Will Cole: Is The Key to Better Health Buried Deeper Than You Think?

Will Cole (0:03)

We do not have a chronic disease epidemic because of a pharmaceutical deficiency. So what's the actual root reason of why we have the problem in the first place? Science is already exploring it, it's not woo-woo stuff. So we're looking at foods, we're looking at chronic stress, unresolved trauma, we're looking at environmental toxins. There are many different variables that you can measure on data, and also applying to science in somebody's life. Like what's the things that actually move the needle, and maybe a medication, some people need to be on it, of course.

But it's not the only tools are in the toolbox, that's such a reductive way of looking at human health.

SPEAKER_2 (0:39)

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Will Cole is one of the world's leading voices in functional medicine and a New York Times bestselling author. He has worked with patients around the globe, helping people uncover the root causes of chronic health issues with a particular focus on inflammation, gut health, and the connection between physical and mental well-being. Will's work sits at the intersection of science and lifestyle, translating complex health challenges into practical, accessible strategies that people can actually apply in their everyday lives. Through his clinical work, books, and global platform, he has built a reputation for cutting through the noise in an often confusing health landscape. As Gwyneth Paltrow said of his work, an unparalleled source of wisdom, informative, and healing. Will Cole, welcome to Empowering Leaders.

Will Cole (2:00)

Yeah, I just need that. I need you to be my hype man every day, man. Just still a little good about myself now.

SPEAKER_2 (2:07)

Well, you're in trouble if I'm your hype man, but I have heard you speak before, and it's a compelling way that you're able to get your message across. And you clearly got a passion for helping people. For those that don't know your work, you might start with this.

What's the difference between functional medicine, as you'd call it, and conventional medicine?

Will Cole (2:29)

Wow. Yeah. So I started the first functional medicine telehealth clinic over 16 years ago. So we helped people around the world had done so for a long time now. And if you had to boil it down, breaking it down for the people, I would say number one, we interpret labs using a thinner, tighter interval reference range. So anybody that's listening to this or watching this will know, hey, would I get my labs? When you get your labs, there's your number and then there's this reference range you get from your specialist, your GP, PCP, whatever. They're getting that reference range from a statistical bell curve average of people who go to that lab. And you'll see that reference range may vary from lab to lab because largely, there's a few exceptions to this. They're not very much standardized. They're looking at averages. So, I mean, who are the people that are predominantly going to labs? They're not necessarily looking at all at optimal health. They're just looking at disease pathologies, right? They're just looking at health problems.

So, there's a lot of people that are of optimal health. They know something off intuitively, whatever they're going through, and they want answers. So, they go to the doctor, they get their basic labs ran, and they are told, you know, you're just getting older.

You're just stressed. You're just depressed. Here's an antidepressant. All these well-intentioned excuses as how you could be having symptoms despite these quote unquote normal labs. What they're unintentionally telling people is you're a lot like the other people with health problems that we're comparing you to. Comparing yourself to people with suboptimal health is no way for you to find out how you can feel the way that you feel your best and why you feel the way that you do. So, in functional medicine, we're looking at optimal, not average. Where the body is functioning the best, that's where we get our name. So, it's the functional range, it's the tighter interval within that larger reference range. It's looking at populations that are living long, healthy, vibrant lives. It's the understanding of health span of understanding that. So, it's looking at and understanding that health exists on a spectrum between health and health problems. There's a continuum in understanding that.