Have you heard about epinutrients? Surprisingly, they’re barely mentioned in research papers and yet they are potent epigenetic regulators (i.e. they control how our genes are expressed). And I think it’s time to shine some light on these longevity superstars. But first, have you ever wondered why food has such powerful effects on our health…
Research indicates that Americans are significantly deficient in many critical nutrients due to the Standard American Diet (SAD). The SAD diet is high in processed foods and empty calories, leading to a decline in essential nutrients. The lack of nutrient balance in our diets turns on our hunger hormones as a survival mechanism, forcing us to keep eating in an attempt to get more vitamins and minerals into our bodies. When we overeat empty calories, we become overfed and undernourished, leading to micronutrient-related malnutrition.
New understandings of the intricate connections between gut and brain are revolutionizing medicine’s approach to mood, brain function and digestion, giving our “gut-wrenching experiences” or our “gut-feelings” a lot more meaning than they already have. The emerging evidence in this area is providing new tools to influence both gut and brain health.
As the name suggests, New Frontiers is about staying ahead of the curve in functional medicine, continually asking critical questions, and being open to self-critique. This couldn’t be more true than when it comes to advanced functional testing. Today I’m pleased to talk with a familiar face and renowned hormone testing expert, my friend Mark Newman. Mark created the DUTCH test based on his decade-long experience in novel test development, and joins New Frontiers to talk about all things hormones: from cortisol & thyroid health to estrogen, progesterone and androgens, the importance of analytical and clinical validation of tests, and his upcoming research on various hormone replacement therapy methods.
According to a study released just last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA Network Open), having high levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in the body is associated with a 49% increased risk of death within 10 years.
Within the realm of functional medicine, we are quite successful at restoring some order to this cacophonous symphony of chronic illness, and getting our patients better to an extent. However, there is a final piece – a missing piece, if you will – and my guest today, Ashok Gupta, shares how neuroplasticity affected his own healing journey of chronic fatigue syndrome and why this final piece is integral to restoring optimal health. Ashok is a speaker, filmmaker, and health practitioner who created a program for retraining the brain using interventions to facilitate neuroplasticity. In this episode of New Frontiers, we discuss neuroplasticity dysfunction, how to rewire the brain’s survival response, and so much more. Folks, this conversation goes well beyond the patient-physician encounter and explores the depths of our homes, our communities, and how we experience the world around us. Stay tuned, leave us a comment, and subscribe to stay up to date on our latest content! ~DrKF
Have you ever looked at serum hormone levels and scratched your head, wondering why there was such a difference between your patient’s clinical signs and the numbers on the report? Felt unsure whether to look at bioavailable hormone markers or their metabolites? Not surprisingly, when it comes to endocrinological health, there are just as many questions as hormones (and there are over 50!). My guest in this podcast, Dr. Lylen Ferris, gives us very clear and user-friendly guidance on appropriate hormone testing, interpreting results from different specimens and, most excitingly, using novel biomarkers, such as allopregnanolone. Having completed her naturopathic residency with Dr. Kimberly Windstar, and after years of teaching and mentoring medical students on gynecology and women’s health, Dr. Ferris has plenty of brilliant clinical pearls to share with us! Please share, comment, and leave us a starred review if you wouldn’t mind! Thank you!
I am always eager to learn from other clinicians about how they approach complex patients and layer various healing modalities into the therapeutic encounter. My guest today, Dr. Bruce Hoffman MD, has combined his passion in integrative medicine with psychiatry to explore cellular health to best guide his patient’s health journey. Dr. Hoffman is based in Calgary, Canada at the Hoffman Centre for Integrative Medicine and the Brain Center of Alberta. He’s an IFM-certified functional medicine practitioner, board-certified in anti-aging and regenerative medicine (Shoemaker’s mold protocol), a certified Ayurvedic practitioner (Bredesen’s ReCODE treatment), certified as a family constellation therapy specialist, (ILADS for Lyme and co-infections), and trained in Chinese medicine, to name just a few of his substantial specialties. He knows his stuff. Tune in for this thought-provoking conversation as we explore the role the psyche plays in disease and healing, including clinical pearls, interventions, and effective supplementation. Listen, share, and leave a starred rating, if you wouldn’t mind! Thanks for listening.
In the Functional Medicine space, we all desire to be described under the banner of “Evidence-Based.” What does that mean, and how do we get there? In this article I will attempt to address the laboratory component of this question from the perspective of a company in the middle of this ongoing journey. The value of self-critique and continual self-examination: There is a pattern I have witnessed in the Functional Medicine Lab industry that needs to be challenged from within. We develop tests, leverage them as much as we can, and then wait for competitors or critics to raise objections or questions. If those objections never come, we may be tempted to push forward without continuing to pursue both analytical and clinical validation. Continuous self-critique is critical!
Biological age is the gradual accumulation of damage and loss of function of our cells, tissues, and organs. This damage is what turns into disease.
