Meet Reed Zatlow
Reed spent his childhood in sunny South Florida, where he participated in various sports and developed a strong passion for nutrition and athletic performance. This early interest led him to pursue further education, and in 2001, he graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Nutrition and Exercise Science. After completing his studies, he dedicated several years of his life to working as a personal trainer and performance coach, helping others improve their fitness and nutritional habits.
In the wake of the tragic events on September 11, he felt a deep sense of duty and motivation to serve his country. Reed made the decision to enlist in the United States Navy, where he trained and worked as a Hospital Corpsman. In this role, he provided critical medical support and care to fellow service members. However, in 2007, Reed sustained serious injuries during a deployment. He was immediately treated and placed on numerous pharmaceutical drugs, including SSRIs, neuroleptics, sedatives/tranquilizers, sleeping pills, benzodiazepines, and high-dose opiates. Eventually, amphetamines were added to offset the consistent drowsiness. The physical stress caused by these medications would result in high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, and various other physiological problems, each of which would require an additional medication. Reed was medically retired from the military in 2010; however, the myriad of medications would make retirement a challenging transition. He struggled with severe anxiety and depression, which made adjusting to civilian life difficult. Participating in normal civilian activities became nearly impossible, and Reed would turn to alcohol to deal with his issues.
Rock bottom would come after a second overdose in 2013. In his search for help, Reed discovered a Functional Medicine doctor who assisted him in successfully eliminating each pharmaceutical drug one by one and returning to optimal health through various alternative modalities. These included dietary changes, intense, consistent exercise, meditation, supplementation, heat/cold exposure, vitamin IVs, hormone optimization, and other unconventional means. After several months of this regimen, Reed was finally able to function and succeed in everyday life. This progress would prompt him to return to college to become a Registered Dietitian and attain an MS degree in Nutrition and Functional Medicine. This experience not only taught him how to understand the root cause of medical problems and how to correct them, but it also taught him the importance of having a goal and something positive to focus on. This remains the core foundation of his life, helping him remain healthy and medication-free. Reed is now a father to two healthy girls, a husband, and works to help others improve their lives and optimize their health. Focusing on thorough laboratory testing, goal setting, nutritional and exercise programming, supplementation, and hormone optimization, Reed helps clients achieve optimal health in a detailed and structured manner. Whether your goal is as simple as losing some weight, gaining size and strength, and feeling your best, or as complex as correcting serious depression and PTSD, autoimmune disorders, gastrointestinal problems, hormone imbalances, or chemical/pharmaceutical dependence, Getting Functional can help you get there and stay there.
