Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine

Bringing you the leaders in Functional and Integrative Medicine, Dr. Rob Downey explores the cutting edge protocols and strategies to reclaim health and create a better life, from the inside out.

Your Child Isn’t a “Picky Eater.” Here’s What’s Really Going On at the Dinner Table with Lena Livinski 02/26/2026

Your Child Isn’t a “Picky Eater.” Here’s What’s Really Going On at the Dinner Table with Lena Livinski In this Field Notes conversation, Dr. Rob Downey sits down with speech-language pathologist and holistic feeding specialist, Lena Livinsky to reframe “picky eating” as a whole-body, whole-family issue—less about willpower or “bad behavior,” and more about safety, biology, skills, and environment. Lena shares how conventional feeding therapy often over-focuses on behavior, and how working through her own child’s selective eating helped her connect the dots: when a child’s nervous system is dysregulated or their gut and sensory systems are off, eating can feel threatening, not nourishing. She introduces her BLOOM Framework—rooted in connection—to help caregivers zoom out, identify the real bottleneck, and create steady, realistic shifts that help kids feel safe enough to explore food again. Learn more about Lene here: Key takeaways • Connection and nervous system regulation are the “root” of progress—kids can’t “rest and digest” when they don’t feel safe. • “Picky eating” is often better understood as selective eating with underlying drivers (discomfort, sensory load, stress, gut imbalance). • Lena’s BLOOM Framework maps the core levers: Balanced health, Learned oral skills, Optimal microbiome, Open exploration, Mealtime boundaries. • You can do a lot at home before (or alongside) extensive testing: simplify gut disruptors, support circadian/light hygiene, and create low-pressure exposure to food. If something feels off (limited foods, gagging/choking, food pocketing), trust your gut and seek the right-fit, interdisciplinary support—small changes, started early or late, can still move the needle. If you have a child (or grandchild) in your life who struggles at the dinner table… this conversation might change how you see everything. /episode/index/show/fieldnotesexplorationfunctionalmedicine/id/40240525

What If You’ve Been Looking at Mental Health All Wrong? The 4 Pillars Approach to Lasting Happiness 02/19/2026

What If You’ve Been Looking at Mental Health All Wrong? The 4 Pillars Approach to Lasting Happiness In this episode of Field Notes, Dr. Rob Downey sits down with integrative psychiatric provider Dr. Josh Waddell to unpack mental health through a functional medicine lens—moving beyond symptom labels and “chemical imbalance” shortcuts to ask what’s actually driving anxiety, depression, and emotional instability in the first place. Dr. Waddell lays out a clear roadmap for understanding mental illness as a progression—from real-world triggers to cellular/mitochondrial disruption to downstream neurotransmitter changes—then introduces his practical “Four Pillars” framework (Body, Mind, Spirit, Environment) to help people pinpoint where their system is wobbling and what to address first. The conversation is equal parts compassionate and actionable, emphasizing that mental health struggles are not a character flaw, that healing is often about restoring stability in the right pillar(s), and that the best plan is the one that meets you where you are—sometimes including medication as a bridge so deeper root-cause work can actually stick. Learn more about Dr. Josh Waddell here: 5 Key Takeaways Mental health symptoms often follow a progression: triggers → mitochondrial/cellular dysfunction → neurotransmitter changes, so “root cause” usually sits upstream of brain chemicals. The Four Pillars (Body, Mind, Spirit, Environment) offer a simple way to identify what’s most off—and why progress can stall when you’re only focusing on one area. You can’t out-supplement a toxic context: chronic stress, unhealthy relationships, burnout jobs, or constant distressing media exposure can keep the nervous system stuck. A timeline exercise (mapping life events, illnesses, stressors, and turning points) can reveal the earliest catalyst and clarify where to start. Supplements can help, but basics matter: food-first, third-party testing, avoid vague proprietary blends, and match herbs/supports to your symptom pattern—not trends. /episode/index/show/fieldnotesexplorationfunctionalmedicine/id/40159275

Your Body Knows the Way: The Healing Conversation Most Doctors Never Have 02/11/2026

Your Body Knows the Way: The Healing Conversation Most Doctors Never Have In this episode of Field Notes, Dr. Rob Downey sits down with Dr. Jen Mann to talk about one of the most frustrating (and common) experiences in modern health care: the “mystery illness” — the symptoms that don’t fit neatly into a diagnosis, and the exhaustion that comes from chasing answers. Instead of defaulting to more tests, more protocols, or another “perfect stack,” Dr. Jen invites a different starting point: your body already has information — and learning to listen is part of the medicine. Together, they explore how healing can be both science and art… and how true recovery often begins when we shift from “fixing what’s broken” to cultivating more aliveness. Along the way, Dr. Rob shares how many patients get stuck in the pressure to “figure it out,” and why the relief sometimes comes not from finally getting a label — but from rebuilding trust in your own internal guidance, regulating your nervous system, and finding support that makes the journey feel human again. Key Takeaways Healing is both science and art. Tests and protocols can help, but they’re most powerful when paired with presence, self-compassion, and deeper listening. Mystery illness can be a doorway, not a life sentence. Reframing symptoms as signals (instead of personal failures) reduces suffering and opens curiosity and growth. You are the primary agent in your healing. Doctors, supplements, AI, and tools can support you — but your relationship with your body is the foundation. Rigid wellness routines can become another form of stress. Hustle culture can sneak into “health” and keep the nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight. Regulation + connection accelerate recovery. Nervous system practices (done in ways you enjoy) and healing in community/partnership can fast-track progress and reduce overwhelm. /episode/index/show/fieldnotesexplorationfunctionalmedicine/id/40072540

Medicine at the Edge: What Extreme Wilderness Care Teaches Us About Burnout, Purpose, and Real Healing 02/04/2026

From Desperation to Breakthrough: A Mother’s Journey That Redefined Whole-Body Healing with Dr. Chloe Weber 01/29/2026

Doing Everything ‘Right’ but Still Feel Off? This Gut Insight Changes Everything with Jacqui Meehan 01/21/2026

Doing Everything ‘Right’ but Still Feel Off? This Gut Insight Changes Everything with Jacqui Meehan What if the missing link behind stubborn hormone issues, mood swings, fatigue, and digestive chaos isn’t your hormones at all—but your gut? In this powerful Field Notes conversation, Dr. Rob Downey sits down with nutritionist and gut-health expert Jacqui Meehan to unpack the deeply personal story that led her from chronic illness to healing, and why the microbiome is the true cornerstone of vibrant health. Learn more about Jacqui here: Together, they explore the gut-brain-hormone connection, why so many people “do everything right” and still feel awful, and how simple, overlooked shifts in digestion, lifestyle, and nutrient absorption can unlock dramatic changes in energy, mood, and hormonal balance—especially for women. If you’ve ever felt dismissed, stuck, or frustrated by surface-level health advice, this episode may completely change how you understand your body—and where real healing begins. Key Takeaways: Gut health is foundational—not secondary. The microbiome influences digestion, immunity, hormones, and mood. You cannot fully heal or optimize health without first stabilizing gut function. You’re not just what you eat—you’re what you absorb. Many people eat well but still feel depleted because poor digestion and low stomach acid block nutrient assimilation. Fixing absorption often unlocks rapid improvements. Stress directly disrupts digestion and hormones. Chronic stress shifts the nervous system into fight-or-flight, suppressing stomach acid, bile flow, and gut motility—setting the stage for inflammation and imbalance. The gut and brain are in constant two-way communication. Through the vagus nerve and microbial metabolites, gut health shapes mood, stress resilience, and emotional regulation—sometimes even more than mindset alone. Hormonal balance depends on the microbiome. Certain gut bacteria can recycle excess estrogen instead of eliminating it, contributing to estrogen dominance, PMS, PMDD, and PCOS—making gut repair essential for hormone health. /episode/index/show/fieldnotesexplorationfunctionalmedicine/id/39819410

The Hidden Reason Your Healing Stalls—Even When You’re Doing Everything Right with Veronique Ory 01/15/2026

The Hidden Reason Your Healing Stalls—Even When You’re Doing Everything Right with Veronique Ory In this deeply moving episode of Field Notes, Dr. Rob Downey sits down with Veronique Ory to explore the powerful intersection of embodiment, trauma, and healing. Veronique shares how lived experiences—especially those shaped by early life, intergenerational trauma, and unexpressed emotion—are stored in the body, influencing our health, behavior, and sense of safety long after the original events have passed. Together, they unpack why healing isn’t about “fixing” ourselves, but about creating enough safety to let go, soften old narratives, and reconnect with the body through compassion, curiosity, movement, and presence. Blending wisdom from yoga, somatic work, psychology, and functional medicine, this conversation offers a hopeful, grounded reminder that when we learn to listen to the body—and honor both pain and joy—profound personal and collective transformation becomes possible. Learn more about Veronique here: http://YogaWithVeronique.com Key takeaways: All experience is embodied. Emotions, stress, and trauma don’t just live in our thoughts—they are stored in the nervous system, fascia, and tissues, shaping health patterns until they are consciously felt and released. Healing requires safety, not force. We often hold on to old wounds because they once protected us. True healing happens only when the body feels safe enough to let go, not when the mind tries to “fix” or override the process. Suppressed emotions create bigger reactions later. No emotion is inherently bad, but unexpressed feelings tend to surface as overwhelm, illness, or sudden emotional eruptions. Somatic practices allow emotions to move through the body in healthy ways. Forgiveness is about freedom, not approval. Letting go of old stories and grievances isn’t about condoning what happened—it’s about releasing the emotional charge so it no longer hijacks the body or dictates health outcomes. Small shifts can create paradigm-level change. Gentle, embodied actions—like changing daily habits, slowing down, choosing nourishing movement, or removing inflammatory inputs—can unlock profound transformations in health, agency, and self-trust. /episode/index/show/fieldnotesexplorationfunctionalmedicine/id/39736830

The Surprising Longevity Blueprint: Why You May Be Missing This Key Piece of The Formula with Dr. Avinish Reddy 01/08/2026

Mushrooms Beyond the Hype: Energy, Healing, and What Most People Get Wrong 12/17/2025

Mushrooms Beyond the Hype: Energy, Healing, and What Most People Get Wrong Dr. Rob Downey welcomes Benjamin Bressington for a wide-ranging conversation that goes far beyond the mushroom hype cycle and into lived experience, integrity, and true therapeutic potential. Benjamin traces his path into mushrooms through years spent navigating infertility and IVF, where he witnessed firsthand the physical and emotional toll of narrow, protocol-driven medicine. That disillusionment, combined with his own struggle with depression as a high-performing entrepreneur, led him to explore mushrooms as a tool for accessing buried trauma and restoring a sense of vitality that talk therapy alone never unlocked. The discussion then turns practical and deeply educational. Benjamin breaks down why caffeine creates a cycle of “borrowed energy” and crashes, while certain functional mushrooms support the body’s natural energy systems more sustainably. He also exposes why many mushroom supplements fail—using clear analogies to explain the difference between fruiting bodies and mycelium, and why extraction methods matter so much. By unpacking spagyric extraction and microdosing concepts, this episode equips listeners to make informed, discerning choices in a rapidly growing (and often misleading) wellness space. Time stamps 01:27–06:19 — Infertility, IVF, and disillusionment with conventional medicine 03:04–04:08 — Depression, trauma, and mushrooms as a catalyst for healing 08:43–10:12 — Caffeine crashes vs. clean, adaptogenic mushroom energy 18:12–24:08 — Fruiting bodies, extraction methods, and why most products fail Key takeaways Caffeine often stimulates fake energy, while mushroom adaptogens support real, sustainable energy production. The therapeutic impact of mushrooms depends heavily on fruiting body sourcing and extraction quality. Many “high-dose” mushroom products are ineffective because they rely on mycelium and weak extraction methods. Ancient practices like spagyric extraction and microdosing offer insights that modern wellness often overlooks. Get your free sample: https://checkout.bareremedy.net/energygummy1?event_id=1ecc8bda-7d0c-4db1-a6e7-850bf586a522 /episode/index/show/fieldnotesexplorationfunctionalmedicine/id/39434110

Surprising Facts About Your Skin and How to Care for it with Marcia Mankin 12/11/2025

Surprising Facts About Your Skin and How to Care for it with Marcia Mankin Heather Moon, our wonderful nurse practitioner here at Seaworthy, is taking over as host for this episode of The Field Notes Podcast! She welcomes fellow NP, Marcia Mankin, whose lifelong passion for skin health began on a Wyoming ranch and deepened through profound personal experiences with melanoma in her family. Together, they explore something I wish more people understood: your skin isn’t just a surface. It’s a living, intelligent messenger—constantly reflecting your internal health, your environment, your stress levels, your sleep quality, and even your emotional state. Marcia brings decades of surgical and clinical wisdom to this conversation, helping us see how skin changes often reveal what’s happening before we see it anywhere else. Heather and Marcia also unpack the lifestyle patterns that shape skin health—nutrition, movement, hydration, sun exposure, and daily habits—and they shine a light on popular aesthetic trends that may do more harm than good. It’s an empowering, science-grounded discussion that reminds us that the fundamentals matter far more than quick fixes. If you’ve ever wondered why your skin suddenly looks dull, inflamed, puffy, reactive, or “off,” this episode will help you understand the deeper story and make meaningful changes that support whole-body vitality. 5 Key Takeaways Your skin is often the first place deeper issues—autoimmune, inflammatory, emotional, or organ-related—show up. Whole foods, adequate protein, hydration, and micronutrients directly support collagen, repair, and radiance. Stress, sleep quality, and emotional health influence the skin almost immediately—often within hours. Be cautious with trendy aesthetic procedures like PDO threads and injectable PDGF; research is limited, and risks include inflammation and scarring. The most powerful skin practices are simple: daily sunscreen, gentle cleansing, hydration, good sleep, and consistent care. /episode/index/show/fieldnotesexplorationfunctionalmedicine/id/39363300