Episode 59: From Conventional to Root-Cause Care with Nick Garver, PA-C

Podcast Drop Date: 5/28/2025

In this episode of Functional Medicine Foundations, host Amber Warren, PA-C, talks with Nick Garver, PA-C and Medical Director at Functional Medicine of Idaho. Nick shares his shift from conventional to functional medicine, inspired by a desire to treat root causes and improve whole-person health. He reflects on how this approach transformed his family’s well-being and offers simple, effective wellness habits, from daily intentions to a Mediterranean lifestyle. Nick also discusses work-life balance and encourages listeners to approach their health journey with curiosity and openness. Tune in for a thoughtful conversation on redefining care, building sustainable habits, and empowering lasting health.

Transcript:

Amber Warren, PA-C: Welcome to the Functional Medicine Foundations podcast, where we explore root cause medicine, engage in conversation with functional and integrative medicine experts, and build community with like minded health seekers. I'm your host, Amber Warren. Let's dig deeper.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Welcome back everybody. Thanks so much for joining us. We're here with Nick Garver. Nick Garver is a thoughtful and passionate physician assistant who brings deep clinical experience and a heart centered approach to his role as medical director at Functional Medicine of Idaho. A graduate of A.T. Still University, Nick is committed to helping patients achieve lasting wellness through root cause preventative care. After witnessing the limits of conventional medicine firsthand, Nick was drawn to a more holistic approach, one that focuses on understanding the whole person, not just managing symptoms. He now specializes in cardiometabolic health, men's health, and general wellness, guiding patients towards sustainable health and vitality. Known for his calm presence and ability to connect, Nick leads with compassion and curiosity outside the clinic. He enjoys life in Idaho with his wife and two young children, often outdoors fishing, golfing or making memories with his family. I love that. Welcome, Nick.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Thank you so much.

Amber Warren, PA-C: So, like. Oh go ahead. Sorry.

Nick Garver, PA-C: No, just an honor to be on here with you. I appreciate the invite.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Yeah. It's so, um, just kind of surreal to have you here, because I feel like I was just thinking back, even reading your bio, like, just. I felt like I'll just speak for my husband, Sam, for for years was, like, trying to recruit. Trying to recruit, like, just kept checking in. Kept checking in with you. How are you doing in the conventional world? When are you going to jump ship and come to the functional world, you know, and join all the fun? So it's so cool to have you here and to even just say, Medical Director of Functional Medicine of Idaho is so exciting.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Absolutely an honor and a privilege to be here. And, um, we've been following your journey for a lot of years, too. I know, um, when Rachel and I were going to PA school together, you were kind of just a little bit ahead of us.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Yeah. And I was down in Arizona as well.

Nick Garver, PA-C: And you were in Arizona. So yeah, definitely share some common experiences. And I know Rachel would check in with you from time to time and kind of get some

Amber Warren, PA-C: Mutual friends and

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah, absolutely. So lots of things in common. And yeah, I agree, life is it's very interesting the all the different twists and turns that it takes. But feeling very fortunate to be the medical director and to be on at FMI.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Yeah, I know it's been a wild, wild ride for you.

Nick Garver, PA-C: And it really has. Yeah. You too right?

Amber Warren, PA-C: I mean, yes, we don't have enough time to really talk about the wild ride for both of us. Um, but we'll just cut to what people actually want to hear in this podcast episode. So, um, let's just start back in the beginning just from, like, just general medicine. What inspired you to just get into the field of medicine? Because that's a calling in and of itself, right?

Nick Garver, PA-C: Absolutely. Um, so just a little bit about myself. I grew up in, um, rural western Colorado, grew up on a small farm, um, probably somewhat similar to Sam, a lot smaller, and kind of grew up eating out of the garden. And, um, mom was a Sunday school teacher, and my dad was a social worker and a, a farmer. And so I kind of grew up with animals. Right? And so kind of like branding cows and working with the different livestock and whatnot. And, uh, definitely grew up in a Christian home. And so just was kind of taught from a young age, you help your friends and your neighbors and your family. And so I always just thought of medicine as an extension of that, just another way to help my community and serve others. Serve others. Right. Yeah. And so, yeah, that's kind of how I got into it, essentially. Um, you know, interestingly enough, I took a very meandering approach to medicine. So like initially I went to Colorado State and I was I had I jumped into business school. It seemed like a great idea. And after a short while with that, I kind of realized that was not my path. And so I had to go back and do, um, kind of all my science prerequisites, um, and eventually ended up getting into PA school.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Awesome!

Nick Garver, PA-C: Which was a blessing and so spent some time in Arizona. Um, initially kind of did some private practice there afterwards. And then, um, essentially, I most of my career has been spent in public health.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Okay.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Right. So working at a federally qualified health center here in Boise, uh, primarily with homeless people and people who have really, really chaotic and challenging lives.

Amber Warren, PA-C: And you felt called to do that?

Nick Garver, PA-C: I did. I think that kind of stems from my upbringing, um, of just serving others. Um, I think kind of when the pandemic sort of hit, it was a really chaotic time for all of us. Right?

Amber Warren, PA-C: Yeah.

Nick Garver, PA-C: And so that was just a really intense, crazy few years. And I think at that point is when I started to really sort of realize the limitations of what we were doing in that setting. And that's not a knock or a diss against anybody, but just kind of had a hard idea seeing my career continue to unfold in that way. And so, uh, yeah, Sam had been keeping tabs on me, like you said. And I mean, truly, it was like, you know, getting close to making a decision to stay there or do something else. And, yeah, it was really just a just a God thing that you guys came into my life and kind of gave me this opportunity. And so it's. Yeah, really been a blessing.

Amber Warren, PA-C: So, so cool.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Do you ever miss I mean, I didn't work I didn't work necessarily with underserved when I was doing more of the conventional medicine. But I miss a little bit being like a beacon of light in a world where no one else was really talking your talk, right? You know, and I mean by that, I mean, like, you know, um, they didn't they didn't come to you in your conventional setting to hear about nutrition or sleep or stress management or holistic approach to their condition or diseases, right? Um, there are, if I'm being honest, there are some days I miss, like, being able to serve in that capacity, you know, because now we have clients that come to us. They want functional medicine. They're there for it. Do you ever. Do you ever. Does that make any sense? Do you ever miss that. Like absolutely being in that setting where you're like, oh, I'm, I'm kind of a diamond in the rough a little bit.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think most people I guess I'm just speaking for myself but get into medicine because like at some level it resonates with you that. Yeah, like diet and exercise, it's really cool. Like, yeah, even at a young age, you're like, that seems like to solve most people's. issues

Amber Warren, PA-C: Let's care for the body. Yeah.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah, exactly. And then you, you kind of get through, I mean, being a PA for me, like being able to prescribe medications for the very first time, you're kind of like, whoa, like, that's crazy. Like, I can actually send this person this medication and, like, help them control their blood pressure and this and that.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Totally.

Nick Garver, PA-C: And I think you lose track of that, right? Or at least I did. And I think the emphasis I swung too far in the wrong direction, frankly, and just it became, you know, prescribing way too many medications, you know. Um, and I think that really, you know, was probably one of the things that was creating some burnout or just some, you know, feelings like, hey, this this might not be the right thing because I really I did get into medicine initially to kind of help people with more holistic sort of, uh, approaches to their, to their problems. Um, but yeah, to your point, I think, um, you know, medicine is, um, very, very challenging. And I think it's even more challenging not giving people medications, frankly. Like, it's easy to mask these problems by just giving them a pill. And it's a lot harder in many ways to peel back those layers of the onion and figure out what exactly is driving this.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Yeah.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Um, but I think that's a very, uh, it's much more gratifying. It's much I think it's more aligned with kind of what I, I'm like, remembering. Oh, yeah. That's why I kind of got into this. Like, it's really, really gratifying when you can.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Like, kind of reignited your passion for medicine.

Nick Garver, PA-C: 100%. Yeah. I think, um, kind of serving in that capacity day in and day out and just the volume of prescriptions and not really seeing people get better or even feel better and maybe their a1c's improved or you got their, you know, you really dialed in the diuretics on a heart failure patient, which, which can be gratifying, right? But most of the time they didn't feel better.

Amber Warren, PA-C: You're not bringing true health.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah. Right. You're sort of just masking symptoms, essentially. And it's a very, very frustrating experience. Right. And so I think, yeah, just um, again, trying to address kind of the root cause of a lot of these issues is it can be much more challenging, but much more rewarding as well.

Amber Warren, PA-C: And gratifying yeah. I'm curious, as you like, continue to train because we're all it's this never ending educational piece that we're digging into, not only in medicine, but functional medicine brings a whole new dynamic. You're always learning.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Conferences, textbooks, articles from each other, working in colleagues and in the center. Like this. How has that helped your own health and your family's health and kind of the wellness journey?

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah. Great question. Um, I honestly, I can say that, like, I probably lost parts of my health during the pandemic and with just the approach to medicine, and I think getting involved in functional medicine has really inspired me in a lot of ways to just kind of take ownership of a lot more of that.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Yeah.

Nick Garver, PA-C: And yeah, I mean, it's it kind of trickles down from the parents to the kids, right? Like, if the parents are doing the wrong things, then it's pretty easy for the kids to be doing the wrong things. So yeah, I feel like our family's on a good journey currently as far as our health. And, uh, yeah, I definitely think just being involved in functional medicine, I think it's, you know, there's a there's a rawness to it, there's an authenticity to it. And I think, um, you know, the patients, they want to know that you're kind of living the life that you're describing, right? And so if you're not, I think that that would be a really, really difficult thing to do day in and day out to show up. And so I think your lifestyle has to coincide with what you're telling people.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Absolutely. Yeah, I know we have. And this might not be as, um, you know, a lot of our listeners that are that are clients or maybe interested in functional medicine might not connect as well as to this, but we have a lot of practitioners from honestly, all around the world that listen to our podcast. And I know it because I get notes from them often. And so you struck a nerve a little bit with me when you said, it's harder, it's harder medicine. Is it more fulfilling and gratifying and more admirable work to do? Absolutely it is. But it's harder. It takes a toll. It's more critical critically thinking, it's more connection with the patient. Um, sometimes it takes multiple visits to make that like therapeutic encounter and get that patient to really trust you. Um, it strikes a nerve with me because there's this whole topic of like, provider burnout. And I know you're intricately involved with the leadership aspect of, of of our business. Um, how do you I guess I want to know how you keep yourself afloat and away from that burnout piece. And then how are you advising our practitioners to help with burnout? And how do we make a sustainable approach for, for, for for those people listening that want to go into functional medicine, use our podcast to help them train in functional medicine. Yeah. Or getting into functional medicine or starting their own business or like what's your advice?

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah. Great great great question. I don't know, as though I have the answer for it. But I can give you my answer.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Right.

Nick Garver, PA-C: That's what I want. This is oftentimes what I tell my patients. It's like what percentage of life is controllable. Like a sliver right. So these are these are the things that we should focus our efforts on and the things that are out of our control, we should not focus on. And you know, what we put in our mouths, what we eat, whether we exercise, the thoughts that we're putting in our head, the head, the words that are coming out of our mouths, the information that we're allowing into our brain, um, the music we listen to, the media that we're looking at. I think these are the things that we are within our control. And if we can focus on that little aspect of life, that little sliver, and life tends to be or feel much more manageable at that point. And I think you can avoid some of the burnout. I think for a lot of providers who are experiencing burnout, it's like you just feel like this cog in this massive will. You have no control over your day. It's dictated by pharmacies and insurance companies and administrators who are disconnected from what's actually happening in exam rooms and things like that. And so I think at FMI, one of the one of the great things is it does feel, you know, I know the team is a big word, right.

Nick Garver, PA-C: And I think it gets thrown around pretty loosely. But it really does feel like a team. Right. And I do feel like, Um, from the top down, you and Sam, um, are open to people's suggestions and open to people's hearts. And you, you want to know what's like what's really going on with that person? Like, you know, I think a lot of people are sort of maybe not scared, but nervous to just let their the people that own the clinic or the CEO or whoever see who they are. And I think, um, in our clinic, like we allow that like, you can be a real person, right? And you can have opinions and your opinions matter. And, um, yeah. So I've felt that or I've, I've had a, you know, a good experience with that. And it feels like it's um, kind of the tone is different at FMI. Right? It doesn't feel like just a faceless organization or like the whole desire is to, to make money or whatever. It's like we're kind of all in this together.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Common mission.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Common mission. We're all trying to learn more about this holistic lifestyle. Um, you know, we're all kind of interested in similar things. And, um, I think, you know, that's that's, um, from the top down and it's a cultural thing. And I know Sam and I and you as well are working hard on continuing to build the culture here. Yeah. Um, but yeah, I would say as far as, uh, trying to avoid burnout, like, don't get overwhelmed.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Yeah.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Uh. It's okay.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Trust the process.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Trust the process. It's it's okay to exist in the messy middle, right? Like like you said, it's going to take several appointments to probably figure this out. And, um, I think that's one of the big challenges that functional medicine or integrative medicine is like sitting with that uncertainty. Right?

Amber Warren, PA-C: And you think you have to do it all. You have to conquer it all.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Patients come to you with multiple complaints, multiple abnormalities on their labs or their specialty kits. And it's like, I don't even know where to start. Yeah. But you forget that, like, if you just get that person sleeping a little bit better, that can make such a big difference on their life.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Oh my gosh. Yeah. Like just those little things that are within your control. Like, how many times have you a patient told you they're not sleeping well? And you're like, do you drink caffeine in the afternoon? And they're like, oh yeah, I do. It's like, well, just stop like after ten and you probably will sleep better.

Amber Warren, PA-C: They didn't know it was still in their bloodstream. They didn't know about the half life of caffeine.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah. And then your hormones got better and yeah. Yeah your insulin resistance improved and all these different things. So yeah, I'm with you. Like, sometimes just it just takes, um, creating that partnership. Right. And just having someone that you can just, like, have an open conversation with and they're not rushing you. And I mean, for me, that's another huge thing with functional medicine is like, you get to like hear the story.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Yeah.

Nick Garver, PA-C: It's not a 15 minute visit where it's like, you know, we got to do X, Y and Z, and then you're due for these vaccines and well, you know, you haven't done this in a while. And it's like, well half the time they didn't even come in to talk about that.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Right.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Like people want to be heard. They want to know their story.

Amber Warren, PA-C: They don't want to be talked down to and told it to do. They want to be a partner in their in their journey.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Well put. Right. A partner and someone that you know will listen to you. And I think a lot of times it's not even the practitioner's fault in the traditional medical setting. It's just it's set up that way. Right. I think people get into it for the right reasons.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Yeah.

Nick Garver, PA-C: And then when the rubber hits the road, it's like, well, these are 15 minute visits. Like I'm never going to get through my day if I do this. So yeah, I just think that's so powerful to listen to a patient and tell me about your childhood. Tell me about your, you know, what are your your hobbies. You know.

Amber Warren, PA-C: And that's part I mean, just going back to this. And I don't want to, like, beat the dead horse of the medical burnout thing, too. But that's where when you say like it's it's harder to peel away the layers of the onion, it's harder to do functional medicine. My my heart is also it's harder because you hear those stories. You can get connected with their family. You hear about the childhood trauma.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Or the divorce. You're walking that divorce with them. Um, and that makes it, you know, it just it you're, like, drawn into their life.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Absolutely.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Because you spend a lot of time with them and you're engaged and, you know, their whole story and their triggers and their antecedents and, yeah, when the health, you know, whenthe panic attacks started.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Oh my gosh. And that's like, yeah a thing that I really learned in functional medicine, too, is like triangulating all this information. It's like, yeah, like all your health tanked in 2022. Like what happened? Well, thinking back on it, um, you know, I was I was in a bad relationship, and I wasn't sleeping, and I was drinking too much or whatever. You know, it's like you can really start to, like, figure out, like, when these things started to happen.

Amber Warren, PA-C: You just have to ask the right questions.

Nick Garver, PA-C: You really do. And most of its right listening after that, just shut up and listen.

Amber Warren, PA-C: And there's even data that just like I forget exactly what the science says, but it's something about like how that patient starts to heal with just feeling hurt.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Oh my gosh, so true.

Amber Warren, PA-C: So even if you don't solve anything that day, if that patient leaves feeling heard, feeling like you care, feeling like you're actually gonna partner with them to try and get them better and not just write a script or not, just like you said, you know, recommend a vaccine like, that's that's healing medicine right there.

Nick Garver, PA-C: I agree. Yeah, it's it's I mean, that's the, um, the magic to medicine or the personal touch. It's about establishing those relationships and just allowing that person to, like, tell you about their life and their upbringing and things like that. And people want to tell their stories too, right?

Amber Warren, PA-C: They do. They do.

Nick Garver, PA-C: It's you go through life and all these things happen to you. And it's like, well, how can you treat me if you don't know what's happened to me up to this point? And so, yeah, just sometimes allowing the patient to have that opportunity to give you their story, their narrative. It's so powerful. Right.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Well, and I think we forget like, I don't know, there's a mug that says like I've seen it out there somewhere. Like, don't confuse your Google search with my medical degree. And as much as there is truth in that, there's also so much truth in somebody that has walked a medical condition for years and years and years researched because there's just so much information accessible at our at our patients fingertips now with Facebook groups. And, you know, I mean, just so much is out there that, like I, I learned so much from my patients.

Nick Garver, PA-C: It's humbling, isn't it?

Amber Warren, PA-C: It's so freaking humbling.

Nick Garver, PA-C: And like, what a a world we live in where the information flows like that, where it's and I mean, that's my approach to medicine essentially is like, I'm going to give you all the information I have, and then you give me all the information you have, and then let's make a decision together. Right. But yeah. Like to your point, uh, nutrition in PA school, I mean, that was like probably one of our shortest courses. And I'm like, hey, this is like the coolest part of medicine. And they're like, no, this is just like a really minor thing.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Yeah, it was like, so ancillary.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah, exactly. But it's like, okay, we're going to do pharmacology.

Amber Warren, PA-C: I was just going to say, but pharmacology was like a year long blog every day.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's almost like, you know, your attention gets shifted off these things that you initially like, came to medicine for. And then it's just that, you know, journey of rediscovering those things.

Amber Warren, PA-C: And, and I don't know about you, but like you, you're making me think back to, like, my nutrition course that I barely remember because I think it was like four weeks long. Yeah. And it wasn't actually even food or nutrients or mineral. It was like, you know, like macros, you know, or like how many, how many grams are in a protein? It was like just math basically. Right, right.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah, pretty much.

Amber Warren, PA-C: It was like what is a calorie of energy? How many calories make up? A it was like nothing that we would ever actually, like use in our career.

Nick Garver, PA-C: So so you know Rachel's my wife is is also a PA. She's she's clearly much smarter than I am. Right. Okay. The one class in PA school. I got a better grade than Rachel.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Nutrition.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Nutrition.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Well, that's why you're in functional medicine. That's why you're in functional medicine.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Exactly.

Amber Warren, PA-C: That's awesome. Other than that, she. She aced you in everything. So. Okay, back to talking the talk. If we could walk the walk, we also need to talk the talk.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Absolutely.

Amber Warren, PA-C: I'm so curious how Nick Garver takes care of himself. So, what are some of your daily habits? Ways that you take care of yourself. What are your non-negotiables in your life?

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah. Great question. I mean, it's it's day to day. There might be I try to hit it hard, like Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. So that's those would be like big days with, you know, obviously like lifting weights, maybe some running, some recovery stuff in there.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Is that because Monday Tuesday Wednesday are really busy?

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah, exactly. And on those days I'll definitely try to get my steps and maybe do a little something. But yeah, non-negotiables daily. Set an intention. Number one thing is like I just I'm a big believer that like you're you have to your thoughts become your actions. And so essentially number one first thing in the morning set an intention for the day.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Okay.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Number two start moving your body. And just I'm a big fan of like five minutes in my bed initially setting my intentions. Just start with my ankles. Stretch those. Stretch my back out. Get up, get moving. Take the dog on a quick walk. You know, none of this is earth shattering information. Drink a big glass of water with some electrolytes. Probably do some fasting. Um, will eat lunch later in the day. Um, yeah. Get my wife a kiss and had to work. But yeah, trying to, I mean, those pillars that you mentioned diet, exercise, sleep, stress management, diet, exercise, sleep stress management, just always going back in my head like, what's what's going on here? How can I set myself up for a good night's sleep tonight? What do I need to do today?

Amber Warren, PA-C: Love it. So just trying to be in a routine.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Trying to be in a routine. Moving and grooving like.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Moving and grooving.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Yeah yeah. I'm curious though. Exercise. Do you do more like heavy lifting, hit training. What's your exercise regimen?

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah, totally.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Um, and I know you coach a lot, so you stay active with your kids? Yeah, absolutely. Running around.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Right. Great question. Um, so for the last couple years, it was more like heavy weight lifting, and I just, I felt like my tendons are, like, my rate limiting stuff when I do that, like, I just end up hurting myself, essentially. And so now it's just calisthenics. It's push ups, pull ups, sit ups. There's some hiit workouts in there. There's maybe a long jog a couple times a week. Um, but yeah, I kind of got away from that. Um, just because I kind of felt myself getting injured a lot. Um, but, yeah, I mean, and I even think, like, you know, just getting your steps on a day where, you know, me and Rachel are busy and. Yeah, we got a ton of stuff going on. Like, I can live with getting 10,000 steps that day. Like that's fine.

Amber Warren, PA-C: No. Most people that's actually most people that have a working job 8 to 10 hours a day, 10,000 steps is is hard.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah, right. No, 100%. Um, so we have a little feisty poodle who is very high maintenance and demands long walks, so we're pretty good about that. But, um, yeah, I just think something every day. Right. And so, um, yeah, there's definitely been times in my life where I've completely fallen off the wagon with that, the Covid comes to mind.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Yep.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Um, but it's like universally, when I get back into it, I'm like, okay, like that was the problem. Like, that's why I was tired. That's why I wasn't sleeping well. That's why I felt like crap. So yeah, I mean, exercise is huge at every every step.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Keep your body moving. Absolutely keep you young.

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Amber Warren, PA-C: Do you follow any kind of a nutritional plan? Meal plan specific, you know.

Nick Garver, PA-C: So, uh, definitely try to incorporate elements of the Mediterranean diet, right? Most well researched diet, heart healthy, low inflammatory things like that. Um, I try to stay away from too much saturated fat. I know that's a pretty divisive kind of subject these days, but I have a pretty strong family history of heart disease in my family, so I try to more or less eat heart healthy whole foods. Rachel does a really good job, um, cooking for us, so. But, yeah, um, I've kind of fallen into a rhythm of kind of some intermittent fasting, which I don't even think I really even intentionally have done. But I really, I like that I tend to think that my I feel better, have more energy if I can.

Amber Warren, PA-C: So you you wait till lunch to break your fast?

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah. Usually I'll probably eat lunch, maybe around one or something like that.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Okay and then you're eating dinner? Probably not too late.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah, probably about six or so.

Amber Warren, PA-C: And so that's it. So you're eating in a five hour?

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah. Pretty much. Yeah. And I feel better that way.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Do you?

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah.

Amber Warren, PA-C: That's kind of how my husband eats too. Women, wouldn't recommend that. We've talked about that on this podcast before, but I do think a lot of men your age can, um, that can do can really succeed with eating plan like that.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah. And again, like, not one size fits for everybody. And you know, that's kind of what's worked for me. Um, do I deviate from that sometimes. Yeah. But overall I try to kind of stick to that.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Yeah, I think that's great. The only devil's advocate I and I shared this with Sam, too, is I'm kind of helping him with with meal planning and stuff. If you listen to what like Peter Attia says, um, it's hard to get your protein needs in those two meals a day. Yeah. So do you supplement? Do you take amino acids, or are you supplementing protein powders to try and meet your protein requirements?

Nick Garver, PA-C: I wish I could tell you I am. I'm not. This is going to be like.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Well, I'm gonna go ahead and give you a bag of whey protein powder on your way out tonight.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah, no, I definitely should. And again, like, it's, um, it's a, it's a challenge to to to hit those goals and I'm.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Oh, yeah.

Nick Garver, PA-C: I'm not at that point. But you know, we I probably I don't know what I get maybe 70g something like that. Yeah. Yeah.

Amber Warren, PA-C: So not enough.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Not enough.

Amber Warren, PA-C: I know most days I'm like, Sam, what did you eat today? And he's like, I'm like, I know.

Nick Garver, PA-C: I see Sam eat lunch when L10 and it's like a lean little salad. I'm like, Sam, like, how are you so big?

Amber Warren, PA-C: Well, and like today, we can maybe edit this out. I'll leave it up to our producer to do that, but I opened up a bag that he brought home from work, and it was. What was it? It was like it was a jar of peanut butter, half a cucumber, not cut up, just a full half cucumber.

Nick Garver, PA-C: I've seen this.

Amber Warren, PA-C: And then, like, mixed nuts, I'm like, what? He's like, well, that was my lunch. I'm like, that's your like I'm failing as a wife. If I'm letting you sneak out the door with that in your bag, like that's embarrassing. And it was like a grocery tote. He had it in. Right? I'm like, I need to get you, like, a nice lunch box. Like, this.

Nick Garver, PA-C: This is a good point, though, because working at FMI, I have become a lot more like just aware of eating and the food that we're putting in our body, less so at my previous job.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Um, well, I think it's because half the time you feel judged if you walk in here with a snack. Yeah, like people walk in with Chipotle and they're like, oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I'm like, I yeah, I just don't be sorry. Like, you're fine, but don't bring McDonald's in here.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Right? Yeah. Yes!

Amber Warren, PA-C: You have to be careful what you carry through these doors.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Absolutely. You know, sometimes, you know, again, uh, walking the walk and talking the talk. So. Yeah, I mean.

Amber Warren, PA-C: But we're all also human. Yeah. And we also lead very busy lives.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yes.

Amber Warren, PA-C: And you guys are in meetings till who knows how long sometimes. And it's it's a lot to manage.

Nick Garver, PA-C: It is, it is. It's very challenging. Um, it's a, you know, a very busy phase of life. I know you're in it, too. Yeah. Hard to get the self-care in. Sometimes you just. It's tough.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Yeah. And I don't know about you, but like, we have, you know, we have some friends that are, you know, have really young children. But then we have the other end of the spectrum where we have friends that are like, I mean, here we are in the month of May preparing for like graduation, senior graduation. And I'm hearing a lot right now of like it goes so fast. Like, don't miss the moments. It's so wild that we have a senior graduating. And it does. It causes me to like really pause and say.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Wow. It is such a busy phase of life. Things are happening so fast. I feel such a big calling to do what we do in functional medicine. But like, how do you balance it all and make sure you don't you don't miss.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah. And you know, half the time you I miss the mark on that one. And um, you know, I think getting back to like those things that we can control, like you, you can choose to be present with your family. Right. And you can choose to turn your phone off when you get home and really engage with your family and, um, be accessible to them. Um, gosh, no. I'm with you, though. These kids are growing up way too fast.

Amber Warren, PA-C: They go so fast. Yeah, they go so fast. But I think that's another part too, of, um, you know, reflecting back on our conversation just now. You know, you walk through that door and I. And I've just seen it in, like, in, in, like, even just Sam's journey to to just he's so healthy right now and he's does such a good job of taking care of himself. But like, I want to make sure everyone I love and all my clients bring their best self home. So when they're walking through that door at 5:30 at night, they are able to be present with their family, not just want to, you know, zone out on their phone or on TV or watch a show like they're bringing their best self home.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Um, because as we age, it is like, you just. You're more tired. Yeah. Stress becomes more significant in your life, and you want to show up for the people you love. And sometimes to show up for the people you love. You have to feel good, and you have to have the energy and the cellular vitality and health to show up for the people you love. Yeah.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Um, yeah. And I mean that those are tangible goals, too. Like people come in and tell us these stories all the time. Like, I want to be there for my family. I want to show up, but I'm so darn tired, you know?

Amber Warren, PA-C: Or I want to be around for my grandkids or walk my daughter down the aisle or. Yeah.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah, absolutely. Um, yeah. No, I think, um. You know, that's that's the challenge. Do we hit the mark every time? No, we don't, but we we keep trying. And so that's, that's kind of what our, our family's doing and.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Love it.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah I think we, we try hard.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Cool. Yeah. No. Put your best step forward. Um, if someone's hesitant to enter into functional medicine, medicine as a patient, um, or they want to really encourage their spouse to. That's a lot of what we see, right? Women encouraging their their husbands to get in and get a lab workup or get into functional medicine, work with a dietician, whatever. What's your advice to someone that's like, just not just a little hesitant to take that next step?

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah. Well, I love those type of encounters. Like when you get a guy who you could, you can pretty much walk. You've walked into enough exam rooms where you're like, you don't come to the doctor's office very much.

Amber Warren, PA-C: You don't actually care to be here.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah right. Exactly. And so I just find that to be such, like, a privilege. It's like, yes, I get a shot at this guy. Yes. Um, you know, I had a guy here the other day who told me that he had not been to the doctor. He was like maybe 45. The last time he was at his doctor was for his physical when he was 18.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Wow.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Like, wow. What an honor. Like, I get to be the one that gets to help you out.

Amber Warren, PA-C: That's I love that that's your outlook on that. Like glass half full. Yeah. Like it's an honor.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah. No. Truly.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Cool.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Um, I think it takes a lot for guys to go to the doctor in general, frankly. Like, we're just that's we go when we break down. And so maybe just kind of reducing that stigma and just being like, hey, man, thanks for coming in. I really appreciate it. But to to your question, um, gosh, if if you do not want to be put in a box and you want to be treated like an individual and you value medical freedom and maybe you've had a bad encounter, you know, at a previous doctor's appointment, I would say we're kind of the polar opposite of that, right? Like, we we want we want to be a 50/50 partner with you. And, um, again, my approach to medicine is like, I give information, you make decisions. So I work for you. Yeah, that's what I always tell them, right? And so come in, give us a try. And, um, you know, nothing that we do is radical, frankly. Like, I think sometimes people have the misconception of functional medicine, like, it's, um, like outlier, just radical medicine or.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Yeah, we're gonna hook you up to some crazy IV and try and pull worms from.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Not at all like, let's, let's let's talk about your lifestyle. Let's go from there.

Amber Warren, PA-C: And that's let's meet you where you need to be met.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah, exactly. And so some people do need medicine and that's that's fine as well. And we're happy to give it to you. But a lot of times we can work on other things and maybe we'll help you avoid that.

Amber Warren, PA-C: And I know you connect so well with patients too, because like you just shared with us like, hey, I'm not always meeting the mark. Yeah, I don't supplement with protein. Hey, I'm not always doing what I should be doing. Like, sometimes I get on a walk is like an A plus for me. Like, yeah, people can really connect with that and not feel intimidated by that. I've made a lot of mistakes in my career. Um, and I mean, I'm sure I still make these mistakes where I think, I mean, I know I still make the mistakes because I still have patients that come to me and they're like, I'm so sorry I haven't started that supplement yet, or I'm so sorry doing that test yet. And I'm like, yeah, why are you sorry? Like, I'm here to just, you know, it's like they're like they're like the battered little child that like, didn't do their chore. And I'm like, this is not. But I think it's I, you know, sometimes I feel like maybe even I come across as intimidating or. um, like, I'm giving them rules they have to follow when really it should just be like, we're all human. We're all broken beings that just want to feel heard and be loved. And we're all here to just share in those experiences together.

Nick Garver, PA-C: I agree 100%, and I think, um, you could really you could almost call it a making a friendship, right? Is like when somebody, if you show a person grace when they're confessing something horrible to you, like, gosh, I go out and I eat at Wendy's three times a week, or I make midnight nachos and you just laugh with them.

Amber Warren, PA-C: I love that that's like a confession and functional medicine.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Exactly!

Amber Warren, PA-C: And it is. It totally is.

Nick Garver, PA-C: But, like, just show people grace.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Good for you. I hope you get like, the what do they call them at Wendy's that are like the chocolate Slurpees, Slurpees or those.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Those are the.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Frosties.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Frosties.

Amber Warren, PA-C: They're so good. Yeah. Like, good for you. I hope you enjoyed that. And you got joy out of that. Or you shared it with with your kiddo or something. Yeah.

Nick Garver, PA-C: No. Yeah. It's. I'm. I don't think any of us like to feel judged as human beings. And so that's kind of one of my big things in life is just like, even if a person is dead wrong, like, I'll reserve that for the guy upstairs, I'm not going to be the one who calls you out on it. But I might gently remind you, like, hey, maybe get a small next time. A little tough love. Yeah.

Amber Warren, PA-C: I love that. Um, is there anything else you want people to know? I mean, about functional medicine or US functional medicine of Idaho. Like what you and I do in general?

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah. Gosh. Um, I think we're we are essentially practicing the the the tried and true pillars of health that were, you know, established hundreds of years ago. Right. And so I think a lot of this stuff stems from way back in the day. And now it's just a the full kind of 180 journey where people are rediscovering it. Or, I mean, a lot of people have been in it for a long, long time like you. And so, um, wherever you're at in your health journey, um, you're a valuable human being. And if you choose to, to to try us out, we we'd love it. We would be honored to have you, um. We're okay seeing anybody wherever they're at, right? You don't have to be a marathon runner or an extreme athlete to come into Functional Medicine Idaho. It's like this is for everybody.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Yeah, it really is. All walks of life.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Absolutely.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Yeah. So cool. Um, I knew this already. But even after spending the last 30 minutes talking to you, your patients, Rachel, your kids, we're all so lucky to have you.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Oh, my gosh.

Amber Warren, PA-C: We're so lucky to have you as part of this organization. Like, you feel a void that that was needed to be filled here. And yeah, God had big has big had big plans bringing you here and has big plans keeping you.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Thank you so much, Amber.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Helping you to serve. So we're so excited to have you.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah. Thank you. That means everything to me.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Thank you. Thanks for joining us.

Nick Garver, PA-C: To. Yeah. That was fun.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Have you on again here soon?

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah. Maybe we could talk about, like, something medical next time.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Or not because this is. This is gold.

Nick Garver, PA-C: This is fun.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Thank you for your time, Nick.

Nick Garver, PA-C: Yeah.

Amber Warren, PA-C: Thank you for listening to the Functional Medicine Foundations podcast. For more information on topics covered today. Specialties available at the FMI Center for Optimal Health and the highest quality of supplements and more, go to funmedfoundations.com.