How We Help You
A Natural Functional Approach To Your Care
Introduction to Natural Functional Healthcare
What is Natural Functional Medicine? Natural Functional Medicine is a personalized method of healthcare that focuses on optimizing health and considers the person first before the illness. We seek to identify environmental, genetic and lifestyle factors as well as nutritional depletions which may be keeping you in ill health. We then work with you to modify those factors to achieve a shift to an optimal healthy state of being. Using both conventional and functional lab testing with Chinese medicine diagnostics helps us to treat and prevent many chronic diseases. Natural Functional Medicine can be secondary supportive care for side effects to pharmaceuticals, adjunct support when receiving cancer treatments as well as additional care along with your “conventional” medicine treatments. Our doctors listen to what you have to say and want to investigate ways to help with your medical challenges. Each session is personalized so there are no generic treatments, they are tailored to your individual needs. If you have been struggling with your health and well-being from sleep to energy to a serious health issue, we are here to support you. Natural functional medicine helps you be more in control of your own health and healing by gaining a better understanding of how a healthy relationship with food, repairing nutritional deficiencies, and choosing a healthy lifestyle contributes to the healing of both mental and physical symptoms. If we feel that you need a different type of care, we refer you to a source for that care. We are also not the place to come for acute trauma or acute care which requires hospital stay.
Functional Lab Testing
There are two main types of lab ranges in the field of blood chemistry analysis: a pathological range and a functional range. The annual blood test you get from your doctor looks at pathological ranges which helps with evaluating how well organs are working and to diagnose disease. It is generally limited to CBC, lipid, basic metabolic panel, TSH and urinalysis.
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The main difference between the functional range and the pathological range is the degree of deviation allowed within their “normal “ranges. The “normal “pathological ranges can vary between labs and cities and is broad enough to allow the “everything is normal” answer so often given by conventional doctors. Functional blood chemistry analysis dives deeper by looking at a narrower, optimal range which helps assess risk for disease before the disease develops.
Test results that fall between the functional range and the pathological range are considered “sub-clinical,” and can indicate the beginning stages of disease. Results within this range allow us to identify and prevent lab values trending towards potential risk from manifesting into a serious medical condition. We work together towards bringing areas of risk, or even existing pathology, towards an optimal range that prevents disease or worsening of conditions and supports optimal health. In addition to blood chemistry testing, we utilize other advanced functional lab testing as needed to help identify the root causes of health issues. These may include tests for nutrient depletions, gastrointestinal imbalance, food sensitivities, neurotransmitter levels, nutrigenomics, and hormonal metabolites. Functional testing plus nutritional and herbal interventions have advanced to unprecedented levels allowing for the option of preventing illness and healing from health issues naturally or with integrative care.
Why we assess functional ranges
Whole Food Functional Nutrition
Whole Food Functional Nutrition is an important part of our practice. Years ago, we discovered that when we combined whole food nutritional supplements with acupuncture and herbal medicine, our patients conditions improved faster with more lasting results. Providing a person’s cells with the nutrients they need to perform their jobs properly encourages healing and overall improved tissue function. This is different from using isolated single molecules called “vitamins.” For example, the vitamin- A you see on a vitamin label is the molecule beta-carotene. However, when a supplement s made with a vitamin-A containing food, such as a carrot, we find beta-carotene as just one of two hundred different compounds which work synergistically to nourish and protect the body. Supplementing the entire vitamin-A “complex” with the complete nutrients in carrots and other foods with the same nutritional focus, feeds the cells so the tissue has what it needs to heal. We believe this provides therapeutic nutrition that is superior to synthesizing Vitamin-A as beta-carotene in a lab, and hoping that it will work in the same manner. By providing personalized nutritional support in the form of food concentrate supplements that contain all nutrients, cofactors, and enzymes to encourage absorption and utilization by the cells, we are able to target specific tissues, processes and conditions.
Chinese and Western Herbal Medicine
Herbal medicine has been a primary component of Chinese medicine for thousands of years, used alongside pharmaceutical medicine in Asian hospitals. Western herbal medicine also has an extensive history rooted in Greek, Egyptian and Middle Eastern herbalism that found its way around the globe. Herbs are medicine which provide phytochemicals from plants, which have pharmacological actions, but are not synthetic pharmaceuticals. Therefore, their actions may be profound, but are usually more gentle on the body, typically well tolerated and promote healthy functions including adaptation to stress. This natural approach may be preferable to suppressing a body function to simply stop a symptom. Now that herbal pharmacology, its benefits and very low incidence of unwanted effects are more understood, properly administered herbal medicine has gained more widespread acceptance as a natural effective therapy. Before we provide any herbal medicine, we thoroughly review your medications, supplements and coordinate care with your medical doctor when needed. We are professionally trained in the use of both Chinese and western herbs for their safe and synergistic effects and are proud to use only herbs from highly reputable sources whose testing for heavy metals, pesticides or other contaminants meets or exceeds U.S. FDA requirements.
Lifestyle Therapeutics
We work with you through personalized nutritional and dietary evaluation, and lifestyle strategies. This is to support you not only in ensuring you are consuming high-quality food and nutrients, but the particular foods, proportions and arrangement of foods in the diet that optimize healing of your particular condition. We believe in you and your ability to make healthy changes. We are committed to partnering with you to create the conditions that amplify health and vitality. When you initiate healthy changes, even small ones, you naturally begin to feel better. In turn, as you experience the resulting decrease in symptoms and increase in vitality and well-being, making healthy choices comes naturally.
Programs For Specific Health Issues
We have several natural and lifestyle programs designed to provide targeted support for some of the most common health challenges. These unique combinations of supplements are designed to support the functioning of specific body systems as well as overall health. These include The SP Detox Balance Program which is whole food-based nutrition that supports easy, safe and healthy toxin removal; the SP 21-Day Purification Program which is designed to cleanse, nourish, and support the body’s detoxification pathways. This can help maintain a healthy body weight. We also have two 10-Day programs for blood sugar balance support and for healthy inflammation response. We are able to customize one of these programs for you for female and male vitality and other issues. These are excellent jump-start programs to quickly improve various health concerns, clean up dietary patterns, and re-set the system for our further work together. All are structured around eating healthy food, drinking nutritious shakes, taking supplements made with whole food ingredients and light exercise with coaching support to help you be successful.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture encourages self-regulation and accelerated healing within the body. Millions of Americans use acupuncture to improve their health in this way. Acupuncture when used regularly improves the body’s functions, which is why it is such an important component of natural functional medicine. Treatments are adaptogenic, helping the nervous system adapt to the stresses of everyday life, as well as aging, illness, or injury. Many studies have found that acupuncture can induce the release of endorphins in the brain counteracting the destructive effects of stress hormones in addition to providing pain relief. Acupuncture has been shown to reduce inflammation by increasing the body's production of corticosteroids. The effects of having a treatment stimulates the flow of blood through the organs, tissues and the brain, and circulates vital nutrients. When the function of our internal organs is optimal it allows for a slower degenerative aging process. Acupuncture is used as one component of an overall functional health approach including lifestyle, nutrition and herbal medicine.
Other Physical Treatments
We have many options available when it comes to the physical treatment aspect of your healing care. In addition to acupuncture, during your treatment we may utilize tui na therapeutic body-work techniques to move the qi and relieve patterns of disharmony, therapeutic massage to relieve stress, relax muscles and ease pain, moxibustion to warm and relax cramping and improve blood circulation, cupping to decongest stagnant areas and promote qi, lymph and blood flow, electrostim to enhance pain relief, or topical preparations to relieve pain, address skin conditions and enhance cosmetic treatments. LED light treatment is offered as a separate add-on to your acupuncture treatment to enhance its effects on aches and pains, acne, and wrinkles. Full spectrum CBD cream as well as other healthy topical and cosmetic products are also available for sale.
Cosmetic and Skin Care Treatments
Cosmetic and skin care treatments at our Center are one component of our Chinese Medicine and Natural Functional Healthcare model. As much as we work topically to improve skin conditions, skin health, and reduce signs of aging, we are also working on creating the internal conditions that produce vibrant, healthy skin that is less prone to over-aging. There are many options on the market for smoothing lines and lifting sagging skin, from injectable fillers to peels to surgery. This natural path of care to enhance your appearance works by improving the function of your skin dermis, facial muscles, circulation and healing capacity so that it looks more youthful and vibrant. Whether this path is right for you involves answering the question, "How would I really like to age?"
Healthy Inspiration Recipes & Support
Here you can find tips, information, and food for thought to support you as you move through your journey to restore and maintain your health. Let us know what you find interesting and helpful in our blog! If we can be of service in helping you achieve results with a natural personalized approach to your health and longevity, we welcome your call. When we work together with you as partners in supporting you with your healthy changes, we realize that many elements play an important role in your ability to heal - your unique health history, environment, mental-emotional patterns, preferences and challenges to name a few. You are a person, not a diagnosis or condition. It is a privilege to help you as an individual incorporate the tools and choices that promote your health goals. We look forward to working with you!