Why I now 'do' Functional Medicine (my story)

My own gruelling health journey has led me into functional medicine, where I've spent a few solid years unwell (so much so its hard to share the details yet as its so raw), battling and researching, digging deep into health solutions despite many knock downs and dead ends. I had chronic unrelenting symptoms that literally disabled my whole life and my life changed from living well to being bed ridden and house bound.

Conventional medicine could not help, (alas I was additionally gaslighted and left very alone), although after 5 years of fighting the system a top professor in mitochondria disorders heard me and I was validated finally.

But I kept going working through the puzzle because why was I still not well? I knew there had to be an explanation and a chance for my body to heal, even though I felt like giving up many times and I really nearly did!

So after a few years deep into functional medicine and lab analysis, this has ultimately paved a new health career pathway alongside my nursing role and I certified as a functional medicine practitioner to continue to help others.

Over my 20 years in emergency care as a nurse practitioner/prescriber and educator I’ve been privileged to experience advanced healthcare.

I’ve treated minor to major conditions, paediatrics and adults, been part of resuscitation and trauma teams, carried out many CPR, defibrillation’s and trauma calls. Nursed the intensive care. Relocated limbs, sutured many body parts, helped women give birth. Held hands of the dying, comforted the grieving, protected the mentally ill.

Worked in South Africa’s trauma units, put in chest drains, my hands in open chests, put in surgical airways, worked on prehospital response cars. On a search and rescue team. Worked on national and overseas air ambulance for the acute and critical care, even flew the light air craft once!

I’ve taught clinically and academically; trauma, emergency care, advanced life support, simulation, urgent care, prescribing, physical examinations, consultations, research and advanced practice. I’ve published many papers and I review academic papers for journals.

And you know I’ve loved every minute of it!

Functional medicine (FM) is just another side to the coin for me now, I’ve acquired many skills and knowledge in my past roles but in FM I go even deeper at a cellular level, further into the depths of pathophysiology and biology, and I can ask why even more, this excites my brain.

Conventional medicine is expectational, if you’re a fractured dislocated ankle or a compromised airway go to ED! I’m an advocate for allopathic medicine, however, debilitating chronic health conditions are rising, while conventional medicine is paramount, it is limited in meeting the needs of chronic illnesses.

If a patent has a chronic condition and acute disorders ruled out, for example chronic fatigue, standard bloods are taken, if they come back normal it’s like a kick in the gut when that person can’t work, get out of their home or cook for themselves but are told your fine, your bloods are fine, go and exercise! (I know this).

If a patient has pathological fatigue there are hundreds of possible diagnoses, but we want to look deeper to the root cause (not just symptoms) and undertake advanced testing. Is it a gut, adrenal, thyroid, sex hormones, blockage, deficiency, toxin, trauma, stress, mitochondria, pathogens, emotional, co-infection and so on. It maybe more than one cause because the body ends up in metabolic chaos.

So we address the systems as a whole not stand alone, as any dysfunction in the body has a domino effect. As an example, there is a strong relationship between the reproductive, adrenal, and thyroid systems. These organs are intimately co-dependent on one another for optimal function. It can be quite confusing to decipher where your symptoms are stemming from.

For example, excessive cortisol can effect other hormones, immune and the gut. It can also create a condition of thyroid resistance. This means that your body may fail to respond in an efficient way to your thyroid signal and can lead to sub-clinical thyroid symptoms such as hair loss, temperature intolerance, and weight gain. This resistance applies to many other hormones such as insulin, progesterone, oestrogen, and testosterone.

So if your battling with your health and in a circle of trial error and not getting anywhere, whether it is hormone, gut or fatigue issues or generally feeling suboptimal, know we can work together to uncover layers and look into the next part until we are there, for some it’s simple but others more complex.

But the body's natural ability is to heal, so let’s create the right environment for it to grow and optimise your health together.

My greatest passion is in helping others, as I've done for 25 years.

So if you interested in working together to resolve your health issues please get in touch.

Please see our website for more information on what we do, how we can help and advanced functional lab testing, and please see our free functional medicine guide and health tips on the website.

I look forward to meeting you.

Health and Love

Don's

Donna Barleycorn

Nurse Practitioner/Prescriber (RN/NMP)

Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner (FDN-P)

MSc BSc Hons PGcertHE FHEA

https://www.barleycornclinic.com/

'Certainly my greatest passion lies in helping those struggling with their health, sometimes you simply need someone who has been in similar shoes to tell you that it can improve - to truly believe in you - and I do'.