As the number one cause of death in the US and increasingly a growing concern for younger women, cardiovascular disease deserves a more thorough evaluation for prevention as well as reversal of disabilities caused by this condition. If this is currently a concern for you or if your family history suggests this may be in your future, our office can offer cutting edge testing to determine your current risk and offer a comprehensive program for prevention and reversal of cardiovascular conditions. It is now possible to measure your lipids with NMR technology and specialty blood testing for arterial inflammation. In addition, Ultra Sensitive Ultrasound can be done to evaluate the lining of your carotid arteries and measure your total plaque burden. Our program will give you a way to evaluate the effectiveness of targeted nutritional changes, supplements, stress reduction activities, and exercise interventions.

As the work of understanding the human genome has launched global interest into individual genetics, functional medicine is taking the lead in finding ways to interpret this information to make the results useful. By evaluating specific cardiac genotypes, cardiovascular risk can be accurately assessed, allowing dietary and supplement recommendations to help provide an optimal path to your health goals.

Enhancing Nutrients: Although a diet history is important in beginning to understand a clients basic nutritional needs, advanced testing available today, can tell us which nutrients are of top priority for a given individual. This is especially true as we review the specific health challenges for each person and their  family history, potentially providing the greatest opportunity to prevent and decrease suffering. Based on this nutritional testing, you will receive recommendations for diet and supplements to provide you the most appropriate support. If desired, a Comprehensive Elimination Diet or Other Special Diet may be utilized. Examples include: Gluten Free, Grain Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, FODMAPS, Paleo, Mediterranean, Autoimmune, Mitochondrial, and Fructose Free.

Necessary to life, stress is unavoidable. Managing stress, to prevent it from causing undue distress, can be a challenge for many people. Stress management techniques will be utilized for anyone currently needing assistance with learning how to improve this area of their life while concurrently optimizing their arterial health. Mindfulness meditation, Heart Math (a biofeedback method), and Tai Chi are well documented methods that can be utilized for this purpose. Human beings are not normally at their best in isolation. Recent studies have shown that social isolation may be the single most crucial factor influencing health. With this in mind, we will explore how to optimize your relationships and your role in your community.

As our exposure to toxins has increased exponentially in recent years, it is crucial to understand how and where we are being exposed and even more important to learn how to avoid and eliminate toxins. Testing for toxins may include labs that are looking for heavy metals, environmental chemicals, and mold toxins (referred to as Mycotoxins), in order to provide you with an individualized detox program.

As we now know that 99% of our DNA is bacterial and the gut is the foremost location of our immune function, it is a priority, to begin our search here, for the status of our health and healing potential. Utilizing the most advanced testing to determine if you harbor hidden infections (bacterial, fungal, or parasitic), suffer from malabsorption of nutrients due to enzyme, hydrochloric acid, or bile acid deficiency, have increased inflammation from allergic reactions to food or other substances, we can provide targeted recommendations for healing. Specialized tests can help identify if you suffer from gluten sensitivity or have an overgrowth of bacteria. Evaluating test results by Oral DNA Labs that look for specific bacteria types and levels in the mouth will also help determine cardiac risk.

Optimizing hormonal health can be a valuable approach for a lifetime of health. Whether you are a younger person looking to improve your physical and mental energy, or are being proactive about the aging process, an individualized assessment and recommendation will be provided. As we are living longer lives and looking for ways to improve our quality of life to enjoy an active lifestyle into our elder years, having our hormones balanced to promote healthy aging is more important than ever.

Autoimmunity: As the number one cause of disease in the developed world, this class of illness often includes vague and seemingly disconnected complaints. The most common complaints are loss of energy, brain fog, cold hands and feet, hair loss, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and weight gain. Mood disorders, from anxiety and panic to depression, are also frequently present. Women are disproportionately affected. Younger women, especially, may see many different health care providers looking for answers.  Often, prescription medications are recommended to treat the variety of symptoms experienced, frequently leaving underlying causes unaddressed.

Allergies: A conventional allergist will usually do skin or blood testing, to determine immediate allergic reactions. Specialized testing, for various immune responses, referred to as delayed hypersensitivities, are not typically offered by conventional allergists. Our office has access to functional medicine labs that can look at these delayed reactions.  Some labs provide a comprehensive holistic treatment program, including avoidance of the reactive foods, chemicals, molds, food colorings, food additives and preservatives. Some functional medicine lab recommendations may include a cleansing day, alkaline diet, as well as targeted supplements, to lower the threshold for these reactions, in order to heal a “leaky gut” and restore health.