Functional Medicine 101
The previous podcast episode was Getting Help Part 1: Health and Nutrition Coaching. Today, we’re talking about the next level of help, when your autoimmune condition is more complex and isn’t responding to a healing diet. You need to delve deeper. Where do you begin?
Anne Angelone is an acupuncturist, herbalist and functional medicine practitioner, specializing in reversing autoimmune disease. She walks us through how functional medicine works, which tests are most helpful, and which interventions she recommends.
Anne also has ankylosing spondylitis and uveitis herself, which she has reversed through the paleo diet and lifestyle, along with functional medicine interventions. She’ll be sharing her healing story with us today.
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Show Notes
- Intro (0:00)
- Announcement: A New AIP Cookbook Focusing On Breakfasts (2:07)
- Update 2022: This cookbook is no longer for sale, but don’t worry! I’ve put together a Paleo AIP Breakfast Recipe Roundup for you.
- Meet Anne (3:02)
- Anne Angelone is an acupuncturist, herbalist and functional medicine practitioner, specializing in reversing autoimmune disease. In addition to her Master’s degree in Chinese Medicine, she has received advanced training from Dr. Jeffrey Bland (founder of Metagenics and author of The Disease Delusion) and Dr. Datis Kharrazian (author of the books Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests are Normal? and Why Isn’t My Brain Working?)
- Anne has a clinic-based practice in San Francisco and consults with patients worldwide via Skype.
- She’s also the author of a series of e-books called The Paleo Breakthrough Kit, which includes meal plans as well as an overview of the functional medicine approach.
- Anne has ankylosing spondylitis and uveitis herself, so she understands the autoimmune experience from the inside out. Her first symptoms appeared at age 12, and her prescription was to carry a baggie of aspirin with her wherever she went, taking 12 tablets per day. As an early adult, she found functional medicine, and started treating the cause instead of the symptoms. Today, so long as she sticks to her personalized autoimmune paleo template, and manages sleep and stress, she requires no pain medication. One of the ways Anne personalizes her diet is to avoid starch, because it can feed a bacteria specific to ankylosing spondyltitis that increases inflammation.
- What is Functional Medicine? 1:1 Consulting (22:26)
- Step 1: Detailed patient history and symptom assessment.
- Step 2: Gathering all tests and reports from other practitioners, conventional and alternative.
- Step 3: Talking with the patient about their own opinions and intuition on their obstacles to healing.
- Step 4: Applying training and experience to look at the holistic picture and see where to start personalized troubleshooting.
- Anne’s Top 3 Recommended Tests (26:48)
- (1) A basic blood chemistry panel can reveal a lot of helpful information. If you also add vitamin D, magnesium and ferritin, that’s even better.
- (2) A comprehensive 3-day stool analysis. Anne recommends Doctors Data.
- (3) Thyroid antibodies.
- Online Class – Test Clear Heal (34:38)
- Update: This class is no longer available.
- Functional Medicine Case Studies – Examples of Healing (43:50)
- Patient #1 had rheumatoid arthritis. High doses of ibuprofen had led to a bleeding ulcer and anemia. Methotrexate left her feeling nauseous. Her doctor wanted her to try Enbrel next. That’s when she contacted Anne. Anne put her on the paleo autoimmune protocol with a focus on nutrient density and omega 3 balance. She also did some basic testing which showed low vitamin D, low magnesium, and some imbalanced gut flora, all of which she corrected through supplementation. Results for the patient were less stiffness, increased energy, elimination of brain fog, balanced hormones, and the ability to get off immunosuppressant medication.
- Patient # 2 had psoriatic arthritis and GERD and was on a number of medications including nexium, Lodine and Humira. Medication had relieved his morning pain/stiffness, but his skin wasn’t improving, and he still had inflammation. Stool tests revealed an overabundance of yeast and h.pylori, combined with an undergrowth of beneficial bacteria. She prescribed GI synergy, an herbal botanical, to eradicate the pathogens, probiotics to increase his beneficial bacteria, and the paleo autoimmune protocol to reduce his inflammation overall. She also had him supplement with gelatin, high epa fish oil and vitamin D. Results were an 80% reduction in pain/inflammation, improved mobility, and a reduction in skin lesions.
- Outro (1:00:10)
- Visit Anne’s website to schedule a consultation, or learn more about her books and other resources.
- Eileen (your podcast host) is the author of multiple books, written to help people thrive with autoimmune disease. Learn more on the Books Page.
- If you like this podcast, follow or subscribe through your favorite podcast app. You can also subscribe to Eileen’s biweekly newsletter.
- Check out the entire archive of podcast episodes.
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Do You Have My Books?
Thank you for all the information and resources you provide! I have been doing the AIP since May 1, 2017… not quite a month. I have seen a remarkable improvement in my psoriasis on both my left hand and left ankle. Still don’t know why it’s only on my left side. Any thoughts on that?
U was told I have Hashimotos, and I also have thyroid nodes, one of which was deemed cancerous – micro encapsulated papillary .08cm. I was suppose to have a thyroidectomy in Feb, but found an endo who is willing to watch and see. I do not want this surgery and have high hopes for the AIP to reduce/dissolve the nodes.
I feel wonderful on this diet, better than I have in the ten years since the psoriasis showed up (during my divorce).
Again, Thank you for all the great information!
Deb
Hi Deb. I’m so glad you’re seeing results so quickly! Welcome to the AIP community. I”m also glad you’re under a doctor’s care for the cancer. Wishing you wellness in every way!
Thanks for your blog Eileen. It’s great. I am seeing a functional medicine MD — started out for hyperthyroidism/Graves disease (which is autoimmune), and now I am into working on adrenal fatigue and recovering from a more recent fight with post-infectious IBS-D. It’s been a little over a year since I started seeing her. While my health problems are still with me, I can say with 100% confidence that I would be so much worse off had I not found her. My regular doctors had very little to nothing to offer me for treating these conditions. I would have been taking pharmaceuticals that did nothing to address the core problems I have, or I would have just suffered. Now I am following a health-rebuilding diet, taking carefully targeted supplements, and focusing on rest as much as possible. I thank goodness I had the option to work with someone in functional medicine because I don’t know where I would be otherwise.
Thank you so much for sharing your functional medicine experience!
Hi, Just wondering if you guys believe in the blood type diet for autoimmune issues. My practioner likes the AIP diet, but also likes to put a blood type diet spin on it. What are your thoughts? Doing both is very confusing to me. What are your thoughts. Thx!
I don’t recommend doing both. Any time you combine diets it becomes too restrictive. The blood type diet is based on faulty science, unfortunately. Here’s a good article debunking it. I recommend the AIP.