Physician heal thyself. Luke 4:23
So how did this conventionally trained doctor end up changing careers to become a holistic practitioner at this stage in life? I got sick. In 2009, I experienced a series of very stressful life events and fell into a pit of depression, a state I had never known in my life. I’d always been able to bounce back from setbacks and stress but this time I struggled. I sought medical care and was trialed on several medications, all of which had intolerable side effects or made me feel like a zombie. Desperate, I turned to alternative therapies, therapies I used to think were quackery. I started doing yoga and meditation and my mood improved. However, I continued to be plagued with fatigue and brain fog and knew something else was wrong. I went back to the doctor and had my hormones tested and multiple imbalances were identified. I was put on hormone therapy, but again had intolerable side effects.
During this life transition, I started to re-evaluate everything about my life, including my career. Medicine had failed me and I felt like I was failing my patients as a physician. I was frustrated that I didn’t have time to develop a bond with my patients because my time was being wasted on the bureaucracy of practicing medicine. I was frustrated that none of my patients ever seemed to get better and in fact, seemed to get worse due to side effects from medications. I was frustrated that medicine was focused on prescribing pills and treating symptoms but not on reversing disease.
Even though I received virtually no nutritional training in medical school, I’d always known that healing started with food. Throughout my career, I would read the latest diet books and I often encouraged my patients to go against “conventional” medical nutrition advice. I knew my patients were not going to get better by following the food pyramid. It was during this difficult life transition that I happened across The Blood Sugar Solution by Mark Hyman. He was a successfully reversing disease in his patients with Functional Medicine, a field of medicine unknown to me. I went to the Institute for Functional Medicine website and knew immediately I was home and I signed up for my first course.
Picking up that book started me on a journey of healing, both as a patient and as a physician. I learned the stress I had experienced with my life changes caused me to develop adrenal insufficiency, thyroid dysfunction and estrogen and progesterone imbalances. I also learned I had dysbiosis from taking 4 months of antibiotics during my last pregnancy and this gut imbalance also likely played a role in my stress induced illness. Additionally, I had several genetic defects involving the methylation pathways which explained years of migraines, bloating and muscle twitches. This was all new science to me and none of it was taught during my conventional medicine training.
Not only have I been on a path to heal my mind, body and spirit, but this conventionally trained doctor is now a healed physician. During the past 2 years of my Functional Medicine training, I have been able to bring healing to more patients than in the prior 16 years of practice combined. This training has opened my eyes to a whole new way of thinking and of treating patients. I am so excited to share my knowledge with you, to give you hope and to show you how honest medicine can lead to real health. Welcome!
Education and Training
Dr. Brewer completed her pre-medical course-work at The Ohio State University where she graduated with honors with a BS in Chemical Engineering. She went on to attend The University of Kentucky where she received her Doctorate of Medicine, graduating with high distinction. She stayed on to complete an accelerated residency in Internal Medicine and received her board certification in 1998. As a member of the Institute for Functional Medicine, she completed the certification program completing the Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice course, as well as all six Advanced Practice Modules. She passed the IFM board exam making her a certified practitioner. She also completed a two year Integrative Medicine fellowship at the University of Arizona, training under the guidance of the esteemed Drs. Andrew Weil and Tieraona Low Dog. She is board certified in Integrative Medicine.
Dr. Brewer completed Chris Kresser’s ADAPT one-year mentorship program. She is also a certified Wahl’s protocol practitioner and is trained in the Bredesen Protocol to reverse Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Brewer completed her 200 hr RYT with Evan and Kelly Harris at Tapas Yoga Shala in Rock Island. She uses yoga therapeutically to help patients manage stress, improve flexibility and treat injuries.
Additionally, she is certified in Metagenic’s First Line Therapy and has completed the Heartmath 1:1 provider training. Her major interests include epigenetics, methylation and detoxification and managing thyroid disease, gut health and autoimmune disease.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her six children, practicing yoga, skiing, hanging out with friends and cooking. You may also find her curled up with a book on quantum physics.
