Guest Profile

Jessica Santos, FNP-IFMCP

Jessica Santos is a Family Nurse Practitioner, a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, and a member of the International Society for Environmentally-Acquired Illness. She specializes in helping patients navigate complex chronic disease.

Jessica graduated from the University of Arizona with her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing in 2004, then with her Master’s of Science in Nursing in 2006. She spent most of her early career in urgent care, pediatrics, family practice, and internal medicine, but practicing conventional medicine left her unfulfilled and frustrated. She continuously felt she was missing something, that there was more the patients needed from her that she was unable to provide. After being introduced to functional medicine, she realized it was the exact thing she had been searching for. Finding the root cause of disease (not just treating symptoms) and empowering her patients to take control of their health and wellness was what she set out to do in the medical field.

Since discovering functional medicine, Jessica has worked with many inspiring health care providers, including MDs, PAs, NPs, health coaches, nutritionists, naturopathic doctors, physical medicine specialists, acupuncturists, massage therapists, and other healers from many different domains. She has learned from each of those in the functional medicine community, and incorporated these tools into her ever-growing toolkit.

Jessica is passionate about helping her patients find their “why.” She is interested in hearing all the parts of their story that have been instrumental in getting them to where they are today. She takes these clues, unravels why they are experiencing symptoms, and offers appropriate testing in order to find answers. She understands that no two patients and no two diagnoses should be treated the same way.

In her spare time, Jessica is busy raising two boys who are athletic, funny, smart, and kind. As a family, they are usually outside, hiking, paddleboarding, walking the dogs, camping, or playing another sport. They particularly enjoy mountain biking together, and some of their favorite memories are traveling to different bike parks around the western states and mountain biking in beautiful areas. Jessica loves hot yoga and CrossFit, and has been certified as a level one CrossFit instructor. She strives to lead a balanced lifestyle, and understands the challenges of raising children while working full-time and trying to lead a mindful and healthy lifestyle. One of her favorite sayings comes from one of her most cherished mentors, “do not

let perfect get in the way of good.” Self-compassion and grace are gifts she is learning to give herself and hopes to share with her patients.

Connect with Jessica online:
Facebook - @illuminatefunctionalwellness Instagram - @illuminatefunctionalwellness Email - [email protected]