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Some people may have called me crazy for seeking answers and clarity after one miscarriage. The traditional healthcare system typically doesn’t encourage investigation until a woman has had multiple losses because it’s so “common.”

I thought differently.

Of course, there are absolutely things out of our control, as I’ve learned after a second loss. However, I knew that it would only help me to get a better understanding and do what I could to optimize my overall health.

To do that, I started working with a functional medicine doctor. By the time we got the majority of my results back, I was pregnant again so I wasn’t able to do a whole lot about what we found other than make diet changes. 

Once we tragically lost that baby at the start of the second trimester, I knew I needed to take a break from trying to get pregnant and fiercely pursue answers regarding my health.

Only You Are Responsible for Your Health

Thankfully my OB has been pretty proactive but that’s not always the case. 

In addition to working with my OB, I have also worked with my functional doctor and a hematologist in tandem to get a full picture of what may be going on and what may be causing these traumatic losses. 

A functional doctor’s approach is different than the traditional healthcare system because they spend a lot of time digging to find the root cause of chronic issues, rather than treating the symptoms.

To be honest, I was never interested in any kind of alternative medicine in the past. Up until this year, I had never really had any significant health problems, and all I knew was traditional medicine. 

The alternative options always sounded a little “out there,” if you know what I mean.

But after enduring such unexplained and heartbreaking loss, that began to change. That’s when perspective can change to advocate for your health.

While I’d like to make the disclaimer that I still believe in and am incredibly thankful for our healthcare system, I have become so much more open to alternative approaches to problems that arise, especially when it has to do with something as delicate as our fertility and something as painful as recurring loss. 

As I’ve been advocating for my health as well as future family, (and probably annoying the heck out of doctors), I’ve seen how powerful it is and how much further you can get when you’re proactive and open minded, even if the solution or outcome you’re looking for doesn’t happen overnight. 

How to Advocate For Your Health

I am learning a lot in the process.

For this reason, I brought Adrienne Nolan-Smith onto SHE. 

Adrienne is a board certified patient advocate, speaker and the founder of WellBe (@getwellbe). WellBe is a media company and lifestyle brand aimed at helping people prevent and reverse chronic health issues naturally. It also exists to help bridge the large gap between the wellness movement and the healthcare system. 

Adrienne was healed from chronic Lyme disease at thirteen years old— after antibiotics couldn’t help —through various integrative therapies. In college, she cured her two-year amenorrhea naturally after working with a naturopath for just six months, refusing multiple conventional doctors’ advice to take the birth control pill. 

When she was 25, Adrienne’s mother took her own life while she was on antipsychotics following a five-year battle with schizoaffective disorder. That day, Adrienne pledged to work on fixing the healthcare system by making the pursuit of a root cause the standard.

Tune into this episode to learn:

• How the 100 choices you make a day are truly your healthcare
• A holistic approach to mental health
• The role of a BCPA
• The importance of health patient advocacy (especially in mental healthcare and hard-to-identify diseases like Lyme, autoimmune conditions, and women’s health/hormones)

Once you’ve given this episode a listen, tell me in the comments: 

How are you going to advocate for your health in new ways? Have you ever worked with a functional or alternative medicine doctor? If so, did it help you? If not, would you consider it now hearing these stories?