April 14, 2025 • 22 mins
Have you ever wondered why taking one medication seems to lead to three more, creating a never-ending cycle of prescriptions? This raw, eye-opening episode pulls back the curtain on what I witnessed during my 24-year career in hospital medicine—a system designed to manage symptoms rather than create health.
Fresh off a cruise where I watched my dear friend consume handfuls of medications while continuing to suffer from inflammation, chronic fatigue, and a host of other symptoms, I'm breaking my silence about the pharmaceutical carousel that keeps patients sick and dependent. With striking clarity, I explain how conventional medicine treats numbers rather than people, and why addressing root causes through functional medicine offers a genuine path to healing.
The episode dives deep into several common medications, particularly statins and SSRIs, revealing how they disrupt mitochondrial function, liver detoxification, and overall health while failing to address the underlying inflammation, hormone imbalances, or nutritional deficiencies causing symptoms in the first place. I share shocking statistics about Big Pharma's trillion-dollar profit machine and explain why even well-intentioned practitioners become trapped in a system that prioritizes protocols over personalization.
As someone who's practiced on both sides—writing prescriptions as a hospitalist and now helping patients heal through functional medicine—I offer a unique perspective on why your health shouldn't be owned by corporations but placed firmly back in your hands. For those feeling trapped in the medication merry-go-round, this episode provides hope that another approach exists, one that honors your body's messages instead of silencing them.
Ready to rip off your health band-aids and discover what true healing feels like? Connect with me at Harmony Hub Health, where we don't just manage disease—we restore health from the root cause up.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Harmony Hub Health, where my mission is
to provide comprehensive,affordable, integrative care
that addresses the root cause ofhealth issues.
At the Hub, the focus is onindividual patient journeys.
I strive to optimize health,vitality and longevity,
fostering a community where eachperson can thrive in body, mind
and spirit.
(00:21):
So this week I wanted to ripthe band-aid off, like really so
.
I spent almost 24 years inhospital medicine and I feel
(00:44):
like I saw it all Heart attacks,sepsis, strokes, icus full of
people desperately trying torecover.
And do you know what we gavethem?
One guess okay Pills, then morepills to counteract the side
effects of those pills.
And when those caused problemsyou guessed it I gave more pills
(01:07):
.
It was like a bad relationshipthat you know is toxic, but you
just keep going back because youthink it's the only way to
survive.
So I just got back from a cruiselast night.
Sounds relaxing, right, butwhat I experienced on board hit
me hard.
I watched my dear friend,someone that I care for a lot
(01:29):
pull out a pill organizer thesize of a carry-on and I didn't
even tell her that I saw this.
But she tipped it back andswallowed a mouthful of
medications like it was normaland my stomach turned.
I had to look away.
I had brought her on abioidentical hormone replacement
therapy cruise.
(01:49):
Yes, hormone therapy, rootcause, functional medicine, all
the things I live and breatheand yet the disconnect was
striking.
Here she was rosy, red cheeks,full body inflammation, chronic
fatigue, obesity, mood swings,poor sleep.
She spent her trip talkingabout seeing different
(02:12):
specialists and wanting to addmore medications.
I took my least healthy friendthat I have on this cruise and
let me be clear, this is notjudgment.
Okay, this is pain.
This is the pain of watchingsomeone I care about drown in
prescriptions while the rootcauses go unaddressed.
She's been collecting diagnoseslike souvenirs and she feels
(02:35):
miserable and I know thatfeeling because I have lived it.
But here's the truth.
You don't have to live likethat.
One pill leads to three, thenfive, then 12, and suddenly your
entire life is managingsymptoms instead of creating
health.
I'm seriously considering doinga full mock functional medicine
(02:56):
plan of care podcast, not tocall her out, but to show what's
possible.
I'd walk through the toxinsthat she's surrounded by, the
gut, health that's never beentested, the inflammation, the
hormone imbalance, themethylation issues and
everything else that functionalmedicine would actually address.
I have tried with this girl.
(03:17):
I've sent her arena bands forresistance training.
I have mentioned all of myfunctional medicine tests with
rationale.
I have even sent herglutathione you know how pricey
that is which she admitted onthis trip.
She has never even opened, butwhat she does is she keeps
adding toxins, and more toxins,and and more medications.
(03:40):
We went to Jamaica last yearand I thought I made an
impression, but this year onthis cruise, this was the most
unhealthy I've ever seen her andshe calls me her person, but
she has yet to hear one word Ihave to say and I will say the
difference between conventionalmedicine when I worked in the
hospital is when you dischargesomebody, you give them
(04:01):
instructions and you just hopethey follow what you say.
Usually they don't and they comeback as a readmission.
But in functional medicine itis the hardest thing to do, not
only to get someone to agree towant to see you, but to follow
what you have to say and makemodifications is the hardest
(04:25):
thing I've ever done in healthcare, because the system is not
set up to get people well andconventional medicine is set up
to keep you in a loop and theworst part is that you forget
what it feels like to feel good.
So that leads me to talk aboutthe elephant-sized pill bottle
in the room.
Big Pharma, it's not just acatchy conspiracy buzzword.
(04:49):
It's a real multi-billiondollar industry with one primary
goal, and that goal is profit.
Now don't get me wrong.
Pharmaceuticals can belife-saving in emergencies.
Antibiotics, thank you for notletting us die right.
Pain meds after surgery blessthat.
But somewhere along the line,medicine got hijacked.
(05:12):
Instead of figuring out whysomeone is sick, the system
became obsessed with what pillwe can prescribe to keep you
quiet just long enough to billyour insurance right.
In 2022 alone, the top 10pharmaceutical companies made
over $700 billion in revenue.
(05:33):
Pfizer raked in over $100billion, nearly double its
revenue from the year before,driven largely by COVID-related
products.
And I won't even get started onthe COVID profits I witnessed
when working in the ICU watchingpatients suffer while the
corporate machine kept turning.
The average markup on manyprescriptions in the United
(05:56):
States is between 100% and5,000%, and it's no secret that
big pharma spends more onmarketing than research and
development.
I mean, what is the cost ofhealth when profit is the
priority?
Functional medicine asks adifferent question.
You know what's the root cause.
Instead of lifelongprescriptions.
(06:16):
We look for real healing,supporting the body, not
silencing the symptoms.
So you do have a choice Is yourhealth a business or is it a
priority?
You've got high blood pressure?
Here's a medicine.
Your cholesterol is up Statinsfor life.
Oh wait, your liver enzymes arenow elevated.
(06:37):
Let me add another pill.
And if that causes depressionor fatigue, guess what?
There's another prescription.
And if the companies weregetting super rich and they were
helping people, I would notcare.
I have nothing against profit,but this is at the expense of
people's lives.
So if functional medicinedoesn't have time for the
(06:57):
pharmaceutical merry-go-round,we wanna know what broke your
system in the first place.
Is it your gut?
Is it chronic stress?
Are there environmental toxins,nutrient deficiencies?
Do you have an MTHFR mutation?
Yes, it is a real thing.
Instead of saying here's a pill, see you in six months,
(07:18):
functional medicine says let'sget curious.
We test, we dig, we personalize, embrace yourself.
We actually work to heal theroot cause.
And no, we don't hatepharmaceuticals, but we are
deeply suspicious of chemicalband-aids that keep people sick
and dependent.
Our goal is not to mask yoursymptoms, it's to optimize
(07:41):
function and not just to avoiddeath.
Okay, so I want to unpack someof the reasons why chemical
pharmaceuticals are often seenas disruptive to mitochondrial
health, to your liver functionand long-term vitality, and why
we need to shift the focus fromsuppression to root cause
(08:03):
resolution.
And let's start with the truthbomb you do not have a Prozac
deficiency or a statindeficiency or an antacid
deficiency.
The idea that health can berestored by adding a drug to
mask a symptom ignores thedeeper question.
You know, why is your body outof balance in the first place?
(08:25):
What's the root cause?
What systems are stressed oroverloaded that led to this
condition?
And not, which drug canoverride that symptom.
So many commonly prescribedmedications are mitochondrial
disruptors.
You know, mitochondria are thelittle engines in your cells
that produce ATP, your body'senergy currency that I'm always
(08:47):
talking about.
When these are damaged, theresult is fatigue, aging quickly
, inflammation and disease.
So you know, in my yearsworking in the hospital, one
thing was non-negotiable If apatient had a TIA, a stroke or a
cardiovascular event, they wereautomatically put on a statin,
(09:09):
regardless of individual riskfactors, their lab work,
personal history.
It did not matter if theircholesterol was well controlled.
It didn't matter if they wereelderly, frail or already
struggling with memory loss.
It was a protocol and I had tofollow it, but deep down I knew
something was not right andfunctional medicine helped me
understand why.
(09:30):
You know, statins are prescribedto lower LDL cholesterol and
reduce the risk ofcardiovascular events.
On paper they sound likemiracle drugs and for certain
high-risk individuals they mightbe helpful.
But here's the problem Inconventional medicine we're
trained to treat numbers, notpeople.
In functional medicine we treatroot causes, not just lab
(09:53):
values.
So somehow conventionalmedicine has made cholesterol
the enemy.
Cholesterol is not the enemy.
We need cholesterol.
Cholesterol is essential forhormone production.
It's important for vitamin Dsynthesis, your brain health and
cellular function.
Statins lower all cholesterol,including the precursors to your
(10:15):
sex hormones and the CoQ10,which your mitochondria need for
energy.
So this results in hormoneimbalances, muscle pain, fatigue
and memory loss.
You know statins block yourHMG-CoA reductase.
This is the same pathway yourbody uses to produce the
coenzyme Q10.
(10:36):
It's a key nutrient formitochondrial health and energy
production.
So when you have low CoQ10, youhave muscle pain, brain fog,
fatigue and heart dysfunction.
And ironically, we're trying togive this drug to protect your
heart.
That can actually damage theheart over time.
Statins lower numbers on thelab test, but they don't address
(10:57):
the root cause of vascularinflammation oxidative stress,
poor diet, metabolic dysfunction, insulin resistance, which are
the real threats behind heartdisease and strokes.
So statin use is associatedwith increased blood sugar and
insulin resistance, especiallyin women.
So we are seeing increasingmetabolic risk in patients we
(11:23):
are trying to protect fromcardiovascular disease.
So a lot of side effects arevery common and often dismissed
when you're on a statin, likethose muscle aches, weakness,
brain fog, memory issues,depression, mood changes,
erectile dysfunction is a bigone and also sleep disturbance.
But in the hospital we're toldit's kind of rare to have these
(11:47):
symptoms or it's really notrelated.
Kind of rare to have thesesymptoms or it's really not
related.
So after nearly 24 years inhospital based care, I became
increasingly uncomfortable withprotocols that put every TIA or
cardiac patient on a statin withno questions asked.
It was a checkbox.
I could not discharge thesepeople without promising that I
(12:09):
had put them on a statin.
And even when a patient hadclear signs of side effects or
had normal cholesterol levels,it did not matter.
The statin was required or Icould not discharge that patient
and we were not practicingindividualized medicine.
We were just checking boxes andI was part of a system that was
(12:30):
prioritizing liability overlogic, compliance over curiosity
.
So in functional medicine,things that I would assess are,
you know, lipoprotein particlesize and inflammation markers
like ApoB, which people alwayssee in my lab panels, lp and,
you know, high sensitivity CRP.
(12:52):
I also look at insulinresistance, homocysteine and
oxidative stressors, methylationfunction.
You know your liver detoxpathways and genetic risk like
that MTHFR, apoe.
And instead of defaulting tostatins, I like to look at
dietary and lifestyle changes.
What about targeted supplementslike the CoQ10 or red yeast
(13:15):
rice or the omega-3s which Ifind so much better?
Or even berberine and curcumin?
Get to a root cause resolution.
So functional medicine is notanti-statin I don't want you to
get that out of what I'm saying.
It's the anti-blanket protocols.
There are some people wherestatins are very appropriate.
(13:36):
If you have really bad familialhypercholesterolemia, if you
had a recent cardiac event withno other modifiable risk, or
your ApoB is very high or yourLPA as well with persistent
vascular inflammation, great,you should be on a statin.
But the decision should bepersonalized, it should be
(13:58):
informed, it should be based onreal data, not fear or formula
protocols.
Okay, and don't even get mestarted on SSRIs, but we do need
to talk about SSRI medicationsbecause for many people they've
become the band-aid slapped on ableeding artery.
They're handed out like candyfor everything from depression
(14:21):
and anxiety, pms, fibromyalgiaum, what else?
Insomnia, even even digestiveissues, and while they may
provide temporary relief forsome, in functional medicine we
call this what it really is kickthe can medicine.
I say kick the can all the time.
I used to say it all the timewhen I was a hospitalist in the
(14:42):
hospital.
But we kick the can because thepatient is not getting better.
We're just pushing the problemfurther down the road, and that
is a very dangerous illusion,from weight gain to numb
emotions, which makes me sadwhen I hear people come to me
that have been placed on an SSRIand they say well, I'm not
(15:03):
really anxious or depressedanymore, I just don't have any
feelings, and that is not a wayto live.
Or the sexual dysfunction, thebrain fog, the GI issues it
comes with a laundry list ofside effects that leave patients
feeling worse in new ways andthe medicine didn't solve
anything.
And they don't ask why you feelthat way.
(15:26):
They don't dig into your guthealth, your hormone balance,
your trauma history, yourinflammation.
How about your mitochondrialfunction?
Or your nutrient deficiencies.
So functional medicine's goalis to stop kicking the can, dig
deep, figure out what's going on.
You know your mood and mentalhealth are not symptoms to
silence.
They are messages from yourbody.
(15:48):
So together we can look athormone imbalances, whether it's
estrogen, cortisol,progesterone, thyroid, looking
at the gut-brain axisdysfunction so hello, leaky gut
and microbiome issues.
You know, if you have amethylation defect, whether you
have MTHFR that can impact yourneurotransmitters or just dirty
(16:11):
genes, we can take a look atthat.
And nutrient deficiencies likethe B12, magnesium, the omegas
all different kinds ofdeficiencies and chronic
inflammation and stress.
These are all things that wecan look at.
It's not quick fix medicine,it's real root cause healing,
because you deserve more thansymptom suppression.
(16:32):
You deserve answers and a planthat leads to feeling whole
again.
If you're ready to stop kickingthe can, then definitely come
and talk to me.
And your liver is responsiblefor breaking down everything you
ingest, including food, alcohol, the environment, toxins and,
yes, pharmaceuticals.
Most chemical drugs aremetabolized by the liver using
(16:55):
the phase one and phase twodetox pathway.
So when you overload thatsystem, toxins begin to
accumulate, you know yourhormones get imbalanced, you
deplete your glutathione, whichis your master antioxidant.
Your inflammation goes up, youfeel sluggish, inflamed and
foggy.
So functional medicine focuseson supporting the liver, not
(17:19):
overloading it with syntheticcompounds.
And medications often shut downor override symptoms.
But symptoms are the body'swarning signs, like that check
engine light in your car.
If you cut the wire to thatlight, the engine is still in
trouble.
You're just not aware of it.
Now, instead of chasingsymptoms, functional medicine
(17:40):
supports your gut, which is yoursecond brain and a detox organ,
your mitochondria for energyand cellular repair, your liver,
your kidneys to safelyeliminate waste, and your
nervous system to regulate yourstress and your healing.
Functional medicine viewschronic illness as a result of
(18:01):
dysfunction in the terrain.
So nutrition, environment,stress, sleep, toxic burden and
genetic vulnerabilities.
We don't suppress, we nourish,support and optimize.
So you weren't born with apharmaceutical deficiency.
You were likely exposed to theperfect storm of nutrient
depletion, toxic burden andchronic stress.
(18:23):
I just want to remind you thatfunctional medicine is not
anti-medicine.
It's pro-root cause, resilienceand restoration.
So I knew something was wrong.
For years I saw patientsgetting sicker, not better.
I watched as the side effectspiled up, the medication list
grew longer and no one everstopped to ask what if this
(18:47):
isn't the answer.
I felt like a double agent,wearing scrubs by day and I
questioned everything by night.
My soul knew we could do better, until I got completely burnt
out and had no other choice butdo better.
When I finally made the leapinto functional medicine, it was
like breathing fresh air forthe first time.
(19:08):
I no longer had to pretend thata statin was a cure for a
lifetime of inflammation causedby poor diet, chronic stress and
toxic exposures.
I could finally say let's detoxyour life, support your
mitochondria and clean up yourgut without being side-eyed by
the other white coats.
Yes, I was ridiculed as ahospitalist.
(19:30):
I can name almost every personthat made a comment to me on the
side telling me to spend lesstime with my patients or, you
know, just stick with what toget them out and leave.
But I would sit down literallysit down in the hospital with
these people and talk to themabout lifestyle and what I
thought that they could do toimprove their health, because I
(19:52):
was tired of seeing them comeback.
Now I get to work with clientswho are ready to feel better and
not just die.
We talk about lifestyle,nutrition, I do lab testing, we
talk about supplements, nervoussystem, health and so much more.
I reverse insulin resistance, Icalm inflammation, I wean
(20:16):
people off of pharmaceuticalcarousels safely, with
supervision, and I do it whileeducating, empowering and
cheering them on every step ofthe way, empowering and cheering
them on every step of the way.
And I guess I need to get offmy soapbox, because I do not
think big pharma is evil.
It's not all evil, but thesystem built around it is sick
(20:37):
and we've been gaslit intothinking it's the only option.
Functional medicine is theresistance.
Yes, I just spent time at StarWars and Disney World, but
functional medicine is theresistance.
Yes, I just spent time at StarWars and Disney World, but
functional medicine is theresistance.
We don't want to manage disease.
Okay, I could do that in thehospital.
Well, pseudo-managing.
What we want to do is torestore health, and if that
(21:01):
means walking away from theprescription pad after 24 years
of playing that game, 10 yearsas a nurse passing out the pills
, 14 as the one that wrote forthe pills, then so be it,
because in the end, your healthshouldn't be owned by a
corporation.
It should be in your hands, andI'm here to help you.
(21:21):
Take it back If you want towork with someone who's lived
both sides of the system andchoose health over hustle.
You know.
Book a functional medicineconsultation at Harmony Hub
Health and I can rewrite yourstory.
We can actually write ittogether.
So come and see me atwwwharmonyhubhealthcom.
You can email me at Michellethat's Michelle with one L
(21:44):
M-I-C-H-E-L-E atharmonyhubhealthcom.
You can see me virtually thereor you can come in person.
I'm in Manchester, maryland.
You can come and see me atMonarch Beauty and Spa and I
really look forward to helpingyou rip off your band-aids.
The information shared in thispodcast is for educational and
informational purposes only andis not intended as medical
(22:07):
advice.
Always consult your licensedhealthcare provider before
making any changes to your diet,your lifestyle, adding
supplements or starting orstopping any medications.
While I am a licensed nursepractitioner, I'm not your
personal nurse practitionerunless we have an established
clinical relationship.
The views expressed are my ownand do not substitute
(22:29):
personalized medical care.
Thanks for tuning in.
Stay well, stay curious andstay empowered.
Welcome to Harmony Hub Health, where my mission is
to provide comprehensive,affordable, integrative care
that addresses the root cause ofhealth issues.
At the Hub, the focus is onindividual patient journeys.
I strive to optimize health,vitality and longevity,
fostering a community where eachperson can thrive in body, mind
and spirit.
(00:21):
So this week I wanted to ripthe band-aid off, like really so
.
I spent almost 24 years inhospital medicine and I feel
(00:44):
like I saw it all Heart attacks,sepsis, strokes, icus full of
people desperately trying torecover.
And do you know what we gavethem?
One guess okay Pills, then morepills to counteract the side
effects of those pills.
And when those caused problemsyou guessed it I gave more pills
(01:07):
.
It was like a bad relationshipthat you know is toxic, but you
just keep going back because youthink it's the only way to
survive.
So I just got back from a cruiselast night.
Sounds relaxing, right, butwhat I experienced on board hit
me hard.
I watched my dear friend,someone that I care for a lot
(01:29):
pull out a pill organizer thesize of a carry-on and I didn't
even tell her that I saw this.
But she tipped it back andswallowed a mouthful of
medications like it was normaland my stomach turned.
I had to look away.
I had brought her on abioidentical hormone replacement
therapy cruise.
(01:49):
Yes, hormone therapy, rootcause, functional medicine, all
the things I live and breatheand yet the disconnect was
striking.
Here she was rosy, red cheeks,full body inflammation, chronic
fatigue, obesity, mood swings,poor sleep.
She spent her trip talkingabout seeing different
(02:12):
specialists and wanting to addmore medications.
I took my least healthy friendthat I have on this cruise and
let me be clear, this is notjudgment.
Okay, this is pain.
This is the pain of watchingsomeone I care about drown in
prescriptions while the rootcauses go unaddressed.
She's been collecting diagnoseslike souvenirs and she feels
(02:35):
miserable and I know thatfeeling because I have lived it.
But here's the truth.
You don't have to live likethat.
One pill leads to three, thenfive, then 12, and suddenly your
entire life is managingsymptoms instead of creating
health.
I'm seriously considering doinga full mock functional medicine
(02:56):
plan of care podcast, not tocall her out, but to show what's
possible.
I'd walk through the toxinsthat she's surrounded by, the
gut, health that's never beentested, the inflammation, the
hormone imbalance, themethylation issues and
everything else that functionalmedicine would actually address.
I have tried with this girl.
(03:17):
I've sent her arena bands forresistance training.
I have mentioned all of myfunctional medicine tests with
rationale.
I have even sent herglutathione you know how pricey
that is which she admitted onthis trip.
She has never even opened, butwhat she does is she keeps
adding toxins, and more toxins,and and more medications.
(03:40):
We went to Jamaica last yearand I thought I made an
impression, but this year onthis cruise, this was the most
unhealthy I've ever seen her andshe calls me her person, but
she has yet to hear one word Ihave to say and I will say the
difference between conventionalmedicine when I worked in the
hospital is when you dischargesomebody, you give them
(04:01):
instructions and you just hopethey follow what you say.
Usually they don't and they comeback as a readmission.
But in functional medicine itis the hardest thing to do, not
only to get someone to agree towant to see you, but to follow
what you have to say and makemodifications is the hardest
(04:25):
thing I've ever done in healthcare, because the system is not
set up to get people well andconventional medicine is set up
to keep you in a loop and theworst part is that you forget
what it feels like to feel good.
So that leads me to talk aboutthe elephant-sized pill bottle
in the room.
Big Pharma, it's not just acatchy conspiracy buzzword.
(04:49):
It's a real multi-billiondollar industry with one primary
goal, and that goal is profit.
Now don't get me wrong.
Pharmaceuticals can belife-saving in emergencies.
Antibiotics, thank you for notletting us die right.
Pain meds after surgery blessthat.
But somewhere along the line,medicine got hijacked.
(05:12):
Instead of figuring out whysomeone is sick, the system
became obsessed with what pillwe can prescribe to keep you
quiet just long enough to billyour insurance right.
In 2022 alone, the top 10pharmaceutical companies made
over $700 billion in revenue.
(05:33):
Pfizer raked in over $100billion, nearly double its
revenue from the year before,driven largely by COVID-related
products.
And I won't even get started onthe COVID profits I witnessed
when working in the ICU watchingpatients suffer while the
corporate machine kept turning.
The average markup on manyprescriptions in the United
(05:56):
States is between 100% and5,000%, and it's no secret that
big pharma spends more onmarketing than research and
development.
I mean, what is the cost ofhealth when profit is the
priority?
Functional medicine asks adifferent question.
You know what's the root cause.
Instead of lifelongprescriptions.
(06:16):
We look for real healing,supporting the body, not
silencing the symptoms.
So you do have a choice Is yourhealth a business or is it a
priority?
You've got high blood pressure?
Here's a medicine.
Your cholesterol is up Statinsfor life.
Oh wait, your liver enzymes arenow elevated.
(06:37):
Let me add another pill.
And if that causes depressionor fatigue, guess what?
There's another prescription.
And if the companies weregetting super rich and they were
helping people, I would notcare.
I have nothing against profit,but this is at the expense of
people's lives.
So if functional medicinedoesn't have time for the
(06:57):
pharmaceutical merry-go-round,we wanna know what broke your
system in the first place.
Is it your gut?
Is it chronic stress?
Are there environmental toxins,nutrient deficiencies?
Do you have an MTHFR mutation?
Yes, it is a real thing.
Instead of saying here's a pill, see you in six months,
(07:18):
functional medicine says let'sget curious.
We test, we dig, we personalize, embrace yourself.
We actually work to heal theroot cause.
And no, we don't hatepharmaceuticals, but we are
deeply suspicious of chemicalband-aids that keep people sick
and dependent.
Our goal is not to mask yoursymptoms, it's to optimize
(07:41):
function and not just to avoiddeath.
Okay, so I want to unpack someof the reasons why chemical
pharmaceuticals are often seenas disruptive to mitochondrial
health, to your liver functionand long-term vitality, and why
we need to shift the focus fromsuppression to root cause
(08:03):
resolution.
And let's start with the truthbomb you do not have a Prozac
deficiency or a statindeficiency or an antacid
deficiency.
The idea that health can berestored by adding a drug to
mask a symptom ignores thedeeper question.
You know, why is your body outof balance in the first place?
(08:25):
What's the root cause?
What systems are stressed oroverloaded that led to this
condition?
And not, which drug canoverride that symptom.
So many commonly prescribedmedications are mitochondrial
disruptors.
You know, mitochondria are thelittle engines in your cells
that produce ATP, your body'senergy currency that I'm always
(08:47):
talking about.
When these are damaged, theresult is fatigue, aging quickly
, inflammation and disease.
So you know, in my yearsworking in the hospital, one
thing was non-negotiable If apatient had a TIA, a stroke or a
cardiovascular event, they wereautomatically put on a statin,
(09:09):
regardless of individual riskfactors, their lab work,
personal history.
It did not matter if theircholesterol was well controlled.
It didn't matter if they wereelderly, frail or already
struggling with memory loss.
It was a protocol and I had tofollow it, but deep down I knew
something was not right andfunctional medicine helped me
understand why.
(09:30):
You know, statins are prescribedto lower LDL cholesterol and
reduce the risk ofcardiovascular events.
On paper they sound likemiracle drugs and for certain
high-risk individuals they mightbe helpful.
But here's the problem Inconventional medicine we're
trained to treat numbers, notpeople.
In functional medicine we treatroot causes, not just lab
(09:53):
values.
So somehow conventionalmedicine has made cholesterol
the enemy.
Cholesterol is not the enemy.
We need cholesterol.
Cholesterol is essential forhormone production.
It's important for vitamin Dsynthesis, your brain health and
cellular function.
Statins lower all cholesterol,including the precursors to your
(10:15):
sex hormones and the CoQ10,which your mitochondria need for
energy.
So this results in hormoneimbalances, muscle pain, fatigue
and memory loss.
You know statins block yourHMG-CoA reductase.
This is the same pathway yourbody uses to produce the
coenzyme Q10.
(10:36):
It's a key nutrient formitochondrial health and energy
production.
So when you have low CoQ10, youhave muscle pain, brain fog,
fatigue and heart dysfunction.
And ironically, we're trying togive this drug to protect your
heart.
That can actually damage theheart over time.
Statins lower numbers on thelab test, but they don't address
(10:57):
the root cause of vascularinflammation oxidative stress,
poor diet, metabolic dysfunction, insulin resistance, which are
the real threats behind heartdisease and strokes.
So statin use is associatedwith increased blood sugar and
insulin resistance, especiallyin women.
So we are seeing increasingmetabolic risk in patients we
(11:23):
are trying to protect fromcardiovascular disease.
So a lot of side effects arevery common and often dismissed
when you're on a statin, likethose muscle aches, weakness,
brain fog, memory issues,depression, mood changes,
erectile dysfunction is a bigone and also sleep disturbance.
But in the hospital we're toldit's kind of rare to have these
(11:47):
symptoms or it's really notrelated.
Kind of rare to have thesesymptoms or it's really not
related.
So after nearly 24 years inhospital based care, I became
increasingly uncomfortable withprotocols that put every TIA or
cardiac patient on a statin withno questions asked.
It was a checkbox.
I could not discharge thesepeople without promising that I
(12:09):
had put them on a statin.
And even when a patient hadclear signs of side effects or
had normal cholesterol levels,it did not matter.
The statin was required or Icould not discharge that patient
and we were not practicingindividualized medicine.
We were just checking boxes andI was part of a system that was
(12:30):
prioritizing liability overlogic, compliance over curiosity
.
So in functional medicine,things that I would assess are,
you know, lipoprotein particlesize and inflammation markers
like ApoB, which people alwayssee in my lab panels, lp and,
you know, high sensitivity CRP.
(12:52):
I also look at insulinresistance, homocysteine and
oxidative stressors, methylationfunction.
You know your liver detoxpathways and genetic risk like
that MTHFR, apoe.
And instead of defaulting tostatins, I like to look at
dietary and lifestyle changes.
What about targeted supplementslike the CoQ10 or red yeast
(13:15):
rice or the omega-3s which Ifind so much better?
Or even berberine and curcumin?
Get to a root cause resolution.
So functional medicine is notanti-statin I don't want you to
get that out of what I'm saying.
It's the anti-blanket protocols.
There are some people wherestatins are very appropriate.
(13:36):
If you have really bad familialhypercholesterolemia, if you
had a recent cardiac event withno other modifiable risk, or
your ApoB is very high or yourLPA as well with persistent
vascular inflammation, great,you should be on a statin.
But the decision should bepersonalized, it should be
(13:58):
informed, it should be based onreal data, not fear or formula
protocols.
Okay, and don't even get mestarted on SSRIs, but we do need
to talk about SSRI medicationsbecause for many people they've
become the band-aid slapped on ableeding artery.
They're handed out like candyfor everything from depression
(14:21):
and anxiety, pms, fibromyalgiaum, what else?
Insomnia, even even digestiveissues, and while they may
provide temporary relief forsome, in functional medicine we
call this what it really is kickthe can medicine.
I say kick the can all the time.
I used to say it all the timewhen I was a hospitalist in the
(14:42):
hospital.
But we kick the can because thepatient is not getting better.
We're just pushing the problemfurther down the road, and that
is a very dangerous illusion,from weight gain to numb
emotions, which makes me sadwhen I hear people come to me
that have been placed on an SSRIand they say well, I'm not
(15:03):
really anxious or depressedanymore, I just don't have any
feelings, and that is not a wayto live.
Or the sexual dysfunction, thebrain fog, the GI issues it
comes with a laundry list ofside effects that leave patients
feeling worse in new ways andthe medicine didn't solve
anything.
And they don't ask why you feelthat way.
(15:26):
They don't dig into your guthealth, your hormone balance,
your trauma history, yourinflammation.
How about your mitochondrialfunction?
Or your nutrient deficiencies.
So functional medicine's goalis to stop kicking the can, dig
deep, figure out what's going on.
You know your mood and mentalhealth are not symptoms to
silence.
They are messages from yourbody.
(15:48):
So together we can look athormone imbalances, whether it's
estrogen, cortisol,progesterone, thyroid, looking
at the gut-brain axisdysfunction so hello, leaky gut
and microbiome issues.
You know, if you have amethylation defect, whether you
have MTHFR that can impact yourneurotransmitters or just dirty
(16:11):
genes, we can take a look atthat.
And nutrient deficiencies likethe B12, magnesium, the omegas
all different kinds ofdeficiencies and chronic
inflammation and stress.
These are all things that wecan look at.
It's not quick fix medicine,it's real root cause healing,
because you deserve more thansymptom suppression.
(16:32):
You deserve answers and a planthat leads to feeling whole
again.
If you're ready to stop kickingthe can, then definitely come
and talk to me.
And your liver is responsiblefor breaking down everything you
ingest, including food, alcohol, the environment, toxins and,
yes, pharmaceuticals.
Most chemical drugs aremetabolized by the liver using
(16:55):
the phase one and phase twodetox pathway.
So when you overload thatsystem, toxins begin to
accumulate, you know yourhormones get imbalanced, you
deplete your glutathione, whichis your master antioxidant.
Your inflammation goes up, youfeel sluggish, inflamed and
foggy.
So functional medicine focuseson supporting the liver, not
(17:19):
overloading it with syntheticcompounds.
And medications often shut downor override symptoms.
But symptoms are the body'swarning signs, like that check
engine light in your car.
If you cut the wire to thatlight, the engine is still in
trouble.
You're just not aware of it.
Now, instead of chasingsymptoms, functional medicine
(17:40):
supports your gut, which is yoursecond brain and a detox organ,
your mitochondria for energyand cellular repair, your liver,
your kidneys to safelyeliminate waste, and your
nervous system to regulate yourstress and your healing.
Functional medicine viewschronic illness as a result of
(18:01):
dysfunction in the terrain.
So nutrition, environment,stress, sleep, toxic burden and
genetic vulnerabilities.
We don't suppress, we nourish,support and optimize.
So you weren't born with apharmaceutical deficiency.
You were likely exposed to theperfect storm of nutrient
depletion, toxic burden andchronic stress.
(18:23):
I just want to remind you thatfunctional medicine is not
anti-medicine.
It's pro-root cause, resilienceand restoration.
So I knew something was wrong.
For years I saw patientsgetting sicker, not better.
I watched as the side effectspiled up, the medication list
grew longer and no one everstopped to ask what if this
(18:47):
isn't the answer.
I felt like a double agent,wearing scrubs by day and I
questioned everything by night.
My soul knew we could do better, until I got completely burnt
out and had no other choice butdo better.
When I finally made the leapinto functional medicine, it was
like breathing fresh air forthe first time.
(19:08):
I no longer had to pretend thata statin was a cure for a
lifetime of inflammation causedby poor diet, chronic stress and
toxic exposures.
I could finally say let's detoxyour life, support your
mitochondria and clean up yourgut without being side-eyed by
the other white coats.
Yes, I was ridiculed as ahospitalist.
(19:30):
I can name almost every personthat made a comment to me on the
side telling me to spend lesstime with my patients or, you
know, just stick with what toget them out and leave.
But I would sit down literallysit down in the hospital with
these people and talk to themabout lifestyle and what I
thought that they could do toimprove their health, because I
(19:52):
was tired of seeing them comeback.
Now I get to work with clientswho are ready to feel better and
not just die.
We talk about lifestyle,nutrition, I do lab testing, we
talk about supplements, nervoussystem, health and so much more.
I reverse insulin resistance, Icalm inflammation, I wean
(20:16):
people off of pharmaceuticalcarousels safely, with
supervision, and I do it whileeducating, empowering and
cheering them on every step ofthe way, empowering and cheering
them on every step of the way.
And I guess I need to get offmy soapbox, because I do not
think big pharma is evil.
It's not all evil, but thesystem built around it is sick
(20:37):
and we've been gaslit intothinking it's the only option.
Functional medicine is theresistance.
Yes, I just spent time at StarWars and Disney World, but
functional medicine is theresistance.
Yes, I just spent time at StarWars and Disney World, but
functional medicine is theresistance.
We don't want to manage disease.
Okay, I could do that in thehospital.
Well, pseudo-managing.
What we want to do is torestore health, and if that
(21:01):
means walking away from theprescription pad after 24 years
of playing that game, 10 yearsas a nurse passing out the pills
, 14 as the one that wrote forthe pills, then so be it,
because in the end, your healthshouldn't be owned by a
corporation.
It should be in your hands, andI'm here to help you.
(21:21):
Take it back If you want towork with someone who's lived
both sides of the system andchoose health over hustle.
You know.
Book a functional medicineconsultation at Harmony Hub
Health and I can rewrite yourstory.
We can actually write ittogether.
So come and see me atwwwharmonyhubhealthcom.
You can email me at Michellethat's Michelle with one L
(21:44):
M-I-C-H-E-L-E atharmonyhubhealthcom.
You can see me virtually thereor you can come in person.
I'm in Manchester, maryland.
You can come and see me atMonarch Beauty and Spa and I
really look forward to helpingyou rip off your band-aids.
The information shared in thispodcast is for educational and
informational purposes only andis not intended as medical
(22:07):
advice.
Always consult your licensedhealthcare provider before
making any changes to your diet,your lifestyle, adding
supplements or starting orstopping any medications.
While I am a licensed nursepractitioner, I'm not your
personal nurse practitionerunless we have an established
clinical relationship.
The views expressed are my ownand do not substitute
(22:29):
personalized medical care.
Thanks for tuning in.
Stay well, stay curious andstay empowered.
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