Understanding Root Cause Healing

Western medicine asks, “What drug matches up with these symptoms/this disease?”

Root cause medicine asks, “Why does my client have this problem in the first place? Why is there imbalance in the body and in the body’s systems? How can we restore balance?”

Root cause practitioners look to discover the root cause involved with any imbalance, which ultimately reveals why a set of symptoms is present in the first place, and why Western medicine has assigned a certain disease label to a client.

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Case Study 

Client presents with gastrointestinal issues including bloating, constipation, and discomfort. Her doctor performed an abdominal ultrasound, diagnosed with her IBS, sent her on her way with two prescriptions: one for bowel motility and an SSRI. IBS is not a diagnosis. It is a term for a collection of symptoms that frequently present together. 

Things can be off in the intestine due to many issues: Too little fiber in the diet, dysbiosis, leaky gut, yeast overgrowth (commonly called Candida), a sluggish colon, hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid), pancreatic insufficiency, and malabsorption. 

In reviewing the client’s lab work, the markers indicate that she has a chronic viral infection and parasites. Viral infections and parasites can be why this client is experiencing symptoms: A sensitivity to dairy, bloating, gas after meals, Candida, and GI issues. 

Without giving you the exact protocol (we’re all unique and our needs are too), I can tell you that we began by working on drainage. This protocol included a biofilm buster, a binder, liver support, and bowel support all of which we muscle tested for. Lifestyle modifications included eliminating dairy and gluten from her diet, beginning a gratitude journal, drinking pure water, Epsom salt baths 2x week, 30 minutes of movement 4x week, getting 7-8 hours of sleep each night, and we addressed two deficiencies (Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D3). When we met again at the end of 4 weeks, she looked more vibrant, reported having more energy and less abdominal bloating and discomfort, and as an added bonus, had lost some weight. Her wellness journey will last about 4-6 months.

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Remember, symptoms are an opportunity. They are not meant to be silenced. They give us the opportunity to put the pieces of the puzzle together so that we can heal but it’s more common to take something to make the symptoms go away. 

When you feel a symptom, your body is trying to send you a message. It’s a big flashing sign that says, "We need to change something," but in our fast-paced world where quick fixes are the gold standard, we suppress those symptoms with over-the-counter drugs. When those quit working, we layer on a pharmaceutical drug (or two) which throws us further out of balance, weakens our immune system, and makes us more ill.

When you become symptomatic, consider listening to your body. Slow down and think about your diet, your boundaries, your environment, your sleep, your self-care practices. Do these need to be tweaked? From there, begin exploring holistic modalities that promote healing. 

Where root cause medicine really shines is in prevention rather than reaction. When working with a root cause practitioner, your labs will be interpreted using a narrower range because your practitioner is looking to identify patterns in lab work and catch them before they develop into a chronic disease. By identifying imbalances, your practitioner can help eliminate the underlying physiologic processes, restore biochemical imbalances, and terminate the development of disease.

TAKE THE FIRST STEPS TODAY: 

1. Get my Roadmap To Wellness. It tells you everything you need to do to get your drainage pathways open (this is a first step for most root cause practitioners you'll work with).

2. .Read my Drainage Pathways series.

3. Want help identifying your root causes? Get in touch and let me know. I'll send you a link to a signs + symptoms assessment so you can get an idea of what your underlying root causes are.

4. I work with clients virtually and in-person to identify the root causes behind their signs & symptoms, create a bio-individualized protocol to address the underlying root cause(s), and bring them back into balance. When you’re ready to address your root causes, schedule a consult!