Healing the Whole You: Functional Medicine for Anxiety, Depression & Burnout
We live in a fast-paced, sometimes chaotic world. We see many clients in San Francisco who struggle with chronic anxiety, depletion, or feelings of being trapped in a cycle of burnout. If you’re nodding your head right now, know that you're not broken and you are not alone. So many people feel exactly the same way, and are wondering if there’s another way to live.
At Nova Wellness, a provider of functional medicine in San Francisco, we approach mental health differently. We see symptoms like anxiety, depression, and fatigue not as isolated problems, but as signals from the body calling for deeper healing.
Functional medicine doesn’t simply ask, “How do we stop this symptom?” It asks, “Why is this happening in the first place?” Then it builds a personalized roadmap to support your body, mind, and spirit back into balance.
This topic is a personal one for me because I went to therapy for years and couldn't improve. It wasn't until I got my thyroid diagnosed and started treating it that the therapy started working! You can only get so far with basic labs and psychotherapy. If the body isn't supported, there isn't any substance to support the healing and you can feel you are going in circles or getting nowhere with therapy. Unfortunately, so many people are gas-lit or said they are “just stressed”.
I am deeply passionate about supporting people who are putting in the effort but not getting improvements because the physical support isn't there. I hope this article will help provide some tactical examples to help you jump start your healing! As always, we are here for you. Book a Discovery Call to go deeper and get the support you need with a medical team that gets it.
Understanding Functional Medicine
Functional medicine is an integrative, science-based approach to healthcare that focuses on identifying and addressing the root causes of chronic illness. Instead of treating symptoms in isolation, functional medicine looks at the body as an interconnected system.
Mental health struggles like anxiety or depression rarely arise from one cause. They may stem from hormonal imbalances, inflammation, gut dysfunction, poor sleep, nutrient deficiencies, or chronic stress - and often a combination of these factors.
A functional medicine doctor in San Francisco will investigate your full health picture, using advanced lab testing and detailed health histories to understand what’s driving your symptoms.
The Rise of Mental Health Issues
Anxiety and Its Impact on Daily Life
Anxiety can be overwhelming: racing thoughts, tight chest, poor sleep, digestive issues, and a sense that something bad is just around the corner. While therapy and medication have a place, functional medicine asks why your nervous system is so activated in the first place.
Is your blood sugar crashing and sending stress signals?
Are your adrenals overstimulated from years of high-stress living?
Is your gut producing more inflammatory chemicals than calming neurotransmitters?
These are the types of questions we explore at Nova Wellness.
Understanding Depression
Depression is more than low mood. It can look like brain fog, fatigue, disconnection, low libido, apathy, and even chronic pain. Many of our patients have been told they’re "fine" or "just stressed", but they are struggling in the dark.
In functional medicine, we investigate potential contributors such as:
Nutrient deficiencies (B12, folate, magnesium, omega-3s)
Thyroid or sex hormone imbalances
Gut microbiome disturbances
Inflammation affecting the brain
Past trauma stored in the nervous system
Our approach isn’t to dismiss your emotions, it’s to support your biology so your mind has the foundation it needs to heal.
The Burnout Epidemic
Burnout is more than feeling tired, it’s feeling beyond capacity. You may feel emotionally flat, physically drained, and mentally foggy. Your motivation and creativity vanish. Even small tasks feel hard.
Burnout often stems from chronic dysregulation of the stress response, which in turn affects your adrenal glands, sleep, digestion, immune system, and mood.
Many times people think burnout is something they just have to push through. They may blame themselves and think that if they were just strong enough, they could keep going. But burnout isn't a mental weakness, it's a physiological state that deserves attention and care so you can return to functioning well in a new way - with habits that sustain you and nourish you in the long term.
Functional medicine offers a path out of burnout by treating your body as a system that can be rebalanced, not just patched up.
Root Causes of Mental Health Issues
The Role of Nutrition
Your brain runs on nutrients. Without them, it struggles to regulate mood and energy.
Common food-related contributors to mental health imbalances include:
Blood sugar instability, which can trigger anxiety and mood swings
Inflammatory foods and food intolerances, which affect the gut-brain axis
Nutrient depletion (low B12, folate, iron, or magnesium and inadequate protein)
Ultra-processed foods that disrupt brain chemistry
In our clinic, we use nutrient-dense nutrition plans tailored to your biology. Many of our clients experience a dramatic shift in mood and energy just by changing how they eat.
Lifestyle Factors
Modern life often disconnects us from what keeps us well such as sleep, movement, nature, meaningful connection, and rest.
We look at:
Sleep hygiene and circadian rhythm balance
Exercise (the right amount and type for your nervous system)
Digital overload and screen-induced anxiety
Boundaries in relationships and work-life balance
These lifestyle choices may seem simple, but they’re foundational for nervous system regulation and emotional resilience.
Environmental Influences
Toxins and environmental stressors can have a profound impact on mood and mental health. These may include:
Heavy metals like mercury or lead
Mold exposure, which is more common in San Francisco than you might think
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals in food packaging and personal care products
Functional medicine includes decreasing the intake of toxins and gentle detoxification protocols to support the liver, lymph, and cellular pathways involved in clearing toxins. This helps to relieve the burden on your brain and nervous system.
Treatment Approaches in Functional Medicine
Personalized Treatment Plans
We don’t believe in cookie-cutter protocols. At Nova Wellness, your care plan is built around your labs, lifestyle, history, and goals.
A treatment plan for anxiety, depression, or burnout might include:
Blood sugar stabilization strategies
Targeted supplements like magnesium, adaptogens, omega-3s
Hormone support if needed
Gentle detox and microbiome restoration
Mindfulness and somatic practices
Nervous system retraining
Integrative Therapies
Our approach blends modern science with traditional wisdom. In functional medicine, we recognize that mental health symptoms are often the result of a dysregulated nervous system trying to protect you. Your body isn’t betraying you, it’s communicating. We help you understand the language of your body.
Alongside nutritional and biomedical care, we may incorporate:
Herbal medicine to support mood and resilience
Acupuncture or bodywork referrals to support stress relief
Breathwork and mindfulness practices to calm the nervous system
Somatic and trauma-informed tools to support deeper emotional processing
Psychotherapy referrals to process emotions, trauma and to work on mindset
Success Stories and Testimonials
We’ve seen countless clients regain their sense of self through this work.
A client who came to us with panic attacks stopped experiencing these after improving her B12 and Vitamin D status, and stabilizing her blood sugar.
A young client with burnout - which showed up as fatigue, brain fog and chronic diarrhea - found a new level of vibrancy and energy after she healed her gut, supported her thyroid, and changed her pattern of overgiving.
A high level executive dealing with insomnia and anxiety started sleeping through the night and returned to work, once he supported his mitochondria, gut and adrenals with supplements and lifestyle changes.
Functional Medicine in San Francisco
Finding a Functional Medicine Doctor in San Francisco
San Francisco is home to a growing community of clients and practitioners seeking a more integrative and evidence-based approach to chronic health conditions, including mental health. A good functional medicine doctor in San Francisco will take the time to understand your story and help you make sense of the symptoms that others have overlooked.
How to Get Started
Your journey at Nova Wellness starts with a complimentary discovery call, followed by a comprehensive consultation where we dive deep into your health story, goals, and labs.
Developing Your Health Plan
Based on your needs, we’ll build a personalized plan that includes nutrition, lifestyle, supplementation, and mind-body support. We meet you where you are and walk alongside you as you heal.
Continuing Support
Healing is not linear. We offer ongoing support, adjustments to your plan, and compassionate partnership throughout your process. You don’t have to figure this out alone.
You deserve more than symptom management. You deserve to feel like yourself again.
At Nova Wellness, we’re here to help you heal: physically, mentally, and spiritually. If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or burnout and looking for functional medicine in San Francisco, we’d love to meet you!
✨ Book your complimentary discovery call and take the first step toward better mental health and purpose.
