We’ve gone from questioning Big Pharma to trusting Big Wellness.
But who’s looking at the WHOLE picture?
By Jennifer Munksgard, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC
Owner & Provider | To Your Health and Wellness, LLC
Y’all. It’s getting WILD out here. 🤠
And I’m not just talking about weight loss injections.
I’m talking about the entire WELLNESS industry.
The supplements. The peptides. The hormone promises. The anti-aging products. The skin fixes. The detoxes. The “all-natural” solutions. The influencers. The affiliate links. The latest miracle product that supposedly fixes something you didn’t even know was wrong with you.
We’ve gone from being suspicious of BIG PHARMA to handing over our credit cards to BIG WELLNESS without asking nearly enough questions.
And before somebody gets upset, let me make something clear.
I’m not anti-supplement. I’m not anti-medication. I’m not anti-wellness.
I believe in evidence-based treatment, safe individualized care, prevention, nutrition, lifestyle medicine, and helping people feel their absolute best…. without ending up with expensive pee and/or a buckload of medications.
But… I AM against blindly putting things into your body without understanding what they do, what they interact with, and whether they’re actually appropriate for YOU.
Because here’s something we seem to have forgotten:
“NATURAL” DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN SAFE.
Read that again.
Everything you put into your body has the potential to affect your health.
Prescription medications.
Over-the-counter medications.
Vitamins.
Herbal supplements.
Peptides.
Hormones.
Protein powders, creatine, gummies, energy drinks.
And yes, even FOOD.
That doesn’t mean everything is dangerous.
It means everything deserves context.
Something can be beneficial for one person and inappropriate for another.
Herbal products can interact with prescription medications. Supplements can affect blood pressure, blood sugar, bleeding risk, or liver function. Certain foods can interact with medications or trigger reactions in susceptible people.
And just because something comes from a plant doesn’t mean it’s harmless.
Poison ivy is natural too…. 😂
The point is not to scare people away from taking care of themselves.
It’s to remind them that taking care of yourself requires more than buying whatever the internet is selling this week.
Three Abdominal Ultrasounds. One Week.
Let me tell you what’s been happening in my office.
This week, I’ve ordered THREE abdominal ultrasounds for patients experiencing abdominal pain while taking GLP-1 medications.
And none of them were particularly excited when I recommended holding their medication while we investigated.
Why?
“But it’s WORKING!”
And I understand that.
GLP-1 medications can be incredibly beneficial. I prescribe them. I’ve seen the improvements they can make in patients’ metabolic health.
But significant or persistent abdominal pain deserves attention.
We may need to evaluate the gallbladder, pancreas, liver, or gastrointestinal system.
Gallbladder disease, pancreatitis, and significant gastrointestinal complications are among the concerns healthcare professionals must consider in patients taking certain weight loss medications.
And if I suspect something serious, I’m not going to ignore it because the scale is moving in the right direction.
Because as I frequently tell my patients:
“WE AREN’T DOING THIS TO FIT YOU IN A SMALLER CASKET.”
The goal isn’t simply weight loss.
The goal is HEALTH.
And sometimes protecting your health means temporarily holding a medication, ordering imaging, or changing the treatment plan.
Now… Add the Peptides, Supplements, and Miracle Wellness Products.
Here’s where things get even more complicated.
People aren’t just taking one weight loss medication.
Some are combining medications, supplements, herbs, hormone products, and experimental peptides, often recommended by completely different people.
One person tells them they need something for cortisol.
Another says their gut needs fixing.
Another promises a peptide will reverse aging.
Someone else recommends an injection for weight loss.
And suddenly, a person has five different products from five different sources, each promising to fix a different problem.
BUT WHO IS LOOKING AT THE WHOLE PICTURE?
Who’s checking for interactions?
Who’s reviewing liver and kidney function when clinically appropriate?
Who’s asking whether the symptoms being treated might be caused by something else?
Who’s making sure a supplement isn’t interfering with a medication?
Who’s considering whether the person even needs the product in the first place?
And who’s going to recognize when something is going wrong?
That’s the part of wellness marketing we don’t talk about enough.
And let’s talk about the unapproved peptides being marketed online.
Retatrutide, for example, is an investigational medication that has not been FDA-approved for routine clinical use.
That means products being sold outside legitimate clinical trials raise serious questions about their authenticity, quality, dosing, and safety.
An experimental substance isn’t automatically safe because somebody calls it a peptide.
Welcome to the new BIG… Big Wellness.
We see everywhere and hear everyone talking about how we can’t rust Big Pharma because pharmaceutical companies were making money off sick people.
And listen, questioning financial incentives in healthcare is healthy.
We SHOULD ask questions about medications, research, marketing, costs, and conflicts of interest.
But somewhere along the way, some people stopped applying those same questions to the hot new everyone is “and wellness” industry.
Now someone with a discount code, a compelling personal story, and a beautiful social media page can convince people to spend hundreds of dollars on products with little understanding of their risks or evidence.
And because it’s marketed as “natural,” “clean,” “holistic,” or “wellness,” people may assume it’s safer.
A marketing label is not a safety evaluation.
And a testimonial is not the same thing as scientific evidence.
Some wellness products are useful. Some have limited evidence. Some are unnecessary. And some can be harmful, especially when combined with medications or used in people with certain medical conditions.
We should evaluate them with the same critical thinking we apply to prescription drugs.
And Then There’s the Business Side.
This is where I may ruffle a few feathers.
There are companies using affiliate marketing, referral networks, and multilevel-marketing-style structures to sell supplements, wellness products, and access to weight loss treatments, including prescription medications.
Some connect customers with licensed healthcare professionals, and yes, some operate responsibly.
But simply connecting someone with a provider doesn’t automatically mean that person is receiving comprehensive, coordinated healthcare.
And if someone is making money every time you purchase another product, I think it’s fair to ask:
What happens when the best thing for your health is to STOP buying it?
Will they tell you? Or even be available?
Will they recognize a complication?
Will they recommend appropriate medical evaluation?
Will they encourage you to discuss the product with your primary care provider?
Maybe they will.
But patients deserve to know who is responsible for their care and whether financial incentives influence the recommendations they’re receiving.
And Yes, I Make Money Providing Healthcare.
Before somebody jumps into the comments…
YES. I own a healthcare business.
YES. I make money.
I have employees, overhead, bills, and a practice to run.
I don’t work for free, and I don’t expect anybody else to.
Making money is not the problem. Putting profits ahead of patients, safety and education is the problem.
I prescribe medications. I recommend treatments. I provide services.
But I also tell people when I don’t think something is appropriate.
I tell patients when we need more information.
I order tests when indicated.
I recommend stopping or holding treatments when safety concerns arise.
And sometimes I tell people they don’t need to buy anything at all.
Because the goal isn’t to sell you another piece of wellness.
The goal is to help you become healthier.
And Guess Who Gets the Call When Something Goes Wrong?
Here’s another part of this conversation that doesn’t get nearly enough attention.
The healthcare professionals who are actually taking care of these patients.
The primary care providers. The nurse practitioners. The physician assistants. The pharmacists. The specialists. THE ER… (more in the next blog about this)
We’re seeing patients who have spent hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars on supplements, peptides, injections, and wellness programs purchased elsewhere.
And then they come to us with questions.
“Is this safe with my blood pressure medication?”
“Why are my liver enzymes elevated?”
“Could this supplement be causing my symptoms?”
“Can you look at these 12 products I ordered online?”
And of course, we want to help.
That’s what we do.
But let’s acknowledge something.
Reviewing medications, researching unfamiliar substances, evaluating interactions, assessing symptoms, and coordinating care is REAL healthcare work.
It takes time. It takes education. It takes clinical judgment. And sometimes it requires additional testing, follow-up visits, and referrals.
Yet too often, patients have been conditioned to expect that this work should happen through a quick phone call, portal message, or “Can you just look at this for me?” conversation.
Sometimes without an appointment. Sometimes without compensation for the time involved.
Meanwhile, the person or company that sold the product has already collected the money.
The seller gets the sale. The healthcare provider gets the medical questions. And the patient is left trying to figure out who is actually responsible for their care.
That’s a problem.
Not because healthcare providers don’t want to help.
But because meaningful clinical evaluation deserves the same respect as any other professional service.
And patients deserve access to that evaluation BEFORE something goes wrong, not just afterward.
If you’re a healthcare professional reading this, I suspect you’ve had this conversation more times than you can count.
And if you’re a patient reading this, please understand:
We’re not upset that you’re asking questions.
We WANT you to ask questions.
We just want those conversations to happen before you spend hundreds of dollars or start putting unfamiliar substances into your body.
Your healthcare provider should be part of your wellness journey, not the cleanup crew when the latest wellness trend goes sideways.
That’s what coordinated, whole-person healthcare is supposed to look like.
Stop Duct-Taping the Cogs. Let’s Look at the Entire Wellness Wheel.
Here’s the analogy I really want you to understand.
Imagine your health as a wheel.
Every part of that wheel matters.
Your metabolic health.
Your cardiovascular health.
Your hormones.
Your nutrition.
Your mental health.
Your sleep.
Your physical activity.
Your medications.
Your preventive care.
Your lifestyle.
All of those pieces work together.
Now imagine that every time one part of the wheel starts making noise, somebody tries to sell you something to fix that one little piece.
A supplement here.
An injection there.
A hormone protocol over here.
A gut-health cleanse over there.
Before long, you’ve got a whole bunch of individual cogs being held together with duct tape.
But nobody has stopped to ask:
WHY IS THE WHEEL NOT TURNING PROPERLY IN THE FIRST PLACE?
That’s the difference between chasing individual symptoms and looking at the whole person.
And it’s one of the biggest reasons I believe so strongly in comprehensive primary care.
Your Primary Care Provider Should Help Connect the Dots.
Specialists are incredibly important.
If you have a heart condition, you may need a cardiologist.
If you have a complex endocrine disorder, you may need an endocrinologist.
If you develop concerning abdominal symptoms, you may need imaging, additional testing, or a gastroenterology evaluation.
These professionals provide essential expertise.
But you also need someone helping connect all the pieces.
Someone who knows your medical history.
Someone who reviews your medications and supplements.
Someone who understands your risk factors.
Someone who helps coordinate specialist recommendations.
Someone who notices when a new symptom might be related to a medication, supplement, or another medical condition.
And someone who can tell you when the latest wellness trend probably isn’t necessary.
That is one of the most valuable roles of primary care.
Not every problem needs another product.
Not every symptom needs another supplement.
And not every wellness goal needs another injection.
Sometimes what you need is a thorough conversation, a thoughtful evaluation, and a plan that makes sense for your whole body.
This Is Why To Your Health and Wellness Is Different.
I didn’t build this practice to focus on one isolated piece of healthcare.
I built it because I believe people deserve affordable, accessible, comprehensive care that looks at the WHOLE person.
Weight management is part of what we do.
Metabolic health is part of what we do.
Lifestyle medicine and prevention are part of what we do.
But none of those things exist in isolation.
When you come to my office, I want to understand what’s going on beyond the number on your scale or the symptom that brought you through the door.
I want to know what medications you’re taking.
What supplements you’re using.
What you’re eating.
How you’re sleeping.
How you’re managing stress.
What your long-term goals are.
And what we can do to improve your health in a way that makes sense for YOU.
Sometimes that means medication.
Sometimes that means a referral.
Sometimes that means additional testing.
Sometimes that means lifestyle changes.
And sometimes that means telling you to stop spending money on something you probably don’t need.
Because good healthcare isn’t about selling you every possible solution. It’s about helping you find the RIGHT solutions.
And What Happens When the Weight Comes Off?
This is another piece of the wellness wheel that deserves much more attention.
Everybody wants to talk about losing weight.
But what happens when you reach your goal?
What happens when your medication changes?
What happens when life gets busy?
What happens when your appetite increases or the scale starts moving in the wrong direction?
For many people, long-term weight management requires ongoing support, and some will benefit from continued medication.
But we also need to talk about preserving muscle, building strength, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and sustainable habits.
Because the injection is a tool. It should never be the entire plan.
And that is exactly why I’ve been working on something I’m so excited to share.
The Maintenance Blueprint Is Coming Soon!
I’ve completed a new educational course called The Maintenance Blueprint, and we’re preparing to launch it very soon.
This course reinforces something I say repeatedly in my practice:
Weight loss is not the finish line. Building a healthier life you can maintain is the goal.
The Maintenance Blueprint is about understanding the bigger picture of weight maintenance and developing practical strategies for long-term success.
Because I don’t want you dependent on the next miracle product, the next trend, or the next person promising to fix everything.
I want you EDUCATED.
I want you EMPOWERED.
And I want you to understand how the different pieces of your health work together.
More details are coming soon!
One Last Thing…
I am not anti-medication.
I am not anti-supplement.
I am not anti-telehealth.
I am not anti-business.
And I’m definitely not anti-wellness.
I’m PRO-PATIENT.
I’m pro-education.
I’m pro-prevention.
I’m pro-evidence.
I’m pro-asking questions.
And I’m pro-making sure someone is actually looking at the WHOLE person.
So before you buy that next supplement, order that peptide, or inject something because somebody on social media promised amazing results, ask yourself:
Who’s looking at my entire wellness wheel?
Because I don’t care where you get your healthcare. I may or may not be for you.
I care that you’re actually GETTING healthcare.
And I’ll leave you with the same thing I tell my patients:
WE AREN’T DOING THIS TO FIT YOU IN A SMALLER CASKET.
We’re doing this so you can live a longer, healthier, better life.
And that requires more than duct tape and another miracle product.
— Jen
Jennifer Munksgard, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC
Owner & Provider
To Your Health and Wellness, LLC
Affordable and accessible primary care and SO much more.
www.toyourhealthandwellness.com
352-363-1034
Educational disclaimer: This article provides general health information and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice. Discuss medications, supplements, herbs, and investigational products with your healthcare professional. Seek prompt evaluation for severe or persistent abdominal pain or other concerning symptoms. Do not discontinue prescribed therapies without appropriate medical guidance except where urgent safety instructions apply.