Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alejandra Carrasco, MD. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Alejandra thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

My whole life, I aspired to be a doctor. It was like a spiritual calling, and since there were no doctors in my family I was forging a new path. It was an exciting, purposeful, and incredibly stressful journey that consumed my childhood, teen, and young adult years.

After years of test-stress, completing undergrad, and passing the MCAT, my hard work paid off, and I finally got into medical school. My excitement turned to anxiety as I was introduced to the brutal realities of medical school. I went from a small, forward-thinking, liberal arts university, to eighteen-hour days of studying in an incredibly competitive, cold, and institutional environment. It sent my stress levels through the roof, but I adapted and carried on.

Then, after two years of grueling work, I reached the Holy Grail: seeing patients. This was the moment I had waited for my whole life, but things went downhill fast.

Almost overnight, I developed full blown panic attacks that struck anywhere—during rounds at the hospital, in the middle of church, at dinner with friends—severe irritable bowel syndrome that reared its ugly head at the worst possible times, migraine headaches, and extreme fatigue.

It hit me like a ton of bricks, and left me scrambling from doctor to doctor, getting test after test, CT scans, EKGs, etc. with little more insight than: “Your tests are normal. You must be stressed. Here are a bunch of prescriptions you can start taking.”

Obviously, that wasn’t the answer I was looking for.  Though I was relieved everything appeared “normal”, I didn’t feel normal, and I didn’t know how to fix any of my symptoms.

On top of it all, I experienced crushing feelings of shame and helplessness. I had made it all this way and sacrificed so much, only to be knocked off my game by mysterious ailments dismissed by the medical professionals I looked up to. Plus, I was training to be a doctor, for goodness sake. I even practiced yoga and ate organic food—what patient in their right mind would want to take advice from a doctor in such poor health?

As I went into my fourth year of medical school, I was fortunate to do a rotation at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. It was a real education in botanical medicine, nutrition, bodywork, acupuncture, energy medicine, and all the different forms of healing practiced throughout the world.

As I learned about these ancient healing practices, I couldn’t help but wonder why we didn’t use these tools in the conventional medical model. When I asked Dr. Weil, “Why are we stuck in this paradigm? Why do we act as if everything is so separate?” He replied, to paraphrase, that “Integrative medicine is just good medicine. We shouldn’t have to separate it from conventional medicine. Unfortunately, given the way the system is built, that’s just what we must do.”

My time in Arizona was therapeutic on so many levels, and after graduation my anxiety had nearly disappeared, but I continued to suffer from intense migraines and irritable bowel syndrome. That’s when I met Dr. Mark Hyman, a giant in functional medicine at a conference.

I had no idea who he was at the time, but he spoke about the science and systems of functional medicine in a way never presented to me in medical school. On his advice, I went gluten-free, dairy-free, and off processed foods. I must admit, after all my years of training, I didn’t expect a miracle from this, but that’s exactly what I got.

Within two weeks, my bowels were normal for the first time in two years, and my migraines were much better too. I was blown away. It had taken me two years to get a handle on any of my own issues, and within two weeks they were nearly gone. I had not encountered anyone treating people as Dr. Hyman had suggested in the conventional medical world. That was when I knew I would follow the functional medicine path.

After completing a family medicine residency, I knew I had to start my own functional medicine practice. It felt like a big leap, and a huge risk, but I had to practice medicine in a way that was aligned with my soul.

I started my medical practice in 2012 – a decade ago there were very few physicians practicing functional and integrative medicine in Austin, TX. I didn’t have a blueprint and truly had to forge my own way. It was thrilling, nerve-racking, and joyful all at once.

Alejandra, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

[I think i answered some of this question in the previous question about taking a risk!]

I believe our bodies were brilliantly designed to heal.

I take a whole-body approach to rebuilding individual health through: nutrition, advanced functional medicine, and mind-body healing. I help patients get to the root cause of their health issues using a purely integrative and functional medicine approach.

Patients partner with me virtually via telemedicine to resolve specific conditions or symptoms, or to optimize their health.

My medical practice takes a 360-degree view of a patient’s whole health. Using a patient centered approach along with cutting-edge analytical tools and holistic therapies, my greatest joy has been seeing my patients reclaim their health over the last decade.

In 2017, I wrote a bestselling book, called Bloom: 7 Steps to Reclaim Your Health, Cultivate Your Desires, and Reignite Your Spark. It was built around comparisons to gardening for a reason: I was inspired to write it when I started my own garden, because in doing so I realized just how close an analogy it is to the state of the modern health. I wanted to be able to create a roadmap to help others achieve health beyond my patients.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

Looking back, I would choose to be a doctor all over again… and I would choose to practice functional and integrative medicine. It’s been such a blessing to be able to work with patients over the years, share sacred space with them, and help them get their health back.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Honestly, word of mouth. I think that when my patients get better, they share their success with their family and friends. That is the highest compliment!

Contact Info:

• Website: nourishmedicine.com
• Instagram: @dralexcarrasco
• Facebook: @nourishmedicine
• Other: My book: https://www.amazon.com/Bloom-Reclaim-Cultivate-Desires-Reignite/dp/161961734X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1658177031&sr=8-1

Image Credits
@TrueEssenceBranding