Tag Archives: #FunctionalNursing

How Stress Can Stall Your Healing (and What to Do About It)

By Rosie Moore, DNP, RN, LEHP, LNC, BC-FMP
Doctor of Nursing Practice | Functional Medicine Nurse Consultant

You’ve been through a lot—an injury, surgery, or a chronic condition that just won’t go away. You’re trying to rest, eat right, follow physical therapy, and take your medications, but something still feels off.

You’re exhausted, your pain flares up randomly, and sleep is a nightly struggle.

This isn’t just in your head—it could be your stress response working against your body’s ability to heal.

The Stress-Healing Connection

Stress is not just an emotion—it’s a physiological event that activates your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In short bursts, stress helps your body respond to threats. But when stress becomes chronic—whether from pain, trauma, work, or emotional strain—it keeps your body in a fight-or-flight mode that directly interferes with healing.

Here’s how stress can sabotage your recovery:

  • Elevated cortisol suppresses your immune system and increases inflammation
  • Sleep disruption prevents your tissues from regenerating overnight
  • Muscle tension and nerve hypersensitivity increase your perception of pain
  • Digestive slowdown affects nutrient absorption critical for healing
  • Mood imbalances (like anxiety or depression) further slow progress

Even if you’re doing “everything right” physically, your nervous system may still be stuck in a hypervigilant state—blocking recovery at the root.

Signs That Stress Is Impacting Your Recovery

  • Difficulty falling or staying asleep
  • Pain that worsens at night or during stressful periods
  • Brain fog, forgetfulness, or trouble concentrating
  • Frequent illnesses or longer time to heal
  • Anxiety, irritability, or low mood
  • Blood pressure swings or digestive issues

How Functional Medicine Helps You Reset

In functional medicine, we don’t just look at where it hurts—we look at why your body isn’t healing. If chronic stress is interfering, we address the entire stress response system and restore balance. That may include:

  • Cortisol rhythm testing (via saliva or urine)
  • Adrenal and nervous system support using herbs, nutrients, and lifestyle tools
  • Gentle movement therapies that calm the vagus nerve
  • Sleep and circadian rhythm restoration protocols
  • Mind-body interventions like breathwork, journaling, or trauma release

It’s not all in your head—but the healing starts with your brain-body connection.

Your Next Step: Calm the Storm

If this sounds like you, I invite you to take the first step toward restoring your nervous system and getting back to life.

Initial Functional Health Consultation: $25.00
Click here to book your session

Contact Info:
Rosie Moore, DNP, RN, LEHP, LNC, BC-FMP
Doctor of Nursing Practice | Functional Medicine Nurse Consultant
Serving Orlando and Central Florida
Phone: 407-760-1662
Email: rosie@jrmnurseconsultants.com
Website: www.jrmnurseconsultants.com

 

Why You’re Still in Pain After the MRI Says You’re Fine

By Dr. Rosie Moore, DNP, RN, LNC, LEHP, BC-FMP
Functional Medicine Nurse Consultant | JRM Nurse Consultants
https://jrmnurseconsultants.com

“There’s nothing more we can do.”

If you’ve been injured, seen an orthopedic specialist, had all the tests, and still heard those words—you’re not alone.
Maybe your MRI came back “normal” or showed only mild bulging. The doctor reassured you it wasn’t serious. Yet you’re still dealing with pain, fatigue, or even nerve symptoms like leg weakness and instability.

So now what?

You’re still in pain, but the system is finished with you. You’re told to rest, maybe try more PT, and wait it out. Some are even told the pain is “in their head.”

But here’s the truth: the absence of major structural injury does NOT mean you’re fine.

What Traditional Imaging Can Miss

MRIs and X-rays are powerful—but limited. They’re excellent for detecting major injuries like herniated discs or fractures. But they can miss:

  • Chronic inflammation
  • Nerve dysfunction without compression
  • Muscle imbalances
  • Central sensitization (when your nervous system becomes hypersensitive to pain)

These are functional issues, not structural ones. That’s where functional medicine steps in.

What Is Functional Medicine for Injury Recovery?

Functional medicine looks beyond symptoms and imaging to uncover why your body is still struggling.
At JRM Nurse Consultants, I take a whole-person approach. That includes:

  • Reviewing your sleep, stress, and nutrition
  • Looking at nerve health and inflammatory patterns
  • Understanding how trauma, hormones, and gut health affect your healing

Whether it’s a teen injured at work, a nurse hurt on the job, or a parent still exhausted after being cleared—if you’re not getting answers, this approach is for you.

The Good News: You’re Not Stuck

You don’t have to live in chronic pain, even if the system has discharged you.
You don’t have to wait until things get worse to seek help.
And you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Ready to Be Heard?

I offer a $25 Functional Recovery Assessment to help you finally feel seen and supported.
In this one-on-one session, we’ll talk about your injury, your symptoms, and your healing goals. Then I’ll outline how we can work together to rebuild strength, reduce pain, and restore function—naturally.

👉 Book Now: https://jrmnurseconsultants.com
💲 Cost: $25 (applied toward your care plan if you move forward)
📩 Questions? Email rosie@jrmnurseconsultants.com

Because when your MRI says you’re fine—but your body says you’re not—it’s time for a new plan.