From Patient to Doctor: 5 Holistic Health Truths That Change Healing
There’s a deeper path to healing than what our conventional systems usually provide.
I didn’t learn that from textbooks.
I learned it by sitting in the patient chair myself… years of symptoms that didn’t add up, “normal” labs that didn’t explain why I felt exhausted, inflamed, and stuck.
The turning point wasn’t a single miracle cure. It was the realization that my symptoms weren’t random problems to silence, but signals to interpret. And when I began listening, the entire trajectory of my health, and eventually my career as a functional medicine practitioner, shifted.
Today, I want to share five foundational truths from that journey. These truths now shape how I care for patients who, like me, once felt unheard in the conventional system.
A Healing Journey Beyond Quick Fixes
If you’re reading this, you probably already sense there’s more to healing than quick prescriptions and symptom band-aids.
I know that frustration well. For years I cycled between specialists, collecting diagnoses but never finding connection between them. Acid reflux, insomnia, low mood… the labels piled up, but no one asked why they were all happening together.
Conventional labs told me everything was “fine.” My body told me otherwise.
That mismatch is one of the most common patient stories I hear to this day.
The Turning Point: Symptoms as Signals
The biggest shift came when I stopped seeing symptoms as enemies. Instead, I started asking: what is my body trying to communicate?
That lens led me toward functional and holistic medicine, approaches that search for the “why” behind symptoms, not just the “what.”
The Five Truths I Carry Forward in Clinical Practice
1. Symptoms are Signals, Not Mistakes
Your body isn’t broken. It’s communicating. Acid reflux may signal gut imbalance. Insomnia may point to HPA-axis dysfunction. Anxiety might reflect nutrient depletion .
Suppressing those signals without asking questions is like removing the batteries from a smoke alarm during a fire.
2. Healing is an Active Partnership
The conventional model often leaves patients feeling like passive recipients of care. Functional medicine reframes that dynamic: you are the central decision-maker in your health, and my role is to be your partner and detective.
When you’re educated about your body’s signals, you’re empowered to lead your healing journey rather than outsource it.
3. We Must Address the Whole Person
Healing doesn’t happen in isolation. Your hormones, gut, brain, and immune system are constantly talking to one another . Your stress history, environment, and relationships matter just as much as your lab numbers.
True medicine considers the entire terrain, body, mind, and context, not just a single symptom in a vacuum.
4. We Have to Ask Different Questions
If we only ask, “What diagnosis does this symptom match?” we miss the deeper patterns.
Instead, I ask:
- Why is your stress axis overloaded? (HPA axis, cortisol, allostatic load)
- What’s happening in your gut-immune ecosystem? (stool testing, microbiome balance)
- Which nutrients or hormone pathways are under strain? (functional labs)
Asking better questions gives us better data and better direction.
5. Healthspan Matters More than Lifespan
Living longer matters. But living better, clear-minded, energized, connected, is what most patients truly want.
Functional medicine focuses on extending healthspan, the years you’re thriving, not just surviving .
Putting These Truths into Practice: Small Steps, Lasting Change
I know this can sound overwhelming. But healing doesn’t happen in one leap. It happens in layers.
One of my favorite tools is habit stacking: anchoring one new health practice onto something you already do. A morning glass of water becomes the cue for a protein-rich breakfast. A daily walk becomes the gateway to better sleep.
Small steps, consistently stacked, reshape your entire health trajectory.
Conclusion: Your Health Journey is Worth Decoding
The five truths that reshaped my life: symptoms as signals, active partnership, whole-person care, better questions, and prioritizing healthspan… are now the pillars of how I practice functional medicine.
I share them with you because I know what it feels like to sit in that patient chair, tired of quick fixes that don’t stick.
Which of these truths resonates most with your own story? I’d love to hear in the comments.
And if you want to keep building, my next video and blog dive into the 3Ts of Smart Supplementation, how to avoid the “green pharmacy” trap and use supplements with strategy, not guesswork.
Every small step is an invitation to deeper healing. Your body is always speaking. Let’s learn how to listen.
About the Author
Dr. Kenny Mittelstadt is a root-cause health detective and functional medicine practitioner practicing in Texas, California, and Florida. Trained through the Institute for Functional Medicine with dual doctorates earned at highest honors from Southern California University of Health Sciences, he helps patients solve complex health issues naturally using advanced functional lab testing and personalized holistic care instead of conventional medications.