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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 11am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 12pm

Dr. Alison Lechner

Functional Medicine Doctor

12/05/2025

The last month of our Finish Strong 2025 challenge is here… and I’ll be honest: this is the part where it gets hard.

The mornings are dark and cold. Work is intense. My schedule is full. And staying consistent takes a different kind of discipline than it did earlier in the fall.

Here’s what I’m leaning on right now:

✨Discipline over comfort. I don’t want to lose the progress I’ve made because my bed is warm and cozy. I know how I want to feel in January — and that keeps me moving.

✨Prioritizing instead of pushing. I always overestimate what I can get done and then feel awful about it. My planner has been my lifeline: the important things get done first, and easy tasks wait for low-energy moments.

✨Protecting my sleep. It’s the foundation that holds everything else together.

✨Supporting my immune system. I’m doing TriImmune shots weekly — the last thing I want is to get sick right now.

✨Holiday eating with intention. I enjoy the holiday meals fully, but I don’t let it spill into the whole month. For me, it’s a slippery slope, so discipline helps keep me anchored.

✨Spiritual quiet time. This season is beautiful, but it can also be chaotic. Reflecting on the reality of the Christmas story — a young woman facing uncertainty with grace — puts everything in perspective.

If you’re struggling to stay consistent right now… same.

This is where the work really happens - not in perfection, but in staying connected to who we want to be in January.

➡️Tell me - what’s one thing helping you stay consistent this month?

12/02/2025

If your gut has felt unpredictable lately - reacting to foods that never used to bother you - it’s not random.

❗️And it’s not “just IBS.”

When the gut is overwhelmed, stressed, or under-resourced, its tolerance drops.

That’s when everything starts to feel like a trigger.

✨But here’s the reframe:

These symptoms aren’t failures.

They’re information that helps us understand what the gut needs so it can actually heal and rebuild resilience again.

If you’ve been feeling confused or frustrated by your gut, you’re not alone.

➡️Drop your question in the comments - I’ll answer some of them in a follow-up post next week.

11/25/2025

Functional medicine has been watered down to “run this test” and “take these supplements,” but that’s not what true functional medicine is.

💪The power is in the interpretation -

the patterns behind your symptoms,

the connections between your systems,

and the clinical experience that guides what to do first, when to pause, and what will actually create sustainable change.

✨This is why our patients make real progress.

Not because we throw everything at them,

but because we know what matters and when.

➡️If you want an approach that’s thoughtful, strategic, and tailored to your physiology, comment SUPPORT and we’ll share the link to book a free discovery call.

11/23/2025

Most women ignore symptoms not because they don’t care - but because they’re busy, overwhelmed, not sure what to do, or told “it’s normal.”

But if the same warning light showed up on your car every day, you’d take it seriously.

✨Your body deserves the same attention.

Fatigue, irritability, weight changes, sleep issues, cycle shifts, bloating, burnout - these aren’t random. They’re signals.

❕Signals that your body needs support… not willpower.

And the sooner you tune into those signals, the sooner life starts to feel clearer, easier, and more aligned.

➡️If you’re ready to understand what your “warning lights” are telling you, comment HEAL and I’ll send you the link to book a Discovery Call.

11/20/2025

You deserve answers that explain what you’ve been feeling - and a plan that actually helps you feel better.

These stories are real patients who finally found clarity after years of searching.

➡️If you’re ready for that kind of support, comment READY and we’ll send you a link to book a free discovery call.

11/18/2025

One of the strongest predictors of long-term mortality is…

👉 your cardiorespiratory fitness.

In a study of 122,000+ adults, people in the below-average fitness category had the same hazard ratio (1.41) for death as smokers.

Let that sink in.

Low fitness was just as risky as lighting up.

And here’s the good news:

You can change your fitness.

You can measure it.

You can improve it - quickly.

At Shine, every patient gets a PNOĒ metabolic assessment, which gives us a precise read on:

💨 VO₂ max (the #1 predictor of longevity)

❤️ Cardiac + respiratory efficiency

🔥 Metabolic flexibility

🧠 How your body uses oxygen under stress

We use this data to build plans that don’t just treat symptoms -
they improve how you age.

If you’re wondering where your cardiorespiratory fitness stands (and what that means for your long-term health), we’d love to show you.

💬 Comment FITNESS and we’ll send you a link to book a Discovery Call to learn what working with us looks like.

PMID: 30646252

11/13/2025

When it comes to longevity, it’s not about how long you live -

it’s about how long you can keep doing the things you love.

The truth?

Most of us focus on nutrition or strength, but the single best predictor of lifespan and healthspan is your VO₂ max - how efficiently your body uses oxygen.

Higher VO₂ max = better energy, stronger heart, healthier metabolism, and lower risk of disease.

That’s why the American Heart Association calls it a vital sign - it’s that important.

At Shine, we actually test VO₂ max right in the office using our PNOĒ machine.

It’s one of my favorite tools because it gives us a real-time look at how your heart, lungs, and metabolism are working together - and helps us build a truly personalized plan for longevity and performance.

So if you’ve been working out, eating well, and wondering what’s actually moving the needle on your long-term health - this is your answer.

💬 Comment STRONG and we’ll send you a link to book a free Discovery Call to learn more about how we use VO₂ testing and personalized strength goals to help you live stronger, longer.

📚 Inspired by Dr. Peter Attia’s Outlive + The Drive Podcast

11/12/2025

Most people know Vitamin K for its role in blood clotting - but it also plays a huge role in bone density and cardiovascular health.

If you’re..
➕supplementing with Vitamin D or calcium
➕managing cholesterol with statins
➕dealing with gut issues
➕or heading into perimenopause

…your need for Vitamin K may be higher than average.

✨What I love about this vitamin is how quietly powerful it is - helping calcium land where it belongs (in your bones), and not where it doesn’t (in your arteries).

Because everyone’s absorption and conversion of K1 → K2 is different, we often personalize supplementation based on labs, symptoms, and diet.

💬 Comment HEAL and we’ll share a link to book a free discovery call to learn more about how we personalize nutrient and hormone support at Shine.

11/11/2025

Big news for women’s health. 💥

The FDA has officially removed the black box warning on estrogen therapy - a major step forward after decades of fear, confusion, and misinformation.

Here’s why this matters 👇

Estrogen isn’t just about symptom relief - it’s one of the most protective hormones we have.

The real problem?

We now have an entire generation of physicians who were never trained in how to safely and effectively prescribe estrogen - all because of that warning.

So instead of asking your doctor “what are the risks of taking estrogen?”

Start asking:
👉 “What are the risks of not taking it?”

If this is something you are looking for support on, I’d love to help you on your journey.

Address

135 N Arlington Heights Road # 152
Arlington Heights, IL
60089

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	11am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 12pm

Website

https://shinefunctionalhealth.com/

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