HealthHealth Conditions

What Is Functional Medicine? Here’s Why It’s Worth a Deeper Look

By focusing on a person's specific bio-individuality and health, functional medicine develops treatment plans with a holistic approach.

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Published Mar 30, 2022

Written by 

Isadora Baum

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Functional medicine is a form of care that addresses underlying bodily dysfunctions and health conditions with holistic treatments, such as diet and lifestyle adjustments, as opposed to conventional methods, like the use of medication as prescribed by your doctor.

Experts in This Article

Will Cole

leading functional medicine specialist

Functional medicine recognizes that everyone’s biochemistry is unique, and that symptoms of disease may manifest differently for different people. As a practice, the care extends beyond the physical to address both mental and emotional well-being. Is functional medicine legitimate? Experts say it fuses several therapies with a holistic approach as a effective form of health care.

When comparing functional medicine to conventional medicine, you might see that the former is a well-rounded approach.

Here’s more about functional medicine as an alternative treatment method, including when it might be advantageous to explore your options with your doctor.

What Is Functional Medicine?

By focusing on a person’s specific bio-individuality and health, functional medicine develops treatment plans—which might include supplements, along with other natural therapies and dietary protocols—to improve illness and better manage symptoms as well as increase health and happiness.

“For example, if someone has chronically high cortisol levels (the body’s main stress hormone) we’d focus on incorporating meditation, breathwork, and other mindfulness practices in order to alleviate stress and bring down cortisol levels,” says leading functional medicine specialist Will Cole, IFMCP, DNM, DC, and author of Ketotarian, The Inflammation Spectrum, and Intuitive Fasting ($66).

“Or if someone is dealing with gut dysfunction, we would incorporate more bone broth, probiotics, and other gut-healing food medicines,” says Dr. Cole. Functional medicine is commonly used with patients requiring treatment for three health conditions: gut disorders, autoimmune disorders, and hormonal imbalances.

For treatment of gut disorders: “I see this a lot with patients, as ultimately, microbiome imbalances and gut barrier permeability, which may result due to an unhealthy diet, toxin exposure and stress, can lead to a cascade of chronic inflammation in the body,” says Dr. Cole. And chronic inflammation is a root and underlying cause of many health conditions and diseases, too.

Plus, understanding that gut complications and chronic inflammation are to blame can be tricky, especially if the symptoms aren’t in line with more typical warning signals. “While some people can have typical symptoms of digestive distress, like constipation or bloating, for others their symptoms manifest through autoimmunity and other problems,” Dr. Cole explains.

For treatment of autoimmune disorders: In some cases, the immune system has to destroy a significant amount of tissue, such as tissue found in the brain, gut, or thyroid, in order to receive an official diagnosis for an autoimmune disorder.

“For example, there has to be 90 percent destruction of the adrenal glands to be diagnosed with Addison’s disease (a disorder in which the adrenal glands don’t produce enough hormones), and there also has to be severe destruction of the neurological and digestive systems in order to receive a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and celiac disease, respectively,” Dr. Cole explains.

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These disorders don’t happen overnight and you can be on the low end, with some reactivity, in the middle, with significant symptoms, but are still unable to be conventionally diagnosable, or at the end stage. Functional medicine works to prevent hitting that final stage, where such a root cause is diagnosable prior and lifestyle and dietary tweaks can mitigate symptoms and offer relief a lot sooner (as well as prevent future damage).

Autoimmune diseases present themselves most visibly as being the end stage of inflammation, which Dr. Cole writes about extensively in his book, The Inflammation Spectrum ($17), if you’re interested in exploring how functional medicine can address autoimmune disease and other kinds of gut health disorders.

For treatment of hormonal imbalances: Your hormones are the chemical messengers of your body, and they send specific instructions to every organ, to affect various factors, like your mood, energy levels, weight, digestion and appetite suppression and more.

“Hormone imbalance again is often tied to chronic inflammation triggered by stress, toxin exposure, or gut dysfunction and when your hormones are out of whack it can translate into a variety of health problems, since they control so many areas of your health,” says Dr. Cole .

How Functional Medicine Is Used as a Treatment or Therapy

In order to address your symptoms and identify the root cause, a functional medicine physician would require testing and request a lab report to look at the patient’s hormone levels, inflammation levels, nutrient deficiencies and microbiome imbalances, in order to get a full picture of what’s happening beneath the surface, as part of a holistic approach. Then, they’d look at the patient’s lifestyle and habits, by having them fill out dietary questionnaires, stress assessments, and other means of evaluation to see which factors might be contributing to their health problems.

“By putting all of this data together we are then able to tailor a plan that includes natural supplements, dietary protocols—eliminating some foods, focusing on others—and other lifestyle adjustments to best address poor sleep, toxin exposure and stress levels,” says Dr. Cole.

“Ultimately, we see poor health as a collective result of little changes that have built up over time, which can be put into remission by ‘working backwards,’ replacing anything that is missing and getting rid of anything that might be triggering symptoms,” he says.

Again, a person’s specific biochemistry will determine which dietary and lifestyle changes or natural supplements they’d most benefit from. “Our goal with functional medicine is to facilitate the body’s own ability to heal and restore, which can lead doctors to either eliminate medication entirely or gradually decrease dosage,” Dr. Cole explains.

Functional Medicine vs. Conventional Medicine

According to Dr Cole, conventional medicine “aims to manage symptoms through medication rather than address the root cause of why someone is experiencing symptoms in the first place, and it often ends up as a band-aid for many individuals without any real healing or resolution.” Now, that’s not to say medication or surgery is never the answer. In fact, there are many times when one or both are necessary for reducing symptoms and fixing the underlying cause of an illness.

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“However, functional medicine aims to choose the option that has the least amount of side effects and that more often happens to be diet, natural supplements, and lifestyle changes, with common health problems that benefit from its use being autoimmune conditions, hormone imbalances, and gut dysfunction,” says Dr. Cole.

Functional medicine is not meant to take the place of conventional medicine. “For example, if you are struggling with a bacterial infection you might need to take an antibiotic,” says Dr. Cole.

“Another example for utilizing conventional medicine would be in cases where surgery is necessary, such as removing a tumor,” says Dr. Cole. Utilizing both functional medicine and conventional medicine might be the best solution in some cases, but it’s important to listen to your doctor in order to make an informed health-care choice

Functional Medicine Benefits

While there are many benefits to functional medicine, the top three include safety and fewer incidence of adverse side effects, preventative benefits in exacerbating health conditions and symptoms for the future, and its credibility as being evidence-based, based on the availability of research to back up claims and support its use, as a natural therapy with a holistic approach.

Safety and fewer incidence of side effects: “Treatments have mild or no side effects, and other unrelated complaints often improve, whereas medication can have a long list of side effects,” says Dr. Cole. “And since we are focusing on natural remedies, based on scientific lab work, there aren’t ever really the same type of side effects that are found with medication,” Dr. Cole explains.

If there are any side effects, they are mostly mild and often have to do with the body’s natural healing process. “For example, if you’ve ever cut out caffeine cold turkey, you might experience headaches until your body gets used to not having caffeine anymore,” says Dr. Cole. The same goes for a lot of things in functional medicine, where you might experience some “detox-like” withdrawal symptoms.

According to Dr. Cole, these side effects might pop up initially, as you cut out certain foods or introduce natural supplements into your diet and lifestyle to effectively target negative bacteria in the gut and both prevent and reduce yeast overgrowth and GI discomfort or any other related symptoms.

Preventative measures for long-term benefits: By making long-term, sustainable changes, functional medicine is able to prevent future body dysfunction and prevalence of symptoms, whereas conventional medicine aims to intervene only after your health has already been affected and worsened. And so, you’re now in need of medication to fix the damage.

“Ultimately, no one wakes up with a chronic disease overnight, and you are always either trending toward sickness or health,” says Dr. Cole. “Most people wouldn’t argue that eating pounds of sugar everyday is going to lead to cardiovascular problems and diabetes and that eating vegetables is going to minimize your risk for these problems, and this is what we are aiming for when using functional medicine,” Dr. Cole continues.

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You learn how to make the healthiest choices, based on your individual needs, on a consistent basis, to promote greater health and disease prevention, holistically and for the future.

It’s evidence-based with lots of available research. “Even though functional medicine can get a bad reputation for not following the science, it is actually based on the latest research from peer-reviewed medical journals, alongside the latest in diagnostic testing, which is also used by conventional medicine,” says Dr. Cole. However, in conventional medicine, results are viewed through a narrower reference range in order to understand results and get answers for patients.

The Best Supplements, According to a Functional Medicine Doctor

“I believe food is foundational, but when you are trying to correct imbalances and deficiencies, supplements can be a great tool to jump-start your healing,” says Dr. Cole. The best supplements Dr. Cole advises use of include magnesium, curcumin, vitamin D, as well as probiotics to benefit the gut and promote healthy gut flora and bacteria in the body and digestive system.

Magnesium: More than 50 to 90 percent of people are deficient, according to research. Taking it daily can help with sleep regulation and cognitive function, as well as muscle recovery and ease. That’s why many people use magnesium salts, or Epsom salts, when taking a bath, as it soothes sore muscles and promotes a faster, smoother recovery when used after an intense exercise, too.

Curcumin: “Since inflammation has been linked to so many different health problems, curcumin, which is the main compound found in turmeric, has been shown to be beneficial in supporting healthy inflammation levels,” says Dr. Cole.

Vitamins D: “A fat-soluble vitamin, vitamin D actually acts more like a hormone than a vitamin, by regulating hundreds of uber-important pathways in your body, and most people don’t get enough vitamin D through sun exposure or by eating enough in their diets,” says Dr. Cole.

You can pair it with Vitamin K for more health benefits, especially in relation to keeping your heart and circulatory system strong, as well as for optimal bone health and immunity, too.

Probiotics: “Since the gut is the foundation of your health, it’s important to support a healthy balance of bacteria in your microbiome through probiotics,” says Dr. Cole. You can reap the benefits of probiotics through diet, with staples like sourdough, Greek or skyr yogurt, kimchi and kombucha, as well as get in additional sources through supplementation, such as with probiotic capsules or beverages.

When looking to buy a supplement, transparency is key, and reputable brands should list information about their sourcing and testing protocols on their website. If they don’t share information about their ingredients and products, purity and testing regimen, and their manufacturing process, that’s a red flag.

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‘It’s Amazing How It’s All Connected.’ Here’s How Trauma Can Affect Your Pelvic Floor

Trauma and your pelvic floor are connected. Here's how trauma affects your pelvic floor, according to health experts.

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Photo: Stocksy/Marija Savic
Published Feb 2, 2025

Written by 

Heather Mayer Irvine

Content warning: This story contains references to suicide and physical and emotional trauma, which may be upsetting or triggering for some readers.

Experts in This Article

Alexandra T. Milspaw

an international consultant and educator for chronic pelvic and sexual pain

Lauren Garges

a women’s clinical specialist and the director of the pelvic health rehab program at St. Lukes University Health Network

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The only thing that stopped Zoe* from taking her own life was the love she had for her two children. But the indescribable chronic pain she was experiencing was all-encompassing. And none of her doctors—nearly a dozen—knew what was wrong. Worse, perhaps, they wrote her off, condescended her, passed her around from physician to physician. “They washed their hands of me,” Zoe, now 48, tells Well+Good.

After a year of medication and doctor visits and dismissed cries for help, for what was first suspected (never confirmed) to be a urinary tract infection that morphed into excruciating pelvic pain, Zoe found herself speaking with a pelvic floor physical therapist. She was diagnosed with a hypertonic—tight, overactive—pelvic floor. Now, the healing and treatment could begin.

What is the pelvic floor?

The pelvic floor is made of important muscles and tissues that hold pelvic organs, including the bladder, bowel, and uterus. Lauren Garges, PT, DPT, a women’s clinical specialist and the director of the pelvic health rehab program at St. Lukes University Health Network, likens the pelvic floor to a hammock of muscles. And, like the muscles in your neck, legs, or back, they can be too weak or too tight. But when a person experiences trauma, acute or over an extended period of time, it can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction, explains Garges.

Pelvic floor dysfunction is an umbrella term that refers to a host of issues, including urinary incontinence, pain during intercourse, constipation, and urinary frequency and urgency, Garges says. If left untreated, pelvic floor dysfunction can lead to chronic conditions, including back and hip pain. It can be hard to diagnose at this point because the root of the problem, in the pelvic floor, presents itself in the hip and back.

How trauma can affect the pelvic floor

Not only does the pelvic floor hold numerous organs, but it’s also where the vagal nerves are rooted. These nerves are part of the autonomic nervous system, which controls digestion, heart rate, and immune system, explains Alexandra T. Milspaw, PhD, an international consultant and educator for chronic pelvic and sexual pain.

The human fight-or-flight response to stress is linked to the autonomic nervous system, which means it’s impossible for a person to experience fight-or-flight without the pelvic floor tightening, Milspaw says.

Garges, who frequently refers her physical therapy clients to mental health professionals, says that trauma is incredibly individualized and subjective. Giving birth, for example, falls into the realm of trauma.

“Birth trauma would be the physical things that need to heal—torn muscles, stitches, nerve damage,” Garges says. “Some people recover quickly, in three to six months, but for others, it can persist for much longer, and that’s when you should see someone who can treat it.” Birth trauma can also be emotional, if, say, a woman’s healthcare team didn’t listen to her wishes, or the labor and delivery were traumatic.

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Garges also treats patients who have suffered from sexual assault or abuse, and she describes vaginismus, a type of dysfunction, as a protective mechanism—the body is literally closing itself off. (This can happen after other forms of trauma, too.)

But not all trauma, Garges explains, has to be physical for the pelvic floor to experience distress. “Emotional trauma presents physically in the body, tightness in the muscles,” she says, reiterating that the pelvic floor is made up of muscles. Someone who’s stressed or anxious might have tension in their shoulders and neck, others in their pelvic floor muscles.

Physical tension and stress create a cycle of inflammation that isn’t typically visible on imaging or through bloodwork, Milspaw says, which can make diagnosing these complaints and concerns incredibly challenging. “Anxiety or stress or a head injury can lead to a tight pelvic floor, which can cause [gastrointestinal] upset, which creates inflammation, which can be felt in the brain, and then we’re trapped in this cycle until we can turn off the switch at both ends at the same time,” Milspaw explains.

Eventually, Zoe started working with a pelvic floor physical therapist, who told her, “Your brain has learned this pattern [of pain],” Zoe recalls. “It goes far beyond the acute symptoms, which have resolved. Now your neurons are remembering this pain pattern.”

So in addition to pelvic floor physical therapy, which includes manual therapy, exercises, and breathing techniques, Zoe started seeing Milspaw for counseling. She says although she was surprised at the connection between mental health and pelvic floor dysfunction, “ultimately it made sense. If your nervous system is in constant fight-or-flight mode, it’s bound to have physical effects.”

What happens if trauma goes unchecked

The body is designed to protect itself, sometimes at all costs. This became apparent to Dianna B., 55, when she found herself begrudgingly speaking to a therapist at the request of her husband who was seeing a sex therapist. The couple, who had four children, had stopped having sex when Dianna was 43 and her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer.

On top of that, Dianna had a traumatic second birth, one that required 75 internal stitches. For years, she experienced unidentified pain near her where her stitches had been and bathroom accidents—bowel movement and incontinence. She was sure she had an anal fissure (tests showed she didn’t). “I sat there crossing my arms, saying, ‘I don’t have a mental health issue. I have a physical issue,” Dianna recalls.

Eventually, Dianna started to open up. She recalled being held down by her legs when she was 10 years old while doctors took bone marrow from her hips to give to her older sister who had leukemia. “She was going to die unless she got a bone marrow transplant,” Dianna tells Well+Good. “I was her donor.”

These repressed memories, Dianna says, came flooding back during therapy, and she started to see the correlation: She held trauma in her legs from her childhood and was retraumatized during her second delivery as an adult. “It’s amazing how it’s all connected.”

Milspaw, who has been working with Dianna for years, explains that if a person experiences intense stress, anxiety, or depression for a period of just 10 days, the hardware of the brain starts to change. For example, a 2021 study1 published in Translational Psychiatry, found that trauma exposure during childhood could contribute to structural changes in the developing brain. “It can shrink and deteriorate,” Milspaw says. “This hardware is specifically related to emotional regulation, memory, executive function, and communication.”

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Milspaw says this trauma is cumulative, that “the body keeps score.” She explains that people assume if there is pelvic or sexual pain, it has to be related to sex-related trauma, but that’s just not true. “People forget the nervous system is one whole system,” she says. “The pelvis is the center of the wheel.”

“People forget the nervous system is one whole system. The pelvis is the center of the wheel.” —Alexandra T. Milspaw, PhD

What to do if you have trauma that’s affected your pelvic floor

Once people know where to turn, trauma to your pelvic floor is treatable. But there are more than a few barriers to treatment, Milspaw says. “People don’t want to touch pelvic pain with a 10-foot pole,” she says. “There is a lot going on in the pelvis, and no one wants to be responsible for it.” The example she gives is the reality Zoe faced: See a gynecologist who sends you to a urologist, who passes you to a gastroenterologist, who kicks you back to a urologist.

Part of this problem, Milspaw says, is that most healthcare professionals are not trained in pelvic health. Another part of the problem is the taboo around sexual health and pelvic pain. People, especially women, do not want to discuss their concerns—Zoe and Dianna are examples of how even when they did try to seek help, they were treated like petulant children with no obvious illness or problem. “The shame piece is huge,” Milspaw says. “You can’t talk about how your vagina hurts as easily as you can talk about how your head hurts.”

Some women think what they’re experiencing is normal because they don’t know anything else. Milspaw gives an example of a high school girl who had incredibly heavy periods—soaking through five pads an hour. She was told, “It’s your period. Get over it.”

Savannah T., 25, suspected what she was experiencing was not normal. She was diagnosed with endometriosis in her late teens and has been through a pharmacy full of medications to manage her symptoms, including debilitating pain. Savannah, a nurse, slipped into a deep depression in 2021 because of her worsening health and working in the COVID-19 intensive care unit. She had to take a leave of absence.

She searched for a pelvic floor physical therapist—something not many people know to do. “My pelvic floor physical therapist educated me on what the floor is and what it does. She validated all of the symptoms I was having,” Savannah tells Well+Good.

Pelvic floor physical therapists provide treatment that can be a mix of exercises, stretches, breathing techniques, and manual tissue release. “When it comes to manual therapy, we have to be mindful of that trauma and maintain an alliance with the patient,” Garges says, noting that a physical therapist will follow a patient’s lead, and hands-on work might not happen for weeks or months.

Garges will prescribe yoga stretches that focus on the lower back to relieve tension, and pelvic exercises like lunges, squats, and hip work. Garges and Milspaw guide their patients through breathing techniques as well.

Milspaw teaches her clients a variety of tools, including emotional freedom techniques—a type of tapping that can assist with anxiety relief—bilateral stimulation music2 to help balance brain activity between the two hemispheres, and pendulation, which can help regulate the nervous system by alternating, or pendulating, between feelings of safety and discomfort.

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Once Milspaw establishes balance and a feeling of safety in her clients, then more traditional forms of therapy, including talk therapy, she says, are more effective.

Savannah didn’t realize how much her depression, stress, and anxiety connected straight to her pelvic floor. Whenever she had feelings of distress, they could be directly correlated to an increase in her pelvic symptoms. “With the combination of pelvic floor physical therapy and working with Dr. Milspaw, I’ve seen a huge difference,” Savannah says. She still takes medications for her endometriosis, but she knows what her life looks like without her physical and mental therapies. It’s dark.

There are brighter days ahead for Savannah, Zoe, and Dianna. They encourage others to advocate for themselves, even if a doctor—or doctors—is dismissive. They knew something wasn’t right and wouldn’t quit until someone took them seriously. “It’s been a journey,” Zoe says. “I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve rebuilt myself from the ground up, from the floor up.”

Dianna, who resented her husband for insisting she see a therapist because they weren’t having sex, now says it was the best gift he could have given her. They’re not quite on the same page yet, but Dianna says there’s hope. “That’s what I’m striving for.”

*Names have been changed, where indicated, to protect privacy.

  1. Jeong, H.J., Durham, E.L., Moore, T.M. et al. The association between latent trauma and brain structure in children. Transl Psychiatry 11, 240 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01357-z

    ↩︎

  2. Amano T, Toichi M. The Role of Alternating Bilateral Stimulation in Establishing Positive Cognition in EMDR Therapy: A Multi-Channel Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study. PLoS One. 2016 Oct 12;11(10):e0162735. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162735. PMID: 27732592; PMCID: PMC5061320.

    ↩︎

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How a Yoga Practice Helped Me Navigate My Relationship With Alcohol During Dry January

Read one writer's experience with how yoga helped them navigate their relationship with alcohol during Dry January.

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Photo: Stocksy/Jayme Burrows
Published Jan 31, 2025

Written by 

Colleen McNally Arnett

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Whether unwinding after a long day with a cocktail, toasting a celebratory moment with bubbly, or sharing a bottle with friends over dinner, alcoholic beverages—when enjoyed responsibly in moderation—have long been a one of my favorite rituals for bringing people together and feeling present in the moment.

Experts in This Article

Courtney Scott

medical director of Momentous Recovery Group

Rosalie Kennedy

a yoga instructor and director of marketing at Athletic Brewing Company

Rostislav Ignatov

chief medical officer at The Haven Detox and a board-certified expert in general psychiatry and addiction medicine

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But the soaring popularity of the sober-curious movement in the past decade, however, has led more people—myself included—to reevaluate the role alcohol plays in our lives and our health.

Trends like Dry January encourage people to reimagine how they drink and navigate their social lives. And with new health guidelines in the U.S. warning that even moderate alcohol consumption is linked to an increased risk of cancer, staying dry—or at least damp—beyond January is becoming increasingly common.

Still, like breaking any habit, going dry can be challenging at first. Even with the rise of delicious, zero-proof beverages becoming more easily available, cutting back on up booze requires strong mental stamina, clear intention setting, and a community support system.

Enter: yoga. While the Western world most commonly associates yoga with exercise, the ancient practice is so much more than physical postures. As the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health teaches, in accordance with the Bhagavad Gita, “yoga is skillfulness in action—a reference to a yogi’s capacity to act dynamically in ways that reliably produce positive life results.” Another definition drawn from the Yoga Sutra teaches that “yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind, a reference to a yogi’s capacity to see life and reality as it is, without the filters of fears, fantasies or other distortions.”

Considering alcohol can color our reality, a yoga practice can be a helpful tool for those learning to navigate a sober-curious life.

The benefits of taking a break from alcohol (during any time of the year)

“Alcohol is a depressant, and even moderate drinking can contribute to anxiety, low mood, or mental fog,” says Rostislav Ignatov, MD, chief medical officer at The Haven Detox and a board-certified expert in general psychiatry and addiction medicine. “When you stop drinking, your brain starts to balance itself, and many people feel more focused, emotionally stable, and even happier. It’s like lifting a weight off your shoulders.”

According to Dr. Ignatov, one of the first things many people notice when taking a break from alcohol is better sleep. “Alcohol might help you fall asleep, but it actually disrupts deep, restful sleep, leaving you tired the next day,” he explains. “Without it, your sleep cycles improve, and you wake up feeling more refreshed and energized.”

Physically, you’ll likely see changes over time, too. “Your liver gets a much-needed break, which can lower inflammation and help your body work more efficiently,” Dr. Ignatov adds. “People often notice reduced bloating, better digestion, and even healthier skin. If you’ve been dealing with high blood pressure or sluggish energy levels, you might see improvements there as well.”

How a yoga practice can help you navigate your relationship with alcohol

For Rosalie Kennedy, a yoga instructor and director of marketing at Athletic Brewing Company, a non-alcoholic beer company, opting for a non-alcoholic beer instead of booze allows her to be social and enjoy whatever the occasion might be without the typical next-day pitfalls of alcohol consumption. “I can give 100 percent to the next activity whether that’s yoga, work, or taking care of my family,” says Kennedy.

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After casually practicing yoga for 15 years, Kennedy opted to pursue her 200-RYT certification in 2023. As a result, she says she has not only elevated her understanding of her body and mental health, but has improved her overall quality of life. “Now, I can bring that mindfulness into other facets of my life, like alcohol consumption,” Kennedy says. “I’ve noticed that I’m more aware of how my body reacts to alcohol, how I’m enjoying the taste, or whether I even want to consume alcohol at a given moment.”

On a biological level, one of the best things yoga does is reduce stress, which in turn, can reduce the likelihood of wanting to drink alcohol. “Yoga relaxes the nervous system and lowers cortisol—the stress hormone,” says Courtney Scott, MD, medical director of Momentous Recovery Group.

Dr. Scott points out that when we’re less stressed, we’re less likely to rely on alcoholic substances as coping mechanisms for life challenges. “Cravings often come when you’re feeling overwhelmed or anxious, and yoga helps calm your mind and body,” Dr. Ignatov adds. By focusing on your breath and movement, you can activate your body’s parasympathetic nervous system (PNS)— also known as the body’s relaxation response—a network of nerves that helps the body relax and digest food. Simply put, this state makes it easier to handle stress without reaching for a drink.

“Yoga also teaches mindfulness, which is all about staying present in the moment,” says Dr. Ignatov “When a craving shows up, yoga helps you pause and acknowledge it without reacting right away. That moment of pause can be all you need to choose a healthier way to cope, like taking a walk or calling a friend.”

A yoga practice helps individuals to understand themselves better physically and emotionally, explains Dr. Scott. “This enables them to be mindful about what triggers their emotions hence evading an urge for alcohol.” From my own personal experience, I know that if I have more than a couple of drinks in the evening, I will feel the effects when I show up on my yoga mat the next day.

The bottom line

For those who are re-evaluating their relationship with alcohol and are interested in deepening their yoga practice, Kennedy advises to focus on what makes you feel good.

“Yoga is for you, not anyone else,” Kennedy says. “You’re always allowed to modify a posture to suit your preferences, and alcohol consumption should be no different. I recommend checking in with yourself during a night out or a social occasion where alcohol might be involved. Ask yourself, ‘Does this feel good?’ If not, what adjustments do you want to make in the moment?”

Reaping the benefits of yoga, however, will require a consistent practice. “Whatever chemicals make you feel good, such as endorphins, will naturally rise when you become used to practicing yoga every day, which provides a safe, alternative mood-booster compared to a temporary alcohol high,” says Dr. Scott. “Consistent training brings about an enduring feeling of joy and stability in one’s life.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or go to FindTreatment.gov for resources and treatment options.

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