26 years ago, at age 19, I sat in a classroom at an international school in Granada, Spain. It was the second semester, and my Islamic Studies teacher started to speak about Americans and how curious we were to this Yemeni native.

Photo: Centro de Lenguas Modernas in Granada, Spain

He shared that, on one hand, Americans are dogmatic about cigarette smoking, puritanical about alcohol and sex, yet as soon as we have a sniffle, we run to the doctor for a script. 

This was circa 2002.

You can imagine that this was the first time I stepped out of my own culture and critically looked at it from the outside.

This one sentence from my favorite teacher asked me to question the status quo of my American culture.

Since 19, I realized that one culture doesn't have it all right; no one country does. Ask me about the stories I have on two Spanish grandmas;)

Since his remark, however, I've done my best to steer clear of the prescription pad. Proudly throwing my birth control pills in the toilet at age 22, never going back. I stopped viewing the prescription pad as my first line of defense.

Particularly in light of the polypharmacy conversation from the Lindsay Clancy trial-did you see the list!* I think it's important to be regularly monitored and supported between visits, and this includes for supplements too.

Did you know that 8,500 people are using Fullscript (a supplement dispensary) monthly without a provider? People are purchasing supplements without oversight, without care, without a case evaluation or evaluating medication interactions or duplications. 

The same frantic, "more is better" mindset has now migrated to the wellness aisle.

Autonomy is awesome but only when we know where we are going. 

For instance, a client has had eczema since 3 years old and, 2 months into my signature nervous system and gut detox program, she experienced a severe eczema flare.

Did the change in her diet cause a histamine overload? 

Was it the change in their laundry detergent?

Was the mold found on their curtains behind their bed the problem?

Was it rotating visitors, hosting, alcohol drinking, eating out or the packed schedule the last few months finally catching up, and her nervous system was waving the white flag?

It could be all or none of these things, so when she decided to go on Dupixent (a biologic commonly prescribed for eczema) I used this link to research common side effects, and what I learned was not to take this prescription medication if you have a known parasitic infection.

We know that parasite infections are a root cause for skin reactions, IBS, constipation, and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS).

3 out of the 4 were cited on her intake.

So, together we spoke about options, and she decided to pause the gut detox and stay with the health coaching group until she completed the course of her medication.

Informed consent, careful conversations, client-led support.

She shared later on a call that she's "never been so supported by a provider."

This is what I believe we all need. A trusted, trained guide that looks at people's entire health story to help navigate a health journey.

Whether you are on prescription medication/s for an acute symptom or not, functional nutritional counseling and health coaching are designed to support clients between doctor's visits or to prevent the signature being written on the prescription pad in the first place.

Rebalance your terrain naturally. Learn how the signature 6-month program uses your unique DNA to reverse gut, brain, and autoimmune symptoms.

P.S. Enjoyed this and want more? Read my Can we talk GLP-1s article.

*From October 2022 to January 2023, six healthcare professionals prescribed, deprescribed, and/or changed the dosage of Lindsay Clancy's medications: three psychiatrists, two nurse practitioners, and a doctor. Based on the facts in a medical malpractice lawsuit that Lindsay filed against her healthcare providers in January 2026, she had been prescribed 11 different medications in the four months leading up to the homicides, including five antidepressants, three benzodiazepines, and a sleep medication, Ambien.

Sources

1. Mad in America. (2026, August). In the Lindsay Clancy case, polypharmacy is on trial. https://www.madinamerica.com/2026/08/in-the-lindsay-clancy-case-polypharmacy-is-on-trial/