Thrive Podcast!

If you are like most individuals diagnosed with kidney disease, rarely are any contributors uncovered.  Today, we discuss the top 7 contributors to kidney disease.  It's definitely not what you might think... and the good news, we give you a strategy to deal with each one!   Ready to catch the free Masterclass running May 28-30th?  Sign up at https://thrivefunctionalmedicine.health/.   The workboo...

If there’s one thing that creates confusion after a diagnosis of kidney disease, diabetes, or hypertension—it’s FOOD. What should you eat? What foods are “bad”? Should you avoid protein, potassium, sodium, fat, carbs… all of it?! In today’s episode of Functional Medicine Meets Faith, Karin breaks through the fear and food confusion with a simple, root-cause approach to building meals that actually...

Kidney Care Blueprint: A Faith-Centered, Root-Cause Program for Chronic Kidney Disease   Karin Allumbaugh introduces the “Functional Medicine Meets Faith” podcast and explains enrollment for her six-month Kidney Care Blueprint program, offered in person in Redmond, Oregon, or virtually. She shares her background in biochemistry and functional medicine, her family’s health journey, and how her moth...

What if your kidneys aren’t actually failing… but overwhelmed? In today’s episode, we uncover one of the most overlooked contributors to kidney dysfunction—heavy metal toxicity. While conventional approaches focus on managing symptoms, we take a deeper look at what may be silently driving kidney stress behind the scenes. If you’ve been doing “all the right things” but your labs aren’t improving—or...

Are you taking your prescriptions faithfully but still feeling worse? Do your labs look “normal” while your body feels anything but? In this episode, Karin Allumbaugh shares the functional medicine perspective on why so many chronic conditions aren’t healed by managing numbers alone. We walk through the three most prescribed medications in the U.S. — statins, metformin, and levothyroxine — and exp...

By mid-January, many people feel discouraged, unmotivated, or burdened by shame over goals they’ve already abandoned. In this episode of Functional Medicine Meets Faith, Karin Nicole Allumbaugh invites you to pause the pressure and embrace a different kind of reset—one rooted in faith, grace, and intentional action rather than fear or perfection. This conversation reframes New Year’s resolutions t...

In This Episode, You’ll Learn: 🌿 What it really means to “play small” in your healing journey—and how fear keeps you stuck. 💡 How to recognize when guilt, shame, or routine are running your decisions instead of faith. 💪 A personal story of overcoming physical setbacks and reclaiming strength. ✝️ Why inviting Christ into your healing process changes everything—from mindset to motivation. 🕊 How t...

What if the very diagnosis meant to define your condition has also limited your healing? In this episode, Karin Allumbaugh is joined by Karen Dwyer, MS to Success Coach, to explore how labels like “chronic” or “incurable” can quietly shape your mindset, your choices, and ultimately, your results. Karen shares her own story of transformation and offers three powerful mindset shifts to help you recl...

Think you need to cut protein, salt, bananas, or beans to protect your kidneys? Think again. In this episode, I’m busting the biggest myths about the “kidney diet” and showing you how overly restrictive rules can actually make things worse. From protein-energy wasting and muscle loss, to the hidden phosphorus and potassium in processed foods, we’re digging into the science of what really drives ki...

If you’re taking a PPI (like omeprazole or the “little purple pill”) to manage heartburn or reflux—and your labs keep getting worse—this episode is for you. Today we uncover the surprising truth about conventional heartburn treatments, the damage they can do to your gut and kidneys, and what you can do to start healing from the inside out. What You’ll Learn: How common heartburn drugs (like PPIs)...

If you’re ready for the #1 longevity hack that helps you live longer and better—while also improving kidney function—this episode is for you! We’re talking about one simple thing that lowers your risk of early death, protects your kidneys, improves your blood sugar and blood pressure, lifts depression, boosts your mood, and gives you more energy. (Hint: It’s not a pill!) Join me, Karin Nicole Allu...

In this episode, Karin shares why prediabetes isn’t just about food and exercise. You’ll learn why typical advice like “eat less sugar” falls short, especially when it comes to kidney health, and how stress, toxins, and poor sleep play a much bigger role than you might realize. Karin also introduces The S.A.F.E. Method to help you start taking back control in a way that honors both your body and y...

You’ve been told high blood pressure is the cause of your kidney issues, your fatigue, or even your declining health. But what if that’s not the full story? In this episode, we’re turning that idea on its head. Join me as we unpack the real root cause behind elevated blood pressure—and why blindly medicating the number may be missing the point entirely. We’ll talk about how blood pressure guidelin...

Do you feel you are taking more prescriptions than you would like?  Do you wonder if some of the adverse things you are feeling might be due to prescription stacking, or taking multiple prescriptions? Today we discuss the hazards of multiple prescriptions, we will discuss how this may be negatively impacting you.  We will also discuss what to do about it! And I'll give you a step by step approach...

Today we are talking about WHY- the podcast, the Kidney Care Blueprint, all of it.   And we'll talk about what all of my most successful clients have in common.  I sure could use some help from you- please can you share on social media, and tag me.  That would be a great way that I can reach more people.   I would also love it if you could leave me a review.  That will definitely help me to spread...

What if getting better sleep meant that your kidney function would get better? I hear what you’re saying… but ever since my kidney disease got worse I sleep terribly.  Ok, let’s bring in some tools to make it better.   Because bad sleep correlates with your kidney disease getting worse.  And when you improve your sleep- the quality and quantity-  you improve your blood pressure, your diabetes, you...

For individuals who are diagnosed with kidney disease, a great number are told that there is little that can be done. Furthermore, many are even told that chronic kidney disease is irreversible. In this episode, I bring you research that proves that kidney disease is indeed reversible. And I also tell you specifically what can be done to begin to halt or even reverse chronic kidney disease. There...

Anemia is pretty straightforward, right? I mean, you need iron to transport oxygen throughout your body. That means if your iron is low, you better supplement, right? Well today I discuss why supplementation may be actually making your symptoms worse, and how to know if you need to add more iron in, or address some other reasons why your iron may be low. The goal? Help you understand your symptoms...

Sarah was a client that taught me a lot about symptoms that sometimes don't make any sense. She taught me that there is one misunderstood concept that lies right there in the midst of all of the most common health conditions currently. And when it's a factor, there can be a train wreck of other symptoms that come along as well. That's what this episode is all about. I hope her story can give you s...

Have you recently found out your cholesterol is running high? What does it mean? What should I do? In this episode: What is cholesterol and why do we want it? Is LDL cholesterol really bad? What is the hazard for taking a statin to reduce LDL cholesterol levels? What extra labs should I have run? LDL-particle is not the same as total LDL! What can I really do about all of this?

The Podcast Intro

The increasing blood pressure and cholesterol, the increasing blood sugar levels, and climbing weight, especially around the middle- these are the trio of symptoms that are confusing an alarming 1 out of 3 adults. These are not only scary, but also leave most clients feeling like a failure. In this episode, I describe my 6 domain framework to help clients gain control of their health and finally m...

Feeling like a hot mess? Tried the resolutions and feel like a failure because you can't stick to them? You're not alone! It doesn't work! But this here, this is the WAY to get out of the hot mess! Beyond the resolutions, this is the way to get started creating your health by design, creating the health that you desire to achieve! You have the courage to and you have the strength to take the big l...

We approach New Year's Resolutions the wrong way- and then before the month is even over, we feel defeated. Let's talk about how to finally get it right this time, and make sure that this new year is one that leaves you achieving your goals and becoming a better version of you!

Today's episode is my own story about how I transformed my health from a big hot mess into finally thriving and feeling amazing. I talk about why conventional medicine does not bring about healing by outlining what is being done wrong. And I give you an approach to begin your own healing journey.