Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine

Rob Downey, MD, IFMCP
  • 5.0 (14)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Biweekly

Bringing you the leaders in Functional and Integrative Medicine, hosts, Dr. Rob Downey and Heather Moon explore the cutting-edge protocols and strategies to reclaim health and create a better life, from the inside out.

  1. 6d ago

    Success Without Sacrifice: The Burnout Lie That's Costing You Everything

    What if burnout isn't the price of success—but proof you're doing success wrong? In this powerful conversation, Garrett Wood shares the heartbreaking story that transformed his understanding of achievement, stress, and identity. Drawing from his work in hypnotherapy, nervous system regulation, and executive well-being coaching, Garrett explains why grit, hustle, and pushing harder eventually fail—even for the most driven people. He reveals the hidden drivers of burnout, from misaligned values and sensory overload to subconscious beliefs and emotional labor, and offers a radically different model: one where success comes from alignment, not sacrifice. If you've ever felt exhausted despite doing everything "right," this episode may completely change how you think about performance, purpose, and fulfillment. Connect with Garrett here: https://www.gnosistherapy.com/ Key Takeaways • Burnout isn't a badge of honor. Caring deeply about your work can actually increase your risk if you don't have the right recovery and support systems. • Your environment matters more than you think. Many people aren't broken—they're simply operating in environments that clash with their nervous system needs. • Grit is a useful tool, not a lifestyle. The ability to push through adversity is valuable, but relying on it exclusively eventually leads to burnout. • Success requires alignment. Sustainable performance happens when your values, strengths, role, and environment work together instead of against each other.  • Small changes create massive results. The fastest path out of burnout often isn't a dramatic life overhaul—it's identifying and improving the few areas creating the most friction.

    49 min

  2. Jun 5

    The Hidden Side of Performance: What Most Athletes Never Practice

    Most athletes spend countless hours training their bodies, but what if the biggest factor holding them back is something they rarely train at all? In this insightful episode of Field Notes, sports psychologist and former Olympic ski coach Andy Liebner reveals why mental performance may be just as important as physical preparation. Drawing from his own journey as an elite athlete, coach, and PhD candidate in sports psychology, Andy shares practical strategies for building confidence, overcoming self-doubt, mastering visualization, and staying focused under pressure. Whether you're a competitive athlete, weekend warrior, coach, parent, or simply someone pursuing better health and performance, this conversation offers powerful lessons on how your mindset can either limit your potential or unlock it. Connect with Andy here: https://www.facebook.com/p/Coach-Andy-Liebner-100046294872992/ Key Takeaways • The conversations you have with yourself matter most. Your self-talk shapes confidence, resilience, and performance more than any outside influence. • Mental training is often the missing piece. Many athletes believe performance is 50% mental, yet spend almost no time actively training their minds. • Visualization is a powerful performance tool. Mentally rehearsing success can help your brain respond as if you've already experienced the moment before it happens. • Focus on what you want, not what you fear. High performers direct their attention toward desired outcomes instead of trying to avoid mistakes. • Parents, coaches, and mentors have enormous influence. A few well-timed words of encouragement can change an athlete's confidence, mindset, and trajectory.

    39 min

  3. May 27

    Eating Disorders Are Not About Willpower — They're About Survival

    In this powerful episode of Field Notes, Heather Moon sits down with Jenny Loudon, co-founder of the Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance, for a compassionate and eye-opening conversation about the reality of eating disorders. Jenny explains why these illnesses are so often misunderstood, overlooked, or minimized — especially when someone does not "look sick." The discussion explores how eating disorders impact the mind, body, relationships, and identity, while challenging many common assumptions around food, weight, and health. From social media pressure and perfectionism to atypical anorexia, binge eating disorder, orthorexia, and the lack of treatment access in Alaska, this episode offers both education and hope. Most importantly, it reminds listeners that eating disorders are serious, but recovery is absolutely possible with the right support. Learn more about Jenny and AKEDA here: https://www.akeatingdisordersalliance.org/ Key Takeaways: • Eating disorders are both mental and physical illnesses — and they can be life-threatening. • You cannot tell if someone has an eating disorder just by looking at their body.  • Disordered eating exists on a spectrum, and people deserve help before things become extreme. • Social media can fuel shame, rigidity, and body comparison, so auditing your feed matters. • Recovery is possible, especially when people get specialized support early.

    55 min

  4. May 21

    Why Most Fitness Advice Fails Women Over 40 with Heidi Cox

    Season 5 of the Field Notes podcast continues with a thoughtful conversation hosted by Heather Moon, who is stepping into a larger hosting role this season with her signature warmth, curiosity, and whole-person approach to health. In this episode, Heather sits down with returning guest and Alaska-based personal trainer Heidi Cox to explore what fitness really looks like when it's aligned with real life, changing hormones, injury recovery, mental health, and sustainable wellness. Together, they unpack the importance of individualized care, behavior change, movement as medicine, and why true health goes far beyond the number on a scale. From navigating perimenopause and burnout to rebuilding trust with your body after injury, this episode offers an honest, encouraging, and deeply practical conversation about creating strength, resilience, and vitality from the inside out. Learn more about Heidi here: https://changingtidesfitness.com/ Key Takeaways: • Movement should be viewed as a powerful tool for healing and resilience — not punishment or a checkbox to complete. • Sustainable fitness starts with individualized care: what works for one person may not work for another, especially during hormonal changes, injury recovery, or periods of burnout. • Small, consistent habits often create the biggest long-term results. Simple daily movement, hydration, better sleep, and realistic goals matter more than extreme routines. • Real transformation happens when people connect with their deeper "why" — the emotional reason behind wanting to feel stronger, healthier, or more confident. • True wellness requires a whole-person approach that supports physical health, mental health, nutrition, stress management, and long-term behavior change together.

    42 min

  5. May 13

    Your Home Might Be Making You Sick (And You'd Never Know It) with Dr. Rob Downey

    What if the headaches, fatigue, brain fog, poor sleep, allergies, or "mysterious symptoms" you've been chasing for years aren't just about food, supplements, or stress… but the environment inside your own home? In this fascinating episode of the Field Notes podcast, Dr. Rob Downey and Joe Rignola dive into the emerging concept of "functional medicine for the home" — exploring how air quality, lighting, EMFs, water, cleaning products, and even the items in your pantry may be silently taxing your body every single day. Dr. Rob shares why he partnered with Clean Elements and Lindenhaus, how simple changes like improving lighting or opening windows can dramatically support health, and why creating a safer, lower-stress home environment may unlock healing for people who feel stuck despite "doing everything right."  If you want to have a talk with me or a Lindenhaus team member, or sign up to have your home assessed, here's my link (this is also where you would express interest in becoming an Advisor on my team in Alaska): https://www.cleanelements.co/rob-downey  More broadly, if you live in Alaska and want to know more, explore the full service here: https://www.cleanelements.co/alaska-team Most broadly of all, If you live or have a home in the United States, take a look at how it works here (there's a good chance there's a Lindenhaus team near you, part of what I want to spread the word about): https://www.cleanelements.co/how-it-works Key Takeaways: • Your home environment may be contributing to fatigue, headaches, brain fog, poor sleep, and chronic inflammation. • Air quality, lighting, EMF exposure, water contaminants, and personal care products all play a role in overall health.  • Simple changes — like improving airflow, adjusting evening lighting, and reducing nighttime screen exposure — can support better sleep and recovery. • Clean Elements home assessments provide personalized insights and practical "swap-out" recommendations without fear-based messaging. • Dr. Rob emphasizes a balanced, step-by-step approach: focus on reducing unnecessary stressors while remembering the body is naturally resilient and designed to heal.

    28 min

  6. Apr 16

    Your Gut May Be Shaping Your Mood, Stress, Sleep, and Focus More Than You Realize with Dr. Shawn Talbott

    In this fascinating episode of Field Notes, Dr. Rob Downey sits down with Dr. Shawn Talbott to unpack the powerful connection between the gut and the brain—and why your microbiome may have far more influence over your mental fitness than most people realize.  Together, they explore how gut bacteria can affect stress resilience, mood, sleep, motivation, and even cognitive clarity through pathways involving neurotransmitters, inflammation, and the immune system.  What makes this conversation especially compelling is that it stays grounded in both science and practicality: yes, there are exciting advances in psychobiotics and targeted supplements, but the real foundation still comes back to everyday choices like eating more fiber, adding fermented foods, improving sleep, and creating the conditions for your body to work with you instead of against you. It's a smart, hopeful episode that makes a complex topic feel clear, relevant, and actionable. Learn more about Dr. Talbott here: http://3WavesWellness.com 5 Key Takeaways: The gut-brain axis is a two-way communication system, meaning your gut affects your brain, and your stress levels can also directly affect your gut. Certain gut bacteria may influence the production of key neurochemicals like GABA, serotonin, and dopamine, impacting mood, relaxation, motivation, and sleep. Dr. Talbott emphasizes the "3 Fs" for gut health: fiber, fermented foods, and flavonoids. Supplements can be helpful, but they work best when used strategically and alongside lifestyle changes, not as a replacement for them. Better gut health can create a positive upward spiral—helping people feel better, which often leads to better choices around food, movement, and sleep.

    41 min

  7. Apr 9

    NASA Meets Ancient Healing: The Chronic Illness Breakthroughs You've Probably Never Heard Of

    In this fascinating episode of Field Notes, Dr. Rob Downey sits down with Greg Lee—a former NASA systems engineer turned acupuncturist and chronic illness specialist—to explore a radically integrative approach to complex health conditions. Drawing from decades of clinical experience, Greg explains how hidden drivers like mold toxicity, stealth infections, nervous system dysregulation, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction can keep people sick even when their labs look "normal." He walks through the tools he uses to uncover and address these deeper patterns, including advanced medical scanning, frequency-specific microcurrent, nanoparticle botanical therapies, molecular hydrogen, peptides, and insights from Chinese medicine. The result is a conversation that feels both deeply technical and surprisingly hopeful—especially for people who have tried everything and still feel stuck.  Learn more about Greg Lee here: https://www.lymeresearchcenter.com/FIELD Key takeaways:  • Greg Lee blends systems engineering, Chinese medicine, and functional healing to approach chronic illness from a completely different angle.  • Many chronically ill patients may be dealing with hidden root causes such as mold, co-infections, biofilms, neuroinflammation, and energy depletion.  • Greg uses a noninvasive scan to assess stress patterns related to infections, organs, neurotransmitters, detox pathways, and mitochondrial function. • Molecular hydrogen stood out as a major tool for reducing brain fog, calming inflammation, and supporting detoxification and neurological recovery. The episode offers hope for people with complex cases by showing how sequencing the right therapies in the right order can help the body regain stability and resilience.

    40 min

  8. Apr 1

    You Can't Supplement Your Way Out of This: What most people miss when they're "doing everything right" with Christine Ruch

    In this powerful episode of Field Notes, Dr. Rob sits down with Christine Ruch to explore one of the most overlooked pieces of true healing: the nervous system. Christine shares her own journey from being diagnosed with MS and doing everything "right" in the world of diet, supplements, and holistic health—yet still getting sicker—until she discovered that deeper healing required more than a perfect protocol. Together, she and Dr. Rob unpack how unresolved stress, trauma, hypervigilance, and emotional suppression can quietly block recovery, and why embodiment, surrender, and nervous system regulation may be the missing link for so many people with chronic illness. This is a deeply hopeful conversation about learning to trust the body's wisdom, slow down, and create the inner safety that allows real healing to unfold.  Key takeaways: • Healing is not always about doing more. Sometimes it starts by addressing nervous system dysregulation beneath the surface. • You can eat perfectly, take the right supplements, and still stay stuck if stress and trauma are running the show • Embodiment is not a concept to think about. It is a felt experience of being present in your body and learning to listen to it. • Real healing often requires surrender, allowance, and trust rather than rigid control and constant striving.  • One simple starting point: sit with discomfort for 30 seconds at a time and remind yourself, "There is nothing to fix." Learn more about Christine here: https://www.christineruch.com/

    51 min
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Bringing you the leaders in Functional and Integrative Medicine, hosts, Dr. Rob Downey and Heather Moon explore the cutting-edge protocols and strategies to reclaim health and create a better life, from the inside out.

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