Collaborative Medicine

COMING SOON! The Functional Medicine Collective (a mentorship for clinicians who want more guidance on a "practical" approach to functional medicine). The launch kicks off with a 2-day workshop followed by an "ask-me-anything" - click the button below to get notified when registration opens! I Want to Learn More! This week's topic: Adrenal Fatigue An overview of today's email: What is Adrenal Fatigue? Can we test for Adrenal Fatigue? Practical clinical tips 1. What is Adrenal Fatigue?...

Candida overgrowth as a trigger of various common symptoms and conditions is another topic that is controversial in mainstream medicine, but frequently addressed in integrative and functional medicine. Overview of today's email: What is candida overgrowth? Can we test for candida overgrowth? Practical clinical tips 1. What is candida overgrowth? Candida is a common commensal yeast found in the GI tract of humans. It is normal to find this in the gut, but when the environment in which candida...

Mainstream medicine does not recognize "leaky gut" but in functional and integrative medicine, it is one of the top contributing pathophysiological processes that we consider in many disease processes. Overview of today's email: What is leaky gut Can we test for leaky gut? Practical clinical tips Bonus: Some references to review 1. What is leaky gut Spoiler: Leaky gut is a misnomer. Everyone has intestinal permeability - it is how we absorb nutrients! But the leaky gut that we are referencing...

The next set of newsletters are going to focus on common functional medicine topics that are not-so-common in mainstream medicine (many are controversial). Today's topic: Why functional medicine practitioners often recommend a gluten free diet. Overview of today's email: The purpose of recommending a gluten-free diet Interesting facts about gluten Practical clinical tips 1. The purpose of recommending a gluten-free diet I doubt a clinical day goes by in a functional medicine office where the...

Autoimmune conditions definitely require a more advanced functional medicine approach, and there are no tools or testing that tell us EXACTLY WHY autoimmunity occurs. However, since many of you reached out to ask about how to approach autoimmunity, I am sharing a few clinical pearls on this today. Overview of today’s email: The 7 primary contributing root causes to autoimmunity Elaborating on 2 of the contributing factors Some resources 1. 7 Contributing Root Causes of Autoimmunity The...

As noted in the first email on autoimmune clinical pearls, gut integrity or imbalances appear to be a part of the trifecta that triggers autoimmunity. Currently, the go-to dietary recommendation in the functional and integrative medicine space for anyone with an autoimmune condition is an Elimination Diet, Wahl's protocol, or the AIP (autoimmune paleo/protocol). And when I first started working in this space, this was what I recommended as well. Until I started seeing that a lot of patients...

This compounded pharmaceutical is often used to address autoimmune conditions in functional, integrative, and naturopathic medicine. It is one of the top 5 pharmaceuticals that I prescribe (for autoimmunity, chronic pain, mold toxin-induced illness, and more), but it is NOT something I initiate in the first or second visit. Overview of today’s email: What is LDN? My experience with prescribing LDN Some resources 1. What is LDN? LDN stands for Low Dose Naltrexone. A quick PubMed search shows...

I don’t know about you, but I am ready to leave 2024 behind and welcome the promises of a new year! Many of you have asked me to touch on clinical pearls for autoimmunity, so I will start the year off with this topic. Overview of today’s email: What is the “autoimmune triad”? A resource to expand your education EMR template 1. The Autoimmune Triad In mainstream medicine we don't dig deeper into the suspected root causes of autoimmunity; we just diagnose and (maybe) give a treatment. But...

Over the last few weeks, I’ve covered progesterone, estrogen, DHEA, and pregnenolone (access all past emails via link at bottom of this email). Today I will outline some key considerations on evaluation of and treatment with testosterone. An outline of today's email: Testosterone FYI Testosterone “Nevers” Prescribing Tips 1: Testosterone FYI Blood testing of testosterone may not adequately reflect a need for TRT or determine dosing adjustments (saliva preferred) (study) OCPs always reduce...

Over the last few weeks, I’ve covered progesterone, estrogen, and DHEA. Today I will outline some key considerations on evaluation of and treatment with pregnenolone. An outline of today's email: Pregnenolone FYI Pregnenolone “Nevers” Prescribing Tips 1: Pregnenolone FYI Pregnenolone is made from cholesterol, and if total cholesterol is under 140, the body cannot adequately make pregnenolone. It is the precursor ("mother hormone") to DHEA, cortisol, progesterone, testosterone, and estrogen....