Exploring Integrative Care
Our brain is the largest organ in our body; it serves as the circuit board for every other system in our body. For the sake of this blog, I’ll refer to our complex network of hormones and neurotransmitters as "Brain Health." This network connects, stimulates, or shuts down parts of our brain, causing us to experience life in many ways we classify as happy, depressed, tired, anxious, etc. This network constantly forms pathways and feedback loops that control all of the functions of our bodies, including fertility, menstrual cycles, bone health, heart health, metabolism, sleep cycles, and moods. These functions, in turn, shape our relationships with ourselves and with our external environments, including work, home, family, and friends.
When I talk to anyone who will listen about brain health, I describe it as the most important part of our health. Every one of us has brain health. It is the foundation on which all of our other systems function or malfunction. We shouldn’t hide it, be ashamed of it, or treat it like a dark alley in medicine we don’t want to go down. Our brain health dictates how we experience life.
We often think of brain health as a snapshot of how we feel at a given moment, focusing on emotions and moods, but we don’t spend enough time exploring what lies beneath them. What drives us to experience our moments through all five senses and interpret them as we do? What is the best way to address negative experiences? Do we treat the symptoms or the underlying issues? We should address both!
A healthy connection between our brain health and our whole-body health is what we all want, yet many of us feel disconnected. You can't pull a few wires out of your oven and expect it to work perfectly. If you're lucky, it might still get the job done, but my guess is things won't be ideal. We can go about our lives, but many people with health challenges describe feeling not present or not good at any of their roles; they are “just existing” or “going through the motions”. There is a place many of us strive to reach, and I hear it described the same way over and over: “I just want to feel like myself again.”
It is a testament to the resilience of humans that we can have disruptions in our brain health and still function at high levels, which is exhausting. When I discuss treatment options with clients, I like to talk about quality of life. Where do you rate your quality of life? What would make that number better? What number is “head above water” vs “barely hanging on” vs “in bed with covers over your head”?
Having worked in conventional medicine for 20 years, I am well aware and guilty of responding to numbers on paper, rather than the symptoms my client is experiencing. “I don’t know why you are exhausted, gaining weight, and depressed; your labs are NORMAL, maybe it's psychological.” On to the next patient, only 20 to go. I apologize for being that person, but the US medical system is not set up for integrative wellness; it is set up for surface health questionnaires, quick visits, and textbook treatments, in a one-size-fits-all way.
Integrative care is gaining speed on social media, and medical professionals are leaving mainstream medicine to practice integrative medicine in large numbers, especially women.
Integrative care is a deeper layer of care that lies beneath mainstream medicine; it encourages slowing down, listening, and thinking critically with our clients. It allows providers to become curious, return to their knowledge of the whole body and its interconnectedness, and find the root of the problem. We can prescribe medications to lessen symptoms that harm quality of life, but more importantly, we can peel back the layers and support the breaks in the system. We can follow the labyrinth of hormones, neurotransmitters, nutrients, and genetic predispositions to start creating balance again.
Our lived experience should be dynamic. Experiencing a range of emotions is expected, but when we get stuck in a negative cycle, our range narrows, and feeling well becomes challenging; it's time to explore the “why.” What internal and external factors are altering our connections?
Science is a beautiful thing. I work within an evidence-based mindset, using safe, effective treatments ranging from well-known pharmaceuticals to lesser-known plant-based supplements with strong scientific support. I have time to research and learn the complexities of how hormones and neurotransmitters affect our health. More importantly, I can explore the best ways to correct or address imbalances.
The lesson I have learned from working in a traditional medical system is that we cannot individualize client care within the short time allotted. My journey into private practice was born from a desire to have the time to learn about each client and to allow this knowledge to guide an individual's path to healing.
It is not often a quick path, but the changes we make when we connect and “integrate” all the parts of ourselves can improve our quality of life and help us to set our intentions for long-term wellness. Having someone to work with who knows you can be the missing piece in the puzzle. Feeling heard and seen is the first step to healing, and you are welcome to reach out anytime to start finding that sweet place of feeling like ourselves again.
