Zuckerberg has me nailed. He knows that I will stay on Facebook for an hour if he puts dance videos in front of me. That man is NOT my favorite billionaire, but he sure knows how to tickle my pickle.   Turns out, he has an uncanny ability to diagnose disease, as well! Who knew?!

One of the 5 million dance videos he lured me into watching was this brilliant dancer that goes by Allison Jacobsss. Allison is larger-than-life in the personality department and she swings her hips around with reckless abandon when she dances. It’s so joyful. And, as someone who loves to dance myself, I was incredibly inspired by a woman who was shaped like me putting herself out into the world so bravely! 

You see, Allison and me, we are fluffy in all the same ways; In all the same places. It’s not a typical fat pattern. So, when she shared that she had received the diagnosis of a common, under-recognized connective tissue/fat storage disease called Lipedema, I...

"Functional Medicine with a Dysfunctional Doctor" is what I am calling this chapter in my life. It's a little dark humor/ inside joke with myself that keeps me laughing through the struggle.

I am a doctor who helps people with chronic, complicated health issues. Ironically, I find myself deep in a health hole, just as complex as any I have ever sleuthed and solved before in my patients. I thought it might be useful to share as I unravel my own complicated situation and reach my full potential again. Do you mind reading a little catch-up sesh? I hope not, because it's necessary. Details matter, as I always tell my patients!

On September 9th, 2005, I became a mom and a doctor the same day. No joke. My classmates were walking while I was pushing. It was a "Holy shit! I think this means I am a grown-up now!" kind of day. (If I only knew how true that was! Zero to 100, baby!)

I was also in the middle of my second massive autoimmune flare, brought on by...