Services Sanctuary Offers

We know that each of you need your own personalized program delivered with caring hands by a coordinated team of highly trained professionals.

Our team stands ready to deliver a worthy return on your time and effort towards your healthier more abundant life.

By offering this combined with the best of both worlds of medicine, natural and conventional, applied to your whole person, we strive towards restoring broken lives.

The following services introduce you to the pathways of restoration we offer at Sanctuary.

The Intensive Program

Our Intensive Program serves both adults and children who are dealing with Chronic Illness. Regardless of the length or severity of the health problem, this intensive program seeks to restore patients to better health so that they can go on to live healthier and more abundant lives. Learn more

Adults and Children

Enlist a specialist extensively trained in caring for you or your child when you choose Dr. Potter who is board certified in both Internal Medicine for Adults and Pediatrics for children. With hours of training over 20 plus years with ongoing study, you get what you and your child need to return to a healthier more abundant life. Learn more.

Mold Toxicity

Does your body seem to be fighting against you with seemingly unconnected symptoms? Uncovering mold toxicity means not only an explanation but with a Sanctuary detoxifcation protocol, this answer can also lead to feeling alive again with joy rather than suffering. Many have overcome before you. Join them. Learn more.

LYME and Target Borne Infections

Sometimes we discover Lyme is underlying a patient’s chronic illness…. With therapy… We see fatigue resolve. We see pains fade. We see vibrancy recover as the inflammation is quelled and the symptoms abate. As the infection and its toxins fade from the immediate picture, the body can be encouraged to function normally again. Learn more.

Autoimmune

Many seek out our help for autoimmune conditions… Healthier, more abundant lives can then grow out of the fertile ground when (autoimmune) triggers are removed and nutrients energize the body. Patients can overcome not only the superficial symptoms, letting them return to normal life, but rest confident in knowing that the deeper unseen processes are no longer harming them. Learn more.

PANS and PANDAS

Where did my little Johnny go? Everything changed over a short period, maybe a night, maybe over a week, but your child morphed into another personality suddenly…. Your child’s health can be restored to a life of childhood joys unhindered by brain inflammation and unpredictable behaviors. The personality you knew can come back to life. Learn more.

Fatigue

Many come to us with bodies that just don’t want to get up and go…. With our care… They get more done at home or at work. They have more energy to have fun. Patients often express “so this is what it feels like to feel normal” or “I didn’t know how sick I really was until I felt better”. Learn more.

Autism and ADHD

As a parent, you know something changed about your child, something that you may not be able to pinpoint exactly, but you just know is there… By working to remove the triggers for brain inflammation and augmenting the body’s ability to heal, new changes emerge…. Your child can see a better future ahead interacting, learning, and playing. Learn more.

Long Hauler COVID

Reaching out for help with suspected or confirmed Long Hauler COVID or Post Acute COVID Syndrome? The acute illness wrecked havoc with our society and caused many severe illnesses for 1 to 3 week episodes. Then the prolonged illnesses many are experiencing are tormenting lives for months. Learn more.

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome

Mast cells are immune cells which release histamine and dozens other chemical messengers in response to some trigger. The histamine and other chemicals serve a purpose under normal conditions, but when they build up in excess, they can cause hives, allergies, food intolerances, migraines, GI symptoms, and many other surprising symptoms. Learn more.

Thyroid Disorder

One might find it hard to imagine how a little gland sitting in their neck could cause so many problems when it fizzles, yet anyone with hypothyroid (low functioning) can attest to the multitude of symptoms it creates. The thyroid produces thyroid hormone which controls our metabolic rate like a gas pedal. Learn more.

Institute for Functional Medicine

American Board of Pediatrics

American Board of Internal Medicine

American Academy of Environmental Medicine

International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness

Get Healthier Newsletter

Dec112023

10 Tips for Navigating Holiday Parties

<!– wp:tadv/classic-paragraph –> <div><img class=”alignnone size-medium wp-image-22946″ src=”https://sanctuaryfunctionalmedicine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/christmas-table-1926936_1920-e1613418194410-720×360-1-300×150.jpeg” alt=”” width=”300″ height=”150″ /></div> <div>Sanctuary’s own nutritionist has some tips to share today!</div> <div> </div> <div> <div> <div>10 Tips for Navigating the Holiday Parties</div> <div> </div> </div> <div> <div>1. Make sure to stay hydrated with plenty of clean, filtered water. 1/2 your body weight in ounces is approximately what…

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Dec62023

Proverbs 15:7

Proverbs 15:7 ESV The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+15%3A7&version=ESV] If a wise man’s lips spread knowledge, and we desire to be wise, we must choose to follow the course of the wise man and spread knowledge. We must not be like the fool, whose heart hides…

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Dec52023

Rewriting Mold: Why the Increased Frequency?

For those not aware of our Mold Symptom Therapy Guide website, let this “Rewriting Mold” series serve as a reminder of both what we offer our patients and what we offer the general public in terms of understanding mold toxicity illness. Over the coming weeks, I will be reviewing and reposting sections of our Mold…

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Dec42023

Hormones Increase Teen Impulsiveness

The study of interest today seems pretty “Duh!” Just about every parent will attest to the effects of teenage hormones on their sweet little pre-teen. But there is something here much more critical to the future health of our children! This study looked at the effects of synthetic hormones known popularly as “birth control” or…

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Nov292023

Proverbs 15:6

Proverbs 15:6 ESV In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but trouble befalls the income of the wicked. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+15%3A6&version=ESV] The common line of modern church thought is that the promises of the Old Testament in regards to prosperity in this present life were for that time and not this. Or it’s…

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Nov282023

Practical Sources of Neurotransmitters

While we as humans are clearly more than the sum of our neurotransmitters, this group of chemicals do play a significant role in our experience of life, running feelings, thoughts, and actions, the stuff make us who we are. Have you ever pondered where these little chemical influencers come from? No, I am not talking…

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We knew something was wrong because our son wouldn’t engage in communication, he lost his desire to talk and he didn’t use eye contact – he was becoming isolated in his own world. But when we heard our son had autism, we were shocked. It doesn’t run in our families, we don’t use drugs or…
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At one of the most confusing, difficult times in my life Dr. Eric Potter brought the hope and answers I needed. When we first met and he opened our appointment with prayer I knew I had found the perfect doctor for me. He was empathetic and listened carefully to every symptom I was feeling. He…
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I feel as though I finally have answers to problems that have troubled me from a young age that were just overlooked. I have never had this thorough of information and test results that prove actual problems and not just being a hypochondriac. No doubt that Sanctuary Functional Medicine has been an answer to many…
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“Sanctuary has been a different experience for me, but a good one. I had been looking for answers for 6 years before I found Dr. Potter. I have to drive 2 hours to get to his office and I am happy to do so. Dr. Potter listens to my entire story and writes everything down…
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I am very thankful to have come so far in my healing journey. I was just thinking this morning that I no longer have that overwhelming feeling of fatigue when I first wake up. You, your knowledge, protocol, and staff have been and are such a blessing to me (and my family). To have a…
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Credentials and Training

Vanderbilt Trained

Dr. Potter received his MD degree from Vanderbilt School of Medicine in the class of ’99 where he learned to approach medical challenges with open eyes and a full toolbox.

Board Certified - Adults and Children

Dr. Potter achieved board certification with the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Institute for Functional Medicine Certified

Dr. Potter further certified in functional Medicine with IFM after a multi-year study program and certification exam.

Licensed in Multiple States

Dr. Potter’s office begins in Franklin, Tennessee, but stretches through telemedicine across the United States and licenses outside Tennessee.

Extended Training

Dr. Potter continues training through conferences and lectures to bring the best and latest of medicine to Sanctuary’s patients..

21 Years Experience and Counting

With over two decades of caring for the broken bodied patients of our fallen world, Dr. Potter’s experience extends across multiple areas of health care.

Dr. Eric Potter graduated from Vanderbilt Medical School and then went on to specialize in internal medicine (adult) and pediatric care, spending significant time and effort in growing his medical understanding while caring for patients from all walks of life. In recent years, he devoted countless hours to obtaining the Institute for Functional Medicine Certification (link here). This certification places him within a small group of regional practitioners who have completed the entire program. At Sanctuary you will find the best of the conventional medical field combined with the best of Functional Medicine.

Jeremy Paluch

Jeremy Paluch, APRN, FNP-C Received his Master of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt University. Jeremy’s interest in Functional Medicine began with his sister’s unfortunate Diagnosis of metastatic melanoma in 2009. This began what became a never-ending journey of research using diet and exercise to maintain and restore health. This eventually led to a clinical exercise science degree from Central Michigan University to show people the power of an appropriate diet and exercise routine for preventative and rehabilitative purposes.

His past and continued researched opened his eyes to a whole new world of practicing medicine by finding the root cause. Once his eyes were opened, there was no closing them. This guided his next decision to become a Nurse Practitioner with his sights set on functional medicine in order to help people to the best of his ability. Jeremy feels his path has been unconventional but knows God has guided his decisions every step of the way.

Erin Dowling

Erin joins our team after seven years of service as a nurse in the US Navy. While working in a variety of different hospital-based care areas, her desire to bring sustainable, deep-rooted healing to her patients was found upon discovering functional medicine. This approach to care reignited her initial love for nursing. Erin obtained her Family Nurse Practitioner degree with the goal to commit the rest of her career to learning and practicing functional medicine. She is working toward certificates in functional nutrition and functional medicine.

Erin is from Carlisle, Pennsylvania but stayed in the Nashville area after completing school. She loves Nashville’s creative culture and middle-America vibe. She enjoys live music, cooking, yoga, and any outdoor activity. With a passion for her faith, Erin joins SFM honoring its integration of the faith to help patients harness grace from God to achieve deep-seated physical, mental, and emotional wellness.

Sunny Austin

Sunny Austin graduated from Vanderbilt with a Master of Science in Nursing in 2014. She then worked in primary care and urgent care as an FNP. She is passionate about caring for patients holistically and addressing root causes of chronic disease. She loves to hear patients’ stories of their health journeys and help them live healthier lives. She is thankful that God led her to Sanctuary Functional Medicine.

Connect...Restore...Cultivate

We believe in living a healthier more abundant life.

Live a Healthier More Abundant Life

Our goal at Sanctuary is to help you achieve a life full of joy and peace where you are free to pursue your calling and spend time with your family without the looming specter of illness.

Connecting with You and Your Story

The foundation of our chronic illness practice is the relationship of trust we build with our patients. We want to hear your story of suffering so we can find your keys to a healthier life. Your story matters to us.

Restoring Health From Chronic Illness

We go deeper than managing symptoms for chronic health suffering. Our aim is to restore health to its optimal level–the level we believe God intends for you. We do this through the best of both conventional and Functional medicine.

Cultivating an Empowered Life

We’re on a mission to empower our patients with the knowledge and habits they need to cultivate a truly healthy lifestyle. Once their chronic illness has been addressed, we want to keep them well with our Empowered Life Program.