Terry's interest in functional medicine wasn't sparked by a single experience. Throughout her life, she and her family faced several serious health challenges that left her searching for answers.

As a child, Terry experienced repeated fainting episodes that continued into adulthood. After an especially frightening episode while driving with her three children, she underwent cardiac testing and was diagnosed with a form of neurally mediated syncope.

Her family also experienced other complex health challenges, including:

• Shared genetic variants involving the MTHFR gene

• Chronic pain and degenerative disc disease

• Osteoporosis and cardiovascular concerns

• Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia

• Nutrient imbalances and chronic fatigue

Tragically, Terry also lost her daughter-in-law to ALS in her early 40s.

These experiences were deeply personal, especially as Terry watched loved ones struggle with symptoms that conventional treatments didn't always adequately relieve. She began exploring integrative medicine and eventually functional medicine, asking questions that had gone unanswered for years.

Why were certain nutrient levels abnormal?
What role could environmental exposures play?
Were there lifestyle factors that could help support her family's health?

As Terry explained, she wanted to move beyond simply managing symptoms and start understanding the bigger picture. After completing numerous courses throughout the years, she enrolled in Functional Nurse Academy at age 65, earning a board certification and preparing to take her nursing career in an entirely new direction.

Terry was very intentional about choosing her functional medicine training. She researched multiple programs, comparing their strengths and weaknesses before deciding that Functional Nurse Academy (FNA) was the right fit.

Some of the things she appreciated most included:

• Comprehensive functional medicine education: Terry valued the training in root-cause assessment, laboratory interpretation, and real-world clinical applications.

• Mind, body, and spirit approach: The program's incorporation of spirituality and whole-person wellness was especially important to her.

• Multiple learning formats: Videos, PDFs, slide presentations, and live discussions helped Terry adapt to online learning after decades away from traditional schooling.

• Ongoing mentorship and support: She loved having access to monthly mentorship and opportunities to ask questions.

• Business and marketing training: Although Terry wasn't enthusiastic about social media, FNA helped her learn the practical steps involved in building and marketing her business.

• Professional credibility: Completing the program and earning board certification helped bring together her previous education and experience.
  

One of Terry's biggest areas of interest is environmental health, particularly the potential effects of heavy metal exposure on the body. During our conversation, we discussed how certain environmental contaminants, including lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic, can contribute to health problems when exposure reaches harmful levels.

Terry became particularly interested in this area while searching for answers to her family's neurological, cardiovascular, and chronic pain concerns. She explained that environmental exposures are one of several factors she considers when reviewing a client's health history. Some of the areas she evaluates include:

• Neurological symptoms and nervous system health

• Kidney and liver function

• Hormonal and thyroid health

• Nutrient and mineral status

• Cardiovascular and metabolic health

• Immune function and inflammation

Terry also emphasized that individual circumstances matter.

Not every symptom is caused by toxic exposure, and identifying meaningful patterns requires looking at the person's overall health, history, and appropriate testing. For Terry, the goal is to help clients better understand what may be contributing to their symptoms rather than automatically assuming that another supplement or medication is the answer.

At Healing Waves of Wellness, Terry organizes her approach around three principles: Reveal. Release. Replenish.

This framework reflects her belief that lasting wellness begins with understanding what the body needs.

Reveal: Investigating Potential Root Causes

Terry begins by reviewing each client's health history, symptoms, goals, and available laboratory findings She describes herself as a medical detective who loves putting the pieces of a complicated health puzzle together.

Her philosophy is simple: test, don't guess. Rather than immediately recommending a long list of supplements, she wants to understand what's happening and identify areas that may need additional support.

Release: Reducing the Body's Burden

The second part of Terry's approach focuses on reducing potential environmental and lifestyle stressors while supporting normal bodily functions. During the podcast, Terry discussed her interest in detoxification strategies, including nutrition, hydration, physical activity, sauna use, and various herbal products.  We also discuss associations regarding certain metal exposures with neurological harm and markers of autoimmunity. These findings highlight the importance of considering environmental exposure histories when investigating chronic health concerns.

She emphasized that these approaches should be personalized rather than treated as one-size-fits-all solutions. It's also important to recognize that certain detoxification practices, such as prolonged fasting or chelation therapy, can carry significant risks if not approached appropriately.

This is exactly why I'm so passionate about training highly skilled functional medicine practitioners. Not everyone working in this field has the knowledge or clinical expertise needed to guide clients safely through these approaches. Proper training is essential to ensure practitioners can recognize potential risks, make informed recommendations, and provide the individualized support their clients need.

Replenish: Supporting Foundational Wellness

The final part of Terry's framework focuses on giving the body the nutritional and lifestyle support it needs. This may include education around:

• Nutrient-dense nutrition

• Hydration and mineral balance

• Sleep and stress management

• Movement and exercise

• Appropriate supplementation

• Long-term wellness habits

Terry believes that supporting these foundations is essential to helping clients make sustainable improvements.

Terry's story is also an inspiring example of how nurses can continue growing professionally at any stage of their careers.

After leaving her traditional W-2 nursing position in 2024 to help care for family members, Terry wanted a career that would allow her to continue earning an income while maintaining the flexibility to travel and spend time with her children and grandchildren.

Functional nursing entrepreneurship offered a new opportunity.

Through Healing Waves of Wellness, Terry now connects with potential clients through complimentary discovery calls, where she takes time to listen to their concerns and determine whether her services are a good fit.

She admits that transitioning from decades of traditional employment to running her own business has been challenging, particularly learning marketing and social media.

But with her extensive nursing background and the business education she received through FNA, she's building a practice that allows her to continue doing what she loves: educating people and helping them better understand their health.