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Functional Medicine in Primary Care INTRODUCTION: DR. HERBST’S PERSONAL JOURNEY FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE IN PRIMARY CARE Over the last nineteen years, I I was implementing functional have worked as an employee in an medicine in pieces, before it was even insurance-based model and on my own in existence. Identifying how all my in a cash-based model, and I am here illnesses and diagnoses were similar to tell you that there are ways you and interconnected was truly my can utilize true functional medicine saving grace. without compromising your current Now as a board-certified family work situation. physician who integrates functional In this book, I promise to share with medicine, in a style I termed functional you a modality of practice that can look primary care, I am pleased to say I at root cause and optimize function am a successful business owner and with practical application. With this mother. It’s funny how life works. Here approach of functional primary care, is my story. you will restore your patient’s hope, It all started when I was eight years which understandably leads directly old. We moved to the country in to active participation in health and Oklahoma. I’m talking living in a tent/ improved patient outcomes and well house and bathing in the creek indirectly results in regaining your true kind of country. My father was building sense of self. It has been the experience a log cabin. And every night’s bedtime for myself and others, whom I have routine entailed what we called a “tick counseled in this practice style, that we check,” a bathtub soap from head to toe can get patients better together. CONTACT US and a dry-off where I’d stand with arms As you traverse through my nine and a open, like a starfish, while my sweet 479.715.4645 half-year health journey to recovery, you mother would check to see if we had salt-health.com will better understand why I practice any embedded ticks. The average was the way I do. usually three per day. 700 SE Plaza Avenue Bentonville, AR INTRODUCTION: DR. HERBST’S PERSONAL JOURNEY FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE IN PRIMARY CARE My sisters and I were very active We didn’t go to the doctor so because children, all healthy, breastfed, and there was no answer and they were told without any antibiotics. A well- that “this was normal,” we all did our balanced, yogurt-making, garden- best to ignore my constant symptoms. growing family raised us. A few months As proof my body was in a state of into us living there in the backwoods, I immune dysregulation, I had a few started to have severe daily headaches, severe cases of strep throat and poison which persisted and became so ivy during these two and half years. And frequent and routine that I began to so life persisted this way for the next count the days, hoping I would be able couple years. When I was ten, we moved to enjoy the weekend and planning overseas, and my headaches seemed when I would be able to spend the to dissipate. (We were no longer eating night with my friends. dairy from the farm. [Bummer, no more ‘...I started to have severe Knowing my pattern, I often remember homemade butter.] We were eating thinking, ‘Oh good, it’s Thursday, so predominately vegetables and fish.) daily headaches, which I won’t have a headache Friday. I can We were overseas for about six years. persisted and became so spend the night with my friend and not We returned to the United States in have a headache.’ Most nights, I would frequent and routine that 1988. About this time, my menstrual lay in bed, put a pillow over my head, cycle started, and the headaches I began to count days, and hold it as tight as I could until I fell increased in frequency and severity hoping I would be able to asleep. At the same time, I also started again. At school, I was eating typical having severe abdominal pain, often enjoy the weekend and American food, AKA the Standard crying to my mom as I sat on the toilet, American Diet (SAD), which consisted planning when I would be cramping with clammy sweats. I had a of dairy, candy, soda, and fried foods. able to spend the night few bouts of pinworms because, yes, with my friends.’ I played in the dirt and was barefoot I continued to be a go-getter, type-A most of the time. personality with good grades, student council, diving team, and any volunteer As for my sleep, my mother says I’ve activity I could get my hands on. always been a light sleeper, even as a baby. However, I recall at that time During high school, my muscle pain always waking up around two or three became intense, and I seemed to have in the morning and laying there awake muscle strains regularly. My sleep and waiting for morning to come. I continued to be an issue. I didn’t sleep knew it was almost time to get up when as a matter of fact. I found it difficult I heard the ducks and the geese on the to fall and stay asleep. But I didn’t front porch, making their noise below know any better. I thought this was my window. my new norm—just kept fighting and consuming a lot of aspirin, ibuprofen, My parents finally took me to the and Tylenol. Bowel movements now doctor for my headaches, and he were once a week. said it was probably because I was “allergic to my stuffed animals.” Sadly, I went on to college and was very this resulted in a purge of my furry- active; however, my migraines friendly fellows who sat on my shelves continued to increase in intensity, and bed. However, we found out it was especially significant, after I started not the source of my headaches. The on birth control. I really wanted to go constipation and severe abdominal to medical school, but I knew with the pain were written off as “normal bowel severe migraines and fatigue I was habits with slow transit time.” My family experiencing, it would not be possible. was tough. We didn’t complain. INTRODUCTION: DR. HERBST’S PERSONAL JOURNEY FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE IN PRIMARY CARE Despite this, I was physically active, I naïvely thought this would help The muscle pain I felt was intense and walking many miles a day to class my bowel movements become more persisted for the next two years despite and working out. My diet consisted regular. Not! my many visits to specialists. All their of “healthy,” so I thought, Pop Tarts recommendations were failing me. Eventually I married and soon became because they had strawberry filling pregnant. This was the best I’ve felt in I was also carrying the burden of guilt in them. (Sigh, I knew better, but I my entire life. The last two trimesters and failure. I felt guilty, as if I had failed was trying to tell myself they were of my pregnancy were amazing. I slept my husband and everyone around me. somewhat healthy.) I pushed through well, my pain was gone, and I had no I was no longer able to participate in as much as I was able. migraines. Some speculate this was due physical activities, like bike riding and I wasn’t eating anything nearly as to the higher levels of hormones. At the family hikes. Intimacy and intercourse healthy as my mother would cook at same time, I received news that my Pap was incredibly painful, which was home. I was now on my own, living smear had returned abnormal. discouraging for both of us. Here I on Ramen noodles, canned tuna, was, newly married and a mess. I was A well-meaning physician called me microwave popcorn, and the occasional becoming desperate. For almost two into the office and told me that I should roast and potatoes I would make, along years, I tried anything and everything terminate the pregnancy, as it was early. with added frequent treats of ice cream the doctors were suggesting. I was I had cancer cells, and the estrogen and milkshakes. I would buy apples feeling as though I was a failure because would likely exacerbate the cancerous on occasion and dip them in caramel, I wasn’t getting better. growth. I had no idea what they were thinking this was healthy as well. It’s a talking about since I wasn’t in medicine Thankfully, my personality did not fruit after all! at that time, and I was in a bit of allow me to give up. My final visit I also continued to swim. I was in a shock. I naïvely ignored his advice and with a renowned specialist for vulvar chlorinated pool almost daily from continued on with the pregnancy. vestibulitis at the University of Michigan the age of fifteen to twenty-one. As a was the straw that broke this camel’s I had a beautiful, healthy baby girl. But lifeguard and swim instructor, I swam back. This doctor had tried everything as soon as I delivered her, my health on a swim team and was a springboard from medications to hormones and crashed. Throughout the pregnancy, diver. This is a possible environmental laser removal of the mucous membrane. I had three biopsies taken, and the exposure with negative health effects. And out of frustration, she said, cancerous cells remained stable after a “Maybe you would benefit from I graduated college and moved to loop electrosurgical excision procedure an antidepressant.” She callously South Carolina.
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