House on Fire
Every year CellCore Biosciences hosts an event called Exponential Clinical Outcomes, where their practitioners can gather to learn, connect, grow, and be encouraged to keep challenging the status quo.
I was blessed to be able to attend for the first time this year in Dallas, along with over 1200 attendees of various specialties and clinical backgrounds, and hundreds more attended virtually.
This conference was by far the most impactful of any I’d ever attended. There were so many “clinical pearls” and nuggets of information and wisdom that I couldn’t wait to get home and put into practice.
One of the lectures that I found most relevant to you discussed the comparison of traditional medicine to functional medicine, and functional medicine to foundational medicine.
When I shared a few of the slides to my Instagram stories during the conference, I got so many comments about how helpful the comparison was to see the philosophies and interventions lined up side by side.
If you’re new to the whole concept of natural medicine and are just starting to explore options outside of the traditional medicine model, I think this could be really helpful for you.
It’s a bit tongue in cheek, but not too far from reality, so read along and ask yourself which method really seems to make the most sense to you.
This comparison brings it to life
Drs Jay Davidson and Todd Watts presented some really impactful illustrations that I think will really help you to grasp the differences between these models. I hope they don’t mind me expanding on them here because I thought they were really brilliant.
First, this classic example: YOUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE!!
Traditional medicine says, “There is no fire. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Go back to sleep.”
Functional medicine says, “This fire is ruining your house! Let’s put some new siding on.”
Foundational medicine says, “Let’s put out the fire first, and then rebuild.”
If you say, “I’m having symptoms from my protocol.”
Traditional medicine says, “That protocol must be harming you! I told you not to take supplements. They can interact with your medications.”
Functional medicine says, “Great, that’s called a herxheimer reaction. That means it’s working.”
Foundational medicine says, “Symptoms aren’t a bad thing. Increase your drainage support and if needed, adjust your detoxification or pathogen-killing dosing, but keep going.”
If you ask, “What can I do for my fatigue?”
Traditional medicine says, “Do you want a sleeping pill, a stimulant, a pain med, or an antidepressant? You know, what? I’ll just write for them all.”
Functional medicine says, “Let’s run a salivary cortisol test and take some adaptogenic herbs.”
Foundational medicine says, “It’s not adrenal fatigue, it’s mitochondrial dysfunction. Focus on supporting your cellular energy.”
If you say, “I think I’m dehydrated, what should I drink?”
Traditional medicine says, “Yes, just drink more water. If you’re out in the sun, be sure to drink some Gatorade or Body Armor.”
Functional medicine says, “Drink half your body weight in ounces of filtered water but be sure to add a ton of minerals.”
Foundational medicine says, “Your mitochondria are the primary intracellular water generation system in your body. You need to consume chemical-free, distilled water.”
If you ask, “Do I need vitamin D3?”
Traditional medicine says, “Here is your prescription for 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). Be sure to wear your sunscreen!”
Functional medicine says, “Yes, take vitamin D3 with K2 for the rest of your life. You can get some vitamin D from foods and safe sun.”
Foundational medicine says, “Actually, your low vitamin D levels are not because of a lack of supplementation, but rather they are due to chronic toxicity accumulation in the body, metabolic dysfunction, and lack of sunshine. Work on supporting your mitochondria and make sure to get morning and evening sunlight to reset your circadian rhythms.”
If you ask, “What do I do for acid reflux?”
Traditional medicine says, “You’ve got too much acid production. Take an anti-acid for the rest of your life. Don’t stop it or you’ll end up with throat cancer!”
Functional medicine says, “You actually don’t have enough stomach acid. Maybe you need some enzymes. Take betaine HCl and apple cider vinegar before meals.”
Foundational medicine says, “Your low stomach acid levels are caused by poor bile flow to neutralize the stomach acid, so let’s fix the cause of bile stagnation (usually toxicity and pathogens).”
If you ask, “What do I do for osteoporosis?”
Traditional medicine says, “take Fosamax and a calcium supplement.”
Functional medicine says, “Let’s detox heavy metal lead, as lead competes for calcium in the bone.”
Foundational medicine says, “Let’s detox radium as it is a bone-seeking radioactive element that competes for calcium and attracts lead.”
So, what’s the answer?
Well, friend, you’re in the driver’s seat.
No one knows your body or its story better than you. No one is a better expert in what’s going on with you than YOU.
You have the ability and autonomy to change course if what you’re currently doing or the options that you are being presented with simply don’t align with your values.
Every practitioner is ultimately doing their best to help you with the information they have, but every single one of us has our own biases, and at the end of day each one offers their own clinical opinion.
That’s all it is. An opinion. Nothing is in stone.
But in my opinion, and based on all of my experience as both a patient and a practitioner who has been-there-done-that-got-the-t-shirt-to-prove-it, there is only one of these philosophies that truly makes sense.
Your body was intelligently designed to be able to heal itself.
If you’re looking to begin supporting your body’s natural detoxification pathways, be sure and grab my FREE Detox Essentials Guide here! It’s got everything you need to know to get started.