ABOUT

The current medical model does not always know how to assess or

treat chronic conditions. There is a need for addressing individualized

care- taking more pieces of an individual’s puzzle (patient history,

signs, symptoms, diagnosis, current habits, and more) and creating

a more comprehensive composite before issuing recommendations.

Standard medical treatment models and insurance coverage are not

typically designed to determine a patient’s relationship to things like

nutrient deficiencies, habit change, a true understanding of the impact

of their daily choices on their own body’s system, or sociological or

emotional factors that may prevent the patient from executing the

scope of a desired plan.

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There is a need to pivot from a model that treats disease symptoms

with standard protocols and medicine, to an individualized treatment

plan that sees the whole person, appreciates the role of interactions

in the body, and values the role of diet, nutrients, and lifestyle

modification in the treatment plan. There is a gap in health care that

can be filled by looking at the whole “terrain” and developing a unique and individualized therapeutic plan. The functional medicine model, and especially the functional nutrition model seeks to provide individualized treatment for the whole person in a partnership toward optimal health.

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My name is Pamela Stanley, I am a Certified Nutrition Counselor and the founder of Functional Nutrition Partners. Healthy living has been a passion of mine for most of my adult life. My children were not always happy with my healthy homemade cookies while their friends ate boxes of Little Debbie Cakes. I once received a tee shirt from my son for Christmas that read “Beware this person may spontaneously start talking about how to be healthy.” 

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However, a serious health situation developed when my son nearly died at age five and I was confronted with the limitations of the traditional medical model. Strep throat was going around at his daycare and he began to show signs of being sick. I took him to the doctor and the traditional test was taken and it came back negative. He continued to have worsening symptoms. I repeatedly called explaining his symptoms and asking for another test. They assured me he did not have strep throat and to continue to provide Tylenol and rest. There was little interest in his symptoms or any other options for his care. He woke up one morning and his urine was black. I was immediately told to rush him to the emergency room. The doctor told us that if he lived through the night, he would probably survive. The acute care provided for him at the hospital was amazing and he left the hospital within a week. He was under doctor’s care for a year while his body healed. This scenario highlights the best in traditional medical care and the gaps that exist to treating symptoms and healing the body. There were no recommendations for healing before or after the acute symptoms were addressed.

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Years later I experienced mold poisoning from a faulty bathroom renovation that allowed black mold to grow in three bathroom walls. For 18 months, I was sent to several medical experts, each one treating a different symptom using standard protocols and medications within their limited options. I was getting sicker, weaker, and losing weight almost daily. I had to take a leave from work and I spent hours trying to find a doctor or clinic that might help me. I found a functional medical clinic in South Carolina specializing in environmental illness and disease. That was the closest option to my home in Ohio. I was able to schedule a 2-day assessment and after the first round of tests came back, the physician looked at me and stated, “ It is a good thing you are so healthy because you are very, very sick. I later learned that not all people with severe black mold poisoning survive. After 2 days, we were on our way back to Ohio with lots of lifestyle modifications, diet plans, nutrients, and orders not to return to work for 3 months. I slowly returned to better health after working with those fabulous doctors and health practitioners.

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I have spent the last 5 years researching and learning about everything I can find to address chronic illness from a functional and holistic lens. I support the damage done to my digestive system from mold poisoning and from medications given by doctors with abundant nutrients, eating a clean and healthy diet, and maintaining a gluten-free, and dairy-free diet. 

I have found local functional and holistic doctors who provide wonderful ongoing care. It is not the fault of doctors who are trained in medicine and illness and practice in siloed specialties for not recognizing and treating my illness correctly. Western medicine, especially in the United States, does not focus on chronic diseases and disorders. The focus is on symptom relief and disease management. Western medicine does an amazing job of acute care, saving thousands of lives and improving the quality of life for many, but it is not designed to address chronic disease. That is why I am so passionate about the functional nutrition process. I am honored to use my experiences, training, and passion to help others who are looking for improved health solutions.