Episode 246: Becoming a Better Functional Practitioner
FUNCTIONAL NUTRITION, STRICTLY BIZ The Funk'tional Nutritionist FUNCTIONAL NUTRITION, STRICTLY BIZ The Funk'tional Nutritionist

Episode 246: Becoming a Better Functional Practitioner

There’s no question that the conventional medicine system is tragically broken. We’re seeing a greater demand for another way, and functional practitioners are filling that need. But if you’re a newer practitioner, how do you get started growing your skillset and confidence, and do so in a way that is responsible to your clients?

In the first episode of a 2-part conversation, Erin presents actionable steps for practitioners to become advanced in their fields and accelerate their clients’ transformation. Seeking mentorship, developing an advanced mindset and critical thinking skills, and devoting oneself to continued education are all key elements to building a successful practice and getting tangible results.

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Episode 245: Our Favorite Functional Labs
FUNCTIONAL NUTRITION, STRICTLY BIZ The Funk'tional Nutritionist FUNCTIONAL NUTRITION, STRICTLY BIZ The Funk'tional Nutritionist

Episode 245: Our Favorite Functional Labs

Why do some functional medicine providers have waitlists and others don’t? A functional medicine approach at its core is a root cause resolution approach, and successful providers are those who have honed their skills at quickly identifying root causes and creating effective treatment plans. And while labs can help direct that treatment, being a functional provider is more than just ordering labs–you have not only know what labs to run, but WHEN and WHY to choose them, and what to do with the results.

Today, Team FN shares their most favorite functional labs – AND discusses their approach and philosophies around ordering labs and how they discern which labs are right for which client. Grab a pen and paper–this conversation has nuggets of wisdom for both practitioners who want to fine-tune their approaches to lab testing AND the layperson who wants to better understand which labs to ask for.

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Episode 244: Thyroid Dysfunction 101
HORMONES, FUNCTIONAL NUTRITION The Funk'tional Nutritionist HORMONES, FUNCTIONAL NUTRITION The Funk'tional Nutritionist

Episode 244: Thyroid Dysfunction 101

Thyroid dysfunction affects approximately 28 million Americans–8 out of 10 of which are women. In fact, hypothyroid is so commonplace that Levothyroxine is consistently one of the top-prescribed drugs year after year. There are a lot of ways to support the thyroid before it gets to this point, so we have to ask ourselves WHY this issue is so common and how we can be proactive about achieving optimal thyroid health.

Like most other areas of our health, thyroid health is multifaceted, and there are plenty of possible causes for dysfunction. In under 60 minutes, Erin breaks down the symptoms of hypothyroid; the impact of root causes such as caloric restriction, liver health, and non-thyroid hormonal balance; things your conventional medicine practitioner might miss in lab results; and the relationship between the energetic body and the thyroid.

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Episode 242: Hormones & Your Brain Chemistry
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Episode 242: Hormones & Your Brain Chemistry

In this episode re-release, we're discussing how the brain directly affects your hormones, the distinction between consuming and integrating information, and ways to train your brain to be more resilient to life's stressors.

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Episode 241: Post-Birth Control Syndrome
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Episode 241: Post-Birth Control Syndrome

Birth control - it’s a hot topic in more ways than one. There are many misconceptions and misguided information when it comes to understanding birth control and its effects on your body. So today Erin sits down with Rachel Mistry, RD, MSN, the Lead Practitioner on our team, as we dive in and discuss what is “Post-Birth Control Syndrome”, how birth control affects our cycle and different systems in the body, post-pill detoxification, and more. They also discuss therapeutic interventions and what to do when you’re on or off the pill.

In this episode, please keep in mind that we are not anti-birth control, we are pro-education. That being said, Erin’s stance on birth control is “You are the authority on you. You decide what to do with your body. I believe in informed consent. But in order for you to give informed consent, you must first be informed.”

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Episode 240: Neurobiology of Chronic Conditions
HORMONES, AUTOIMMUNITY, MINDSET The Funk'tional Nutritionist HORMONES, AUTOIMMUNITY, MINDSET The Funk'tional Nutritionist

Episode 240: Neurobiology of Chronic Conditions

Today, Erin dives into key concepts of neuroplasticity, understanding how our brain functions from start to finish whenever our body’s health has been compromised, factors that lead to chronic conditions, why certain hormones make us feel certain emotions (hint: it involves the amygdala & insula), and the three main areas of focus when it comes to retraining our brain to veer away from this loop of symptoms.

In this episode, we want you to keep in mind that everyone is coming to this show at different levels of their healing journey, and if you are dealing with a chronic ongoing issue, all of your experiences and emotions are valid.

By the end of this episode, you’ll have a deeper understanding of how your mind can help you overcome the stresses - and symptoms - of chronic conditions at your own pace and strength. Our hope & my intention is that this episode provides healing strategies that may not have been presented to you before.

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Episode 239: Understanding Long COVID
AUTOIMMUNITY, METABOLIC HEALTH, IMMUNE SUPPORT The Funk'tional Nutritionist AUTOIMMUNITY, METABOLIC HEALTH, IMMUNE SUPPORT The Funk'tional Nutritionist

Episode 239: Understanding Long COVID

If you or anyone you know has gotten COVID, did you ever wonder why the recovery period took longer than it should have? Instead of weeks to recover, it turned into months? Well, there is an answer for that: Long COVID.

Today, Erin sits down with Rachel Mistry, RD, MSN, a medical practitioner on our team to talk about Long COVID’s foundations, the factors as to why its recovery phase earns its label, what kinds of symptoms are present, the kinds of people who are most prone to getting this virus, and etc.

Erin and Rachel also talk about the kinds of support or treatment that people affected with long COVID can start doing, the types of supplements that will help strengthen your immunity and metabolism, and how we can slowly begin to build a healthier lifestyle in order to decrease the chances of risks happening to our bodies.

Do you know anyone who's experiencing Long COVID? Share this episode & help them understand the symptoms and what they can do to improve their health!

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Episode 238: Ozempic & Wegovy: Weight Loss Magic?
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Episode 238: Ozempic & Wegovy: Weight Loss Magic?

Today Erin is talking about Ozempic and Wegovy, popular medications used for Type 2 Diabetes and weight loss.

Today is *not* a show to convince you to do anything or not do anything. Instead, Erin recorded this for people interested in these drugs to better help you understand the potential risks, and for practitioners to better help their clients/patients understand these medications.

Erin also provides ways to naturally increase the GLP-1 hormone in the event that you don’t want to spend thousands of dollars injecting yourself every week with a pharmaceutical.

We hope this helps you better understand these super popular drugs, and if so - please share it with friends & family who are talking about it.

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Episode 237: Tips for Healthy Living with Team FN
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Episode 237: Tips for Healthy Living with Team FN

Today’s episode was inspired by a recent poll on Erin’s Instagram, where she asked “What’s something that bothers you about wellness?”

There was a strong recurring theme in your answers - Folks are overwhelmed with broad sweeping generalizations, and exhausted with feeling like better health requires an all-or-nothing approach. It’s easy to feel like we’re falling short when we’re being inundated with ALL the health information, ALL the time.

So to help you all with this, Erin asked different people about real, basic strategies that work for them. This episode is a little different and includes the perspectives of practitioners and non-practitioners. It’s a peek behind the curtain of what real people are doing in their day-to-day lives.

Tune in as members of Erin’s team answer two big questions about what they do for their health: “What’s something that you do every day that’s a non-negotiable, built in habit?” and “What’s something you learned or implemented in 2022 that you would want to share with someone else?”

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Episode 236: Can Functional Nutrition & Body Neutrality Coexist?
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Episode 236: Can Functional Nutrition & Body Neutrality Coexist?

For the last podcast of the year, we’re bringing you an unscripted conversation between two friends and colleagues.

Erin and Michelle are two nutritionists who exist in the gray area - the messy middle - of nutrition and wellness. They both live and practice in the space that requires nuance, context, critical thinking, compassion…and conversation.

Today’s episode is a convo between two wellness professionals who work with people to help them feel better, who don’t swear allegiance to any ONE dietary paradigm or methodology, and whose primary focus is to advocate for the needs of their clients. Because it’s their clients who suffer when they try to adhere to the dichotomous “THIS OR THAT” food, nutrition, diet & health rules that run rampant in the wellness space.

Michelle Shapiro is an Integrative Functional Registered Dietitian from NYC with 8+ years of experience serving over 1000 clients to reverse their anxiety, heal longstanding gut issues and approach weight loss lovingly and in a body neutral way. Michelle, in her work, aims to bridge the gap for clients between functional nutrition and body positivity. And that’s exactly what we’re chatting about in today’s show.

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Episode 235: Manifest Your Health™: Blood Sugar, Insulin Resistance & Health Anxiety
MINDSET, METABOLIC HEALTH The Funk'tional Nutritionist MINDSET, METABOLIC HEALTH The Funk'tional Nutritionist

Episode 235: Manifest Your Health™: Blood Sugar, Insulin Resistance & Health Anxiety

You enjoyed our last Manifest Your Health™ coaching episode so much (thanks for the feedback!) that we brought it back! Today’s episode covers a listener struggling with insulin resistance, prediabetic blood sugar, PCOS and hormone issues - despite doing ALL THE THINGS.

Erin unpacks this from a multidimensional approach - not *just* addressing the physical concerns, but also asking insightful questions into the listener’s mental, emotional, and energy states as well.

We know a LOT of folks can relate to this conversation and you’ll walk away with a lot of a-ha moments!

A sweet note from us to you: While we don’t give health advice in DMs, emails or comments, we ALWAYS love to hear your breakthroughs and a-ha moments from the podcast. We also get so much joy out of seeing you tag @the.funktional.nutritionist when you’re listening to Erin, so if you’re into spreading cheer, please keep sharing loud for all to hear!

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Episode 234: Where Are You Holding Yourself Back?
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Episode 234: Where Are You Holding Yourself Back?

A recent moment of serendipity led me to an invitation for a Mastermind event in Santa Monica. It was WAY outside my comfort zone. And I went anyway. But not without fear, discomfort and anxiety.

In order to expand beyond the edges of your comfort zone, you have to first find those edges, and bump up against them. And that sh*t is uncomfortable.

Attending this event asked me to punch holes in a LOT of belief systems about myself. To really look at the stories I was telling myself about myself and ask: are these true? Do I want to continue to operate as though these are true? What stories and beliefs need updating? Am I willing to step out of these in order to create a new story for myself?

And I had the opportunity to do this with a LOT of beliefs, ALL AT ONCE, in a very short period of time.

Within 36 hours of being home, I grabbed the mic so I could talk you through the exact process of how I held myself through the discomfort of growth. And how WORTH IT it was.

And also share with you the clarity, self-acceptance and magic I found on the other side.

This episode is all about expanding our capacity for what we give ourselves permission to be, do and have.

– From Erin

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Episode 233: Protein Intake & Building Muscle Mass
FUNCTIONAL NUTRITION, METABOLIC HEALTH The Funk'tional Nutritionist FUNCTIONAL NUTRITION, METABOLIC HEALTH The Funk'tional Nutritionist

Episode 233: Protein Intake & Building Muscle Mass

On today’s show Erin sits down with Angelo Keely, the Co-founder and CEO of Kion, a supplement and functional food company dedicated to helping health and fitness enthusiasts live long, fun, active lives by providing clean, energy enhancing solutions.

Angelo knows his stuff when it comes to protein intake, so this is exactly what this episode is all about - protein needs, different types of protein, amino acids, strategizing protein intake for muscle mass, and why building muscle is a worthwhile health investment.

Like Erin, Angelo does not subscribe to any one diet dogma, so it was great to get his well rounded thoughts on all things protein and amino acids. Erin enjoyed talking to him so much that she lost track of time, so we know you’re gonna love this discussion, too!

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