121: Functional Medicine Health Coach Sharon Leggio Falchuk VS Lyme

Uninvisible Pod with Lauren Freedman

Sharon Leggio Falchuk, FMCHC found herself bedridden by a serious illness in 2011, and when the mainstream medical system had no answers or help for her she took matters into her own hands. She spent every moment she could doing research, changing her diet and lifestyle, and assembling a functional medicine and alternative care team to help her forge a path to healing. Her inextinguishable will to be well meant she was willing to try almost anything, and one of the life-changing discoveries she made was the true power of mind-body medicine. Once she reclaimed her health, she became a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach and founded InTended Holistic Wellness, where she specializes in helping people with “mystery illnesses” and chronic conditions, as well as those who are highly sensitive. Sharon’s “less is more” approach stems from navigating her own wellness journey with many sensitivities, and she feels the most important factor in health and healing is in reconnecting with yourself and your unique needs and strengths. As it happens: Sharon has now healed from Lyme disease, and takes on many patients undergoing similar travails. She sat down to generously share her story with us.

Tune in as Sharon shares:

• that she dealt with digestive flares, migraines, chronic pain, and neurological symptoms in her childhood
• why being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) caused her to be brushed aside by practitioners
• that doctors began to treat her body in silos, prescribing treatments for each area that was causing symptoms
• that the first time she had any relief was when she received cranial-sacral therapy — a holistic method of treatment
• how she believes her infections may have affected her son
• that she was likely reinfected as an adult
• that Lyme is an ancient bacterium — e.g., Ötzi the Iceman was discovered to have Lyme bacteria in his system
• that there is some concern her son may have Lyme, and may have been infected in utero — but that ultimately she has opted not to have him tested, and instead is raising him toxin-free
• that in the early days of her diagnosis, she saw an infectious disease doctor who likened her symptoms to HIV
• that she healed numerous gut issues with a Candida protocol
• how her diagnosis was both validating and terrifying
• that she turned to both Indigenous and Buhner healing protocols to detox from Lyme
• how trauma and loneliness affect our bodies
• what drew her to health coaching
• the importance of stress reduction for our health
• her reflections on being a chronically ill parent
• that we are all living with collective trauma due to the COVID pandemic
• how she’s discovered the importance of healing with mind-body medicine

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