Functional Medicine Case Study: Anxiety, Digestion & the Power of Simplicity
December 9, 2025
If you’ve ever second-guessed your protocols or felt like you needed to order a test so you could be double, triple, quadruple sure…. this one’s for you. In today’s episode of The Clinical Entrepreneur, I’m sharing a real patient story that will remind you of what matters most in clinical practice: sticking with the low-hanging fruit.
Meet the Patient
He came to me overwhelmed, anxious, and exhausted.
- He couldn’t sleep.
- He took Xanax every time he flew (which was frequent)
- He had bloating, heart palpitations, and a mystery “lump” in his throat.
- And he had no idea how much of it was connected to his diet, stress, and digestion.
What I Didn’t Do
I didn’t order a single lab.
I didn’t run a stool test, hormone panel, or food sensitivity profile.
I didn’t give him 14 supplements or overhaul his lifestyle
What I Did Do
I looked for low-hanging fruit:
- 🧘♂️ Stress → Calm Restore + Ashwagandha
- 🍽️ Digestion → Bitters before dinner (and yes, Angostura works)
- 😴 Sleep → Gentle support with Sleep Maintenance + mouth taping
- 🥑 Blood sugar → A small bedtime snack with protein, fat, and fiber
- 📉 Observation over restriction → Invited him to notice how he felt after eating gluten
What Happened Next
He began to unwind.
➡️ He was sleeping better.
➡️ His anxiety dropped.
➡️ He stopped needing Xanax before flying.
➡️ He even lost the craving for alcohol – just from adding bitters!And the best part? He felt empowered because he connected the dots. I didn’t have to force a thing.
Surprise Symptom: The Throat Lump
Weeks later, he casually mentioned a lump in his throat and constant mucus.
💡 That’s when it clicked:
This wasn’t allergies. It was silent reflux – likely worsened by grains, poor digestion, and stress.
So I added Sinus Forte + Goldenseal and gave him salt for mineral support. No big overhaul. Just another layer peeled back, one symptom at a time.
The Takeaway
When you address the low-hanging fruit first – stress, digestion, sleep, and diet – patients get better.
You don’t need a test to validate what your clinical instincts already know. When in doubt: simplify.
And if you want help building protocols like this, Clinical Academy is the place to be. We break down cases just like this every single month.
