Ordering labs, interpreting results, managing conditions—most clinicians are trained in these areas and do them well. And this is a good thing; these are all vital aspects of care. But one thing most practitioners aren’t taught is how to read the body’s nutritional story directly. The truth is, your patient’s physical appearance holds clues that…
Sir William Osler, one of the founders of modern medicine, once said, “The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.” This is still a vital distinction to make today, and it is an underlying principle of salutogenesis—the idea that we should focus on finding ways to create…
Americans spend $5 trillion per year on healthcare, more than any other country on the planet. Spending that much, we ought to be the healthiest country in the world. Yet we continue to dramatically underperform. While there are many reasons for this, one that doesn’t get talked about enough is our society’s view of what…
Since they were first introduced in the 1960s, modern breast implants have exploded in popularity. Millions of women across the world have undergone implantation. According to the Aesthetic Society, “breast augmentation was the most-performed cosmetic surgery procedure in America every year from 2006 to 2019.” Yet as popular as they are, breast implants aren’t without…
In December 2015, Danielle Valoras underwent a breast augmentation procedure. Over the next year, her health began to rapidly decline. She first noticed her recovery was taking longer than expected. Next, she began to experience fatigue and puffiness in her extremities. Nine months in, Danielle had developed digestive issues, severe bloating, ovarian cysts, cramping, acne,…
As we noted in our last post, close to a third of the world’s population suffers from MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease). This is a huge global health crisis, and one that should inform patient care in our practices. The problem is that most practitioners focus on the liver in isolation. They focus on…
Did you know that a whopping 30 percent of the world’s population suffers from metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD)? As functional medicine practitioners, that should make us sit up and take notice! With such a large proportion of the world dealing with this issue, a significant portion of your patients are likely battling this…
In 2011, Dr. Kirk Gair’s wife was going through a terrible health episode. She was experiencing a racing heart, severe dizzy spells, high blood pressure, and even nightmares. Her doctors initially dismissed her symptoms as a panic attack, but having a master’s in clinical psychology, she knew that wasn’t right. Desperately seeking answers, Dr. Gair…
Think about the last time you saw a new GI patient. What does your intake appointment look like? You probably cover the basics—medication history, drug and alcohol use, history of infections, etc.—to narrow down or eliminate certain causes or conditions. You probably order certain labs and have some bloodwork done. And you may even do…
It happens more frequently than we care to admit. A new patient walks into your office with GI troubles. They have been to doctor after doctor and have tried treatment after treatment. But nothing works. The unfortunate truth is that over one-third of new GI referrals walk in the door of functional medicine practitioners’ offices…