5 KEYS TO SUCCESS I have been doing several talks in the community lately. I am a Western medicine-trained physician assistant, but we are not really taught about the “alternative,” “Eastern,” and “functional” medicine practices while in school. If you’ve read the first chapter of my book (“Listening to Your Gut” available on Amazon), you’ll know I found the world of Functional Medicine after researching and seeking options outside of prescription medications. I knew Functional Medicine was for me as I had to get the word out to help at least one person not go through what I went through, and to heal quicker, be listened to, and find healthier answers. homocysteine, cortisol (and sometimes more like a vitamin A, folate, etc.) are vital to understanding your overall health and longevity! Treat the problems , not just the symptoms , people! 4. Sleep and Cortisol — Cortisol is a stress hormone. It can be elevated due to outside stressors but also due
to internal stressors like food, vitamin deficiencies, surgeries, viral illnesses, bacterial overgrowth, and candida! Cortisol can cause our blood sugar to be abnormal or abnormal blood sugar can cause the cortisol to rise! Elevated cortisol levels damage our gut health, affect our hormones, interrupt our sleep, increase hunger and cravings, and so much more. We need restful sleep to regenerate healthy cells, but we can’t sleep because reasons 1–3. Go back to the basics. You don’t need that sleeping aid or hormone replacement. Go back to Step 1. 5. Proper Fuel — We cannot focus on calories. We must focus on the fuel, the gasoline, we are putting into our body: our food, our nutrients. We focus on macronutrients: proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. We must find the right fuel for your body. You cannot match your nutrients or calories to someone else’s. The proper amounts of protein, carbs, and fats for your body depend on steps 1–4, your body composition, medications, medical history, activity level, goals, and more. It must be individualized from the inside to the outside. I could go on for hours talking about these keys and the details that go into each lock. The point is that you need to find the right person who is going to evaluate you completely with personalized testing, deeper testing, and evaluating your medical history other than surface-level things like the “diagnoses” you take medications for. Find someone who is going to investigate and treat the problems. –Jenni Berman PA-C, CPT, CNS, CICI OWNER, BERMAN HEALTH AND WELLNESS
I wanted to take the time to summarize my 5 Keys to Success: 1. Gut Health — Your gut is your second brain. Even if you do not have “stomach issues” or “problems with any foods,” your gut may still not be as healthy as you think. Our gut is responsible for 95% of the autoimmune diseases out there: migraines, eczema, fatigue, arthritis, thyroid disease, IBS, weight gain, muscle loss, poor sleep, and so many more. We have to look further at our gut health. How? Food sensitivities, vitamin levels, cortisol levels, and a deeper investigation of our medical history! 2. Blood Sugar — Even if your doctor has told you that your “fasting blood sugar is normal,” you need to look further at your blood sugar. We need to look past one glucose test by checking other markers for blood sugar instability. Your blood sugar may be the primary cause of your poor sleep, low energy, brain fog, headaches, weight gain, and inflammation. Protein is one of the most important things when it comes to stabilizing your blood sugar levels. With that said, though, vitamin levels and cortisol levels are also important! 3. Micronutrients and Vitamin Levels — We need to ensure optimal levels of our vitamins to make sure we have healthy cells. If our gut is not healthy and our blood sugar is irregular throughout the day and night, we likely have vitamin deficiencies. Most of the time, these levels aren’t even checked at your physical exam! Your magnesium RBC, vitamin B12, vitamin D, ferritin,
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