The Mental State of Society By the numbers, there is no doubt that mental health disorders are reaching critical rates both within the US and globally. Johns Hopkins reports that 26% of adult Americans suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder in a given year. Depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia are some…
The American Paradigm of Aging In every culture, the concept of aging carries certain expectations and ideas, including generally accepted changes within the body. Essentially, what is common is considered normal. The American experience has taught us that it is normal to experience a myriad of age-related changes, including: Deficits in our hearing and eyesight…
Investigating a New Paradigm of Brain Health When you first joined the ranks of functional medicine practitioners, I’m positive it didn’t take you long to meet patients with complaints like these: “I’m tired all the time.” “I have frustrating bouts of brain fog and forgetfulness.” “No matter what I do, I still feel so depressed.”…
It’s your first patient of the day. She comes in experiencing bloating and heartburn. You do a little digging and don’t find much—only that she mainly has issues after eating rich proteins like eggs or meat. Because it seems like just another case of heartburn, you give her a prescription for an acid blocker and…
You don’t have to look too far to find frustrating and disparate advice, especially in the world of medicine. Perhaps one of the more notable cases in recent years involves the rise of probiotic supplements. For many medical providers, both those within the functional medicine focus and outside of it, the advice to add a…