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In Memoriam: Michael A. Stroka (November 5, 1969 – June 14, 2023)

By Erik Goldman

Holistic Primary Care honors the fruitful life, and laments the untimely death, of Michael A. Stroka, co-founder and CEO of the American Nutrition Association (ANA). A tireless advocate for the principle of Food-as-Medicine, Stroka accomplished much in his 53 years. With combined JD and MBA degrees from the University of Virginia, Michael began his career […]

The Five Drivers of Long COVID

By Erik Goldman

Since the Spring of 2020, roughly 200 million Americans have had Covid-19. That’s an estimated 60% of the country’s population. Worldwide, the number is around 700 million. For many, the acute infection was just the beginning of a long, bewildering odyssey of illness. With Covid-related admissions to US hospitals now under 1 case per 100,000 […]

In Surprise Move, Leading Naturopathic Schools Plan to Merge

By Erik Goldman

Two of the country’s leading naturopathic medical schools are planning to merge and become a single institution, a move that surprised many in the field. In June, the presidents of National University of Naturopathic Medicine (NUNM) and Bastyr University jointly announced a non-binding letter of intent to come together under one banner some time in […]

NAVIGATING THE COMPLEXITIES OF AUTOIMMUNITY: A Functional Medicine Approach to Autoimmune Disorders

By Erik Goldman

Autoimmunity and gastrointestinal disorders are inter-related and increasingly common problems. Because the different autoimmune diseases affect specific organ systems, patients are often shunted to specialists who approach these conditions through their relatively narrow specialty lenses.  Though they may manifest differently, most autoimmune diseases have the same common triggers. If we know what causes the immune […]

Restore Immune Tolerance and Optimize Health with Nature’s pHarmacy

By Erik Goldman

A healthy immune system naturally regulates between defense and repair. But when confronted by unrelenting challenges, it becomes overburdened and the repair functions take a back seat to defense. The result is a “repair deficit” characterized by chronic inflammation—a well-recognized cause and amplifier of chronic disease. When defense takes precedence over repair, intestinal permeability usually […]

Air Pollution Exacerbates Symptoms of Depression

By Janet Gulland, Contributing Writer

Exposure to polluted air is associated with increased depression symptoms in people with bipolar disorder (BPD), according to a new study by psychiatrist Joseph Hayes, MD, PhD, and Aaron Kandola, at the University College London. In the first project of its kind, Hayes and Kandola tracked symptoms of depression and mania against real time changes […]

A Renewed Push to Include Supplements in Fed Programs

By Erik Goldman

Should people with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) be permitted to use their tax-deferred dollars to buy dietary supplements and herbal medicines? It’s a question that will once again confront members of Congress in the months to come. Under current federal tax rules, supplements are excluded from HSAs and also from Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), unless […]

Nutritional Support for Post-Menopausal Osteoarthritis

By Erik Goldman

According to the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, there are roughly 27 million American women in the peri- to post-menopausal years–that’s 20% of the US work force. And each year, roughly 2 million American women reach menopause. Women betwen the ages of 50-60 years have a 3.5-fold higher risk of osteoarthritis than men of […]

Diet, Inflammation, and Immunity: Modern & Traditional Perspectives

By Erik Goldman

Ayurveda–India’s 4,000-year-old system of medicine–can provide modern healthcare professions with many time-tested, lifestyle-based approaches to mitigate the burden of chronic inflammatory diseases that affect so many of our patients. In this free webinar, the core faculty members of the Maharishi International University (MIU)–the leading US ayurvedic training center–share their experience applying ayurvedic principles for improving […]