By Marie Carlson, Nurse Practitioner 

I was in my 20s, and I had recently been diagnosed with PCOS. I was struggling with weight gain around the middle, brain fog, acne, and gut issues. At one point I went a whole year with no periods at all and when I did get them they were unpredictable. I was frustrated that I kept gaining weight in spite of trying to eat healthily and even training for a marathon. I was terrified that I would never be able to have children and that I was destined to heart disease and diabetes later in life. I had tried multiple medications that didn’t really help. They just masked the symptoms a little. Worst of all, I was confused about how to get better. 

I had not been taught much about nutrition in my nursing classes, so I decided to take a nutrition minor while I was furthering my nursing education. I will always remember the day that I was sitting in a nutrition class and the professor explained root cause (also known as functional or integrative) medicine and how powerful it is to bring about healing in multiple areas of health. This was new to me and I started crying right there in class because I knew I needed this kind of help. I sought out a practitioner who was doing this type of medicine and before long I was slimming down, my periods became regular, my skin cleared up, my chronic gut issues resolved, and my energy soared! After meeting my husband a few years later, I had my three beautiful children. I am so grateful for the guidance that I received when I needed it, and I’ve dedicated my career to helping women and girls with PCOS to transform their health!