Jessica, our wonderful Vessel owner, found herself struggling with many different health issues and decided to reach out to a functional medicine doctor and take control of her health. Below is her experience and how working with a professional who focuses on the whole body has completely changed her life and perspective.

Jessica’s Journey

Feeling run down and exhausted? Battle bloating or have digestion issues? Suffer from autoimmune disorders with no relief? Over the past 7 years I have worked on finding the root causes of various issues with a Functional Medicine Practitioner, traveling along a health journey with many ups and downs.

It’s Been a Long Road

From adrenal fatigue to parasites, we have encountered several obstacles that have been depleting my body from the nutrients it needs to work efficiently. Tackling hormonal imbalances, leaky gut, candida, H Pylori, various parasites, adrenal fatigue, insulin resistance, celiac, histamine intolerance, etc… My body has been through the ringer. But with all the different obstacles I have encountered along the way, I have learned so much from my Functional Medicine Practitioner. My eyes were opened to how the body works, how important nutrition plays a part in the way our body functions, and how necessary it is to find the root causes so we can better support our bodies and heal.

What I’ve Learned

I’ve learned that my body responds better to low impact workouts, like Pilates, yoga, and walking. I’ve learned that eating warming foods helps my body digest easily. I’ve also learned that my body doesn’t do well with gluten, dairy, soy, or refined sugar. Finding out that I have Celiac and need to avoid inflammatory foods has been monumental for my gut issues. It’s been a journey over the past 7 years, but each day I am learning more ways to support my body in its present state.

The biggest thing that I have learned is it takes TIME. Time to heal. Time to instill healthier habits. Time to navigate symptoms and root causes. I remember my Functional Medicine Practitioner telling me at the beginning that it’s not a sprint. We are in this for the long haul and the body is a very complex thing. Once you start shifting your focus to your health being a Full Body System, where everything works together to help us live and function, you begin to gain awareness of what is going on within your body and what the symptoms are trying to tell you.

Your Journey is You Own

We are all unique. We are not a one size fits all. My body is not the same as anyone else’s body. There is power in knowing that, along with a little frustration. Finding out where your body needs additional support is priceless. Because at the end of the day, we all want to be disease-free, active, and thriving well into our 80’s!