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The Body-Brain Breakdown: When You Feel Stuck (Even with Inner Work)

  • caramerak
  • 3 days ago
  • 5 min read

By Cara Merak, BSN, RN, CFNC

Nurse | Functional Health Coach | Owner, Unscripted Clinic  


We’ve been taught to treat mental and physical health as separate — two departments, two types of doctors, two unrelated conversations.

But what if that model is holding us back from real wellness?

 

At Unscripted Clinic, we actually see this all the time. People come in feeling anxious, burned out, foggy, or overwhelmed — even after doing all the "right things." Therapy. Journaling. Meditation. Breathwork. They’ve done the inner work… but something still feels off.

 

And often, it’s not just in their head. 
It’s in their biology.

 

Your Mind Reflects Your Physiology


Your thoughts, mood, focus, and emotional resilience are shaped — every day — by what’s happening in your body.


For example:

· When your blood sugar crashes, it can mimic a panic attack.


· Chronic inflammation activates the same biochemical pathways as depression and anxiety.


· Poor gut health affects serotonin levels — and since about 90% of your serotonin is made in your gut, not your brain, this is a big deal.


· Low levels of magnesium, B12, vitamin D, or omega-3s are all linked to mood swings, brain fog, and irritability.


· And even just one night of poor sleep can increase cortisol, spike insulin, and make your brain more reactive and emotionally sensitive.


In other words, your body is constantly sending messages to your brain. 
If your body feels unsafe, depleted, or inflamed — your mind will reflect that.

 

This Isn’t Just Theory — It’s Backed by Science

We’re not guessing here. This connection between body and mind is supported by strong, real-world data:


· 1 in 3 people with depression have elevated inflammatory markers like CRP, IL-6, and TNF-alpha. (Biological Psychiatry, 2016)


· People with autoimmune diseases are 45% more likely to also experience depression. (JAMA Psychiatry, 2013)


· The CDC-Kaiser ACE Study showed that people with childhood trauma have higher risks for depression, addiction, and chronic disease.


· Studies show that imbalances in gut bacteria are linked with anxiety, mood issues, and even cognitive decline. (Psychiatry Research, 2015)


· Just one night of poor sleep increases emotional reactivity in the brain by up to 60%. (Nature Neuroscience, 2007)


· Loneliness increases inflammation and weakens immunity — and is as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. (PLOS Medicine, 2010 – Holt-Lunstad et al.)


· Blood sugar swings, nutrient deficiencies, and hormone imbalances can all look like mental health disorders — but are often biochemical in nature.

 

So What Do We Do About It?

Here’s where functional medicine comes in.
It asks a different set of questions:

·      Why is the body reacting this way?

·      What’s out of balance beneath the surface?

·      What systems need support — physically, emotionally, and biochemically?

 

At Unscripted Clinic, we don’t separate mental and physical health — because they aren’t separate. We look at the whole ecosystem of your body and how it's shaping your thoughts, energy, and emotional resilience.

 

We look at:

·      Your gut and microbiome

·      Your blood sugar stability

·      Your inflammation levels

·      Your nutrient reserves

·      Your sleep-wake rhythm

·      And your nervous system’s ability to switch out of survival mode

 

We don’t treat symptoms like a checklist.
We treat your story like a roadmap.

Because real healing happens when your entire system feels supported, safe, and seen.

 

Your Body Isn’t the Enemy — It’s the Messenger

One of the most healing truths we share with our clients is this:

You’re not broken.
Your body isn’t failing you.
It’s trying to protect you — in the only way it knows how.

 

That low mood, that brain fog, that irritability or exhaustion?
Those are signals — not signs that something’s wrong with you, but signs that something deeper needs attention, care, and healing.

 

Once you start addressing the root causes — not just the symptoms — everything starts to shift.
Energy returns.
Emotions stabilize.
You feel more clear, more present, more like you again.

 

What Healing Might Look Like

At Unscripted, healing doesn’t mean perfection.
It means building a new baseline that works with your body, not against it.

That might look like:

·      Eating in a way that balances your blood sugar and your mood

·      Repairing the gut so your brain chemistry can function again

·      Supporting your adrenals so you can actually rest and restore

·      Calming the nervous system so trauma can finally release.

·      Reclaiming your energy, clarity, and connection — not by forcing it, but by becoming biologically readyfor it

 

Ready to Feel Like You Again?

If you’ve been doing the mindset work and still feel stuck, this might be the missing link.

Let’s look at your whole story — body, mind, and history — and figure it out together, piece by piece.

 

 

Or schedule a discovery call when you’re ready to start moving toward clarity, calm, and energy that actually lasts.

 

You don’t have to do this alone anymore.



Cara Merak, BSN, RN, CFNC, is the founder and lead practitioner at Unscripted Clinic, a functional medicine health coaching practice in Newcastle, WA. Drawing from her background as a pediatric nurse and a certified Functional Nutrition Counselor, she combines clinical experience with root‑cause strategies to help clients overcome fatigue, hormone imbalances, gut issues, weight loss resistance and more in a sustainable, personalized way.


Cara’s approach is refreshingly honest—no one-size-fits-all solutions. Instead, she empowers people to build health that lasts longer and stronger by understanding and addressing the deeper imbalances behind symptoms unscriptedclinic.com.

In addition to guiding clients, Cara hosts the podcast Wellness Unscripted, where she explores root‑cause healing alongside real people and functional medicine experts—delivering insight, clarity, and inspiration without the fluff.


If you are looking for personalized health support,



Sources:

Blood Sugar and Panic/Anxiety

  1. Cryer, P. E. (2007). Hypoglycemia-associated adrenergic activation and psychopathology in diabetes. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, 292(3), E647–E648.

  2. Pascoe, M. C., Wens, V., & Pedroni, L. (2018). Hypoglycemia in anxiety disorders: A systematic review. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 107, 139–146.

    • (Note: This research supports the link between physiological stress responses to low blood sugar and the manifestation of anxiety/panic symptoms.)

Chronic Inflammation and Mood Disorders

  1. Miller, A. H., Haroon, E., Raison, C. L., & Felger, J. C. (2019). Cytokine targets for the treatment of depression. JAMA Psychiatry, 76(11), 1205–1214.

  2. Valkanova, V., Ebmeier, K. P., & Allan, C. L. (2013). Research review: Is C-reactive protein a biomarker in depression? A meta-analysis of 31 studies. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 27(1), 75–88.

Gut Health and Serotonin/Brain Chemistry

  1. Yano, J. M., Yu, K., Donaldson, G. P., Shastri, G. G., Ann, P., Ma, L., Nagler, C. R., Mazmanian, S. K., & Hsiao, E. Y. (2015). Indigenous bacteria from the gut microbiota regulate host serotonin biosynthesis. Cell, 161(2), 264–276.

  2. Dinan, T. G., & Cryan, J. F. (2017). The microbiome-gut-brain axis in health and disease. Biological Psychiatry, 82(1), e7–e10.

Micronutrient Deficiencies and Mood

  1. Grosso, G., Pajak, A., Kokot, I., Colasanto, V., Mocan, G., Godos, J., & Caraci, F. (2017). Role of omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of depressive disorders: A comprehensive review. Molecular Psychiatry, 22(12), 1685–1701.

  2. Sartori, S. B., Whittle, A., Hetzenauer, A., & Singewald, N. (2012). Magnesium deficiency induces anxiety and is associated with serum corticosterone and altered neuroendocrine responses to stress in rats. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 24(1), 10–23.

  3. Shils, J. L., & Shils, M. E. (2006). Modern nutrition in health and disease (10th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

    • (Note: This reference covers the foundational role of B12, Vitamin D, and other nutrients as cofactors for neurological function.)

Poor Sleep and Emotional Reactivity/Cortisol

  1. Yoo, S. S., Gujar, I. H., Hu, P., Jolesz, F. A., & Walker, M. P. (2007). The human emotional brain without sleep—a prefrontal amygdala disconnection. Current Biology, 17(18), R877–R878.

  2. Knutson, K. L., Spiegel, K., Pincus, Z., & Cauter, E. V. (2007). The metabolic consequences of sleep deprivation. Sleep Medicine, 1 (Suppl. 2), S39–S48.

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