Conversation with Dr. Mandy Patterson — Naturopathic Doctor, Functional Medicine Practitioner, and Fertility & Hormone Expert

LifeDesigner with Jingyu Chen
2 days ago
7 min read

Updated: 20 hours ago

Becoming Your Own Optimol Health Advocate — The Science and Spirit of Living with Longevity and Vitality

Mandy Patterson, ND, MHS, OTR/L, IFMCP, AFMC, CHHC, RYT-200

Naturopathic Doctor | Functional Medicine Practitioner | Fertility & Hormone Expert

In this deeply candid and energising conversation, I sit down with Dr. Mandy Patterson — Functional Naturopath, Fertility Practitioner, and founder of a boutique wellness practice — to explore what it truly means to design a life of longevity, vitality, and self-agency. Dr. Mandy shares her extraordinary origin story — from witnessing her grandfather’s paralysis, to surviving a life-threatening pregnancy at twenty-two, from challenging conventional narratives to becoming the kind of practitioner who treats the whole human, not just a diagnosis. She is now Functional Naturopath with six children.

Part One — Origins of a Holistic Healer: From Occupational Therapy to Functional Naturopathic Medicine

The episode opens with intimacy and intellect — a meeting point between science, compassion, and lived wisdom. Dr. Mandy retraces her earliest calling to healthcare as an occupational therapist, a spark ignited by witnessing her grandfather’s accident. But her medical pursuit pivoted during that near-fatal pregnancy — a crucible that awakened her belief that health is not mechanical but multidimensional, embracing body, mind, and spirit. She further studied into becaming a Functional Naturopath Doctor.

We explore the unseen weight of emotional suppression — how modern culture glorifies endurance and the “power-through” mentality, often disconnecting us from the body’s innate intelligence. Dr. Mandy stressed that chronic stress, overwork, and the shame of “not coping” silently erode hormonal balance and nervous-system vitality.

Part Two — Functional Healing: Root Causes, Gut Microbiome, Genetics & Epigenetics — Claiming Self-Agency in Optimal Health

From there, we move into healing beyond the physical. Dr. Mandy explains that Western medicine treats the body in silos, while true healing sees the body as one dynamic system. In her practice as a Functional Naturopath, the goal is not symptom relief but transformation; the apparoch is to address the root cause, not chase quick fixes. She traces how pharmaceutical dominance sidelined holistic medicine and highlights the importance of informed consent. Drawing from homeopathy, Chinese medicine, and functional science, Dr. Mandy reveals how true healing begins where science and spirit meet. In addition to that, she also expresses deep concern about the side effects of multiple medications being undertaken by a patient, while clinical investigation around the ramifications of polypharmacy is still lacking.

We first turn to gut as the second brain — a living ecosystem influencing mood, immunity, and longevity. Dr. Mandy calls the gut “its own planet”. She explains how factors like birth method, early feeding, and maternal nutrition shape a baby’s microbiome, laying the foundation for lifelong health. Her advice is elegantly simple: eat the rainbow, diversify your plants, and tend your gut like a garden.

The conversation then expands into genetics and nutrition. Through her own MTHFR variant, Dr. Mandy introduces nutrigenomics — the science of how food and lifestyle can switch genes on or off. Dr. Mandy believes that food is medicine, and that hydration, exercise, and sleep all work alongside it to shape our epigenetic health. “Genetics loads the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger,” she reminds us — a line that has become my new mantra lol. Dr. Mandy also recommends investing in DNA testing, as it offers a more precise blueprint for understanding—and ultimately optimising—our health.

We also explore bioidentical hormone therapy, informed consent, and the restoration of self-agency in modern medicine. In order to get better, people have to take an active role in their health.Dr. Mandy’s philosophy is anchored in empowerment: " If it’s to be, it’s up to me — we must take full ownership of our health, we are our own best doctors" .Our dialogue expands into emotional and spiritual well-being, recognizing loneliness as an epidemic and intuition as an untapped medicine. Health, she insists, is a partnership and health is not created in an authoritative relationship between dcotors and patients. Dr. Mandy’s lifelong mission is to empower and educate individuals to become their own advocate for their own optimal health.

Part Three — Fertility as the Fifth Vital Sign: A Functional, Holistic Path to Optimising Fertility, Deepening Wellness, and Cultivating a Life of Longevity and Vitality

Fertility becomes the heart of our dialogue — redefined not merely as reproduction but as a reflection of internal harmony. Dr. Mandy invites women to view fertility as a mirror of communication among body systems — a measure of vitality rather than age, a signpost of wholeness rather than deficiency. I was truly mind-blown by one of her statements:“Your fertility status is your fifth vital sign.” Whether you want children now, later, or not at all — it doesn’t matter. You must protect this crucial aspect of your wellbeing if you want to live a full, active life that

you so richly deserve."

She walks through her root-cause clinical approach — personalised modalities that examine each patient’s early environment, nutrition, genetics, toxins, and energy flow. She approaches fertility upstream, not downstream, recognising that reproductive health is the outcome of deeper internal balance.

She emphasises that preparation before conception shapes not only pregnancy outcomes but also a child’s lifelong health. The conversation expands to advanced maternal age, egg freezing, and holistic optimisation — where true fertility begins with a strong foundation, not with quick fixes.

The tone softens as we arrive at motherhood, gratitude, and surrender. A mother of six, Dr. Mandy speaks with tenderness about raising children, maintaining energetic boundaries, and staying anchored through faith and intention. We both agree that connection, gratitude, and higher purpose recalibrate the body’s energy. Dr. Mandy quotes, “Speak up, even if your voice shakes,” echoing Maggie Kuhn’s activism — reinforcing that vulnerability and intuition are healing forces. Gratitude, she beautifully encapsulates, is everything: “Start each day with small acts of intention — sunlight, water, movement, kindness. Over time, they become your alchemy.”

Part Four — Motherhood, Anti-Aging, and the Energetics of Gratitude & the Art of Surrender

Dr. Mandy also sahred her personal anti-aging approach, blending science, nature, and intuition. She shares the regenerative potential of peptides, light-activated LifeWave X39 patches that stimulate stem-cell renewal, and glutathione patches for antioxidant support. Simple yet potent tools like vibration plates for lymphatic flow and castor-oil packs for detoxification illustrate her philosophy that true healing doesn’t have to be extravagant—it’s about consistency and consciousness.

As a mum of six, she reflects on how motherhood has shaped her healing philosophy—how boundaries and gratitude sustain vitality, and passion fuels resilience.

We close with her reflections on faith and surrender—not as defeat, but as release—where letting go becomes the deepest form of healing.

You can learn more about Mandy’s work, explore her programs, or get in touch at:

Website: https://mandypatterson.com

Follow her on:

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.mandypatterson

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MandyPattersonFM

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drmandypatterson

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gutsyfertility

Timestamps

00:00 – 06:30 | The Journey Begins Dr. Mandy shares her extraordinary journey from medical training to integrative medicine. At 22, she faced a life-threatening pregnancy that changed everything — awakening her belief that health is not mechanical but multidimensional, encompassing body, mind, and spirit.

06:30 – 15:30 | The Unseen Weight of Suppression We reflect on how modern culture glorifies endurance and emotional suppression — the ‘power-through’ mentality that, as Dr. Mandy notes, often disconnects us from the body’s innate wisdom.

15:30 – 27:00 | Healing Beyond the Physical Dr. Mandy explains that Western medicine treats the body in silos, while true healing sees the body as one dynamic system. In her practice, the goal is not symptom relief but transformation. She traces how pharmaceutical dominance sidelined holistic medicine and highlights the importance of informed consent.

27:00 – 35:00 | The Gut as the Second Brain Dr. Mandy calls the gut “its own planet” — a living ecosystem shaping mood, immunity, and longevity. She explains how factors like birth method, early feeding, and maternal nutrition shape a baby’s microbiome, laying the foundation for lifelong health. Her advice is simple yet profound: eat the rainbow, diversify plants, and nurture the gut like a garden.

35:00 – 50:00 | Genes, Food, and the Power to Recode Ourselves Dr. Mandy unpacks epigenetics and nutrigenomics — how food and lifestyle can switch genes on or off. Through her own MTHFR variant, she reminds us that genes are blueprints, not verdicts: “Genetics loads the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger.”

50:00 – 1:07:00 | Bioidentical Hormones & the Art of Self-Agency in Health Dr. Mandy constantly pushes the edge as a scientist, believing that science is fluid and true growth requires humility. She reminds us, “If it’s to be, it’s up to me” — we must take full ownership of our health. Our dialogue expands into emotional and spiritual well-being, recognizing loneliness as an epidemic and intuition as an untapped medicine.

1:07:00 – 1:25:00 | Fertility as the Fifth Vital Sign Dr. Mandy perceived fertility as the fifth vital sign—a reflection of a woman’s total health. She walks through her root-cause approach that examines early environment, nutrition, genetics, toxins, and energy flow. She stressed preparation before conception shapes not only pregnancy outcomes but also a child’s lifelong health. The conversation expands to advanced maternal age, egg freezing, and holistic optimization—where true fertility begins with a strong foundation, not quick fixes.

01:25 – 01:50 | Anti-Aging, Motherhood, Gratitude & Surrender Dr. Mandy shares her anti-aging practices—peptides, X39 patch, vibration plate, and simple detox tools. A mum of six, she reflects on how motherhood shaped her healing philosophy. We close with faith, gratitude, and surrender—where letting go becomes the deepest healing.