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Published January 27, 2025

Mary Ann P.’s Success Story

Are you in touch with your body? Do you know what it needs, or sense when something feels off?

Some call it intuition, others a simple “sense of knowing”. It can be incredibly powerful, this connection that we have to our bodies. Our latest member of the month, Mary Ann, can attest to this emphatically.

The 69-year-old explains how she had watched her husband’s health decline over the years as he fought multiple illnesses:

“My husband was diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in 2005, and around 2015 his health started deteriorating,” she explains. “The physicians treating him were not talking to each other. Each one ‘listened’ and then just sent him to another specialty doctor for care and another prescription. He was taking over 30 pills a day.”

To further complicate things, in October 2022, he was diagnosed with Autoimmune Encephalitis, a rare disease where the body’s immune system attacks the brain and causes inflammation. The next few months led them on an even more strenuous journey. He had a fall, soon after went into a coma that lasted for days, and all the while Mary Ann and her family continued to manage his care until his death in February 2023.

It should come as no surprise what stress like this can do to one’s body; Mary Ann can tell you firsthand.

“I have been battling hot flashes for decades and a crazy skin rash that pops up whenever I go through a super stressful situation. Overall, things felt off; I knew I wasn’t crazy–I knew I needed to talk to someone who would take a holistic approach to my healthcare.”

She had additional cause for concern: Mary Ann had battled breast cancer in 2016 and is in remission. Though this was in her rearview mirror, after seeing her husband’s steady decline, taking her health into her own hands became of the utmost importance.

She sought out functional medicine, wanting to finally be heard and work with someone who would listen and take a big picture view of her health.

“I knew I didn’t want to live my life like this,” she explains.

With Mary Ann’s history of breast cancer, her hormones needed addressing–an area that is often overlooked because of the prior health issue. Her cortisol levels were erratic with her recent stressors, and she was having crazy numbers of hot flashes each day. She remembers having over 50 in one day!

Dr. Jorge took on the challenge, specifically incorporating the assistance of a Charlotte-based oncologist who was fully on board with the hormonal treatment plan.

Walking through the changes of losing her life partner presented other areas to tackle, too. Mary Ann’s husband had cooked for the couple; it was something he enjoyed and something he was good at.

“He retired in 2005, and I was still working and traveling most weeks,” says Mary Ann. “He had done all of the cooking; after he passed, I realized–I need to feed myself! Anne (Mary Ann’s health coach) has given me a lot of great advice and support in this area. I’ve even started cooking for my kids and grandchildren 2-3 times a week. I really enjoy it and find that it’s a good hobby.”

Diagnostic testing by Dr. Jorge had helped determine that an optimal diet for Mary Ann (including addressing inflammation) meant eating gluten free. Her health coach also was able to provide support in this area.

“I’m not a person that needs a lot of direction,” Mary Ann says. “I feel like I know a lot of this stuff. I listen to a lot of healthy podcasts, including Peter Attia’s and more. But having Dr. Jorge and Anne listen to me and give me input is invaluable. It’s like a guardian effect .. keeping me honest and doing the right things.”

Together, they helped her fine tune little habits, to include not drinking wine alone, encouraging her to add weight lifting to her exercise routine and also suggesting mindfulness routines.

“If it weren’t for them nudging me, I would’ve given up. I know what to do–but having someone validate and support it is tremendously helpful. It has been key,” says Mary Ann. “The healthcare system is very challenging right now … I think I’ve found the right group of people to help support me so that I can live a healthy life.”