Critical Care Nurse Overcomes Debilitating Long COVID Through Functional Medicine Protocols

Someone had recommended Five Journeys to me - a colleague. And I was a little skeptical but I was also very desperate and willing to try anything. I was really ill. I remember walking into, to Wendie's office that first time. I was just so desperate to find wellness that I was literally open to anything that she had to say. I just trucked along with the protocols, with the testing and all of a sudden I realized that - "gosh, I feel better." And I looked back and the difference between my allopathic pathway and this functional medicine pathway, were very different. And the results were very different. My name is Brandy Bionca and I'm from Boston, Massachusetts. Well, I am a critical care nurse by trade. I work in one of Boston's busiest hospitals. That has always been my career path. I have always focused on research-based, evidence-based data. But that all changed for me when I had my own personal health issue and I began to navigate the allopathic medicine on my own and really struggled. Early on in COVID, I ended up getting COVID that first March of 2020 and then moving on to Long COVID before they knew what Long COVID was and it was very debilitating. I didn't really find any answers in any of the other pathways that I had and I really had access to some of the brightest stars in medicine; living in Boston and working for a big hospital. But nothing made me feel better. So I kept researching and looking at studies and following different providers. So much that I wanted to take courses on my own because I wanted to continue healing my body. And then once I did, I got into those courses and I realized that everyone needs to know this information. Everyone needs to know how to care for their bodies. It's really motivated me to change my perspective and my career and move into that integrative and functional medicine world, which I'm so grateful for. Not only has Wendie, like, given me back my life but she's given me a renewed passion in medicine. So, I think the difference with working with Wendie and Five Journeys - compared to any allopathic, any specialist - is that they really looked at the entire person. Not just physiologically but mentally, environmentally... social issues. They really took all of that comprehensively and looked at how it impacted my physiology. And so their offices provide so many different resources. It's not just medical testing and supplements but they also offer nutrition counseling, they offer IV therapy and so much more. It's a pretty comprehensive program and we're really lucky to have that in the city. Actually, I've recommended Five Journeys and Wendie, in particular, quite often. I've really enjoyed working with Wendie because she is real and she understands all the complexities of healing but also still living in a real life. As a young mother, a professional and someone who's healing, she understood that balance and helped guide me along the way to get to that point of healing.