Functional Medicine

Functional Blood Chemistry Sheds Light on Patients with Non-Specific Symptoms

By Datis Kharrazian, DC - Vol. 14, No. 1. , 2013

Routine blood chemistry analysis can be useful to rule out overt pathology, but it is not much help to us in dealing with patients who have complex but non-specific symptom patterns. Functional blood chemistry (FBC) analysis is an emerging approach that provides functional reference ranges that identify problems not yet pathological.

Are Grains Destroying Our Brains?

By Erik Goldman - Vol. 14, No. 3. , 2013

In his forthcoming book, Grain Brain, functional neurologist David Perlmutter contends that America’s grain-heavy diet is a prime driver of dementia. That means dementia’s preventable, but it requires eliminating grain foods.

Glycation: Tackling an Underlying Driver of Chronic Disease

By Gaetano Morello, ND, Contributing Writer - Vol. 14, No. 3. , 2013

Glycation–a process by which sugars bind to proteins forming inflammatory compounds–is at the center of the chronic disease storm. Clinicians need to understand as much as possible about this process and the interventions that can be used to attenuate it.

When Questioning Clinical Dogma Is a Doctor’s Duty

By Erik Goldman | Contributing Writer - Vol. 15, No. 2. , 2013

Twenty years ago, Dr. Stephen Sinatra was like most American cardiologists: firmly convinced that elevated cholesterol was the key driver of heart disease, and that thanks to statin drugs, he and his colleagues would soon be cutting the nation’s number one killer down to size.

The Daniel Plan: A Merger of Faith & Functional Medicine

By Gabrielle Zastrocky, Contributing Writer - Vol. 14, No. 1. , 2013

The Daniel Plan, a holistic health initiative co-developed by a mega-church pastor and some of the pioneers in functional medicine is proving highly effective in motivating people to make meaningful and lasting lifestyle changes.

Massive Study Finds Link Between Allergies & Hematologic Cancers

By John Otrompke, Contributing Writer - Vol. 13, No. 3. 2012,

A cohort study of over 64,000 people found that those with allergies to grass, plants and trees were more likely to develop hematologic malignancies compared with people who don’t have allergies. The surprising observation runs contrary to studies, and has investigators and clinicians scratching their heads.

Reckoning with Statin-Induced Diabetes and Metformin Resistance

By Thomas G. Guilliams, PhD, Contributing Writer - Vol. 13, No. 3. , 2012

Drug therapies to reduce cardiovascular risk and prevent the onset of diabetes may be effective in the short term, but as people age, the efficacy of drugs like statins and metformin tends to diminish, while the risk of adverse effects increases. The benefit of nutritional and lifestyle interventions, on the other hand, remains robust even as people enter their final decades.