Introducing Carla Alpert, a guiding light in the realm of holistic well-being. As a wellness expert and founder of WellHumans, Carla has dedicated her life to helping individuals unlock their full potential and achieve optimal health in mind, body, and spirit. With a deep-rooted passion for holistic living, Carla seamlessly weaves together ancient wisdom and modern science to empower others on their transformative journey. Through her compassionate guidance, Carla illuminates the path to balance, mindfulness, and self-discovery, offering practical tools and invaluable insights along the way. Join Carla Alpert on the transformative quest to unlock your well-being and cultivate a life of true vitality and joy. Learn more in this insightful MysticMag interview.
Can you explain the key principles and methodology behind Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Coaching (FDN)?
FDN is based on the principles of Functional Medicine. I partner with my clients and explore all aspects of their life and how each affects their overall health and well-being. In FDN, we call this DRESS, which stands for Diet, Rest, Exercise, Stress Reductions, and Symptom Investigation. Together we look at lifestyle inputs like the ones I already mentioned as well as how relationships, previous health history, time spent outdoors, and time spent experiencing joy also play a role in overall wellness.
Along with my FDN Colleagues, we refer to ourselves as “health detectives”. This is because we look for “hidden” contributors to chronic symptoms using testing. This includes imbalances inside the body that may not be obvious.
It’s my opinion that gut health proceeds all health, so in my work I focus on how our gut affects our overall health. This is even true of people who don’t have digestive symptoms. When the gut is impaired, this can create symptoms all over the body that may seem unrelated, but when we correct digestive health, many other symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, brain fog, skin issues, pain, or headaches also resolve.
How does Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Coaching differ from traditional health coaching or other forms of nutritional counseling?
What sets FDN apart from Functional Medicine Health Coaching is the fact that we use functional medicine testing to pinpoint healing opportunities for each individual client. After the initial intake session, we determine which tests are appropriate to explore. The foundational labs I use are:
- stool testing like the GI MAP to determine the balance of the microbiome and overall digestive health.
- hormone testing such as the DUTCH Complete to explore how sex and stress hormones may be contributing to health.
- organic acids testing like the OATS can detect other overgrowths in addition to stool testing like candida and mold as well as determine the balance of neurotransmitters and nutrients.
- food testing like the Wheat Zoomer that shows us if the immune system is reacting to gluten as well as shows us the permeability of the gut lining.
- traditional blood panels give us other insights as well as specialty panels for micronutrients.
- sometimes we go deeper and use testing for SIBO, mycotoxins, or heavy metals.
This is all determined by what the person is struggling with, their main complaints, and their individual needs and comforts. It’s not a one-size fits all process, but rather tailored to the story of each person.
Once the results are ready, I analyze them and pinpoint the healing opportunities. Then I educate the client on the findings, so they understand exactly what may be contributing to their symptoms and create a personalized self-care protocol based on these findings. The client then has the option to work with these lifestyle changes and targeted supplements. Most of the time within 3-6 months people see great improvement or even resolution of their chronic symptoms.
What role does functional medicine play in Functional Medicine Health Coaching? How does it complement the coaching process?
Functional Medicine Health Coaching is in alignment with Function Medicine (FM) in general. FM takes a comprehensive approach to health and well-being and focuses on prevention, discovering and treating root causes of disease, and restoring optimal function. It’s a very personalized experience and prioritizes a partnership between the practitioner and the patient with the belief that the patient is an expert in their own health.
I take on this approach with all my coaching clients. As an FM Health Coach, I take into consideration all the contributing factors to well-being and work side-by-side with my clients through the process of change.
How do you access and analyze a client’s health concerns and symptoms in Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Coaching?
All my clients fill out an intake form where they can tell me about their health history, what symptoms they are currently experiencing, and what they hope to gain from working together. They also share what has and hasn’t worked in the past when trying to find solutions to their health problems. All this information helps direct our work together.
I also use a Medical Symptom Questionnaire that numerically scores symptoms. This allows us to have a focal point on which system of the body is showing most of the symptoms and is also a tool to measure success as we progress. We use this throughout the duration of our work together to measure improvements.
Can you share an example of how Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Coaching has helped a client identify and address underlying health imbalances?
Yes, of course. This is the best way to understand the process and the results. I’ll tell you about one client that comes to mind, yet this type of story is one I see with many of my clients.
Recently, I had a client who came to me with extreme digestive symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, and stomach pain. She also had fatigue, brain fog, and anxiety and was continuously getting sick with strep throat, the flu, and sinusitis. She was seeing doctors who did traditional testing and were unable to pinpoint any known cause. A blood test even came back negative for Celiac and when she ended up at urgent care or the ER, they told her the symptoms were from a virus and she should rest.
After our initial intake session, we decided to run a GI MAP, OATS, Wheat Zoomer Bundle, and a blood panel. Through this testing, we found several healing opportunities. She had insufficient good bacteria and overgrowths of opportunistic bacteria in her gut, as well as H. Pylori and a Candida overgrowth confirmed by two tests. She had a low immune function in her gut and nutrient deficiencies as well. It was also confirmed through food testing she was not Celiac although she did have extreme Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) as well as a sensitivity to eggs and a few additional foods too. This client was also very low in iron which could have contributed to her extreme fatigue as well as stomach issues.
Using these results, she decided to work with nutrition and supplements to support the healing opportunities we found through testing. We increased the good bacteria and got rid of the overgrowths. We also supported her nutrient deficiencies including the low iron. Additionally, we added some stress reduction techniques to support her anxiety and overall healing. After 4 months of working with the protocol, all her symptoms completely resolved, and she literally got her life back!
I see similar stories over and over. I too had my version of this story and healed through FM. This is the reason I do this work. So many people are struggling with their health and this process can really change lives.
How do you collaborate with other healthcare professionals, such as physicians or naturopaths, in the context of Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Coaching and Functional Medicine Health Coaching?
I’ve collaborated with doctors many times in various ways. With my clients who have complex cases and are sometimes on multiple medications, I always like to collaborate with their prescribing doctor if they are open to it. Regardless, I always encourage clients to share everything with their doctor. Most times, I refer my clients to functional doctors I already have relationships with. In these cases, it’s important my clients are also under the care of a doctor as we work together.
There are also doctors who refer patients to me for health coaching. In this case, I work with the lifestyle prescriptions from the doctors to help support the client through the process of change. It’s very common for most of us to know what we need to do to be healthy but have a hard time actually doing it. It’s not always easy to change lifestyle habits when it comes to eating, sleeping, exercising, and destressing. Having a coaching relationship can be very beneficial to support patients to succeed and feel their best.
