Holistech

Fullscript’s New Goal: Minimize Dx Lab Test Hassles

By Erik Goldman

Diagnostic testing is an essential element of modern clinical practice. But for many practitioners, it is also a major source of headaches. Multiple accounts with different labs, opaque pricing, variations in insurance coverage, tracking patient compliance, compiling and interpreting results, scheduling follow-up visits, translating data into patient-friendly treatment plans….let’s be honest: diagnostic testing is fraught […]

FDA Increases Oversight of Diagnostic Tests

By Erik Goldman, Editor

The Food and Drug Administration has issued new rules aimed at bolstering the agency’s oversight and regulation of the diagnostic testing field. Specifically, the FDA is taking aim at Laboratory-Developed Tests (LDTs), which are defined as in vitro medical tests designed, manufactured, and processed by a single clinical laboratory. Historically, LDTs were unique, highly targeted […]

Telemedicine on the Rise in Holistic Healthcare

By Erik Goldman

Telemedicine is now commonplace in holistic medical practices, and practitioners who offer teleconsultations are very satisfied with the experience. That’s one of the main findings from Holistic Primary Care’s 2023 practitioner survey, conducted over the summer in collaboration with Nutrition Business Journal. The 70-question survey covered a broad range of topics—from the impact of the […]

Phototherapy Shows Promise in Mitigating Dementia

By August West, Contributing Writer

A metanalysis of 12 clinical studies representing a total of 776 patients diagnosed with dementia shows that phototherapy interventions can significantly improve cognitive function as indicated by changes in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores. Phototherapy did not, however, have measurable impact on depression, agitation, or sleep patterns. Researchers at the Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese […]

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 […]

Pandemic Boosts Telemedicine Use

By Kristen Schepker, Contributing Writer

Telemedicine has been the big winner in the COVID economy, and growth of this sector has shown no sign of slowing. In 2020, as the COVID-19 crisis forced practitioners, patients, and legislators to recognize the need for expansion of telehealth, the global market for digital healthcare services reached an estimated $152.5 billion. Researchers project that […]

In Healthcare, High Tech Gets a Taste of Its Own Disruption

By Kristen Schepker

Over the last five years, nearly all of the major information technology companies have launched some sort of healthcare initiative. The COVID pandemic, with its surging demand for telemedicine and rapid exchange of medical data, only intensifed that trend. But some tech giants have learned the hard way that healthcare is very different from other […]

Want Better Rest? Ditch Your Sleep Tracker

By Ktristen Schepker, Contributing Writer

If a better night’s rest is what you’re after, think twice before using a sleep tracker. An abundance of modern health and wellness technologies promise benefits like improved sleep and relaxation. But research indicates that sleep tracking devices can actually reinforce some users’ sleep-related stress, making peaceful slumber even harder to attain. Sleep Aids Gain […]

What Practitioners Need to Know About Botanical Quality Testing

By Elan Sudberg, Contributing Writer

As a kid I grew up in doctors’ offices and labs. It’s not because I was sick. Rather my mother and father both worked there. My mother was a microbiologist who applied those skills to live blood cell analysis and allergy testing, and then later worked in government microbiology labs where she researched models of […]

Your COVID Communications Could be Illegal: How to Avoid FDA & FTC Trouble When Marketing Your Practice

By Erik Goldman

Since COVID erupted, the FTC and FDA have issued hundreds of warning letters to practitioners requiring them to delete online posts about immune system support or potential COVID treatments Many practitioners who got warnings were completely unaware they’d done anything wrong Some practitioners have had their merchant services accounts suspended; others have received threats of […]