Most chronic conditions linger or return because no one’s asking the right questions or looking in the right places.
In this episode, Tracy Harrison gets specific about why so many patients with autoimmune issues or recurrent health problems struggle to truly get better. She walks through four critical areas that are often missed in clinical practice and explains how each one can quietly block progress toward meaningful disease regression.
Is gut health playing a bigger role than you think? Tracy breaks down how digestion, microbiome diversity, and gut barrier function influence everything from mood and energy to inflammation and autoimmunity. Even patients with no digestive complaints may be stuck because of what’s happening in their gut.
From there, the focus shifts to nervous system balance. Why are so many people stuck in a state of sympathetic overdrive? And what are the ripple effects of that stress on healing, immune regulation, and long-term outcomes? Tracy shares specific ways to help patients return to a parasympathetic state, one where the body feels safe enough to recover.
Tracy also challenges the way most clinicians interpret lab data. Just because a number falls within the reference range doesn’t mean it’s serving the patient. What if a “normal” value is actually masking nutrient depletion, inflammation, or liver dysfunction? Tracy also makes a case for asking better questions during intake. So many patients are holding clues they don’t even know matter.
Whether you’re supporting someone with autoimmune disease, chronic fatigue, or any pattern of recurrent illness, this episode offers a sharper lens and a better path forward.
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Functional Medicine Overview
01:15 The Gut’s Role in Chronic Disease
03:03 Digestion and Nutrient Absorption
06:06 Microbiome Disruption and Antibiotics
09:00 Gut Barrier Function and Inflammation
17:00 Nervous System Imbalance and Stress
23:28 Vagus Nerve and Parasympathetic Healing
28:10 Long COVID and Immune Dysregulation
34:08 Rethinking Lab Data Interpretation
39:02 Nutrient Deficiencies Behind Lab Results
44:03 Ferritin, Iron, and Inflammation
48:00 Why Better Questions Change Outcomes
50:00 The Power of a Thorough Intake
Links
Take SAFM's 10 CME course - the Essential Gut Deep Dive: https://schoolafm.com/gut-course
Get weekly Clinical Tips in your inbox: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-tips
Learn more about SAFM's practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program
Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@safmchannel
Access daily quick tips on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppliedFunctionalMedicine/
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
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1:00:14
EP09: Supplements: Missteps and Best Practices
Most supplement mistakes happen when we forget to ask the simplest questions: Why this? Why now? And for how long?
In this episode, Tracy Harrison breaks down why even the most well-intentioned supplement plans can miss the mark. She explains the three core reasons to use supplements (relief, reversal, and maintenance), and how overlooking these distinctions can lead patients to stay on products long after they’ve served their purpose.
Tracy also unpacks the hidden consequences of common medications, like how statins and beta blockers drain CoQ10 or how birth control pills deplete vitamin B6, creating new issues that are often misunderstood or missed entirely. Are your patients feeling better because of what you recommended or despite it?
This episode is a call to slow down, think critically, and move beyond protocol checklists. Tracy shares practical ways to educate patients so they feel like partners, not bystanders, in their own care. If you’ve ever wondered how to improve outcomes without overcomplicating your practice, Tracy offers a smart, grounded place to start.
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Introduction to Supplement Use
01:16 Three Reasons to Use Supplements
02:11 The Power of Rapid Relief
05:24 Interventions to Reverse Disease
07:00 Educating Patients for Long-Term Success
09:06 Nutrient Depletions from Medications
12:09 Rethinking Maintenance Supplements
25:25 Beyond Protocols: The Devil in the Detail
27:01 Nutrient Interactions and Overlooked Risks
34:04 Post-COVID Supplement Challenges
42:09 Quercetin, Stress, and Individualized Care
47:02 5-HTP and SSRI Contraindications
50:47 Methylation and Common Misconceptions
Links
Take SAFM's 10 CME course - the Essential Gut Deep Dive: https://schoolafm.com/gut-course
Get weekly Clinical Tips in your inbox: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-tips
Learn more about SAFM's practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program
Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@safmchannel
Access daily quick tips on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppliedFunctionalMedicine/
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
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1:00:43
EP08: “You Are What You Eat”? Think Again!
Most people assume that eating healthy food is enough. But the real issue is often not what’s on the plate. It’s whether the body can actually use it.
In this episode, Tracy Harrison questions the idea that nutrition starts and ends with food choices. She breaks down why so many patients fail to thrive despite eating well and how digestion quietly plays a much bigger role than we give it credit for.
Tracy walks through four patient groups that often struggle with maldigestion: those with acid reflux, diabetes, hypothyroidism, and chronic aches and pains. Could common medications like PPIs or NSAIDs be interfering with nutrient absorption? Could sluggish bile flow or low enzyme output be blocking access to critical micronutrients? These are the kinds of questions she urges practitioners to ask more often.
Along the way, she explains why foundational functions—stomach acid, bile, enzyme activity, brush border integrity—deserve just as much attention as the more complex topics in functional medicine. Because when those basics are overlooked, even the best nutrition plans can fall flat.
This is a call to shift your focus back to the basics and to recognize that restoring digestive function may be the most powerful clinical move you can make.
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
01:03 The Importance of Micronutrition
02:18 The Role of Digestion in Nutrient Absorption
03:46 Focus on Digestion: Acid Reflux and GERD
07:01 Hypochlorhydria and Its Impact
10:02 Eating Hygiene and Its Importance
13:24 Diabetes and Digestive Enzyme Insufficiency
18:07 Hypothyroidism and Bile Function
22:22 Chronic Aches, Pains, and NSAIDs
26:07 The Interconnectedness of Health Issues
Links
Take SAFM's 10 CME course - the Essential Gut Deep Dive: https://schoolafm.com/gut-course
Get weekly Clinical Tips in your inbox: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-tips
Learn more about SAFM's practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@safmchannel
Access daily quick tips on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppliedFunctionalMedicine/
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
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28:13
EP07: Root Causes of Disease in the Rx
Medications your patients trust most may be the very ones quietly driving their disease.
How often do we stop to question the long-term impact of the most common prescriptions? Tracy Harrison takes a close look at the unintended consequences of medications like beta blockers, diuretics, antibiotics, and high-dose vitamin D. These are drugs patients often take for years, sometimes decades, without realizing they could be fueling nutrient depletion, sleep disruption, gut dysfunction, or immune imbalance.
What happens when a beta blocker meant to lower blood pressure also suppresses melatonin and CoQ10? Or when a prescribed vitamin D dose leaves someone more magnesium-deficient than before? Tracy connects the clinical dots and urges practitioners to think beyond the prescription pad. She makes the case for a more nuanced approach, one that questions assumptions, looks for root causes, and sees medications as tools, not permanent solutions.
If you’ve ever wondered why a patient plateaus despite doing “everything right,” this episode offers perspective that could shift your clinical lens.
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 How Common Medications Can Drive Disease
02:17 Hypertension Drugs and Nutrient Depletion
05:08 The Hidden Cost of Beta Blockers
08:02 Diuretics, Electrolytes, and Blood Pressure
10:10 Vitamin D Dosing Mistakes and Magnesium Loss
13:03 Interactions Between Vitamins D, A, and K
16:08 Immunosuppressants and Autoimmune Progression
25:10 Antibiotics, Gut Health, and Immune Dysregulation
30:13 NSAIDs and Pain Relief at a Cost
34:45 Metformin and Silent B12 Deficiency
Links
Get weekly Clinical Tips in your inbox: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-tips
Learn more about SAFM's practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program
Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@safmchannel
Access daily quick tips on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppliedFunctionalMedicine/
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
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39:54
EP06: Weight Loss through the Functional Medicine Lens
Weight gain isn’t always a result of overconsumption; it’s often the body’s natural response to imbalances that go undetected for years.
In this episode, Tracy Harrison breaks down four functional imbalances commonly at the root of overweight and obesity, starting with insulin resistance that often hides behind “normal” labs. How many patients are told they’re fine when their metabolism is anything but?
Tracy explains how stress, subclinical hypothyroidism, hormone disruption, and environmental toxins can all push the body to hold onto weight, even when someone is doing everything “right.” Could that daily fatigue or bloating be tied to something deeper?
This episode leaves practitioners with a challenge: stop chasing symptoms and start identifying the early signs of imbalance. Because when we address the real root causes, weight loss becomes a natural outcome, and patients finally feel seen, supported, and in control.
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Four Functional Imbalances Behind Weight Gain
03:27 Hidden Early Stages of Insulin Resistance
12:06 Why Standard Labs Miss Metabolic Dysfunction
15:10 Gut Health and Its Role in Metabolism
18:12 The Clinical Cost of Over-Relying on GLP-1 Medications
26:06 Subclinical Hypothyroidism and Overlooked Thyroid Markers
38:06 Estrogen Dominance and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals
43:06 Adiposity, Hormone Synthesis, and Toxin Storage
48:00 Constipation, Retoxification, and Hormone Clearance
54:03 Sympathetic Dominance and Chronic Stress
52:00 Building Sustainable Weight Loss Through Root-Cause Care
Links
Get weekly Clinical Tips in your inbox: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-tips
Learn more about SAFM's practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program
Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@safmchannel
Access daily quick tips on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppliedFunctionalMedicine/
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
Functional Medicine for Real-World Impact offers practical insights to empower healthcare professionals in transforming patient care through applied functional medicine. Join Tracy Harrison as she dives deep into the interconnected nature of physiology, lifestyle, and innovative interventions—bringing clarity to the science behind complex, chronic conditions. Each episode is packed with case scenarios, clinical pearls, and actionable strategies that practitioners can immediately apply for greater patient outcomes. If you’re ready to do your best work and elevate your clinical confidence, this podcast is your guide to meaningful, impactful change in healthcare.