Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine Rob Downey, MD, IFMCP

Carol Comfort joins the podcast again for an enlightening conversation about health coaching and finding your personal path to healing. 
 
They discuss having a tailored plan for health because everyone’s journey is unique and it’s critical to follow your own path forward.
 
Dr. Rob and Carol talk about where to start and how important it is to create tiny but powerful habits. 
Don’t miss this wonderful episode of The Field Notes Podcast. 
You’ll learn about… 
[3:20] - Connection: The key to success
[5:45] - Integrating health coaching and practical modern medicine
[9:20] - The power of small, positive action steps
[22:30] - Achieving more by doing less
[27:00] Carol’s favorite health books
Carol Comfort is a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach. 
After working in a functional medicine clinic for several years, she began her own private practice. Carol lives in Homer, Alaska, with her husband and their pup Tuuli on 20 peaceful acres where they raised two very independent children.
Carol enjoys hikes through the woods, kayaking, and cross-country skiing. Yoga and swimming are also regular parts of her fitness routine. In the summer, she swims in the small pond just out my front door. To help keep herself grounded and balanced, she’s kept a regular meditation practice for the last 20 years. She’s also a classically trained pianist and maintains a lively piano studio.
Connect with Carol here. And you can download here App here.  

Dr. Keesha Ewers joins the podcast to shed light on a topic that’s too often in the shadows: Sex Health. They discuss hormones, “life force,” trauma, the nervous system, and more. They also dive deep into what is “Functional Sexology,” a term coined by Dr. Keesha. 
 
Dr. Keesha tells us about what she calls the “yellow brick road” of growth, healing, and gaining wisdom and strength. 
 
You’ll learn about… 
 
[5:00] - The innocence of infancy to the wisdom of elderhood
[8:23] - What Ayurveda says about libido and life force
[12:05] - How heartbreak, betrayal, and trauma impact your health, hormones, and libido
[21:00] - How your body can be hyper-vigilant and how it can lead to chronic disease
[26:50] - Reducing stress vs. your relationship to stress
[37:00] - Why stages of development are supposed to be hard
[42:00] - 5 places to look for root causes
 
Dr. Keesha Ewers is a board certified Functional and Ayurvedic medical practitioner, as well as Doctor of Sexology, family practice ARNP (advanced registered nurse practitioner), a trauma informed therapist, Huachumera (medicine woman trained in the use of plant medicine from Peru), and a Reiki Master. She is registered in Washington state in clinical hypnotherapy and certified in EMDR, Brainspotting, the Enneagram, and mediumship and Angel Therapy. Dr. Keesha is also a certified MAPS MDMA therapist. She is the founder of a new branch of medicine called Functional Sexology.
Dr. Keesha practices what she calls Mystic Medicine. Mystic Medicine sees EVERYTHING as God, including illness and suffering. She has seen that once the lesson is learned, the struggle is relieved. Dr. Ewers developed the 4 Pillar Freedom Framework and founded the Academy for Integrative Medicine to train people who are passionate about empowering themselves and then empowering others to heal themselves. Her Integrative Medicine Health Coach Certification Program is the only health coach program that trains coaches in Functional Medicine, Ayurveda, Positive Psychology, the Enneagram, Sexology, and laboratory testing.
https://www.drkeesha.com/
 

In this episode, Dr. Rob is joined by Dr. Anna Cabeca to bring clarity to the often complex topic of women’s health and hormones. 
Women suffering from conditions like fatigue, hormone imbalances, skin and hair issues, mood swings, hot flashes, and more, are often told it’s a normal part of aging. 
Dr. Anna is here to clear the confusion and offer real solutions and relief. 
You’ll learn about…
[3:43] Misconceptions regarding bioidentical hormones
[8:18] The importance of nutrition and lifestyle
[15:53] The power of positive self-talk
[23:01] Why we need healthy fats in our diet
[29:13] The connection between trauma and women’s health
Anna Cabeca, DO, OBGYN, FACOG, is the best-selling author of The Hormone Fix KetoGreen 16 and MenuPause. Dr. Anna is triple board certified and a fellow of gynecology and obstetrics, integrative medicine, and anti-aging and regenerative medicine. 
She holds special certifications in functional medicine, sexual health, and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. She lectures frequently on these topics throughout the world to large audiences and is known nationally as The Girlfriend Doctor and is the host of The Girlfriend Doctor show. 
She has personally developed natural products to help women balance hormones and thrive through menopause, including the highly acclaimed Julva® cream for the vulva and MightyMaca® Plus, a powerful superfood blend. She now lives in Dallas with her daughters, horses, and dogs.

On this episode of Field Notes: An Exploration in Functional Medicine Podcast, Dr. Rob Downey is joined by Dr. Christine Schaffner, a naturopathic doctor and an expert in lymphatics.
 
[00:20] Introduction
[04:05] Lymphatics
[13:55] The function of a scar
[21:00] Injections and scar tissue
[27:59] What you can do to optimize your lymphatic system
[37:18] Functional medicine as a paradigm shift
[39:03] How to incorporate a biological dentist into your treatment plan
[41:00] How does a topical agent work systemically?



Dr. Christine Schaffner is a board-certified Naturopathic physician who graduated from Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington.  Prior to Bastyr, she completed her undergraduate studies in Pre-medicine and Psychology at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Dr. Schaffner is passionate about practicing medicine and creating healing spaces.  She is the Clinic Director of Sophia Health Institute, the clinic she co-created with her mentor Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt in Woodinville, Washington.  She actively sees patients at Sophia Health Institute and through her practices at Marin Naturopathic Medicine in California, as well as Bella Fiore Organic Med Spa & Klinik in Seattle, Washington.
Along with practicing medicine in clinics she has co-created or owns, Dr. Schaffner has built partnerships and working relationships with practitioners who are committed to treating persistent Lyme disease all over the world.  Through these connections, she has established a unique set of skills and knowledge to serve her patients.
With her diverse skill set, Dr. Schaffner seeks to improve access, outcomes, and speed of recovery for patients struggling with chronic illness wherever they may be.
 

If you're a highly sensitive person or deeply empathetic, you may easily pick up on subtle energies in the environment and go into fight, flight, or freeze mode.
Dr. Rob Downey speaks with Dr. Natasha Fallahi, The Sensitive Doctor. She is a MindBodyHealth expert, functional medicine practitioner, and Certified Autoimmune Coach specializing in an intuitive approach to living and healing.
Download her free ebook: Too Sensitive – 5 Things I Did to Heal from Depression, Anxiety and Hashimoto’s Autoimmunity.
Timestamps:
[02:53] Natasha’s unconventional journey towards medicine
[09:16] Healing Hashimoto’s intuitively
[12:04] The health consequences of being empathic/intuitive- and its tie to autoimmunity
[17:30] The common sense of functional medicine
[29:18] Giving others hope: why diseases shouldn’t be labeled as irreversible
[37:18] What is psychoneuroimmunology?

Deb Matthew MD, The Happy Hormones Doctor, joins the podcast today. She is a frequent guest expert on podcasts, radio, and TV news and talk shows, with more than 60 appearances on NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX. Dr Deb suffered for years with fatigue and irritability, and her quest to restore her own health led her to change everything about how she practices medicine. Together, we discuss hormones, how they can affect us, and how to find someone to accurately assess your hormonal imbalance.
Timestamps:
[02:41] What started to change Deb’s fatigue and irritability? [04:43] How do hormones affect us?
[08:59] Looking for a constellation of symptoms
[22:06] “Cortisol steal”
[30:15] How to find someone that can help you.