Is good health the best kept beauty secret?

When the New York Times asked “Orange is the New Black” actress Laverne Cox to share beauty tips for its Style magazine section, one of the things she mentioned, much to my surprise, was me. Down in the story, after info about her daily gratitude practice, lipsticks, skin oils, wigs and more, there’s this section:

“Other Services

I’ve been to Eileen Henry in L.A. for holistic medicine. I’ve had back issues, neck issues and knee issues. I’ve been going to her for acupuncture for a year and a half. We’ve done micro-currents as well. She also diagnosed my gluten intolerance.”

I’m grateful and flattered that she included me and my above-linked services among her beauty secrets, and excited by the light she shined on the benefits of utilizing holistic or functional medicine to inquire into the functioning of your entire system — which technology now allows us to do down to the level of your individual DNA — and how it can lead to the vibrant health that’s the foundation for vibrant beauty.

At the root of functional medicine is the belief that our inherent mechanisms are largely perfect. While our modern environment is imperfect, big time, we are inherently wired to function comfortably, with vitality and clarity, through every stage of life. When that isn’t happening, it’s worth asking why. The people who answer the why are the functional medicine practitioners. 

Conversely, the dominant medical paradigm is driven by pharmaceuticals. Aging is thus rendered a potpourri of diseases and associated prescriptions. This disempowering approach to healthcare would leave us to expect and fear the disorders and diseases of our parents and siblings.  Functional medicine provides the framework to become educated and proactive rather than overwhelmed and reactive about your health and possible risk factors.

As this celebrity client and many others demonstrate, relief — and ultimately optimal health — is at hand, through the seemingly divergent paths of returning to nature and utilizing technologically advanced tests and assessments that allow us to identify the imbalances that underlie disease. Increasingly I am witness to the astounding capacity of the body to restore and rejuvenate when given the correct input.