ADAPT Student Spotlight #4
A strong foundation in Functional Medicine—combined with an ancestral perspective—will dramatically improve your results with patients, open many doors for practice growth, and help you feel more engaged and satisfied with your work.
I asked some current students in ADAPT to share how the training is helping them to accomplish their specific goals. Here are some of the responses (be sure to check out part 1, part 2, and part 3 of this series).
ADAPT PTP Graduate Spotlight: Dr. Ryan Monahan, LAc, DAOM
Peaceful Mountain Medicine
peacefulmountainmedicine.com
What was your experience with Functional Medicine before you enrolled in the ADAPT Functional Medicine Practitioner Training Program (PTP)?
I first [heard] about [Functional Medicine] (FM) as a patient in 2007 with my own health issues. Through working with practitioners of both FM and Eastern medicine, I was able to regain my health and actually expand beyond who I was before. After experiencing the profound impact FM and Eastern medicine had on my own life and realizing there was a great need for more of these approaches to health in the world, I decided to make a career-path change, quit my job, and enroll in a Masters program for Traditional Chinese Medicine in Santa Monica. During my time there, I began to simultaneously immerse myself in FM, first and foremost through Chris Kresser’s podcast and online writings, as well as Apex seminars and other books, publications, and personal research. I realized FM not only had helped me so much in my own life but it was a perfect pairing with Eastern medicine, in that both seek to identify and address the root cause of health issues, as opposed to the conventional palliative, symptom-focused approach allopathic medicine takes. Today, my practice is primarily FM, although I do still incorporate and practice Eastern medicine, as well.
What has your experience of ADAPT PTP been like so far in terms of the learning experience (delivery, pacing, difficulty, etc.)?
The format for the ADAPT program was ideally suited to my needs, being all prerecorded lectures that allowed me to go at my own pace when I had the space and time within my practice to do so. I could also focus deeper where I needed to and repeat concepts until I felt I fully grasped them. This approach ensured I could spend extra time on topics I needed and move through what I already understood seamlessly. The superior content and the flexible schedule of the ADAPT program made it a no-brainer for me in beginning my formal FM training.
How has the ADAPT program changed your career path? What’s different about how you practice?
Thanks to the ADAPT program, I was able to expand my practice from only Eastern medicine to both FM and Eastern medicine. For me, this opened up an entire[ly] new patient population who are seeking [an] FM approach for their health. In addition to expanding my practice and increasing my patients, my entire FM practice is virtual, and I am able to work from anywhere I want, whenever I want. Nothing could have been more useful in the context of COVID, and because of ADAPT and FM, I was able to grow my practice at a time when many were losing business. In addition, I am able to work with patients all across the country rather than just in my own location. This has allowed me to expand my patient base exponentially and serve populations across the country who may not have any access to FM. It is very fulfilling to be able to offer this approach to healthcare to those who may otherwise not have access due to their location.
ADAPT PTP Graduate Spotlight: Kasey Goins, PA-C, FDN-P
What was your experience with Functional Medicine before you enrolled in the ADAPT Functional Medicine Practitioner Training Program (PTP)?
Before pursuing Functional Medicine, I worked for 5 years as a physician assistant in family medicine. I started making the transition to Functional Medicine when I felt like Western medicine was failing my patients and I didn’t have the answers they needed.
Now, I’m a Functional practitioner, and I specialize in helping high-achieving women balance their hormones so they can show up to their fullest potential in their lives and businesses.
What were some deciding factors for you to choose the ADAPT program over other programs?
My decision to join ADAPT was influenced by several factors. First, I trusted that Chris and his colleagues practiced and taught in a way that was backed by both research and clinical experience. I also knew I would need more strategic guidance when it came to not only understanding the material but also applying it to complex cases, so the live Q&A calls were particularly helpful.
What has your experience of the ADAPT PTP been like so far in terms of the learning experience (delivery, pacing, difficulty, etc.)?
The biggest takeaway from the ADAPT program was the ability to order and help interpret functional testing for clients who hadn’t received any answers from their doctor. Before joining ADAPT, I had no knowledge of gut health, [hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal] (HPA) axis dysfunction, etc., so a whole other world was opened up to me inside this program. The skills I learned inside ADAPT gave my clients a new way of seeing their health, the opportunity to dig deeper, and created massive amounts of trust.
How has the ADAPT program changed your career path? What’s different about how you practice?
The ADAPT program was really what was responsible for a complete change [in] my career path. I went from burned-out Western medicine employee to a self-employed practitioner using a root cause approach to truly help all my clients. That shift is much more rewarding and fulfilling, knowing that I’m practicing what I truly believe in: a root cause approach using a combination of nutrition, lifestyle, and functional testing as the backbone of optimal health.
The ADAPT program changed not just the course of my career to a vocation that’s much more fulfilling but also changed the course of my clients’ health. Without that knowledge, application, and guidance, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’m incredibly grateful to Chris, Tracey, and the entire ADAPT team for fueling my transition to practicing what I’m truly passionate about.
ADAPT PTP Graduate Spotlight: Dr. Allison Mulcahy, MD
Boost Healing
boosthealing.org
What was your experience with Functional Medicine before you enrolled in the ADAPT Functional Medicine Practitioner Training Program (PTP)?
I’m board certified in Emergency Medicine and Integrative Medicine. I worked all over the world in Emergency Medicine ranging from assistant professor positions in large academic hospitals to working in small rural communities in Alaska, Wyoming, [and] Utah to volunteering with Doctors Without Borders. I started doing prolotherapy injections [in 2018] in the ERs I was working in, which led me to start my own practice. I have an Integrative practice with two brick-and-mortar offices in Moab, Utah, and Victor, Idaho for in-person treatments and telemedicine practice for everything else.
What were some deciding factors for you to choose the ADAPT program over other programs?
During my Integrative Medicine fellowship at [the] University of Arizona, we completed a unit on Functional Medicine. I wanted to learn more and started looking into options. I wanted a program that would give me practical information that I could apply to my patient care right away. I also really liked the ancestral component of the program. I talked with various colleagues who had done other functional programs and felt like they had no idea how to apply what they were learning. I also really liked the attention that was given to actually helping us learn and presenting the content in a format that helps increase retention. I wish I had learned how to learn before med school!
What has your experience of ADAPT PTP been like so far in terms of the learning experience (delivery, pacing, difficulty, etc.)?
I joined the ADAPT program for the functional and ancestral medicine curriculum. I found the part that, perhaps, helped me the most was all the pearls on running a business. I had zero experience in business when I started my business, and I only wish I had done the ADAPT program earlier. I also really appreciate all the easy-to-digest protocols on various common root causes such as gut dysbiosis.
How has the ADAPT program changed your career path? What’s different about how you practice?
The program allowed me to immediately start implementing what I was learning with clear applications of the underlying science. I was not comfortable looking at microbiome tests, for example, before the course. Probably, more importantly, I have a model that implements ADAPT-trained health coaches and we use the Cerbo EHR and were able to modify a lot of the procedures. Patient care is the easy part for me, and the thing that sets the ADAPT program apart from others that I have looked at and participated in is the how-to from a business standpoint, as well. It gives you all the tools you need to actually start a business to start seeing patients on your own. That part seems to be really missing in the other programs. I also really look at everything through an ancestral lens now when I talk to my patients. I’m so grateful [to] Chris and Tracey and their whole team for developing this program!
Ready to learn more? Find out if the ADAPT Practitioner Training Program is right for you.