When the ‘Standard’ Isn’t Enough: Rethinking Where We Look for Care
And why my own recent experience made that clearer than ever.
Recently, I had an experience that perfectly illustrated something I’ve been unconsciously realizing for years, but this time, I felt it in my own body.
I have been working on making some adjustments with my medications. It has lead to some pretty uncomfortable symptoms that snowballed into severe dehydration. That resulted two ER visits within a week and I was once again feeling my body raise the red flag, telling me another ER visit was imminent.
The truth is, I didn’t want to go back. Not because the ER had done anything wrong, but because I already knew what the experience would look like: a long wait, IV fluids, monitoring, discharge, home. Stabilized, but not necessarily restored.
And then my suggested something I hadn’t even considered in that moment: A med spa.
It wasn’t about avoiding the ER. It wasn’t about being “anti-medicine.”
It was about choosing the right level of care for what my body needed in that moment.
I went. I got the fluids. Within 90 minutes, I was home, rehydrated, and feeling noticeably better, all without needing another emergency visit.
It made something crystal clear: we no longer live in a world where your only choices are your family doctor or the ER. And not knowing or understanding the options in between leaves people suffering longer than they need to.
And this is exactly where Functional Diagnostic Nutrition fits in.
What Doctors Are Trained (and brilliant) At
Let me be very clear: Doctors are essential. ER physicians and medical providers are some of the most highly trained professionals in the world.
Their role is to:
diagnose disease
rule out emergencies
treat pathology
intervene when something is dangerously wrong
When you have an acute issue, a dangerous symptom, a life-threatening situation, the ER is exactly where you belong.
I’m grateful we have that system. It was appropriate and necessary when I needed it.
But here’s the part people don’t talk about: Stabilization isn’t the same as healing. And it’s not supposed to be. That’s simply not the ER’s job.
The Gap Between “Normal Labs” and “I Don’t Feel Normal”
Many people live in an uncomfortable in-between space:
You’re not sick enough for a diagnosis, but you’re not well enough to feel like yourself. Maybe you’re told your labs are “normal.” Maybe you’re told to wait and see. Maybe you’re told nothing is wrong, even though something clearly is.
This space is huge. And honestly? It’s where most people are quietly suffering.
This is where functional practitioners step in.
What FDNs Actually Do
Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioners don’t diagnose disease, treat illness, or prescribe medication, because that’s not our role, and it shouldn’t be.
What we do is investigate what’s happening functionally.
FDNs look at:
stress hormones
digestive markers
gut health and dysbiosis
inflammation patterns
nutrient absorption
detoxification stress
food sensitivities
blood sugar patterns
Not to give you a label, but to identify patterns, stressors, and hidden imbalances contributing to how you feel.
FDNs sit between two worlds:
Medical care (focused on disease) and Traditional coaching (focused on habits)
We bridge those with:
data-driven insights
functional lab analysis
individualized lifestyle + nutrition strategies
accountability
education
support
It’s not “just coaching,” and it’s not medicine. It’s the missing middle.
How FDN Differs From a Health Coach
A health coach is primarily focused on:
habits
motivation
accountability
goal-setting
lifestyle change
And that is incredibly valuable.
But FDNs go deeper because we’re working with objective data. Our recommendations aren’t guesses. They’re based on what your labs and patterns show.
FDNs guide behavior change, but we also create personalized protocols based on:
hormonal balance
gut healing
nervous system regulation
detoxification capacity
inflammation reduction
metabolic support
It’s not cheerleading. It’s clinical-style interpretation paired with practical implementation.
How My Own Experience Ties All This Together
The ER stabilizes. Supportive care restores. Neither is “better”. They’re simply different tools for different situations.
In my case, the ER would have helped me… but a med spa helped me faster, more comfortably, and without taking up space meant for true emergencies.
This is the exact model I use in my practice.
If you’re bleeding, broken, or in danger, please, go to the ER. If your labs are abnormal or something is diagnostically wrong, see your doctor.
But if you’re stuck in the middle - fatigued, inflamed, bloated, anxious, wired-but-tired, gaining weight for no clear reason, reacting to foods, not sleeping, not digesting, not recovering - that’s where I come in.
Why Understanding the Difference Matters
When you know who does what, you stop:
bouncing between providers
feeling dismissed
getting generic answers
guessing
feeling like nothing is wrong with labs but “everything is wrong” in your body
There is a whole category of support designed specifically for the in-between.
That is where FDNs are most effective.
If You’re in That “In-Between” Space
You’re not alone. And you’re not imagining it. And you’re not “fine.” You’re just not diagnosable, yet.
That’s exactly the space Functional Diagnostic Nutrition was created to serve.
If you’re tired of being told “everything looks normal” while feeling anything but normal… there may be more options than you’ve been shown.
And I’m here to help you find them.
