My journey into functional health began not in a classroom, but in my own home. When my infant son developed severe eczema, we tried everything doctors recommended — bleach baths (yes, bleach baths! Eek!), steroid creams, even a $300 prescription cream that promised “miraculous results.” Nothing worked. His skin still flared, and I knew there had to be more to the story.

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Through research and persistence, I began to look beyond his skin symptoms and explore how gut health, immune function, and environmental factors might be influencing his eczema. As we made changes to support those areas, his skin gradually improved.

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A few years later, I developed painful cystic acne around my mouth and recurring sinus infections that had me on antibiotics nearly every month. When I was finally referred for a CT scan to check for nasal polyps, I knew I had to take a different path. Through research, I began exploring whether food sensitivities and gut health might be contributing to my symptoms. After removing corn from my diet, my acne cleared within a week, and the sinus infections stopped completely

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These experiences changed my perspective on health. I realized that when we focus only on treating symptoms, we miss the bigger picture. That’s what led me to become certified as a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDN-P). Now I combine functional lab testing, an understanding of the body's interconnected systems, and personalized coaching to help others better understand the factors that may be influencing their health and identify opportunities to support lasting wellness.

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It's more important to understand the imbalances in your body's basic systems and restore balance, rather than name the disease and match the pill to the ill.

-- Dr. Mark Hyman, MD, Functional Medicine​​​​​​

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