Functional Medicine and Women’s Health: Interview with Joel Evans, MD Part 1: Thyroid, Adrenals & Excess Estrogen We sat down with Joel Evans, MD to talk about Functional Medicine options for common women’s health issues. Q: Let’s talk about thyroid dysfunction. What are underlying causes that can be addressed through nutrition? What are the risks if left unaddressed? A: Thyroid dysfunction is incredibly prevalent, and the signs may be a little bit insidious. That’s why we have to evaluate our patients for thyroid…

You try to eat well to feel good and stay healthy. While it’s optimal to get your daily nutritional needs from the foods you eat, it’s just plain difficult. There is conflicting information out there on the benefits of supplements, but the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 say that supplements may be useful for providing the nutrients you may be lacking from diet alone. Still on the fence? Consider these top five reasons to add a multivitamin to your daily regimen. 1. Healthy…

What’s Eating You? Feeling overly tired, bloated, or achy? When dealing with these often stress-related concerns, there are a few questions you should ask yourself: Am I eating well? Am I getting enough sleep? Do I drink enough water and get enough exercise? A healthy body handles daily stress better while an unhealthy lifestyle and daily stress can contribute to a deeper issue—chronic inflammation. Inflammation is the body’s natural response to fighting off potential health threats, but unhealthy lifestyle choices…

If you’re trying to maintain a healthy weight, counting sheep may be as important as counting the carbs on your plate or weight repetitions at the gym. Because, while physical activity and a balanced diet are key factors, sleep may be the most overlooked aspect of your weight management plan. Can you sleep your way to your dream body? Perhaps not. But if you are sleep deprived, more sleep may help you reach your weight goals. Here’s what you need…

Hormonal balance is recognized as a factor in the development of non-communicable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. The topic is of particular interest regarding the health of peri- and post-menopausal women who experience changes in hormone levels during the menopausal transition and also have increased risk of developing non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, as they age. It is known that post-menopausal women have elevated glucose and elevated insulin response, compared to adiposity-matched pre-menopausal women, so it is…

by Kara Fitzgerald, ND Precision medicine, which encompasses the concepts of individual uniqueness and personalized healthcare solutions, has to-date been most focused on genetics. Genetic-based differences in tumor cells, for instance, is one example of how precision medicine has started to play out. Recently the team from the Microbiome Center at the University of Chicago have argued that this definition is too narrow, and that the microbiome is another key factor in understanding and applying personalized healthcare. In their published commentary they…

by Nilima Desai, MPH, RD Research has established that inflammation is a risk factor for several chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and metabolic syndrome.1 But understanding how inflammation works can be overwhelming. Types of Inflammation Inflammation is classified as either acute or chronic. Inflammation is a natural and necessary component of innate immunity since acute inflammation is the normal physiologic response to injury, infection, or irritation1 and is often short-lived. This acute inflammatory process…

by Kara Fitzgerald, ND It is plain myth that there is nothing that can be done to prevent, slow or even reverse the progress of cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s Disease. The Institute for Functional Medicine held a 3-day international conference earlier this month, attended in droves, diving into the body of evidence that demonstrates this, and we also just really appreciate the work of Dr. Dale Bredesen and his team from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging who are showing that mild-to-moderate…

by Bianca Garilli, ND A Presidential Advisory on brain health was recently released by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association in September 2017. The goals of the publication were to provide a definition of “optimal brain health” in adults, and guidance on how to maintain brain health through the years. From these data, the following 7 metrics were brought forward as steps to implement for improving brain health where ideal brain health was defined as “having an optimal capacity to…

America’s metabolic based diseases are on the rise; with over 20 million Americans currently having Type 2 diabetes (T2D), it is expected that 1 in 3 will be diagnosed with this disease in their lifetime.1 Furthermore, every year over 610,000 Americans die of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the number of people diagnosed with heart disease continues to climb as well. 1 Taken together, the statistics are staggering. Both of these preventable diseases are exacerbated by obesity which, itself, is rising dramatically in the United States.1 It…