There's a moment that forever changed the trajectory of my nursing career as a family nurse practitioner and it happened right at my desk, late one evening, as I searched desperately through medical databases for answers I couldn't find.

I had spent countless hours poring over research, trying to help my patients navigate their complex health challenges. But that particular day, when a female patient walked into my practice, something shifted in my heart. She was visibly frustrated, her voice trembling as she spoke about her fear of cholesterol medications and their side effects. "There has to be another way," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't want to live like this, constantly worried about what these medications are doing to my body."

In that vulnerable moment, as I watched her break down, I felt something break inside me too. Here was a woman desperately seeking answers, and traditional medicine was failing her—failing both of us. The realization hit me like a wave: the tools I had been given weren't enough. The system I trusted wasn't providing the comprehensive solutions my patients deserved.

That night marked the beginning of an intense, years-long journey into functional medicine research. I dove deep into holistic approaches, understanding that functional medicine looks at the body as an interconnected system rather than isolated symptoms. I discovered that this approach aims to optimize the functioning of the body's cells and systems, seeking to relieve symptoms at their root cause rather than simply masking them.