James. E. Hicks, DC

12/07/2025

🔪 Your Weight Loss Protocol Needs a SWISS ARMY KNIFE 🔪
Weight loss isn't a single challenge—it's multifaceted. You need MULTIPLE TOOLS, not just one.
Most programs give you ONE tool (diet OR exercise) and expect it to solve a 10-tool problem.
THE 10 ESSENTIAL TOOLS:

Gut Health Repair - Without this, nothing works
Food Sensitivity Testing - Identifies inflammatory triggers
Hormone Optimization - Thyroid, insulin, cortisol, s*x hormones
Nutrient Deficiency Correction - Cells can't burn fat without nutrients
Toxicity & Detox Support - Body won't release fat storing toxins
Inflammation Management - Inflammation LOCKS fat in place
Mitochondrial Optimization - Your cellular power plants
Exercise Strategy - HIIT + resistance training (not just cardio)
Intermittent Fasting - Optimizes insulin sensitivity
Stress & Sleep Optimization - Can't out-exercise poor sleep

THE PROBLEM:
Generic programs = ONE blade for everyone
You need = ALL 10 tools, customized to YOUR dysfunction
THE FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE DIFFERENCE:
We TEST to identify YOUR specific issues, then deploy the RIGHT TOOLS in the RIGHT ORDER.
If your gut is broken → Tool #1 first
If hormones are off → Tool #3 priority
If you're toxic → Tool #5 first
If inflammation raging → Tool #6 critical
Stop trying to lose weight with a butter knife. Get the full Swiss Army knife.
💬 Which tool are YOU missing? Drop the number! (1-10)

functionalwellnessllc.com

12/06/2025

12/06/2025

🛤️ TWO PATHS. ONE CHOICE.
Every day, you stand at this crossroads:
LEFT PATH: Pills, prescriptions, symptom management

Temporary relief
Lifelong dependency
Side effects
Never addresses WHY

RIGHT PATH: Real food, root causes, sustainable health

Lasting results
True healing
No dependency
Fixes the foundation

Most people take the left path because it's what they've been told to do. Pop a pill. Manage symptoms. Repeat forever.
But there's another way.
THE RIGHT PATH: The Functional Medicine Approach
Now look at the right side. Vibrant green grass. Blue sky. Fresh vegetables—kale, broccoli, asparagus, a crisp green apple, blueberries bursting with antioxidants.
This is the path of TRUE health. Not symptom management—actual healing.
The right path asks completely different questions:

WHAT are you eating that's triggering inflammation?
WHAT nutrients are you deficient in?
WHAT toxins are burdening your liver and cells?
HOW is your gut microbiome functioning?
ARE your hormones in balance?
IS your cellular energy production optimized?

The Functional Medicine Philosophy: Test, Don't Guess
Which path are YOU on?

It's never too late to choose the path that leads to TRUE health—not just symptom management.

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Never stop prescribed medications without consulting your healthcare provider.

12/06/2025

👁️ What Are Your Eyes Telling You?
Look in the mirror. Do you see dark circles under your eyes? Puffiness or bags?
Your body is sending you a message.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), your eyes reveal internal imbalances:
DARK CIRCLES indicate:

Kidney Yang Deficiency
Blood Stagnation
Chronic Fatigue & Poor Sleep

PUFFINESS/BAGS indicate:

Kidney Qi Deficiency
Fluid Retention
Spleen Weakness (digestive issues)
Liver Congestion

These aren't just cosmetic issues—they're warning signs that something deeper is going on.
The Functional Medicine Approach:
Instead of covering up symptoms with concealer, we TEST to find root causes:
✓ Kidney function & adrenal hormone testing
✓ Food sensitivity assessment
✓ Inflammatory marker analysis
✓ Thyroid, iron, and B12 levels
✓ Sleep quality evaluation
Your face is a diagnostic map. Learn to read it.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider.

12/05/2025

⏱️ You're Wasting Your Gym Time (And You Don't Even Know It) ⏱️
That 30-minute treadmill session? You're barely scratching the surface of fat burning.
Here's the truth about fat loss and exercise that most trainers won't tell you:
Fat burning doesn't even START until AFTER the first hour of exercise.
Read that again.
If you're doing steady-state cardio (walking, jogging, elliptical) and stopping at 30-45 minutes, you're leaving the gym RIGHT before your body switches into fat-burning mode.
You're burning glycogen (sugar), not fat.
Then you leave. Game over.
🔥 But there's a smarter way: HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)
HIIT triggers something called the "afterburn effect" (EPOC - Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption).
What this means:

Your metabolism stays ELEVATED for 24-72 hours AFTER your workout
Your body continues burning fat for DAYS, not just during exercise
You get maximum fat loss in minimal time (15-20 minutes vs. 60+ minutes)
You preserve muscle mass while torching fat

The Science:
Traditional cardio: Burns calories ONLY while exercising
HIIT: Burns calories during AND after exercise for days
The Problem Most People Face:
Even with perfect exercise timing, if your metabolism is broken from inflammation, insulin resistance, thyroid dysfunction, or gut issues—you won't burn fat efficiently no matter how long you work out.
Fix the metabolism FIRST. Then exercise becomes the accelerator, not the solution.
💬 Are you doing long cardio sessions with minimal results? Drop "YES" below.

functionalwellnessllc.com

12/05/2025

"Love the Skin You're In"

Our skin ages because it cannot keep up with the collagen repair process from damage caused by inflammation.

If you can balance your inflammation, you will help your skin, but you will also help your whole body from aging.

So, how do you balance inflammation?

There are many reasons for inflammation.

Some reasons are food sensitivities, nutrient deficiencies, poor nutrition, unhealthy lifestyle, toxicity, exposure to chemicals, viruses, bacteria, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, stress, and poor sleep.

So, starting with proper hydration, good clean nutrition, quality sleep, stress management, avoiding toxic chemicals, and reducing your body's burden of pathogens is a great start. Cleanse 4 times a year, when the seasons change! Your skin is an outer reflection of what is happening inside your body--keep your vital detox organs, liver and kidneys, clean and functioning optimally.

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12/05/2025

🦠 Parasites: The Hidden Hijackers of Your Health 🔍
Parasites aren't just a problem in developing countries—they're far more common in the US than most doctors acknowledge! These unwanted guests can silently impact your health for years before being discovered.
Beyond the obvious digestive symptoms like bloating, gas, or diarrhea, parasites can trigger a surprising range of "mysterious" health issues:
🧠 Brain fog, anxiety, and even depression can result from the inflammatory cascade parasites trigger. The gut-brain connection means these invaders can significantly impact your mental clarity and mood.
⚡ Chronic fatigue that doesn't improve with rest might be your body's response to the constant immune activation parasites cause. They quite literally steal your nutrients and energy!
🔄 Autoimmune flare-ups can be triggered or worsened by parasitic infections. Your immune system, constantly fighting the invader, can become confused and start attacking your own tissues.
💤 Sleep disturbances often occur as certain parasites follow circadian rhythms, becoming more active at night and disrupting your rest.
🔥 Random allergies or food sensitivities may develop as your immune system becomes hypervigilant due to the ongoing parasitic challenge.

Conventional testing often misses parasites, as most labs look for only a few common species and require perfect timing of sample collection. Functional medicine practitioners typically use more comprehensive stool testing and consider parasites when symptoms don't resolve with standard treatments.

Prevention includes proper food handling, clean water sources, hand hygiene, and supporting your gut's protective mechanisms with a diverse microbiome.

Have you ever been tested for parasites? Many find answers to long-standing health mysteries through proper testing and treatment! 🧐

FunctionalWellnessLLC.com

12/05/2025

Here are the top 5 reasons GLP-1 synthetic drugs should not be used for weight loss:

1. **Muscle Loss Along With Fat Loss**
GLP-1 drugs cause significant lean muscle mass loss (up to 40% of total weight lost). This is devastating for metabolic health since muscle is metabolically active tissue that burns calories at rest. Loss of muscle lowers basal metabolic rate, making weight regain almost inevitable once the drug is stopped.

2. **They Don't Address Root Causes**
These drugs mask symptoms without fixing underlying issues like insulin resistance, gut dysbiosis, hormone imbalances, inflammation, or mitochondrial dysfunction. Once you stop the medication, the weight typically returns because the metabolic dysfunction was never corrected.

3. **Severe GI Side Effects and Nutrient Malabsorption**
Common effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and gastroparesis (stomach paralysis). The slowed digestion significantly impairs nutrient absorption, potentially leading to deficiencies in B vitamins, magnesium, and other critical nutrients needed for healthy metabolism.

4. **Lifetime Dependency and Cost**
These drugs only work while you're taking them. At $900-$1,500/month without insurance, patients face indefinite financial burden. The pharmaceutical model creates dependency rather than teaching sustainable lifestyle changes and metabolic healing.

5. **Potential Long-Term Health Risks**
Emerging concerns include thyroid tumors (black box warning), pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, kidney problems, and potential impacts on mental health. The long-term safety data is still limited since widespread use is relatively recent.

True sustainable weight loss comes from identifying and correcting metabolic dysfunction through comprehensive testing—including food sensitivity testing to identify inflammatory triggers, nutrient deficiency testing to reveal what your body is missing, and toxicity testing to uncover hidden burdens—then addressing gut health, balancing hormones, reducing inflammation, and optimizing mitochondrial function.

functionalwellnessllc.com

12/05/2025

🚨 Are EMFs Destroying Your Gut Health?
60-70 million Americans struggle with digestive issues—and EMFs from WiFi and cell phones may be a hidden culprit.
How EMFs Damage Your Gut:
Research shows EMF radiation from wireless devices:

TRIGGERS explosive growth of pathogenic bacteria and fungus
HALTS beneficial bacteria growth (disrupts the crucial 85/15 balance)
INCREASES antibiotic-resistant bacteria that replicate faster
ACTIVATES your stress response (fight-or-flight), magnifying digestive problems
DISRUPTS sleep by blocking melatonin production

The Result? Dysbiosis—an imbalanced gut microbiome linked to IBS, IBD, SIBO, colitis, obesity, depression, anxiety, and impaired immunity.
Protect Your Gut:
✓ Turn WiFi off at night
✓ Use airplane mode when possible
✓ Remove electronics from your bedroom
✓ Test for dysbiosis and food sensitivities
✓ Support gut health with targeted probiotics
Your gut bacteria synthesize crucial vitamins like K, thiamine, folate, biotin, and riboflavin. Protecting them from EMF damage is essential for overall health.
Ready to uncover YOUR root causes?

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making any health-related decisions.

12/04/2025

You're doing everything "right" — eating clean, exercising, taking supplements — but you still feel off.

The culprit? Hidden food sensitivities.

Unlike allergies that cause immediate reactions, food sensitivities trigger delayed inflammatory responses that can show up hours or even days later. This makes them nearly impossible to identify without proper testing.

Your body might be fighting the very foods you think are healthy:

🔸 Chronic fatigue that sleep doesn't fix
🔸 Brain fog that affects your focus and memory
🔸 Joint pain with no clear cause
🔸 Stubborn skin issues that won't clear up
🔸 Weight that refuses to budge despite your efforts
🔸 Digestive problems you've "learned to live with"

Here's what most people don't realize: these symptoms aren't just annoying inconveniences. They're your body sending distress signals about chronic inflammation. And chronic inflammation is at the root of nearly every age-related decline.

At FunctionalWellnessLLC.com, we take a "test, don't guess" approach. Comprehensive food sensitivity testing reveals exactly which foods are triggering your immune system, so you can eliminate the guesswork and start feeling better fast.

You deserve to know what's really holding you back.

💬 Drop a comment if any of these symptoms sound familiar, or DM me to learn more about our testing protocols.

12/04/2025

🍎 If you look at health the WRONG WAY, it will make it more difficult for you to get and stay well!
Most healthcare looks at symptoms upside down—treating what you SEE instead of WHY it's happening.
❌ WRONG PERSPECTIVE:
Just treat the symptoms
Mask the problem
Never get to the root
✅ RIGHT PERSPECTIVE:
Find the underlying cause
Test, don't guess
Fix the foundation
When you flip your perspective from symptom management to root cause resolution, everything changes. That's Functional Medicine. That's sustainable health.
That's how you TRULY heal.

Ready to flip your perspective?