I am so excited to bring you this week’s guest, Melissa Schreibfeder, RN, a seasoned registered nurse, board-certified functional medicine practitioner, and founder of the Functional Nurse Academy. Melissa has spent years helping people look beyond symptom management to uncover the root causes of chronic illness. She is also training nurses across the country to use their clinical experience to make functional medicine care more accessible.

This episode is deeply personal for both of us. After the birth of her first child, Melissa developed severe postpartum thyroiditis and was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s. Her thyroid antibodies were in the thousands, yet she was told to take a pill and accept that there was nothing else she could do. It took three years—and visits with numerous practitioners—before chronic Lyme disease and mold-related illness were recognized as the root causes behind her debilitating fatigue.

Melissa’s recovery changed the direction of her career. She realized the nursing profession could play a much larger role in helping people identify early dysfunction, understand lab results, and collaborate with medical teams before warning signs turn into full-blown disease. If you are struggling with symptoms that have been dismissed, or if you are a nurse wondering whether there is another way to use your training, I made this episode for you.

What I Cover in This Episode

When “You’re Fine” Does Not Match How You Feel

Before her first pregnancy, Melissa had symptoms that were frustrating but manageable. After giving birth, her health deteriorated dramatically. Her conventional care focused on replacing thyroid hormone, but it did not answer the larger question: Why was her immune system attacking her thyroid in the first place? The lesson here is that persistent symptoms deserve a deeper investigation. A lab result inside a conventional reference range does not automatically mean every system in your body is functioning optimally.

The Overlooked Relationship Between Lyme, Mold, and Immune Dysfunction

Lyme disease and mold-related illness can create a complicated, overlapping picture. Melissa never had the classic bullseye rash, and her standard Lyme test was negative, yet her symptoms pointed toward a severe infection burden. When the immune system is under strain, environmental exposures like mold can become much more difficult to tolerate. I often describe this as a cup that gradually fills with infections, toxins, stress, and food sensitivities until it overflows. Melissa lived through this firsthand, but her story proves that the body can become resilient again when the total burden is reduced.

What a Functional Nurse Can—and Cannot—Do

Melissa provides a clear explanation of the different roles nurses can play in functional medicine. While registered nurses do not independently diagnose or treat medical conditions, their scope in education, health promotion, and patient advocacy is incredibly powerful. A functional nurse can help you access comprehensive laboratory testing, explain optimal versus conventional ranges, identify patterns in your lifestyle, and communicate concerns to your primary care provider. It is an expansion of your care team that closes an enormous gap for those who cannot easily access a functional medicine physician.

Why Nurses Are Uniquely Positioned to Change Chronic Care

Nurses are often the people who spend the most time listening to patients and translating complex medical information into practical next steps. During the pandemic, Melissa began teaching other nurses how to build functional medicine careers. What started as a small mentorship became the Functional Nurse Academy, which has now trained hundreds of nurses across the country. Her programs teach functional medicine concepts and the legal boundaries that keep nurses practicing ethically. Health promotion belongs upstream, and nurses are perfectly suited to deliver it.

Three Foundations for Taking Back Your Health

Melissa shares three practical ways to begin taking back your health. First, she emphasizes faith, purpose, and spiritual connection for those who want that included in their healing journey. Second, she returns to nutrition—whole, nutrient-dense foods give the body the raw materials it needs for immune regulation and repair. Third, she focuses on managing the stress response. Living in constant fight-or-flight affects immune function and intestinal permeability. Start by making one sustainable change and pay attention to how your body responds.

About Melissa Schreibfeder

Melissa Schreibfeder, RN, is a registered nurse, approved provider of continuing nursing education, board-certified functional medicine practitioner, and founder of the Functional Nurse Academy. After navigating Hashimoto’s, chronic Lyme disease, mold-related illness, and chronic fatigue, she built a functional medicine practice focused on root-cause education and health promotion. She later established the Functional Nurse Academy to help nurses apply functional medicine principles within their legal scope of practice. She also founded the Christian Functional Medicine Academy for other healthcare professionals and certified health and wellness coaches.

Resources mentioned:

• LymeStop Clinic: https://lymestop.com/
• Vibrant America Lyme testing: https://www.vibrant-america.com/
• Ozone therapy (receive 10% off with this link)
• The Autoimmune Solution™

Connect with Dr. Myers:

• Website: https://www.dramymyers.com/
• Dr. Myers’ Inner Circle: https://www.drmyersinnercircle.com/
• Dr. Myers’ Newsletter: https://dramymyers.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dramymyers
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dramymyers

Connect with Melissa Schreibfeder:

• Functional Nurse Academy: https://functionalnurseacademy.com/
• Christian Functional Medicine Academy: https://www.christianfma.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/functionalnurseacademy/
• The Functional Nurse Academy Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2595479
•  YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@FunctionalNurseAcademy

Episode Timestamps

• 00:00 Melissa’s Lyme Recovery and the End of Chronic Fatigue
• 01:04 Meet Melissa Schreibfeder
• 02:13 The Scope of Functional Nursing
• 03:13 Hashimoto’s, Postpartum Thyroiditis, and Debilitating Fatigue
• 06:23 Why Lyme Was Missed
• 08:24 The Treatment That Changed Melissa’s Recovery
• 12:39 Ozone, Herxheimer Reactions, and the Healing Timeline
• 15:01 How Illness Changed Melissa’s Nursing Career
• 18:34 The Gap Between Research and Standard Care
• 20:19 Building the Functional Nurse Academy
• 23:53 What Nurses Can Do in Functional Medicine
• 25:14 Lab Testing, Education, and Medical Collaboration
• 27:50 Early Warning Signs and Prevention
• 33:43 Mold Exposure and Recovery Plateaus
• 35:20 Lyme, Mold, and Overlapping Symptoms
• 39:45 Chemical Sensitivities and Rebuilding Resilience
• 42:42 Three Ways to Take Back Your Health
• 44:09 Faith, Purpose, and the Mind-Body-Spirit Connection
• 47:10 Melissa’s Practice and Practitioner Directory
• 48:08 Where to Find Melissa and Her Academies