Functional Medicine

“Next-Generation” Microbes & Probiotics for Metabolic & Immune Health

By Erik Goldman

The gut microbiome exerts profound influence on immunological and metabolic health.   Recent research points to two “next generation” microbes– Akkermansia muciniphila and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii –as especially important metabolically and immunologically. In healthy people, these organisms are plentiful.  But they are found at much lower levels in people with obesity and other metabolic and inflammatory diseases. […]

Parasites Lost: Helminths, Pleiotropy, and The Prevention of Dementia

By Michael McEvoy, Contributing Writer

The ability to link specific genetic features with particular diseases is among molecular biology’s greatest achievements. But there’s a downside to that scientific triumph: it has oversimplified the picture of the relationships between genotype, environmental factors, gene expression, and health or illness, and created blind spots in our understanding. The truth is, there are many […]

Preparing Patients for This Winter’s “Twindemic”

By Mark Engelman, MD & Chad Larson, NMD, DC, Contributing Writers

As we head into the peak months for the flu, we as health care providers need to be especially vigilant about the integrity of our patients’ immune systems. Paired with COVID-19, this year’s flu season carries the serious risk of compromising their future immune response.  A key step in preventing these complications lies in helping […]

Helping Patients Heed COVID’s Wake-Up Call

By Russell Jaffe, MD, Contributing Writer

We are nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, more than ever, it’s worth looking into what goes on in the body and how the immune system works in critical situations like COVID-19. The pandemic has certainly put the functioning of the immune system to test, but it has also brought to light the […]

Applying Holistic Principles to Optimize Children’s Health

By Madiha Saeed, MD, Contributing Writer

The COVID pandemic is having a huge effect on our children. We need to take it seriously. The Children’s Hospital Association and the American Association of Pediatrics have reported a nearly 20% spike in the number of young people attempting suicide, and more than a 40% increase in behavioral issues in children since the pandemic […]

Naturopathic Medicine Moves Toward Healthcare’s Center Stage

By Erik Goldman

The healthcare systems in the United States are in dire need of what naturopathic medicine has to offer, and the profession is ready to move from the margins onto center stage. That’s the message of a new mission statement issued jointly by the Institute for Natural Medicince (INM), the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), […]

Wellevate Aims to Take The Headaches Out of Lab Testing

By Erik Goldman

Lab work. It is an essential part of any medical practice, especially in functional medicine clinics. It can also be a big hassle factor for practitioners and patients alike. While companies like Quest and Labcorp have done a good job of bundling standard conventional lab tests into single one-stop shops, so to speak, the situation […]

Managing “Mitochondriopathy” For Healthier Aging

By Erik Goldman

What is the common theme underlying nearly all of the diseases associated with aging? Mitochondrial dysfunction. It is a simple biological fact that mitochondrial function tends to decline with age.  This affects every organ and every tissue in the body. But clinicians often fail to consider “mitochondriopathy” as they treat the various diseases that their […]

Antibiotic Overuse Remains A Worldwide Problem

By Erik Goldman, Editor

Globally, there are striking regional variations in per capita antibiotic consumption. A 2018 study of prescription patterns in 31 European countries showed that Greece tops the list in Europe, at roughly 40 doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day (Klein E, et al. PNAS 2018). That’s a 4-fold difference from the Netherlands, where use is lowest. […]

Confronting the “Antibiotic Iceberg”

By Erik Goldman

Antimicrobial resistance is just the tip of the iceberg of adverse health consequences caused by antibiotic overuse, according to Martin J. Blaser, MD, director of the Rutgers University Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine. The less obvious—and therefore more dangerous—part of the iceberg, he says, is the epidemic of chronic inflammatory diseases driven in large […]