E154 Dr Tracy McCarthy Transition to Functional Medicine

Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 154
Date: January 7, 2025

Participants: John Webster and Sheila Webster
Guest: Dr. Tracy McCarthy

Start Times and Segments:

[0:00:35] What’s On Your Mind: After 2023, we looked back real changes we made in our lives because of this podcast and the approach to wellness we talk about. It’s time to do the same for 2024 activities.

[0:10:39] Expanding Minds Interview: [Mental Wellness] We meet Dr. Tracy McCarthy, a psychiatrist and physician, who has never been comfortable with a “diagnose and prescribe” approach. Medication has its place, but Dr. McCarthy digs deeper. She works with patients to investigate underlying issues, then treats them. Functional medicine is about identifying root causes of symptoms and understanding the body as a whole, taking a systems-based approach. Inflammation can affect the body in many ways. Systemic inflammation affects the brain, e.g. it could affect how neurons are working and how well they’re firing. Therefore, it can affect mental health.

[0:27:01] Flipside of the Coin: We disagree with a tip we heard – don’t start into a relationship unless you’re in love. Our experiences are different. Maybe the person meant don’t get married or don’t start into a serious phase unless you’re in love. A relationship can grow and turn into love even if it doesn’t start there.

Quotes and Take-Aways:

Dr. McCarthy – I went to medical school because I was extremely interested in understanding what made people sick and what we could do about it, with the goal of helping people to feel better.

Dr. McCarthy – I was very fortunate to get exposed to literature and research on the role of inflammation and how it affects everything in the body. It’s so critical for chronic illness of any sort – any type of chronic symptoms. I began to learn about the role of nutrition and lifestyle that affects inflammation.  

Dr. McCarthy – Functional medicine is about identifying root causes of symptoms and understanding the body as a whole, from a systems-based approach. We are different than our separate medical silos of things like gastroenterology versus neurology versus cardiology, where people are not talking to each other or looking at the body as a whole. It was very satisfying to me to take this approach, to learn this and start to partner with patients in uncovering those root causes.

Dr. McCarthy – I didn’t throw out all the tools that I gained in my conventional training. They’re part of my toolbox. I expanded it a lot. I have a different approach and mindset in working with folks.

Dr. McCarthy – Inflammation in the body can affect the brain. Systemic inflammation affects the brain, which affects how neurons are working and how well they’re firing. Inflammation can affect our neurotransmitter balance and our mood.

Dr. McCarthy – I think of the brain as the hardware of our computer. Thoughts and patterns of thinking are like software. The hardware might not be working right, whether from not having components we need or nutritional deficits or inflammation causing components not to connect properly. Mental health is directly connected to what’s going on in the body.

Guest Information: Dr. Tracy McCarthy, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist and Institute of Functional Medicine certified physician with over two decades of experience. She is the creator of the Natural Mood Solution Online Program and the Founder and medical director of Dr. Tracy McCarthy Functional Medicine, where she has supported thousands in transforming their health. As a wellness thought leader and in her practice, Dr. McCarthy is dedicated to helping adults suffering from depression, anxiety, brain fog, fatigue, digestive issues, and hormonal imbalances by identifying and addressing the overlooked causes of these chronic symptoms. Her approach focuses on underlying issues including mold toxicity, microbiome imbalances, and nutrient deficiencies, empowering her patients to regain their health and vitality.

Website: Dr. Tracy McCarthy Functional Medicine: https://www.drtracymccarthy.com/
Instagram: @drtracymccarthy

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
Provide input on Instagram using hashtag #letsbewelltogetherinput

Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-)   Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura, Julie and Riley