ABOUT ME
Hi There!! I am Shannon Yundt,
a Functional Nutrition Counselor with a Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy living in the burbs of Chicago, IL. I help women get to the root cause of their problems and symptoms (brain fog, fatigue, bloating, resistant weight loss, low libido) by looking at YOU as an individual, with a story and history, customizing a plan that will help your body and life to thrive.
This journey, for me, began back in February 2018 when I was prescribed an oral antibiotic for an ear infection that literally stole my health from right under my nose. I was a burnt out, sleep-deprived Mama of 2 sick kiddos, who ended up sick herself.
The antibiotic took my ear infection away but shortly after finishing that round of meds, all of my symptoms began. I was bloated beyond belief (mistaken for pregnant a few times, and boy is that a gut punch when someone asks you when you are due and it was just your lunch coming back angry), experiencing daily diarrhea and extreme fatigue. I tried to self-treat...who has time to go to the doctor as a busy working Mama? So I did what I thought I knew to do- cut out food groups, skip meals and beat myself up inside for not understanding my body. After 9 months on this path, the symptoms were getting worse and my health was declining rapidly with my hair falling out and my skin becoming an ashy grey.
I had experienced hard things in my life- earning my Doctorate degree program in Physical Therapy, having my fiance live in another state for most of our engagement and raising two tiny humans (2 kids under 2) with a husband traveling 4-5 days each week. Yet the “hard” of not feeling good and having no energy... that pain in your body is a “hard” that will break you.
I know what you are thinking? Why did I not just go to the Doctor?
The Doctor and his medicine is what got me into this mess, so the last place I wanted to go was the route of a traditional “MD”. I wanted to get at the root cause and look holistically to solve this problem without lifelong prescriptions. I did not want to be diagnosed with a disease or put on anti-depressants or anxiety meds to cope with my symptoms.
This search for something else led me to a Functional Medicine Practitioner. After a very thorough intake and detailed interview process he helped me figure out that my problem, this entire time, the thing that was making me miserable was a batch of bad gut bugs in my stomach. One week under his care and I felt 50% improvement with my symptoms. My bloating was improving and I began to get my energy back. I felt like there was hope for me to get back to the healthy, vibrant woman I had forgotten along the way.
That 3 hour appointment and his unique perspective changed the course of my life. It made me realize that every symptom I was experiencing was the body’s cry for help. Each symptom was explained by a faulty functioning organ or body system that had gone awry from poor nutrition and lifestyle habits, unbenounced to me, and poor/misguided teachings from our society.
This appointment made me realize that the decades of symptoms I had experienced could be explained and fixed with customized nutritional support, lifestyle modifications and a focus on healing. There is another way instead of endless doctors appointments, tests, and medications all the while never feeling like yourself or solving the problem at hand. Or worse, being told you need anti-depressants and anxiety meds to cope with all your symptoms as if there was no explanation for them to begin with.
The symptoms that you are feeling are not in your head, despite the teachings of our medical system. I once went to a doctor to run some tests, as the post-partum weight was not coming off, after one full year of dedicating my efforts to being healthy. I thought something was wrong with my body. She ran the tests, which came back “normal” and told me to try a weight loss program, which I had tried already, as if I had not restricted my eating for over a year without results. This appointment and her actions only made me feel more defeated and internalized that the problem was my willpower and not my body. Our medical system can lead us to a spiral of self-destruction and mental bullying that gives us no hope for ever feeling vibrant and healthy again.
That mental bullying wears us down and makes us feel hopeless for a brighter future.
I want every single woman who has struggled with her health, weight and energy to be empowered. To listen to the signs of her body, as a cry out for healing. To stop the medical system from putting a bandaid on your health. To learn the tools that will help YOU heal. To receive the UNIQUE, individualized care you need to feel healthy and vibrant. And pass on that legacy to your family.
In my private, one-on-one Counseling sessions, I take the time to learn about your past medical history, your story and your life so we can work together to find resolution to your symptoms and a long-term plan for healing. I give you the tools, support and guidance to heal your body. You will be educated and empowered to look at your past medical history as the story of your life. The story that led you to where you are today helps you learn about your body and how to heal it.
The philosopher Aristotle stated “that everything happening to you today has a purpose because it turns you into the person you are becoming”. The struggles of your past lead you to the person you are becoming and I am so grateful to be on that journey with each and every client that I meet.
