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by Mark J. Tager, MD
No matter the terminology—Integrative, Functional, Holistic, Wellness or Anti-Aging—a growing cadre of clinicians are now competing for the cash dollars of patients seeking a more personalized, root-cause health care experience. Don’t just take my word for it; let’s do the math: In this case, a simple LinkedIn search (February 2017) shows the following number of practitioners: Read more
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by Randi Mann, WHNP-BC, APNP, NCMP
It's my hope that this article inspires you to offer Group Visits to your patients. With the tools, support and coaching offered by the Lifestyle Matrix Resource Center, I know every practitioner can do this!!Read more
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by Shilpa P. Saxena, MD
Cardiovascular and cardiometabolic disease continue to devastate the lives of patients, families, communities and the US healthcare system at large. The sad truth is, a solution already exists. If healthcare systems could figure out how to implement therapeutic lifestyle change, nearly 80% of the world’s medical problems would either be prevented or reversed. Over the last 10 years, I have seen this solution play out in my office and other Functional and Integrative offices around the world. So, why isn’t this already happening? Three things: 1) Provider training, 2) Patient engagement, and 3) Cost. Read more
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by Kara Fitzgerald, ND
Dr. Alessio Fasano catapulted the understanding of GI involvement in immune diseases to center stage with his seminal research on zonulin and intestinal permeability. Notably, his 2008 Scientific American piece got the attention of almost every clinician I know. When his concepts were introduced at the Institute of Functional Medicine’s Annual International Conference that year, we were collectively awestruck that a scientist finally, solidly, put on the map what we, as integrative and functional clinicians, have observed clinically for years. Read more
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by Christopher Mote, DO, DC.
You know whether your patient has high cortisol, normal cortisol, or low cortisol—so what? Cortisol and DHEA can be high, low or within range and be perfectly appropriate depending on the patient’s physiologic condition. How do these markers change your medical decision-making? Read more
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by Thomas G. Guilliams, Ph.D.
When clinicians measure salivary cortisol and DHEA (DHEA-S) to assess stress and HPA axis function, it is common to find DHEA levels below the reference range in a number of individuals. A common explanation for the depletion of DHEA and other hormones (e.g., progesterone, testosterone) due to chronic stress is the phenomenon known as “pregnenolone steal.” This notion basically states that since all steroid hormones use pregnenolone (derived from cholesterol) as a precursor, the elevated secretion of cortisol caused by acute or chronic stress will inevitably result in less available pregnenolone to serve as a precursor for the production of DHEA and other down-stream hormones.
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by Jonathan Cannizzo, MSc
The statement, “Exercise is an important part of lifestyle medicine,” seems rather obvious. Studies indicate relative risks for cardiovascular disease are up to three times higher for inactive persons as compared to active. In fact, physical inactivity is as harmful as other conventional risk factors, such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels, in predicting chronic disease. Yet, only 10% of Americans meet the recommended level of 150 minutes of exercise per week. Read more
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by Thomas G. Guilliams, Ph.D.
One of the greatest paradigm shifts in medicine over the past few decades has been the unfolding discoveries revealing the metabolic influence of the human microbiome, especially that which resides within the gastrointestinal tract. Indeed, it is difficult to find a medical discipline that is not actively investigating the potential role played by the gut microbiome in human health and disease. Read more
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by Mark J. Tager, MD
Every health care business has a major goal. You want to get noticed, known, and remembered so you can attract the types of patient you’d like to treat. In the process of caring for your patients, you must also create an experience that meets or exceeds their expectations. The better the patient experience, the more likely you will gain a good reputation and be the recipient of positive referrals. Read more
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by Kara Fitzgerald, ND
Inflammation is the body’s natural, protective response to a harmful stimuli, be it a pathogen, an injury, a noxious compound, damaged tissue or cellular debris and more. A remarkably elegant and complex symphony of immune cells and associated compounds are released that quickly and powerfully contain the offending agent(s) and restore order. Our immune system is ever-active, constantly monitoring and clearing potential dangers with astonishing efficacy. Read more
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