Jarrod Cooper

Jarrod Cooper – ND
Functional Medicine Practitioner

My name is Jarrod Cooper and I am a degree qualified Functional Medicine Practitioner.  I have been interested in health and wellness from a young age, with strong influences from my mother in Natural Medicine.

I haven’t always been as healthy as I am today.  In my 20’s I was of average health and led a normal life.  However, I noticed my health slowly start to decline over this period as my focus was on many areas, such as my kids, wife, the corporate business I owned and other life demands.

My Health Story

I slowly began to experience fatigue, digestive issues, skin rash, weight gain, anxiety, some hair loss, low mood and body aches and pains. I sought out advice from my general practitioner and was told I was healthy and everything was fine. Blood tests came back “within range” and I was offered various drugs, which after researching, decided not to take and explore natural medicine instead. So why was I feeling this way?  I knew I could and should feel so much better than I did and that I should be excited for life.  How come I wasn’t?

I consulted various natural health practitioners and was given great insight into what parts of my body were not functioning correctly; a dysfunctional duodenum in my digestive system and low thyroid activity (even though my blood markers were in range) were two driving factors.   Upon adding supplements and herbs into my routine,  things began to improve.  However it wasn’t until I discovered functional medicine that my health  took a turn for the best,  as I uncovered deeper root causes to these conditions (more about that later).

Journey to Functional Medicine

This experience with my Naturopath rekindled my passion for natural medicine, inspiring me to complete study in nutrition and holistic life coaching in my spare time.  After a marriage breakup and business decline, I decided to pursue a full time career in Natural Medicine, undertaking and completing a Bachelor of Health Science in Natural Medicine, qualifying me as a Naturopathic Doctor (ND).

Prior to graduating from University I discovered Functional Medicine, in my opinion an advanced healthcare model  which blends scientific upfront functional medical testing with proven natural treatments to address the underlying cause of disease - effectively bridging the gap between conventional medicine and natural medicine.

I immersed myself in the world of functional medicine, learning everything I could, applying the principles and conducting investigative testing on myself, and the results were amazing. By correcting underlying pathologies, balancing gut microflora and infections, understanding my genetic and biochemical pathways, identifying key nutrient deficiencies and how my neurotransmitters were performing all enabled me to be in the best condition of my life, absent of anxiety, fatigue, digestive issues, aches and pains and skin issues.

I continued my education in Functional Medicine by seeking out some of the best practitioners and researchers in the world and was personally mentored by;

• Dr Ben Lynch
• Chris Kresser
• Dr Mark Hyman
• Dr Datis Kharrazian
• Dr Andrew Rostenburg
• Dr Peter Osborne
• Paul Chek

I also studied through the Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM) and the Kresser Institute, holding professional memberships with both the IFM and the Australian Natural Therapies Association (ANTA).

Qualifications and Mentorships

• Bachelor of Health Science – Natural Medicine – Naturopathic Doctor (ND)
• Institute Functional Medicine (IFM) – Advanced Functional Medicine practitioner training
• Dr Ben Lynch – Advanced training on epigenetics, methylation and biochemical pathways
• Kresser Institute (USA) – Functional Medicine Practitioner Training
• CHEK Institute (USA) – Holistic Life Coaching
• Institute Functional Medicine (IFM) – Member
• Australian Natural Therapies Association (ANTA) – Fellow Member

Clinic Special Interests

• Gut and gastrointestinal disorders
• Methylation, MTHFR and genetic reporting
• Thyroid conditions
• Autoimmune diseases
• Mental health disorders and cognition decline
• Chronic infections, lyme disease, parasites and viral loads
• Food intolerances
• Skin disorders
• Fatigue and sleep issues
• Hormone imbalances
• Metabolic dysregulation

Mission to Help Others

After clinically practicing functional medicine for a number of years with exceptional results, I realised that by just being in clinic I can only help a limited number of people, prompting the launch of the “Advanced Functional Medicine” website.  This website is not just a clinic webpage, but a dedicated health portal offering health information, treatment protocols and medical testing information to support each individual’s healthcare journey.  I understand that not everyone can afford to access a functional medicine practitioner on a regular basis, so this site is designed to assist people on their health journey even if they are not seeing a practitioner.

When not spending time with my partner Gemma and our 6 children or blogging about functional medicine, I consult from my Perth clinic of Advanced Functional Medicine located at the Antony St Specialist Centre in Palymra, Western Australia.  I see patients in person from the Perth area and surrounds, as well as consult Australia and worldwide via Telehealth.