Sara Hernandez, PAC
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Founder and CEO of Empowered Health
Sara Hernandez is a medical professional who has become passionate about finding answers and pursuing her deep-seated calling as a healer. She has taken a step outside of traditional medicine to create a business where she can serve and empower people all over the world to restore their optimal health. Sara is the CEO and founder of Empowered Health, a collaborative group of professionals that believes deeply in the effectiveness of a functional and integrative approach to medicine.
Sara received training in a traditional medicine model, receiving a dual bachelor’s degree in Biology and Spanish from Juniata College, and obtaining her Master of Physician Assistant Studies at Chatham University. She then worked primarily in emergency medicine and family practice, until she had an opportunity to work with a practitioner who practiced functional/integrative medicine. Sara developed a deep passion for this approach to health, and went on to complete further medical education through the Institute of Functional Medicine, as well as the School of Applied Functional Medicine. She is currently working towards her Doctorate of Science in Integrative Healthcare, with a focus on functional medicine at Huntington University of the Health Sciences.
The road that led me to functional medicine was winding. It began with my own personal battle with disordered eating…ranging from calorie restriction, to excessive exercise, to binge eating. I realized that these behaviors were a subconscious effort to battle underlying anxiety and assert a sense of control, but to the detriment of my actual health. I began researching and reading about the power of nutrition to heal, and started implementing the Mediterranean diet concepts into my life. As I began to notice huge improvements in not only my mental, but physical health, I realized firsthand the power of eliminating or minimizing processed and ‘diet’ foods. Working in an integrative medicine clinic further confirmed my own experience and personal research, as I saw restorative nutrition concepts applied to challenging patients who had been unable to improve their health for years – even decades – who now under the umbrella of functional medicine were experiencing healing in ways they had never before.
After struggling with my weight and being diagnosed as ‘subclinical hypothyroid’ for the majority of my life, with work and nutritional analysis/supplementation, I was able to discontinue my prescribed thyroid medication without any adverse symptoms. In fact, I felt even better than when I had been on the prescription, which never seemed to be quite the right dose to get me feeling ‘normal’ again. This personal experience increased my excitement to learn more about the world of functional medicine, and from there it has been my goal to forge a path that would lead me to be able to apply the same scientific knowledge and restorative approach to truly help people others!
