Category
Functional Medicine
The Future of Healthcare
Functional medicine is a new model of medicine that is neither “conventional” nor “alternative.” It is a combination of the best elements of both, and it represents the future of medicine. Functional medicine is:
- Investigative. It addresses symptoms by focusing on the underlying cause of the problem, which leads to more profound and longer-lasting results.
- Holistic. Envisions the body as an interconnected whole that is in dynamic relationship to its environment and recognizes the importance of these connections in health and disease.
- Patient-centered. It treats the patient, not the disease. Treatments are highly individualized based on patient needs.
Complete Functional Medicine Model
Kresser Institute’s one-year training program is based not just on medical theory, but on a complete functional medicine approach to care from the moment the patient walks through your door through the completion of treatment. You can learn more and experience some of our training by signing up for our free 10-part “IN PRACTICE” Practitioner Success Series.
Functional Health: What Is It, and How Does it Apply to Health Coaching?
Four blindfolded men are brought into a room with an elephant and asked to guess what’s in the room with…
The Importance of Social Connection for Functional Medicine Practitioners
Close social connections matter for us as healthcare practitioners—in our personal and professional lives. Find out how to cultivate a supportive professional network in the realm of Functional Medicine.
Functional Psychiatry: Treating Common Conditions with the Functional Approach
Functional psychiatry can successfully address the underlying causes of mental illness, improving long-term mental health outcomes for patients. Find out how, and get tips you can implement in your practice.
Help Clients Recover from Lyme Disease with Diet and Nutrition
Lyme disease can be debilitating, but simple dietary changes can help. Find out how, as a dietitian or CNS, you can help your clients with Lyme disease ease their symptoms using a nutritional approach.
12 Time Management Strategies for Your Functional Medicine Practice
Effective time management strategies can help you run your Functional Medicine practice—without running yourself into the ground. Here’s how to find the time to make a big difference in the world without compromising your health.
Nutritional Support for Dementia and Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are truly heartbreaking for patients and their families. Drug trials target amyloid-beta plaques in a bottom-level approach that has yet to be successful. In contrast, Functional Medicine offers a top-level approach that addresses the many underlying causes of dementia. Read on to learn about the lesser-known causes of Alzheimer’s disease, what nutrients support brain function, and what a Functional Medicine approach to dementia looks like.
How Stress Contributes to SIBO
Despite following aggressive antimicrobial treatment protocols and making dietary changes, many patients experience ongoing problems with SIBO. In fact, two-thirds of SIBO cases are chronic or relapsing in nature. (1) A growing body of research suggests that stress, trauma, and nervous system deregulation may be to blame for recalcitrant SIBO. Read on to learn about how stress contributes to SIBO and why managing stress is essential for restoring gut health over the long term.
How to Treat Hypertension without Prescription Drugs
Two-thirds of Americans have either prehypertension or hypertension, both of which are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of the death in the United States. However, prescription drugs may not be necessary to treat high blood pressure. Read on to learn what dietary changes, lifestyle strategies, and supplements can help lower blood pressure naturally.
Five Thyroid Patterns That Won’t Show Up on Standard Lab Tests
In medicine, accurate diagnosis is essential for selecting the most effective course of treatment for a patient. Unfortunately, misdiagnosis is commonplace in the management of hypothyroidism. Countless patients with hypothyroid symptoms are dismissed because their lab values don’t fit within the narrow diagnostic criteria established by standard thyroid panels; others are given prescriptions for thyroid hormone replacement, a blanket approach that fails to address the underlying causes of hypothyroidism. Many of these patients suffer from patterns of thyroid dysfunction that don’t show up on standard lab tests and that are unfamiliar to conventional doctors. Read on to learn about the five patterns of thyroid dysfunction that are missed by standard lab tests and how you can successfully correct these patterns and restore thyroid health in your patients.
The Fundamental Problem with Most Nutrition Research
Nutrition research relies heavily on diet recall and food diaries. But how accurately do people report what they eat? Read on to learn about the flaws of diet reporting, the implications for interpreting nutrition research, and the future of the field.
Are Videophilia and Nature Disconnect Harming Our Health?
We’re more disconnected from nature than we’ve ever been. While nature was once an inseparable feature from the rest of our lives, it has largely been replaced by our growing addiction to electronic devices—a condition known as “videophilia.” What are the consequences of this shift? How do videophilia and our disconnection from nature impact our health? And how can you help your patients and clients reduce their screen time and reconnect with the wonder and beauty of nature? Read on to find out.
Biofilm: What It Is and How to Treat It
Do you have patients with infections that subside for awhile but then reappear? Bacterial and fungal biofilms might be to blame. Read on to learn about biofilms and how to treat them.
Colon Cancer Screening: What Are the Options?
Colon cancer is currently one of the most common cancers in the United States, superseded only by breast, lung, and prostate cancer. (1) Screening is crucial for helping doctors detect colon cancer in its early stages, when it is more treatable. However, there is significant controversy over what constitutes the best colon cancer screening method, and research shows that doctors are failing to provide their patients with balanced information about all the screening options, thus preventing patients from making informed decisions. (2) Read on to learn about the pros and cons of the available colon cancer screening methods and how you can help your patients determine the best screening type for their unique needs.
The Epidemic of Physician Burnout
Shocking new statistics indicate that more than 50 percent of physicians suffer from burnout. Physician burnout significantly reduces the quality of life of physicians and has serious implications for patients. Read on to learn about the causes and consequences of physician burnout and how a collaborative, functional approach to healthcare can help physicians recover from burnout and reclaim their passion for medicine.
Is There a Gut–Kidney Axis?
Gut got your kidney? Emerging research suggests another gut–organ connection: the gut–kidney axis. Read on to learn how the gut influences kidney function, its role in chronic kidney disease, and how we can manipulate our gut microbes to promote healthy renal function.
Environmental Factors Affecting Sperm Count
Sperm counts in men have declined precipitously over the past four decades. A growing list of environmental factors has been implicated in this alarming phenomenon. Read on to learn about the environmental toxins and dietary factors that lower sperm count and how simple lifestyle changes can be used to improve male reproductive health and raise sperm count.
The Functional Medicine Approach to Prostatitis
The incidence of prostatitis, a painful, psychologically distressing condition in which the prostate gland becomes swollen and inflamed, is rising rapidly among men of all ages. The conventional medical approach to prostatitis focuses primarily on symptom management, utilizes drugs with serious adverse effects, and does little to address the underlying causes of this condition. Fortunately, Functional Medicine offers an innovative, multifaceted approach to prostatitis that addresses the root causes of this condition and offers hope for a full recovery. Read on to learn about the underlying causes of prostatitis and why Functional Medicine is the best approach for treating this difficult condition.
The Gut–Hormone Connection: How Gut Microbes Influence Estrogen Levels
Emerging research indicates that the gut microbiome plays a central role in the regulation of estrogen levels within the body and thus influences the risk of developing estrogen-related diseases such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. Read on to learn about the connection between gut microbes and estrogen levels and why correcting dysbiosis may be key for preventing and reversing estrogen-related conditions.
Antibiotics: Risks and Alternatives
Antibiotics are one of the cornerstones of modern medicine. But this once lifesaving medication has been overused, with catastrophic results—including antibiotic-resistant bacteria, disrupted gut microbiomes, and associated chronic health problems. Read on to learn about the perils of abusing antibiotics and what alternatives medical professionals can consider.
How the Healthcare System Undermines a Doctor’s Ability to Heal
According to a 2012 survey, nearly eight out of 10 physicians are “somewhat pessimistic or very pessimistic” about the future of the medical profession. (1) Shuttled from one short appointment to the next, physicians are struggling to keep up with paperwork, worried about malpractice lawsuits, and merely alleviating symptoms instead of curing disease. Focus on the patient has undoubtedly shifted elsewhere. In this article, we’ll look at reasons why the conventional medicine model prevents doctors from healing.