If You Want Optimal Health, You Must Invest in It
From Symptom Management to Root-Cause Healing: My Journey Beyond Conventional Medicine
For almost two decades of my life, I trusted the conventional medical system. After all, my late father was a brilliant general and vascular surgeon who believed strongly in the healing potential of the human body and the existence of its Creator. I remember him often telling me that the body heals itself; he simply points it in the right direction. It may be hard to believe in this day and age, but even as a surgeon, my father viewed surgery as a last resort. Practicing in an era when laparoscopic surgery did not exist, he never operated on a patient unless it was absolutely necessary due to the trauma it inflicted on the body.
Thanks to my father and his colleagues, I grew up respecting white coats, framed degrees, and ever-present prescription pads. However, as my own health crisis unfolded, I discovered that conventional medicine excels at managing acute emergencies—like the broken arm I sustained as a child while playing football with my brothers, or appendicitis, something two of my three brothers experienced—but often misses the mark when it comes to chronic, systemic issues.
Chasing Symptoms, Ignoring Root Causes
My story begins with a familiar struggle for many females: irregular periods in my teens, which I didn’t think much of at first. Menstruation started for me at the age of 11—an unwelcome development I was not at all excited about, despite my much older cousin presenting me with a plaque that said, “Welcome to the Club.”
Over time, my cycles became unpredictable, often disappearing for months. By the time I reached 19, my mom insisted I see a gynecologist. I agreed, but only if it was a female doctor. After my dad recommended a colleague, I believed she would provide a root-cause explanation and a treatment plan to help my body function as nature intended. Instead, I walked away with a prescription for Provera, a synthetic hormone designed to trick my body into having a “fake” period, along with the knowledge that many other young women had the same problem—no diagnosis or real solution.
I remember sitting in Dr. Kim’s office, confused. I asked her, “What’s the point of a fake period if we don’t even know what’s wrong?” She didn’t have an answer beyond, “It’s just what we do.” That moment planted the first seed of doubt in the conventional medical system, which seemed to discourage honest questions and focus solely on symptoms.
Even as a teenager, I refused to accept that taking synthetic hormones for the rest of my life was the answer, especially when no one could identify the cause of the problem. After taking the initial dose, I decided synthetic hormones would do more harm than good. I spent the next decade going from one gynecologist to another within my insurance network, not realizing I was confronting a systemic limitation. More than a decade would pass before I discovered root-cause healing from an unexpected source—someone who wore a suit instead of a lab coat.
As time passed, my health challenges expanded beyond irregular cycles. In my mid-to-late 20s, I began experiencing panic attacks. The conventional doctor’s solution? BuSpar. We never discussed what was happening in my life, nor did he order a full thyroid or hormone panel. In fact, I don’t recall any labs being drawn. Eventually, I found a spiritual approach that resolved the panic attacks completely—a topic for another article.
At 31, I developed cystic acne on my chin, something I had never experienced before. Having recently started a marketing role at a large national bank with new insurance, I found a dermatologist. To his credit, he looked at me and said, “While I can’t formally diagnose it, I’m pretty sure it’s PCOS. I’ll give you a prescription for the acne, but you need to see a gynecologist.”
At that point, I had never heard of PCOS—polycystic ovarian syndrome—a misleading term, since not all women with it develop ovarian cysts. Relieved that someone saw beyond symptoms, I followed his advice and found a new gynecologist. Eventually, I was referred to an IVF specialist in Miami, who later performed a laparoscopy for endometriosis. Post-surgery, the protocol remained the same: synthetic birth control pills. No discussion of diet, lifestyle, or root causes.
Discovering Dr. Atkins
About a year and a half into my job, a serendipitous conversation with a coworker introduced me to a new approach for weight loss. She arrived one day with a McDonald’s container of eggs and sausage and said she was “doing Atkins” to prepare for a heart test. I later learned she, like many people, did not fully understand Atkins as a lifestyle, which contributed to widespread misconceptions.
Skeptical but curious, I bought Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution and read it cover to cover. It challenged everything I had been taught: the low-fat, high-carb dogma was not only ineffective but potentially harmful. At that time, I had not yet connected the systemic failures in the medical system, but I was beginning to see them.
As I read case after case of Dr. Atkins reversing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, I wondered why his peers had marginalized him instead of celebrating his work. Coming from a family where Type 2 diabetes affected multiple relatives, I had always been told it was hereditary. Yet even as a child, watching my grandmother inject insulin, I vowed I would not follow the same path. Now, at 32, I was learning that dietary change could put the disease into remission.
How had we all been so misled?
I implemented Atkins properly, and after the initial adjustment period, my energy improved and my weight stabilized. However, I still did not understand insulin resistance or its connection to PCOS. I had stumbled into one piece of the puzzle—diet and lifestyle—thanks to a coworker’s breakfast choice.
But the diet that would later be called keto was not the end of the journey. As I chronicle in my book My Escape from the Sick-Care System, there were more discoveries ahead, including bioidentical progesterone and a later Hashimoto’s diagnosis.
An Unexpected Messenger Offers the Right Solution
On a Tuesday night in 2002, I attended a meeting of the Association of Professional Women, a South Florida networking group I belonged to. The speaker that evening, Susan, was a business owner. However, her topic was not business or leadership—it was bioidentical hormones, specifically progesterone.
That night, I learned about Dr. John R. Lee, a pioneer in bioidentical hormones who discovered that insufficient progesterone was often the root cause of many “female problems,” including irregular cycles.
Susan’s goal was partly to expand her “downline” in a network marketing company that sold progesterone cream. Still, I kept an open mind. I purchased a container of transdermal progesterone derived from yams and began using it as directed.
Within a few months, my cycles became regular, falling within the 28–35 day range.
The solution to a problem I had struggled with for more than 13 years did not come from a physician but from a businesswoman. I was grateful—but also angry that the conventional system had not offered this option. I began to wonder how many other women were experiencing the same frustration.
When Low-Carb Stopped Working
In the mid-2000s, I began regaining weight despite maintaining a low-carb lifestyle. I had reached metabolic flexibility, meaning I could switch between fat-burning and glucose-burning efficiently. I occasionally reintroduced berries, sweet potatoes, and other foods, believing I could easily adjust back.
Looking back, I now recognize this was the beginning of Hashimoto’s symptoms. Over the following years, I developed gum disease (now resolved), joint pain, thinning hair, and fatigue.
It took until 2018 to consult a functional medicine practitioner. In this case, it was an orthopedic physician turned functional medicine doctor for whom I had written a marketing sequence. As with any field, the quality of the practitioner made all the difference.
To his credit, he was the first to diagnose me with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis using a full thyroid panel. However, his bedside manner was lacking, and despite confirming elevated antibodies, he recommended only monitoring the condition.
I never returned.
Despite a subsequent thyroid storm—likely caused by a compounding pharmacy dosing error—I recognized that functional medicine offered a more root-cause-oriented approach.
Persisting on the Functional Medicine Path
I eventually found another functional medicine provider in Central Florida, a physician assistant in a larger practice. She helped me understand key biomarkers like fasting insulin, A1C, and hs-CRP.
However, I was still recovering from the thyroid storm and hesitant to try bioidentical thyroid support. Progress was slow. My symptoms persisted: low T3, fatigue, hair thinning, acne, and difficulty losing weight.
Eventually, I realized I needed a specialist.
Finding Dr. Amie
One morning, I searched for functional thyroid specialists and discovered Dr. Westin Childs’ podcast, where he interviewed Dr. Amie Hornaman. Her story resonated deeply with me.
She had walked a similar path before becoming a thyroid specialist herself. I began following her work, eventually enrolling in her program—one of the best decisions I have ever made. I paid off the investment within two months and continue to benefit from it today.
The difference was specialization. In functional medicine, finding a practitioner who focuses on your specific condition is critical.
Functional vs. Conventional Medicine
My experience has shown me that conventional medicine is designed for acute crises, not chronic disease. It excels at surgery, trauma care, and emergency intervention—but often falls short in addressing root causes.
Functional medicine, in contrast, asks why:
- Why are your hormones imbalanced?
- Why is your immune system overactive?
- Why is your body inflamed?
It treats the body as an interconnected system rather than isolated parts.
Final Reflection
If you are questioning your health journey, you are not difficult—you are engaged. You are not noncompliant—you are curious.
Healing requires self-advocacy, curiosity, and the willingness to seek practitioners who go beyond surface-level treatment.
For me, real healing began when I stopped accepting short-term fixes and started asking deeper questions. Functional medicine taught me to see symptoms as signals, not problems to suppress.
If you are struggling, I encourage you to explore this approach with an open mind. The investment you make in your health today can transform your quality of life tomorrow.
