Most chronic conditions linger or return because no one’s asking the right questions or looking in the right places.   In this episode, Tracy Harrison gets specific about why so many patients with autoimmune issues or recurrent health problems struggle to truly get better. She walks through four critical areas that are often missed in clinical practice and explains how each one can quietly block progress toward meaningful disease regression.   Is gut health playing a bigger role than you think? Tracy breaks down how digestion, microbiome diversity, and gut barrier function influence everything from mood and energy to inflammation and autoimmunity. Even patients with no digestive complaints may be stuck because of what’s happening in their gut.   From there, the focus shifts to nervous system balance. Why are so many people stuck in a state of sympathetic overdrive? And what are the ripple effects of that stress on healing, immune regulation, and long-term outcomes? Tracy shares specific ways to help patients return to a parasympathetic state, one where the body feels safe enough to recover.   Tracy also challenges the way most clinicians interpret lab data. Just because a number falls within the reference range doesn’t mean it’s serving the patient. What if a “normal” value is actually masking nutrient depletion, inflammation, or liver dysfunction? Tracy also makes a case for asking better questions during intake. So many patients are holding clues they don’t even know matter.   Whether you’re supporting someone with autoimmune disease, chronic fatigue, or any pattern of recurrent illness, this episode offers a sharper lens and a better path forward.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Functional Medicine Overview 01:15 The Gut’s Role in Chronic Disease 03:03 Digestion and Nutrient Absorption 06:06 Microbiome Disruption and Antibiotics 09:00 Gut Barrier Function and Inflammation 17:00 Nervous System Imbalance and Stress 23:28 Vagus Nerve and Parasympathetic Healing 28:10 Long COVID and Immune Dysregulation 34:08 Rethinking Lab Data Interpretation 39:02 Nutrient Deficiencies Behind Lab Results 44:03 Ferritin, Iron, and Inflammation 48:00 Why Better Questions Change Outcomes 50:00 The Power of a Thorough Intake   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