About SYSTEMS Medicine

Reality Check: A Look at Modern Stressors

Patients now face health issues that have not been well defined in classic medical literature. These include:

Environmental Toxins
Dietary Excesses of Sugars & Carbohydrates
Imbalanced Gut Flora
Inflammation & Stress Chemistry

Due to these stressors, we now understand that chronic disease tends to be preceded by a lengthy period of declining function in one or more of the body’s systems. Those dysfunctions are, for each of us, the result of lifelong interactions among our environment, lifestyle, and genetic predispositions.

Many symptoms are “sub-clinical” and can easily go unvalidated because conditions aren’t developed enough to warrant a diagnosis. These include:

Low Thyroid
Autoimmune Conditions
Weight Gain & Hormonal Imbalances
Gastro-Intestinal Complaints
Energy & Mood Swings
Depression & Anxiety

This was my story.

Old Wisdom, New Era

Modern medicine often fragments the body into isolated parts. But true healing comes when we return to the body’s own wisdom: seeing health through interconnected systems. By mapping conditions into these five systems, we uncover the patterns at the root — and create a path for lasting change.

Balanced Blood Sugar

When we lose our ability to connect insulin to our cells to deliver blood sugar, we end up storing that blood sugar as fat (stored energy). Learning to balance balance our blood sugar is a first step for most patients.

Reduced Gut-Inflammation

A simple, structured meal plan will include the necessary nutrients to generate new cells while eliminating the common culprit food triggers known to cause inflammation in the body.

Ability to Burn up Stored Toxic Fat

Excess weight is usually a stored energy battle. This means the body loses its natural ability to burn up the provided fuel, and in a state of energy & hormonal crisis, compensates by storing these calories as fat.

Longevity Switches Turned On

Autophagy is a self-healing switch that works to breakdown and recycle old, damaged cells in order to make new cells, particularly stem cells.

Return to a Rested State

Our nervous system has two divisions...one is known as the sympathetic state (fight/flight), and the other is the parsympathetic state (rest/digest). The body will heal and renew itself when in dominant parasympathetic state.

About Dr. Courtney

Dr. Courtney holds a doctorate in functional medicine, is a licensed acupuncturist and certified GAPS (Gut and Psychology) & Ketogenic practitioner.

Dr. Courtney Jonson

Dr. Courtney holds a Doctorate of Functional Medicine (DFM, PhD), is a licensed and board-certified acupuncturist (LAc), and a Certified GAPS (Gut and Psychology) Practitioner (CGP). She has co-developed practitioner training programs, directed functional medicine curricula, and guided hundreds of clients through personalized nutrition and lifestyle strategies that align with the body’s innate intelligence.

Courtney’s own health journey inspired her mission: she refused to accept standard drug-based solutions and instead discovered how to access the body’s built-in capacity for healing. She now shares that knowledge with others, blending clinical expertise with compassionate guidance. Her work centers on empowering people to understand their lab markers, make informed choices, and adopt therapeutic diets and practices that lead to long-term health sovereignty.

She is also an educator and author of Systems That Heal, committed to training the next generation of practitioners in functional and lifestyle medicine.