Functional Medicine for Real-World Impact

EP09: Supplements: Missteps and Best Practices

Most supplement mistakes happen when we forget to ask the simplest questions: Why this? Why now? And for how long?
 
In this episode, Tracy Harrison breaks down why even the most well-intentioned supplement plans can miss the mark. She explains the three core reasons to use supplements (relief, reversal, and maintenance), and how overlooking these distinctions can lead patients to stay on products long after they’ve served their purpose.
 
Tracy also unpacks the hidden consequences of common medications, like how statins and beta blockers drain CoQ10 or how birth control pills deplete vitamin B6, creating new issues that are often misunderstood or missed entirely. Are your patients feeling better because of what you recommended or despite it?
 
This episode is a call to slow down, think critically, and move beyond protocol checklists. Tracy shares practical ways to educate patients so they feel like partners, not bystanders, in their own care. If you’ve ever wondered how to improve outcomes without overcomplicating your practice, Tracy offers a smart, grounded place to start.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Introduction to Supplement Use
01:16 Three Reasons to Use Supplements
02:11 The Power of Rapid Relief
05:24 Interventions to Reverse Disease
07:00 Educating Patients for Long-Term Success
09:06 Nutrient Depletions from Medications
12:09 Rethinking Maintenance Supplements
25:25 Beyond Protocols: The Devil in the Detail
27:01 Nutrient Interactions and Overlooked Risks
34:04 Post-COVID Supplement Challenges
42:09 Quercetin, Stress, and Individualized Care
47:02 5-HTP and SSRI Contraindications
50:47 Methylation and Common Misconceptions
 
Links
Take SAFM's 10 CME course - the Essential Gut Deep Dive: https://schoolafm.com/gut-course
Get weekly Clinical Tips in your inbox: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-tips 
Learn more about SAFM's practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program
Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@safmchannel
Access daily quick tips on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppliedFunctionalMedicine/ 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP08: “You Are What You Eat”? Think Again!

Most people assume that eating healthy food is enough. But the real issue is often not what’s on the plate. It’s whether the body can actually use it.
 
In this episode, Tracy Harrison questions the idea that nutrition starts and ends with food choices. She breaks down why so many patients fail to thrive despite eating well and how digestion quietly plays a much bigger role than we give it credit for.
 
Tracy walks through four patient groups that often struggle with maldigestion: those with acid reflux, diabetes, hypothyroidism, and chronic aches and pains. Could common medications like PPIs or NSAIDs be interfering with nutrient absorption? Could sluggish bile flow or low enzyme output be blocking access to critical micronutrients? These are the kinds of questions she urges practitioners to ask more often.
 
Along the way, she explains why foundational functions—stomach acid, bile, enzyme activity, brush border integrity—deserve just as much attention as the more complex topics in functional medicine. Because when those basics are overlooked, even the best nutrition plans can fall flat.
 
This is a call to shift your focus back to the basics and to recognize that restoring digestive function may be the most powerful clinical move you can make.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Introduction 
01:03 The Importance of Micronutrition
02:18 The Role of Digestion in Nutrient Absorption
03:46 Focus on Digestion: Acid Reflux and GERD
07:01 Hypochlorhydria and Its Impact
10:02 Eating Hygiene and Its Importance
13:24 Diabetes and Digestive Enzyme Insufficiency
18:07 Hypothyroidism and Bile Function
22:22 Chronic Aches, Pains, and NSAIDs
26:07 The Interconnectedness of Health Issues
 
Links
Take SAFM's 10 CME course - the Essential Gut Deep Dive: https://schoolafm.com/gut-course
Get weekly Clinical Tips in your inbox: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-tips 
Learn more about SAFM's practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@safmchannel
Access daily quick tips on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppliedFunctionalMedicine/ 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP07: Root Causes of Disease in the Rx

Medications your patients trust most may be the very ones quietly driving their disease.
 
How often do we stop to question the long-term impact of the most common prescriptions? Tracy Harrison takes a close look at the unintended consequences of medications like beta blockers, diuretics, antibiotics, and high-dose vitamin D. These are drugs patients often take for years, sometimes decades, without realizing they could be fueling nutrient depletion, sleep disruption, gut dysfunction, or immune imbalance.
 
What happens when a beta blocker meant to lower blood pressure also suppresses melatonin and CoQ10? Or when a prescribed vitamin D dose leaves someone more magnesium-deficient than before? Tracy connects the clinical dots and urges practitioners to think beyond the prescription pad. She makes the case for a more nuanced approach, one that questions assumptions, looks for root causes, and sees medications as tools, not permanent solutions.
 
If you’ve ever wondered why a patient plateaus despite doing “everything right,” this episode offers perspective that could shift your clinical lens.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 How Common Medications Can Drive Disease
02:17 Hypertension Drugs and Nutrient Depletion
05:08 The Hidden Cost of Beta Blockers
08:02 Diuretics, Electrolytes, and Blood Pressure
10:10 Vitamin D Dosing Mistakes and Magnesium Loss
13:03 Interactions Between Vitamins D, A, and K
16:08 Immunosuppressants and Autoimmune Progression
25:10 Antibiotics, Gut Health, and Immune Dysregulation
30:13 NSAIDs and Pain Relief at a Cost
34:45 Metformin and Silent B12 Deficiency
 
Links
Get weekly Clinical Tips in your inbox: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-tips 
Learn more about SAFM's practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program
Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@safmchannel
Access daily quick tips on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppliedFunctionalMedicine/ 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP06: Weight Loss through the Functional Medicine Lens

Weight gain isn’t always a result of overconsumption; it’s often the body’s natural response to imbalances that go undetected for years.
 
In this episode, Tracy Harrison breaks down four functional imbalances commonly at the root of overweight and obesity, starting with insulin resistance that often hides behind “normal” labs. How many patients are told they’re fine when their metabolism is anything but?
 
Tracy explains how stress, subclinical hypothyroidism, hormone disruption, and environmental toxins can all push the body to hold onto weight, even when someone is doing everything “right.” Could that daily fatigue or bloating be tied to something deeper?
 
This episode leaves practitioners with a challenge: stop chasing symptoms and start identifying the early signs of imbalance. Because when we address the real root causes, weight loss becomes a natural outcome, and patients finally feel seen, supported, and in control.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Four Functional Imbalances Behind Weight Gain  
03:27 Hidden Early Stages of Insulin Resistance  
12:06 Why Standard Labs Miss Metabolic Dysfunction  
15:10 Gut Health and Its Role in Metabolism  
18:12 The Clinical Cost of Over-Relying on GLP-1 Medications  
26:06 Subclinical Hypothyroidism and Overlooked Thyroid Markers  
38:06 Estrogen Dominance and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals  
43:06 Adiposity, Hormone Synthesis, and Toxin Storage  
48:00 Constipation, Retoxification, and Hormone Clearance  
54:03 Sympathetic Dominance and Chronic Stress  
52:00 Building Sustainable Weight Loss Through Root-Cause Care
 
Links
Get weekly Clinical Tips in your inbox: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-tips 
Learn more about SAFM's practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program
Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@safmchannel
Access daily quick tips on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppliedFunctionalMedicine/ 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP05: Gut-Brain-Chronic Pain Connections

Chronic pain isn’t just a nuisance. It’s often a gut-driven signal that something deeper is out of balance.
 
In this episode, Tracy Harrison takes a practical look at how gut health shapes our experience of pain. She questions the default approach of reaching for medications and instead encourages practitioners to ask: what’s really driving the discomfort? Pain isn’t random. It often points to deeper issues like inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, and microbial imbalances, all of which are rooted in the gut.
 
Tracy breaks down how over-the-counter drugs like NSAIDs can quietly erode the gut lining, interfere with nutrient absorption, and set off a chain reaction that worsens the very symptoms they’re meant to relieve. She also shares why it’s worth paying closer attention to factors like sleep apnea, chronic stress, and low-grade infections that keep the body in a state of physiological alarm, and make pain more intense.
 
The conversation turns toward the gut-brain connection, where neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA play a powerful role in pain perception. What happens when dysbiosis disrupts their production? How do nutrient shortfalls, especially in B12, magnesium, and tryptophan, shift the nervous system’s response to pain?
 
For practitioners, this is a clear reminder: if you’re not looking at gut health, you may be missing the source of your patient’s pain. Tracy lays out the case for why functional medicine must go beyond managing symptoms to uncovering the systems at play. It starts in the gut, and it can change everything.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 The Gut-Brain-Pain Connection
02:30 Why Reframing Pain Matters
03:50 How NSAIDs and Common Medications Affect Gut Health
08:30 The Impact of Physiological Stress on Pain Perception
11:00 Dysbiosis, Inflammation, and Neurotransmitter Imbalance
18:30 The Role of Digestion, Nutrient Absorption, and Deficiencies in Chronic Pain
34:00 Food Sensitivities, Immune Complexes, and Joint Pain
37:00 Serotonin, GABA, and the Gut’s Influence on the Nervous System
40:30 Why Gut Health Is Central to Functional Medicine and Long-Term Pain Relief
 
Links
Get weekly Clinical Tips in your inbox: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-tips 
Learn more about SAFM's practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program
Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@safmchannel
Access daily quick tips on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppliedFunctionalMedicine/ 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP04: GLP-1 Gotchas for Practitioners

GLP-1 medications are everywhere right now and for good reason. They suppress appetite, support weight loss, and help manage type 2 diabetes. But what happens when we overlook the ripple effects they can have on the body?
 
In this first episode of Functional Medicine for Real-World Impact, host Tracy Harrison walks through four clinical “gotchas” every practitioner should keep in mind when patients are using GLP-1 agonists. She starts with one of the most common and disruptive complaints: nausea. For many patients, it’s not just the medication. It’s an underlying issue like histamine overload, subclinical hypothyroidism, or nutrient insufficiency that makes the symptoms worse.
 
Tracy also raises a critical question: Are we giving GLP-1s to patients who are already insulin resistant... or already hyperinsulinemic? If so, we may be increasing their risk for hypoglycemia, emotional reactivity, and unintended shifts in body composition.
 
Then there’s the issue of gallbladder health. Slowed motility may reduce appetite, but it can also make existing hepatic biliary congestion worse, especially for those with fatty liver or metabolic disease. Are we screening for this before starting treatment?
 
This episode challenges practitioners to look closer, ask better questions, and avoid assuming that symptom reduction equals success. Medications can be helpful, but only when paired with a deeper clinical lens and a commitment to long-term, real-world health.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Understanding GLP-1 Medications
01:02 Nausea and Dysmotility
05:01 Histamine Overload
08:04 Hypothyroidism and Dysmotility
10:01 Vitamin B6 and Magnesium Deficiency
11:27 Malnutrition Risks
17:00 Hypoglycemia Concerns
20:41 Hepatic Biliary Congestion
25:10 Responsible Use and Dosage
27:00 Importance of Empowering Patients 
 
Links
Get weekly Clinical Tips in your inbox: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-tips 
Learn more about SAFM's practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program
Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@safmchannel
Access daily quick tips on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppliedFunctionalMedicine/ 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP03: Practitioner Missteps in Resolving Metabolic Dysfunction

Most cases of type 2 diabetes could be predicted—and prevented—if we knew how to recognize the earliest metabolic red flags hiding in plain sight.
 
What if your patient’s “normal” labs are quietly pointing to dysfunction—and no one’s looking closely enough to catch it? In this episode, Tracy Harrison shares the story of Jane, a woman in her 40s who feels fine today but is on a predictable path to type 2 diabetes within the next decade. Her fasting glucose and A1C may look great now, but behind the scenes, rising insulin or C-peptide levels are already telling a different story.
 
Tracy walks through the subtle signs of early metabolic dysfunction and why standard lab markers often lull both patients and practitioners into a false sense of security. She pushes for a shift in perspective: What do we make of “optimal” labs when the patient’s diet, stress, or symptoms tell a different story? What can we catch early if we pay closer attention to things like reactive hypoglycemia, eating hygiene, and even overlooked contributors like toxin exposure and gut motility?
 
From the pancreas to the microbiome, Tracy connects the dots in a way that’s practical and actionable for real-world clinical practice. She also shares key tools that can support earlier intervention, from smarter lab assessments to supplements like inositol and berberine.
 
This episode is packed with clinical insights and reminders that prevention starts long before blood sugar goes up, and that patients like Jane are counting on us to see what others miss.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Introduction to Jane and the Roots of Metabolic Dysfunction
02:30 Why Fasting Insulin and C-Peptide Matter
05:10 Hypoglycemia as an Early Warning Sign
09:05 Glucose vs. A1C: What Labs Really Tell You
12:10 The Hidden Impact of Stress and Poor Eating Hygiene
15:10 Gut Motility and Its Role in Metabolic Health
22:10 Pancreatic, Thyroid, and Liver Function in Early Dysfunction
27:15 The Microbiome’s Influence on Insulin and GLP-1
32:05 Diet, Prebiotics, and Feeding the Microbiome
36:30 Supplements That Support Insulin Sensitivity
 
Links
Get weekly Clinical Tips in your inbox: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-tips 
Learn more about SAFM's practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program
Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@safmchannel
Access daily quick tips on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppliedFunctionalMedicine/ 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP02: What IS Functional Medicine?

Functional medicine rejects symptom-chasing and asks a better question: why did the body stop working the way it’s designed to?
 
In this episode, Tracy Harrison explains what functional medicine really is through the lens of systems engineering. What if we approached the human body like a complex system, where every piece plays a role in either promoting health or driving dysfunction?
 
Using the image of a bonsai tree, Tracy illustrates how we miss the bigger picture when we focus only on the problem we can see. She then takes it a step further with three real-world examples of people who all have hypertension, but for completely different reasons. One person is dealing with blood sugar issues. Another is struggling with nutrient metabolism. A third is unknowingly affected by toxic exposure from decades ago.
 
So how do we help someone heal if we don’t first understand why they’re sick? This episode is an invitation to think differently. It challenges listeners to stop asking what to fix and start asking what’s interfering with the body’s ability to function. Through a systems engineering lens, Tracy shows how personalized assessment and targeted intervention can help restore balance without relying solely on symptom management.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Introduction to Functional Medicine
01:57 Systems Engineering Approach
03:01 Functional Medicine Lens
04:06 Hypertension Example
06:05 Case Study: Mary and Blood Sugar
08:05 Case Study: Bill and Homocysteine
10:17 Case Study: Sue and Lead Exposure
13:20 Customizing Interventional Plans
14:38 Exploring Diagnoses and Root Causes
 
Links
Get weekly Clinical Tips in your inbox: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-tips 
Learn more about SAFM's practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program
Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@safmchannel
Access daily quick tips on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppliedFunctionalMedicine/ 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

EP01: Surprising Reasons They Don’t Get Better: Key Clinical Insights for Practitioners

Most cases of recurring IBS aren’t about the gut bugs. They’re about what’s upstream and overlooked.
 
Why do so many patients feel better at first, only to end up right back where they started? Tracy Harrison shares the real reasons IBS, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic conditions often come roaring back. She highlights two patterns that get missed far too often: maldigestion caused by low pancreatic enzyme output (which is closely tied to blood sugar issues) and sluggish gut motility linked to subclinical hypothyroidism, vagus nerve dysfunction, or past trauma.
 
Tracy also breaks down how poor sleep and internal stress quietly derail healing, even when a patient’s lifestyle looks “healthy” from the outside. Is someone really sleeping well, or are they just used to feeling tired? Is their blood sugar problem coming from diet, or from the constant background noise of stress?
 
Tracy connects the dots between oral health, immune dysfunction, and metabolic disease, showing how inflammation in the mouth can ripple through the whole system. She explains why high-dose vitamin D can backfire, how common medications like ibuprofen or PPIs might be sabotaging progress, and what to watch for when a patient’s improvement stalls without a clear reason.
 
At the heart of it all is a question every practitioner needs to ask: Am I offering too much, too fast? Tracy reminds us that real change comes from partnership, not overwhelm. The smartest plan in the world won’t help if it leaves your patient behind.
 
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
01:30 Why IBS Often Recurs Despite Initial Improvements
03:20 Maldigestion, Dysmotility, and Blood Sugar Dysregulation
08:03 The Hidden Impact of Sleep and Stress on Immune and Gut Health
15:26 Overlooked Connections Between Oral Health and Metabolic Disease
17:50 The Role of Patient Engagement and Expectation-Setting in Lasting Outcomes
23:27 Risks of High-Dose Vitamin D and Common Supplement Pitfalls
26:30 Medication Use That May Be Stalling Patient Progress
 
Links
Get weekly Clinical Tips in your inbox: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-tips 
Learn more about SAFM's practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program
Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@safmchannel
Access daily quick tips on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppliedFunctionalMedicine/ 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Functional Medicine for Real-World Impact - Trailer

Functional Medicine for Real-World Impact offers practical insights to empower healthcare professionals in transforming patient care through applied functional medicine. Join Tracy Harrison as she dives deep into the interconnected nature of physiology, lifestyle, and innovative interventions—bringing clarity to the science behind complex, chronic conditions. Each episode is packed with case scenarios, clinical pearls, and actionable strategies that practitioners can immediately apply for greater patient outcomes. If you’re ready to do your best work and elevate your clinical confidence, this podcast is your guide to meaningful, impactful change in healthcare.