About me
Melanie Aronson · Functional Medicine-Informed Health Strategist
Helping people make sense of chronic symptoms through the gut–brain axis, stress physiology, and systems-based biology.
Hi. I’m Melanie.
For years, my friends and family would come to me with their health questions, knowing I was always diving into the latest research and loving the detective work involved in solving their health challenges. I’m originally from the U.S. and have lived in various parts of Europe, Central America and the Middle East– experiences that shaped the way I understood health, culture, and the body.
Long before health became my work, I was drawn to understanding people, systems, and stories. I studied anthropology at Columbia University and was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship focused on the integration of refugees into Swedish society, before working in documentary film and later founding and running a tech startup centered on connection and community.
Creativity, pattern recognition, and nervous system awareness have always been central to how I move through the world. I’ve lived with a highly sensitive nervous system for as long as I can remember, which has shaped both my curiosity and the way I attune to what others are experiencing.
Then I got sick myself. Navigating my own chronic health issues pushed me even deeper into the research and showed me firsthand just how complex healing can be. I’ve always believed that our bodies speak in ways that deserve to be heard, and I’ve never been able to tolerate being told “nothing’s wrong with you” when something clearly isn’t right.
When My Health Collapsed
Following childbirth, my body felt like it had turned against me. Symptoms piled up, but no one could explain why. Despite multiple MRIs, ultrasounds, and visits to specialists, no one could explain the constant pulsing in my liver, the mounting fatigue, joint and pelvic pain, sinus pressure, neuropathy, weekly flu-like crashes, or the growing list of autoimmune symptoms. My labs were inconclusive. I saw more than ten specialists across different fields, but no one could explain what was happening in my body. The diagnoses were vague. My body was screaming for help. I felt very alone. Finally, through my own research, I eventually discovered I was dealing with Long COVID, mold illness, and a persistent bacterial infection.
So I looked for my own answers, devouring books on functional medicine principles, online trainings, and emerging research on the microbiome, genetics, inflammation, and detoxification. This was my first real immersion into the world of functional medicine, where symptoms are understood through systems thinking and root-cause analysis.
Training, Frameworks & Making Sense of the Body
Then I began to formally training in integrative and holistic approaches to health through the Functional Nutrition Alliance, completing their Full Body Systems methodology, a framework that teaches practitioners to see the body as an interconnected system and trace symptoms back to their true root causes. That training helped me bring together everything I had been learning — functional nutrition, microbiome science, herbal support, and emerging research on brain and immune health — in a way that finally made sense of what my body was trying to tell me.
By adjusting my food and daily habits to what my body uniquely needed, and layering in herbal medicine and targeted natural supplements, I slowly began to unravel the inflammation and layers of imbalance, gradually restoring energy, clarity, and a better connection to my body. I went from barely being able to get out of bed for over a year to slowly rebuilding a life rooted in a deeper, more holistic understanding of how our bodies work, while becoming acutely aware of how environmental factors like mold, especially here in Portugal, can profoundly impact health.
How My Lived Experience Shapes My Work
Today, as a Functional Medicine informed Health Strategist, my work is shaped by lived experience, anthropology, art, and embodied practices rooted in yoga, nutrition, and nervous system regulation. I’m a certified Vinyasa yoga teacher and increasingly draw from Kundalini-informed practices for their emphasis on nervous system regulation, energy, and the body–mind connection.
Becoming a mother also shaped the way I understand healing. Supporting my son through his own gut and neurological challenges deepened my understanding of how nutrition, the microbiome, stress, and environmental exposures influence behavior, emotional regulation, learning, and development. This experience informs my work and gives me particular sensitivity when supporting families navigating picky eating, sensory differences, hyperactivity, or unexplained behavioral shifts.
People usually find me when something in their health story doesn’t add up. Sometimes it’s a child with chronic digestive issues, parasites, or food reactions showing up as hyperactivity or aggression. Sometimes it’s a woman overwhelmed by hormonal shifts, hair loss, dry skin, or resistant weight loss. Other times it’s someone struggling with headaches, brain fog, anxiety, or ADHD patterns that no one has connected to their microbiome. What they all share is the sense that their body is speaking a language no one has helped them interpret yet.
My Philosophy & Invitation to You
Underneath these stories lies a deeper truth: our physiology is never random. Our genetics and the richness of our microbiome influence everything from how we detox to how resilient our immune system is, which is why two people can react so differently to the same exposure. Healing isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s the quiet, patient work of listening to your body’s story and carefully assembling the pieces.
I approach health with curiosity, creativity, and a deep respect for each person’s lived experience. This work is a natural extension of how I’ve always moved through the world — asking thoughtful questions, connecting the dots, and listening closely to what lives beneath the surface.
All the knowledge I will share with you, I also live myself. Not because I aim for perfection, but because I’ve discovered what actually works for real people in today’s world. I don’t live in restriction or deprivation. Instead, I’ve learned to understand my body’s unique needs and limitations, which has brought me a deeper appreciation for food and nourishment than ever before, and that’s something you can experience too.
If you’re looking for a five-minute fix or a shortcut, I’m probably not the right person. But if you’re ready to explore the deeper layers of your physiology and understand what your body has been trying to say, we’ll work well together.
If any part of my story mirrors your own, I’d love to explore your health journey together. Your body has a story too — and it deserves to be heard.
Chat with me
Whether you’re navigating mystery symptoms or seeking a deeper connection to your body, I’d love to learn a little about what’s going on for you. If it feels like we’re a good match, I’ll reach out personally to share next steps for our first consultation.