Many common complaints that people have about joint pain and belly fat are not actually normal symptoms of aging but indicators of an underlying autoimmune disorder. After seeing over 40 doctors about the symptoms she was experiencing, Brandi Muilenberg finally discovered that she had Hashimoto’s, and she joins us today to talk about how she used functional medicine to treat herself after ten years of suffering. Brandi is a licensed respiratory care practitioner, an integrative nutritional health coach, a Ph.D. student studying integrative and functional medicine, and the founder of Functionally Autoimmune. Our conversation begins with Brandi telling us about her extensive experience in critical care and how she realized there was a gap in her knowledge when she could find no explanation for the symptoms she was experiencing. We hear about the extensive research she conducted which finally led her to diagnose herself with Hashimoto’s. Even after this point, Brandi talks about how doctors refused to treat her because the thyroid tests they conducted were not accurate enough to pick up imbalances that she later proved she had. In our conversation, Brandi gives us her advice on how to treat yourself if you are experiencing symptoms like hers through diet, sleep, and stress management. We also talk about the central role that gut health plays in immune functioning, how this was the missing piece for Brandi in terms of treatment, and how through functional medicine she was able to get the tests and diet recommendations she needed.
Key Points From This Episode:
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Brandi Muilenburg on Instagram
Functionally Autoimmune Podcast
Natural Health Influencer on Instagram