EPISODE 113: The Art of Medicine and Intuition to Heal

Episode 113: Jill Carnahan MD

Entering the medical field with a goal to change it from within, and then harnessed and hardened by intense health challenges (cancer and autoimmune disease!) while in med school, Dr. Carnahan learned from experience how to embrace the art of medicine and intuition to heal. To her, it’s not about choosing from one polar opposite to another (allopathic vs homeopathic). It’s about using these as toolboxes where we can get different tools to help our patients. Our goal is not just to slap a label and let patients walk out with prescriptions. Our goal is to find out WHY so we can reverse it.

In approaching health, experience really is the best teacher–whether you are a doctor or a patient or both.

Such an inspiring, exciting conversation you shouldn’t miss! Catch this treasure from functional medicine expert Dr. Jill Carnahan, sharing her story and lessons from surviving to thriving. Only at the Thrive State Podcast.

Find more at jillcarnahan.com, readunexpected.com, and @drjillcarnahan on IG.

Show notes

Uncertainty to Resilience

• Yes, you can make it through it. If you come to a difficult situation, look for the lesson. Your mindset will look for what it wants to see. So have a lens in life that would allow you to see the magic.
• Everything happens for us, not to us.
• No one else can control our minds. They can control our circumstances. But only we can control how we react. But if we surrender and live in the moment, we can always have resources for that moment.
• It’s okay not to be optimistic all the time. It’s a process. Don’t be discouraged.

• I went to study medicine with a clear mission of changing from the inside out. But I got breast cancer while in medical school. This experience gave me the best practical lessons that I pursued in my career.
• I knew diet had something to do with Crohn’s Disease.
• It’s not about choosing from one polar opposite to another. It’s about using these as toolboxes where we can get different tools to help our patients. Our goal is not just to slap a label and let patients walk out with prescriptions. Our goal is to find out WHY so we can reverse it.
• One of the core components of genius is curiosity AND humility. We’re taught in medical school to have certainty and absolutes, but the truth is everything we do is filled with uncertainty. Embracing that uncertainty with curiosity allows us to open up to possibility and to learn.

• I’ve learned over time with experience how to use gut intuition: Listen to your patient. Labs are usually to confirm a theory. Testing is secondary. Do a great history.
• You want to have a doctor that listens to you, that creates a safe space that feels collaborative, and gives you hope.
• A great free test is a visual acuity.

Finding a doctor with a different perspective

• We need more doctors who are excited about going deeper. We need to engage more physicians to be more excited about helping patients.
• Find a doctor who will listen to you, who is curious and humble.
• Medical gaslighting is like when a doctor tells you all your labs are normal and are afraid to say they don’t know what’s wrong.

Find more about Doctor/Patient film at doctorpatient.com

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