There is a pervasive myth in the medical world that hereditary hemochromatosis (HH)—i.e., iron overload in the blood—is a rare disorder. But this couldn’t be further from the truth: HH is the most common genetic disorder among Caucasians, and it can be found in all...
Imagine a man in his thirties—let’s call him Mike—comes into your practice. He is borderline obese and has diabetes. As a functional medicine professional, you determine that Mike has low testosterone, a vitamin D deficiency, and elevated homocysteine levels....
A Blind Spot in Functional Medicine? We’ve come a long way in our understanding of functional medicine. Whether it be the connection between the mind and the gut, chronic headache and migraine, or the hidden dangers of everyday toxins, our understanding of the body...
What compels a person to set out on a journey toward improving their health? Often, it is not a major health crisis but a collection of symptoms that have accumulated over time. Are Supplements Alone Enough? It is basic human nature that when we make a change,...
Advancements in manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, transportation, and technology have improved the quality of life for many in modern society, but these leaps forward often come at a cost. Rapidly changing technology allows for little understanding of possible long-term...
Getting Our Heads in the Game People often disregard headaches because they are common and usually temporary. However, about 300 million people suffer from chronic headaches or migraines worldwide, enduring frequent and severe pain. Migraines, affecting around 100...
Neuroinflammation Is All Around Us In the busy modern world, it’s common to hear someone in a scatterbrained moment mutter, “I am so ADHD today.” While the majority of people saying such things do not actually have a diagnosis for ADHD, it is an increasingly common...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...