Nutrition: Your ultimate up-stream medicine.
I practice integrative, functional medical nutrition therapy. During our work together, we will investigate what may be triggering the symptoms you have so that your program addresses the root cause of your condition rather than focusing on its down-stream effects.
Functional medicine focuses on assessment and intervention related to the improvement of physiological, cognitive/emotional and physical functioning. The foods we eat contribute to all three factors, making nutrition the cornerstone of your health care. Research in the field of therapeutic nutrition reveals that:
- Nutrition is an environmental factor that influences gene expression and phenotype in each individual.
- Nutrients act as important biological response modifiers and control function.
Functional medicine maintains that chronic diseases are usually preceded by early warning signs & symptoms, such as:
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Sinusitis
- Frequent colds and/or infections
- Insulin resistance
- Elevated inflammatory markers (ex. homocysteine, fibrinogen)
- Oxidative stress
- High cholesterol, triglycerides
- Heavy metal toxicity
- GERD (heartburn)
- Gas and bloating
Did you know that 70% of your immune system is in your GI tract, and that 70-80% of your neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine) are manufactured in your GI tract? Whether you have an immune related condition or a mood disorder, your GI tract may be the first place and best place to begin your Therapeutic Nutrition Program.
While diet is what we eat, nutrition is what our cells derive from what we eat. Just as gardening requires healthy soil, optimal health requires nutrient dense foods from which we derive our vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fats, the building blocks of our health.
Take care of yourself today, remember- better health maximizes all of life’s possibilities!
As a functional medicine practitioner I look for common threads linking together signs and symptoms related to your:
- Digestive System
- Immune System
- Detoxification System
- Endocrine System
- Neurological System
