Has this ever happened to you?

Your doctor’s office calls with the standard line: “Your labs look normal … maybe your cholesterol’s a bit high … but all OK."

And that’s it. No explanation. No context. No mention of important markers like vitamin D or magnesium (which, by the way, insurance often doesn’t even cover - kind of crazy).

But we're busy - so content with the normal labs, and we're off to the next thing.  

There's just one problem … 

Conventional labs are often black and white: you’re either fine or you’re not. 

But the truth is, there’s a world of shades of gray in between—levels where you may not be sick, but you’re definitely not thriving.

👉 This is where functional medicine takes a different approach.

If you're a regular user of mouthwash, this is an important blog post to read. 

It’s also a perfect example of why navigating health advice can be so confusing - with conflicting information and marketing that often oversimplifies.

But here’s a fresh perspective: learn a bit more, then decide what makes sense for you.  Like I like to say … it's about learning, practicing and ultimately owning your health in a way that works for you.🙂. 

I came across a study connecting mouthwash to higher blood pressurea couple of years ago.  

It sounded wild, but the more I dug into the research, the more it made sense.

It was compelling enough for me to not only stop using mouthwash (I wasn’t a regular user anyway), but to tell one of my kids — a daily user — to quit cold turkey.

And yet, here's an example of why navigating the health world can be so complicated.  

Just last week I was sitting in the dentist’s chair, being handed a cup of bright blue Scope.  

So, let me explain...