with nature.

All my “medical diagnoses” have been eradicated and my blood work is normal without medication. This is after 35+ years of symptoms, multiple surgeries, medications, and medical providers including neurotology, neuro-optometry, cardiology, endocrinology, OB/GYN, orthopedics at a huge cost to my bank account, health, family, and career.

Today it is much easier to make informed choices. There are no quick fixes or instant “cures”. It is about finding our unique code to maximize the expression of our specific genes. It takes being resourceful and committed with the right functional medicine practitioner to guide the process. Today, I use the knowledge I have acquired through my professional quest and the empathy I have gained from my personal experience to guide others on their journey to optimal health. Whether you are trying to heal yourself from chronic medical conditions or want to optimize your vitality to have vigor and brain capacity in your senior years, functional medicine is the answer.