Is My Menstrual Cycle Normal?
Are your periods normal? For so many women, this is a subject of that causes a good deal of confusion. This post will help to clarify things. As a Gynecologist, I like to broadly consider three different stages that women go through over the course of their reproductive lives. Fatigue and adrenal dysfunction frequently present […]
Is Your Alternative Medicine Provider the Best?
Are you getting the best in alternative medicine? I know that this post is going to rankle some, but hear me out. As a MD who has cared for thousands using Functional Medicine principles for more than a decade, I have seen the pain patients experience when they have entrusted their care to less-than-capable providers. […]
Nutritional Supplements: Benefit or Risk?
My mother is an elderly woman who uses some focused nutritional supplements. I received a distressed call from her recently after she listened to a geriatric specialist describe the “holistic” approach that his clinic was using with their patients. She agreed that a “holistic” clinic for aging adults made sense. The clinic supported strength, community, […]
Why Modern Medicine Needs Functional Medicine
The practice of “modern” medicine troubles me. I have seen so many people hurt by the cascading use of more and more medications. Yes, it is a way; but it’s not the only way. As a physician who practices a functional medicine, I formerly believed that I was promoting “alternative” medicine. I now realize that […]
The Making of a Functional Medicine Doctor
I believe that more mainstream MDs could use to think more like functional medicine doctors. They need to bring more modern science and research into their clinical thinking and practice. I formerly believed that I was promoting “alternative” medicine. Now I realize that the style of medicine I practice is actually “augmented.” It adds on […]
The Art of Lab Testing
When I saw this post, I almost wanted to scream. This is so wrong on so many levels. If there’s an art of lab testing, this is akin to a kindergarten hand-painting. I’m speaking as a Functional Medicine doc who has dedicated himself to this practice for more than a decade, so hear me out. […]
Thryroid Hormone Function: Management Techniques
Thyroid hormone function modulates our metabolism, and is a critical part of our body’s ability to adapt to different environments. Its proper fucntion, and medical management, is essential to all aspects of health. When food is plentiful and stress is low, we can run our engines a bit hotter. We have more calories; there’s more […]
Gut Health… From Antidepressants?
We all know that gut health is associated with mental health. Or at least we should all know this. With the extensive amount of research supporting this, it is my belief that one is remiss to be addressing mental health issues without considering the impact of the gut. More and more, research shows that the […]
A New Paradigm on Mental Health
May the new year bring hope, optimism for new opportunities, and a brighter future to the world. Covid, politics, climate change and instant connectivity have all made the past few years challenging, and unique in the history of humans. With these challenges, our collective mental health has been pushed to its limit. There […]
Birth Control Pills and Fatigue.
Are your birth control pills causing your fatigue (and depression, anxiety, insomnia, low libido, weight gain, mood changes, pelvic discomfort…?) This world is filled with women who are unnecessarily suffering from the side effects of their hormonal contraception. The purpose of this post is to help you to understand the truth behind birth control pills, […]
Hormone Replacement Therapy in Women
I have been following posts about hormone replacement therapy in various Facebook groups, and have seen some unsettling comments. As a doctor, I have seen so many cases of women being put on what I believe to be the wrong hormones, at the wrong dosages, and for the wrong reasons. And Facebook just corroborates this. […]
Estrogen Detoxification for Hormonal Health
What is estrogen detoxification? So much of “adrenal fatigue” is associated with an estrogen/progesterone imbalance in women. I saw a comment on a post recently asking how to lower an elevated estrogen level, and I thought I’d offer my perspectives. Incidentally, estrogen is super-important in men, too. It follows the “Goldilocks Principle”—we want it to […]