Women's Wellness in Tacoma and Port Orchard

Off the Grid Functional Health offers appointments at two offices serving the South Sound: Epoch Wellness Center in Port Orchard and Thresholds Collective in Tacoma. Each location is a hub for chiropractic, pelvic floor physical therapy, massage, and other bodywork practitioners. They are easily accessed by appointment, with some Saturday availability at Thresholds in Tacoma. Off the Grid Functional Health shares space at both locations, where founder Kay Jackson, CNM, ARNP, specializes in root cause therapies for women experiencing the weight challenges, hormonal fluctuations, mood changes (and more), that arise during the reproductive years, pregnancy, postpartum, peri-menopause, and menopause itself. 

With more than 30 years' experience in women's health as a nurse practitioner and Certified Nurse-Midwife, Kay focuses on individualized treatment plans to address issues like fluctuating moods, hormone imbalance, joint pain, bone loss, nutrient deficiencies, and the shifts in gut microbiome that can lead to weight gain. 

The functional medicine difference in Kay's words:

"Common to many women's experience is a cluster of symptoms that drive her to seek help many months, or even years, after the last baby's birth. It's not uncommon for me to see menopausal women who trace all their symptoms back to a pregnancy. They have a growing suspicion that the aching hips and back, bloated stomach, and anxious/irritable mood are somehow all connected. And what's really upsetting is no matter how many times they pushed the stroller around the block, or how much time spent at the gym, the baby weight just never came off. And all that exercise is making her hips ache more than ever, so for the last two weeks she gave up on exercise and feels like she's going to scream the house down or do something awful..."

This conversation often ends in tears, because unlike a regular medical appointment, there's time to process ALL the information–even the tearful part. When a person is able to speak and know they're heard, it's a relief. And a release of emotion is part of that. Then we get to figure out how best to change the situation. 

For some, the solution will lie in genetic testing and a change of supplements and medications to varieties that are better metabolized by their own unique liver enzyme pathways. These are unique for everyone, and solve some of the mystery as to why there are those who do better on name-brand medications than they do on generics.

Central to private-pay functional care is specialized laboratory testing to learn about an individual's bowel microbiome. Sounds weird, but these are easy tests I've actually used on myself. Going that route, I expect to learn which cornerstone species of bacteria are missing from a person's mouth and intestines, and which troublesome species have overgrown in their place. Corrections in diet and the microbiome that diet supports can help jumpstart weight loss. Folks are sometimes surprised when I recommend they cut down on their current exercise while we begin these changes. All this takes time, as we're correcting imbalances and overgrowths that have often had years to develop. So for added convenience, I also offer telehealth for follow-up appointments.

To begin your journey towards better health, visit me at Epoch Wellness Center (1805 SE Salmonberry Rd, Port Orchard, WA) or Thresholds Collective (4707 South Junett St, Suite B, Tacoma, WA). You can reach me at (360) 633-9146 or at [email protected] to schedule your consultation today.