I, the ~organic nurse~ who eats and does all the 'right' things, was extremely humbled by my first comprehensive nutritional assessment by a functional medicine RN. Turns out my gut and adrenals are a bit compromised by stress and my carbohydrate intake. Nothing, severe or acute. Just little things I can be aware of now! This is called early intervention and prevention- the road to optimal health!
To preface:
I was connected with this nurse, Sue, through my Aunt. She lives in Virginia and has been an OB nurse for 38 years. However, 5 years ago she went to nutrition school after a life-changing breast cancer diagnosis (that she treated and is still preventing holistically- no chemo, no radiation!). With the ketogenic diet and fasting, she lost 35 pounds and never felt better in her life- at 65 years old!! She now works part-time at a functional medicine clinic doing nutrition assessments and other therapies like IV infusions of vitamins/minerals, ozone therapy, energy medicine, and more. SHE'S A ROCKSTAR and everything I want to be.
My Nutrition Assessment
So the assessment itself consisted of an in-depth health and family history followed by 200ish questions about diet and lifestyle. The subjective data was compiled into symptom burden reports, potential nutritional deficiencies, potential conditions, and then supplement recommendations. Sue talked me through the whole report and explained the cellular and hormonal mechanisms of every symptom.
I honestly thought I was going to have a negative assessment but I'm having some minor symptoms (that I didn't even know I had) and they are telling me something.
The concerning topics, based on my answers, indicate upper GI and sugar handling issues. And these topics go hand in hand with each other.
Upper GI issues:
This flagged because I answered yes to belching and bloating within 1 hour after eating- which I thought was normal but this can be a root cause of poor digestion.
This could be caused by eating too fast, swallowing air, and not allowing your digestive enzymes to break down the food effectively. Guilty. I am always in a rush when I eat.
Sue was also explaining to me that my stomach acid might not be acidic enough to break down and absorb the nutrients I eat, causing bloating and also increased cravings from the micro deficiency.
This is why the gut is the foundation of health. I eat very healthy but if my stomach isn't absorbing the nutrients, I don't get the benefits!! You can't be metabolically healthy without an efficient gut.
Sue told me I can take a shot of apple cider vinegar before meals to increase the acidity in my stomach to help digestion and absorption.
A prolonged decrease in digestion like this can damage the gut lining and lead to leaky gut syndrome O_o
Sugar handling:
This flagged because I answered yes to feeling hungry/irritable in-between meals, craving sugar/carbs, and excessive appetite. Which I thought was because I worked out a lot. But this isn't always the case.
This is mostly due to adrenal stress (caused by mental stress).
Adrenal stress can present as fatigue, sweet or salty cravings, brain fog, and more. Stress increases cortisol and too much cortisol can disrupt your salt/water balance and blood sugar regulation :/. Changing jobs so often as a travel nurse is very stressful so I know that plays a role in this.
Sugar handling issues can also be a byproduct of not absorbing the nutrients properly from the foods I eat, due to the upper GI issues.
The severity report shows the most concerning questions that I answered yes to. Here are my 5 severities explained:
88. History of alcohol abuse.
It sounds so bad lol. But binge drinking every weekend throughout college (4 years) IS considered alcohol abuse. And I know that it has played a toll on my body. So I clicked yes.
I actually stopped drinking 7 months ago and I don't think I'll ever go back (post on that story coming soon).
Sue informed me that liver damage, minor or severe can affect digestive enzyme and bile production. (Could also contribute to the upper GI issue.)
I was recommended a series of (temporary) supplements to help with gastric enzymes and a 15-day liver detox kit.
101. Specific food makes me tired/bloated
This is due to sugar/carb overload. Even 'healthy' carbs such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, shakes, etc. still show up as glucose in the blood and a lot of glucose in the blood stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest), causing tiredness after meals.
This was kind of disheartening to hear because I am strongly against restricting foods and counting carbs, especially ones that are good for you.
Sue recommended that my first meal of the day should contain minimal carbs and more protein/fat (I knew this but don't always comply lol) to reduce cravings and increase satiation. Also, to eat more slowly to absorb more nutrients and reduce swallowing air for the bloating.
220. I grind my teeth at night
Severe sign of stress :/
This started in nursing school for me, obviously a stressful time. Mental stress presenting as physical symptoms is a bad sign and I've been meaning to address this.
I generally don't feel stressed but at work I most definitely am. Just goes to show how heavy the healthcare profession can be for a person.
Ultimately, I was recommended to eliminate the stress in my life and practice more self-care techniques such as mediation and breathing exercises.
244. Tolerate sugar
This question didn't really make sense so we didn't look into it that much.
250. Delayed sexual development
I got my period when I was 17... pretty late. Could be due to my history of anorexia in my early teens or it could just be normal for me.
My RN wasn't too worried about it but I will be getting a full hormone panel done to see if there's anything else going on!
Above is a list of my potential conditions in order. My scores are very low so there's not much concern but definitely room for improvement.
Above is a list of my potential nutrient deficiencies. Sue gave me a list of recommended supplements that support adrenal function, stomach acid production, pancreatic/liver/gallbladder enzymes, etc.
I'm also kind of against taking a lot of supplements even though the ones she recommended are biotic (plant-derived, not synthetic) but still, I don't want to be taking pills all day!!
Next month, I will be shadowing Sue in the clinic and getting functional labs done. Subscribe and stay tuned for Part 2 to go over my labs!!
What are functional labs?
Functional labs are not just a CBC/BMP. It is very comprehensive with OPTIMAL reference ranges. Traditional lab value ranges are based on the average 'healthy' American- which is not healthy at all. Functional labs can also include hormones, minerals, vitamin levels, fasting insulin, and so much more that I don't even know about!
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