Antibiotics: the Good, the Bad, and the Super Ugly!
Let me start by saying this is NOT a post meant to bash all things medicine. Functional Medicine is about bringing the best of conventional to meet the best of holistic medicine to create a happy place in the middle. So, I thank the Lord for antibiotics! Truly, they have saved many lives. But, I think many of us know the, dare I say, epidemic that is occurring. Yes. I went that far. Antibiotics are amazing when needed, but the overprescribing and overuse of antibiotics NEEDS. TO. STOP!
Why? Glad you asked.
This answer is two-fold. 1) Each time you take an antibiotic, you are killing bacteria…duh. But there are certain bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, therefore, live on even after your course of medication has ended. They reproduce and, according to research, can even pass their resistance onto other bacteria. This creates “Super Bugs,” which have the superpower of resisting antibiotics, as we stated. This means they can lead to more complications and...
LABS...They Look Fine...
How many times have you had labs done because of whatever symptoms you went to your doctor for, only to have your doctor say the most annoying phrase one could hear…"Your labs look fine.” Uuuuggghhhhh! It’s annoying because on one hand, you’re so thankful things look okay because it could be worse. But you are just left wondering, “What the heck is wrong then???” You find yourself asking, “Why am I still constantly bloated, aching, hormonal, losing or gaining weight, losing hair, sweating too much, etc. So, if everything “looks fine” then why don’t I feel fine?”
As a nurse turned Functional Medicine Health Coach, I have had the privilege of seeing labs from different perspectives. One being the Pathological (conventional) perspective, and the other a Functional (Optimal) perspective. There are several differences between these two perspectives, but to sum it up: looking at labs from a Pathological...
