Nowadays, medical practices range from traditional physicians to holistic approaches to alternative medicines. Somewhere in the middle lies functional medicine, which focuses on fixing the root causes of illnesses and afflictions.
In the Emporia Area, there is a new business focusing on functional medicine at Whole Wellness. Jordan Blaufuss, a nurse practitioner with experience in emergency medicine, express care, and primary care, started Whole Wellness after her time in the medical field, along with her personal health journey, changed her perspective on medicine
“Functional medicine is essentially healing the body. I went to school to be a nurse practitioner and learned all the things and practiced, and it was just kind of giving people pills. You have whatever ailment, well, here is this pill and you’re on it for the rest of your life,” Blaufuss said. “Functional medicine is essentially healing the body. It is really actually healing people and finding what’s causing this and fixing it.”
She goes on to explain that not all ailments need to be solved with taking pills, and that there are plenty of medicines that can heal by fixing the root cause. In her time in the medical field and in her business, she adds that pills tend to just mask symptoms rather than fix them. She also adds that there is a time and a place for real medicine, but it is overused.
Along with her experiences in the medical field, she also made the switch to functional medicine through her own personal medical experiences.
“My personal health journey is what truly transformed the way I practice today. After having my second child, I eliminated dairy while breastfeeding,” Blaufuss said. “Then I could never add it back into my diet, because I would get so sick. I couldn’t fix myself. I talked to doctors, and they said, ‘this is your life,’ and I said, ‘no, it’s not,’ I’ve got to eat ice cream without getting really sick.”
Alongside her medical issues, a couple of her family members were also dealing with issues, and Blaufuss decided to switch to functional medicine. She adds that she respects conventional Western medicine, but that there are limitations to it she witnessed first-hand.
For her business, she takes a more personalized route to fixing problems, looking for the root cause of ailments, while also having a personalized plan for each patient. She also offers plenty of other services alongside the functional medicine.
“I do more of, come to me for your thyroid problem or whatever, let’s heal you, and then you go back to your other doctor. It is more of a short-term thing,” Blaufuss said. “We also offer weight loss and peptide treatments alongside the functional medicine.”
On her website, along with the peptide and weight loss treatments, she also offers mobile IV therapy, which can be anything from basic hydration to detoxification to even migraine relief. While she doesn’t have an office, she conducts her business through Telehealth, which is an online method of getting healthcare. The business is also in its infancy, having been open since March of this year.
“Everything is based on the computer at this point. In the future, I would like to have an office, but right now it is all online,” Blaufuss said. “We have been open since March. When I decided to switch to functional medicine, I went back to school to get my certificate, and after a year, I graduated and started the business in March. I put in my notice to CareArc, and my last day was in June.”
She adds that the business gives people that extra option in looking for help with healthcare. Blaufuss’s goal is to help her patients find answers, feel heard, and get their health back in check. For more information on her business and what she offers treatment-wise, go to https://www.wholewellnessolpe.com/.