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.
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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.
Autoimmune Disease Through The Functional Medicine Lens | E12
Functional Medicine for Real-World Impact
57 minutes
6 months ago
Autoimmune Disease Through The Functional Medicine Lens | E12
Most autoimmune protocols fail because they chase symptoms while the real problem simmers quietly underneath.
Tracy Harrison offers an honest take on what’s often missing from autoimmune care. What if the immune system isn’t broken at all, but just responding exactly as it was designed to, in a world it no longer recognizes? This episode challenges the idea that symptom relief is the same as healing and urges practitioners to look further upstream.
Tracy makes the case for mindset as a starting point. Before tossing out protocols or supplements, are we helping patients believe that change is possible? Are we preparing them for the discipline and patience required to truly shift their health trajectory? Using the thumbtack analogy, she illustrates why single interventions rarely work, and why lasting progress comes from building habits that stick.
Tracy also unpacks the problem with focusing only on the tissue under attack. When autoimmune disease shows up in one place, how long before it shows up somewhere else? She explains why polyautoimmunity is common and why protocols must be tailored, not templated.
This episode is a reminder for practitioners that clinical knowledge is only part of the equation. Sustainable results require education, empathy, and a clear-eyed view of what healing really takes.
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Understanding Autoimmune Disease Through Functional Medicine
01:04 Challenging Myths About the Immune System
09:18 Why Protocols Fail Without Personalization
12:24 Patience, Discipline, and the Thumbtack Analogy
21:31 The Practitioner’s Role in Patient Belief and Behavior
29:30 Gluten, Molecular Mimicry, and Cross-Reactivity
35:00 NF-kappa B, Lifestyle Stressors, and Immune Priming
38:02 Preventing Flares Through Long-Term Support
44:05 The Four-Legged Stool of Autoimmunity
49:05 Gut Integrity, Gallbladder Function, and Clinical Precision
Links
Learn more about SAFM’s accredited practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program
Take SAFM’s 10 CME course - the Essential Gut Deep Dive: https://schoolafm.com/gut-course
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Functional Medicine for Real-World Impact
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.
