Rona Tagalog, a licensed, board-certified family nurse practitioner at the Naples Center for Functional Medicine, holds a Master of Science in Nursing degree from the University of South Florida, an Associate of Science degree in Nursing from Northland Pioneer College, and a bachelor’s degree in music education from Mountain View College, plus the experience of being a mother-baby nurse at Orlando Health and the know-how of being a nurse practitioner at Trinity Family Medical Center. All of that was reason enough to hire her but the icing on the cake proved to be her attitude and gentle manner. 

Tagalog’s personal experience with medical challenges of her own proved invaluable to the team. “I knew something was off. My energy was low and I had trouble sleeping. I consulted a conventional doctor who sent me for laboratory tests. He told me that my numbers looked perfect. His answer to the problem of my low energy was that I was depressed, and all I had to do was take a pill to get my energy back. I knew that I wasn’t depressed. After all, my family had no history of depression,” she says.

“I knew I needed to dig down into the root cause of my problems, so I went looking for a functional medicine doctor.  The functional medicine doctor I found dug deep and discovered that I had a lot of toxins and inflammation in my body.  I started doing the detox protocol, knowing that the journey was going to take a while. My healing journey inspired me to complete and obtain certification in the practice of functional medicine with the Functional Medicine University.  I continue to expand my functional wellness training through the American Academy of Anti-Aging and Institute of Functional Medicine.”

While Tagalog is serious about health and well-being, and enjoys helping people achieve their optimal wellness, she has a secret stress-releaser. “I love music. It’s my passion. Years ago, my first job was a music teacher. Unfortunately, at that time, music teachers were the first ones laid off, as music isn’t important to schools anymore. That’s when I realized that I needed a different job and went back to school to get my associate of nursing degree. I never gave up my love of music. I still participate in church music. Once a month, my husband and I still drive to Orlando, where I continue to conduct my church choir. During the pandemic, I did a virtual choir. It’s my stress reliever,” says Tagalog. 

The nurse practices self-care, meditation and massage, and uses essential oils and infrared sauna. She also enjoys yoga, Pilates and rebounding. When she is not working, she loves to spend time in nature with her husband. “Armando and I love the beach. Orlando is a fast-paced city, and we enjoy the slower pace here in Naples”, she says.

Naples Center for Functional Medicine is located at 800 Goodlette Rd. N., Ste. 270, in Naples. For more information, call 239-649-7400 or visit NaplesCFM.com. See ad, pg. xx.