Microsoft Word - CSI-New.docDear Friend,
Have you ever seen the show C.S.I.? The show about the medical pathologists who solve the cases by examining all the data available to them.
Imagine if you are a detective and the only tool you have to solve a case is your expertise in fingerprints. You'd probably solve quite a few cases. But what happens if you come to a crime scene and there are absolutely no fingerprints anywhere? You'd be lost, wouldn't you? The crime would remain unsolved.
This is exactly the same as a physician only having one or two ways to gather information from the body. Depending on how good you are, you'd crack a few cases but you couldn't expect to crack them all.
As a physician working in the realm of function and dysfunction, you need to have as many tools as possible to assess the body.
And once you have all that information from your assessment tools you must be able to process and make sense of it all. You must be able to quickly and efficiently communicate to the patient exactly what you think is going on. And finally, you must be able to clearly and concisely recommend what they must do to achieve a greater state of health and well- being.
This is what Functional Diagnostic Medicine is all about and this is what it means to practice Functional Diagnostic Medicine.
2
Is This How You Practice or Would Like to Practice?
It's clear that millions of people are desperately looking for answers to their medical problems and want health-care practitioners who practice like this.
They are ready and HUNGRY for real answers to chronic diseases such as fibromyalgia, heart disease, arthritis, anxiety, depression, auto-immune diseases, obesity, diabetes etc..
What Are People Really Searching For?
The public has raised its hands and is telling the health industry that it wants answers for many of their most common health challenges.
It's possible, using the latest website analytic programs, to clearly see what is on the minds of millions of people around the globe when they do a Google/Yahoo search for keywords related to the problems they are suffering from.
Just take a look at these numbers for searches made over a 30 day period.
What People Really Want from Their Health Provider Are Answers
Here's the truth that the established allopathic medical community wants to keep under wraps: THEY HAVE NO ANSWER for the thousands and thousands of people suffering with these diseases. They have two (2) tools in their black bag: Drugs and Surgery.
Hit by a car crossing the sidewalk? Fall out of your bedroom window? Have a dissecting aneurysm that's about to blow? The established allopathic medical community has the answer.
Suffering from debilitating fibromyalgia? Experiencing out of control hypertension? Overwhelming depression or anxiety? Agonizing arthritis? How about Chronic Fatigue
3
Syndrome, Asthma, Allergies, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Diabetes, Crohn's Disease, Heart Disease, the list goes on and on. THEY HAVE NO ANSWER.
There are a lot of people who buy into the delusion that the established medical community has all the answers but there are also thousands and thousands of people who are sick and tired of having their doctors spend a few minutes with them and write a prescription for a drug that is only going to take away their symptoms and does nothing to get to the true cause of what ails them.
But nowadays it's not just the doctors. Everywhere you turn you read and view advertisements on this or that drug or supplement that provides symptomatic relief for XYZ disease.
Got acid reflux? Take Nexium
Feeling down? Take St. John's Wort
Got high blood pressure? Take Zestril
Got arthritis? Take Glucosamine
Got anxiety? Take Xanex
This is the Epitome of Cookbook Medicine.
Most physicians spend the majority of their time diagnosing and treating symptoms, which are the gross appearance of disease.
Symptoms are the way the body speaks to you. They are signals. Treating symptoms is like smashing the brake light that's lit on the dashboard and thinking that you are somehow fixing the problem.
It doesn't matter if the treatment is a prescriptive drug or some natural supplement or herb, the focus is still on seeking temporary symptomatic relief and NOT identifying the underlying cause of the illness. Drugs and surgery are not the answers.
It's obvious that millions of people know that the established allopathic medical community don't have the answer or they wouldn't be looking online for an alternative way of dealing with their problems.
The good news for us and our patients is...
Functional Diagnostic Medicine Has the Answers
Functional Diagnostic Medicine is the new health model of the 21st century. This is a bold statement we know but it's true.
Doctors who embrace Functional Diagnostic Medicine are forward thinking practitioners who ask different questions about how to better treat the chronically ill patient who otherwise slips through the cracks of conventional allopathic medical diagnosis and treatment.
4
They Don't Just Treat Symptoms, They Don't Just Rely on One Assessment Technique,
They Do Not Practice Cookbook Medicine.
They look at the totality of the patient's experience, they gather information from multiple areas of the body, they have a firm belief in the interconnectedness between the different systems of the body, they have a unique understanding of the biochemical individuality of each patient, and you know what? They think outside of the box.
It's all very well to tell you about it, it's quite another thing to show you, so let's pull back the curtain right now and show you exactly how to approach patients from the Functional Diagnostic Medicine perspective.
Here Are Some True Stories Of What Really Happens When You Put Functional Diagnostic
Medicine to Work In Your Practice, How This Proven System Works,
And How You Can Put It To Work For YOU.
WARNING: These cases do not follow a cookbook approach to healing. They illustrate the thinking process that you must go through with each and every one of your patients. If you are looking for quick fixes then do yourself a favor and stop reading right now.
Case #1
Here's A Story About A Lady Suffering From Debilitating Anxiety
Patient: Pat Age: 74
Pat is a 74 year old female from New York City. In 2001 she went to see her primary allopathic M.D. complaining of hives, irritability, brain fog and abdominal pain. She was given the "all clear" from her primary M.D. in New York after a full abdominal work-up and colonoscopy revealed nothing wrong. She decided to consult with Dr. Grisanti in July of that year.
After reviewing her symptom questionnaire and her past medical records, Dr. Grisanti ordered a series of functional lab tests, including a Comprehensive Candida Profile, an Intestinal Permeability Test, a Mucosal Barrier Test, and a Urine Indican Test. The results came back indicating a significant dysbiosis, intestinal hyperpermeability and an altered mucosal barrier. Dr. Grisanti prescribed an individualized treatment plan using diet, lifestyle changes, and botanical and nutritional therapies designed to correct the dysbiosis and heal the mucosal barrier.
Unfortunately Pat was not the most compliant patient and after a few months she failed to follow-up with her regular phone consults.
It wasn't until 2004 that Pat got in touch with Dr. Grisanti again. In the intervening years Pat had begun to suffer from anxiety, not just simple anxiety but debilitating anxiety and panic attacks so strong that her whole life was changed.
5
For three years she battled with this condition. She took over the counter natural remedies, tried meditation, hypnosis and other treatments. She consulted with a chiropractor who practiced the typical disease specific approach rather than the patient specific approach and suggested that Pat try a combination of an herbal remedy of valerian root and passionflower.
The chiropractor even sold Pat on a series of 24 adjustments stating, "a C1 subluxation was one of the main reasons for her anxiety".
None of this helped because the true cause of her anxiety was not being addressed. She and her health care practitioners in New York City saw the anxiety as her problem and were looking for things that would "take her anxiety away".
Unfortunately, Pat's condition got so bad that she had to be admitted to a psychiatric facility and due to the severity of the anxiety, she was prescribed a benzodiazepine (Ativan) and an antidepressant (Zoloft).
Although she had some relief on the above medications, she still had "break-through" anxiety episodes.
When Pat finally decided to consult with Dr. Grisanti again she was on 100 mgs of Zoloft and 3 mgs of Ativan.
One week before the initial consultation, her psychiatrist recommended increasing the Ativan to 4 mgs and replacing the Zoloft with another psychotropic drug.
As you can imagine, Pat was at her wits end and wanted a second opinion. She remembered that she had sought out Dr. Grisanti's help for her abdominal complaints and knew he had a reputation for being able to solve the most difficult cases and was hoping to see if he could figure out the underlying cause of the anxiety.
After completing his thorough intake forms and reviewing her case, Dr. Grisanti decided to order some functional medicine lab tests.
The results of these tests were quite revealing and allowed him to zero in on the underlying cause(s) of Pat's anxiety.
The Adrenal Stress Index from Diagnostech
The adrenal stress index is one of the most important test to order when starting your investigation of anxiety.
The adrenal glands produce two hormones in response to stress. One is cortisol and the other is DHEA.
Without going into the biochemical relationship of cortisol and anxiety, it is important to simply understand that abnormal levels of cortisol (elevated or depressed) play a major role in uncovering the cause(s) of anxiety.
Take a look at the following adrenal test Dr. Grisanti ordered on Pat in July 2004. As you can see, her cortisol levels were out of control.
6
The test measures 4 cortisol readings at 8 AM, Noon, 4 PM and Midnight. You can just about make out the 4 dots at the top of Figure 1 in the lab report below. These are values that are way out of the optimal range.
Review of the following actual lab tests reveal significant elevation of all cortisols. Take a look at Pat's accumulative cortisol of 184.
No wonder she was suffering with anxiety!
One of the key nutrients used in the treatment of elevated cortisol is Phosphatidylserine.
Phosphatidylserine has been found to desensitize the Hypothalmic-Pituitary-Axis to elevated cortisol and along with other stress-reduction techniques this nutrient played a big role in helping Pat to reduce her cortisol levels.
Although Pat achieved a significant improvement, one question still had to be answered ...
"Why Were Her Cortisol Levels So High"?
It's clear that her high cortisol levels were not due to a phosphatidylserine deficiency. As a good Functional Diagnostic Medicine practitioner Dr. Grisanti had to look deeper for the underlying cause. He had to ask himself, after receiving the results of Pat's Adrenal Stress Index, "what was the cause(s) of these elevated cortisol levels?"
To determine this, you need to have a good understanding of the underlying physiology of the body and begin to do some detective work:
First and foremost prolonged psychological stress could be a factor. However, this is not the only cause. Here is short list of "stressors" associated with high cortisol levels that should be ruled out.
1. Food sensitivities 2. Environmental and chemical toxicities 3. Bacterial and parasitic GI infections
7
4. Fungal (candida) infections
Like a good medical detective, Dr. Grisanti looked at the available information already collected from Pat. He remembered that Pat had consulted with him back in 2001 for a functional G.I. complaint and testing back then had shown a significant dysbiosis, intestinal hyperpermeability and an altered mucosal barrier. She admitted that she had never followed through with his treatment protocol so it was very likely that she still had dysbiosis and intestinal hyperpermeability.
Based on Pat's medical history, Dr. Grisanti had a strong suspicion that part of her problem was linked to a functional disorder of the gut.
As documented in the remarkable book Second Brain: A Groundbreaking New Understanding of Nervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestine by Michael Gershon M.D., there is a strong relationship between anxiety, depression and problems with the functional health of the gut.
Here is a copy of the serum candida antigen test results he ran on Pat back in 2001:
Take a good look at these results!
There is no question we have a patient with a serious candida infection. One look at the IgG at 9800 and the positive candida PCR shows us a patient with widespread candidiasis.
Armed with the results of this lab test Dr. Grisanti approached Pat's primary physician because he knew that it was in Pat's best interest to work closely with her M.D.
Luckily he was open-minded and on reviewing the above lab test results he agreed to co- manage Pat's case with Dr. Grisanti.
He prescribed Fluconazole (Diflucan).
8
This was rotated with an anti-candida natural product, a comprehensive candida treatment protocol and of course the protocol prescribed to restore the cortisol levels.
Over the following months, Dr. Grisanti continued to monitor Pat's condition and was happy to say that she was able to slowly wean herself off the Ativan and Zoloft.
Here's a copy of a follow up Adrenal Stress Index test run in November, 2004
Below is a chart of the above cortisol values from the initial test and the follow-up. Make note of the improvement in the morning, evening cortisol levels and her total cortisol. It so happened that Pat suffered her greatest anxiety breakthroughs first thing in the morning. Dr. Grisanti was happy to see Pat's morning cortisol drop within the normal range at 20 on the follow-up test.
Pat's improvement clearly correlated with the reduction of the elevated cortisol.
Pat's response to treatment was simply outstanding. By casting his assessment net wide enough and by not just using a supplement to reduce the elevated cortisol levels Dr. Grisanti was able to close the case.
She continues to progress and has been anxiety-free for the last four years.
9
Patient: Lisa Age: 33 year
I vividly remember my office manager, Debbie, telling me that a patient from Washington state wanted to see me for fibromyalgia. I was not sure what I was in store for but I had a good idea when Lisa had her medical records shipped to my office in a large box. I must admit I was somewhat surprised to see over 700 pages of medical records neatly organized in a chronological fashion. Lisa also included in the shipment her medical questionnaire she received from us
It is my policy to obtain a completed comprehensive medical questionnaire in addition to any and all medical records specific to the patient's primary physical complaint before the patient is scheduled to see me.
Here is an abbreviated summary of Lisa's medical records and medical questionnaire. First and foremost, Lisa was suffering with the following symptoms for over five years before consulting with me:
1. Fatigue 2. Muscle weakness 3. General body stiffness, achiness, sharp/shooting pain 4. Flu-like aches 5. Muscle spasms 6. Facial pain 7. Constipation/diarrhea 8. Digestive problems 9. Sleep disturbances 10. Urinary frequency 11. Dry mouth 12. Rapid heart rate 13. Headaches 14. Sinus congestion
Her present and past medical history indicated that she had been under the care of five medical physicians (internist, neurologist, rheumatologist, psychiatrist and a physical medicine specialist). Treatment was symptomatically oriented including the following medications: Fentanyl (opioid analgesic with a potency approximately eighty times that of morphine.), diazepam, amitriptyline, hydromorphone, sudafed, lactulose, docusate sodium.
10
Lisa was told over and over again that she was suffering from a variety of issues including fibromyalgia, allergies, depression, spastic colon, IBS and stress.
Lisa also consulted with two chiropractors, an acupuncturist, energy medicine, massage therapist and a nutritionist all to no avail. She did comment that one of the chiropractors had her scheduled to be seen four days a week for five weeks with a reduction to three times a week for another six weeks. She mentioned that the treatment consisted of no more than a light instrument adjustment to her cervical spine. The nutritionist recommended a variety of supplements including: S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe), magnesium, malic acid, 5- hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), digestive enzymes, turmeric and cordyceps.
Unfortunately, Lisa’s condition continued to worsen.
When Lisa finally landed in Greenville, South Carolina she was confined to a wheelchair and to be quite honest, desperate for help.
Both conventional medicine and alternative medicine were unsuccessful in helping her recover from her deliberating disease.
She was praying for a miracle and was betting on me to be her last hope.
Talk about a heavy load on your mind…
Prior to Lisa flying in to see me, I did my due diligence and painstakingly reviewed each and every page of her medical records including carefully studying her completed medical questionnaire.
Boy was this an eye-opener.
Review of her entire medical records revealed a thinking process that is akin to no thinking at all. I may be harsh but the course of 700 pages of medical records revealed an ominous flow of deciding what next drug to give her for pain relief.
Of course the alternative medical record review was no better with the only exception was the fact that the doctors she consulted with sincerely “thought” they was zeroing in on the cause of her suffering.
How off they were will be shown by the “CSI” thinking process of functional diagnostic medicine.
The C.S.I. Thinking Process
First and foremost it was imperative to identify the primary, secondary and tertiary physiological and biochemical dysfunctions which lead Lisa to her poor state of health.
Review of her records, medical questionnaire, in-office comprehensive physical and functional diagnostic examination including updated blood test clearly provided a direction to aid Lisa toward a favorable resolution of her long-standing illness.
Of course, the thinking process I incorporated goes way beyond simply searching for the best drug or supplement, but instead seeks to zero-in on the physiological glitches her body has succumbed to.
This was a daunting and challenging case but one that I wanted to crack.
11
With all the above said, here is what evolved from my review. I had a very strong suspicion that the following issues were directly or indirectly linked to her challenging health condition:
1. Cortisol/DHEA Depletion 2. Significant depression of Secretory IgA resulting in mucosal integrity
problems 3. GI compromise with probable dysbiosis 4. Compromised detoxification 5. Fatty acid imbalance.
These were the key physiological and biochemical factors that needed to be objectively evaluated in order to identify the best course of action.
A quick side note is the fact when patients are suffering with debilitating conditions that destroy their ability to function in society, patients are super willing to pay the necessary fee for lab testing.
That being said, Lisa completed all the above functional diagnostic lab tests while in Greenville then flew home to await the results.
After approximately 2 weeks I received all her functional diagnostic labs and here is what was found:
#1: Adrenal Stress Index from Diagnostech
This test revealed a significant compromise of the cortisol output revealing a Stage 3 adrenal exhaustion. Her total cortisol of 12 was alarming.
Comments: Cortisol is the primary hormone that directs immune function and is involved in virtually all aspects of body function. Cortisol and DHEA are also involved in carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism; eicosanoid modulation; detoxification capacity; endocrine function; and the health of muscle, bone and neural tissues.
An abnormal adrenal rhythm can negatively influence energy production; immune system health; skin regeneration; muscle and joint function; bone health; sleep quality; and liver, pancreas, and thyroid function.
12
#2 GI Panel
Lisa's primary physician had the good sense to order a G.I. Health panel from Diagnostech and this was part of Lisa's extensive medical records. The results showed that Lisa had significant depression of her secretory IgA levels, which leads to a compromised mucosal integrity.
It is important to understand that cortisol directs the production of special immune cells called immunocytes responsible for the production of SigA.
SigA is the body’s first line of immune defense. Her salivary SigA on the Adrenal Stress Index was found to be significantly depressed at 10 (optimal range is between 25-60). It's interesting to note that there was a significant depression in her Total Intestinal SigA (stool) from her stool test. Her levels were significantly depressed at 95 (optimal range is between 400-800). This is strongly associated with malabsorption and intestinal hyperpermeability ("Leaky Gut Syndrome".) In short, Mucosal Barrier Dysfunction.
13
How Do Mucosal Barriers Function?
Mucosal barriers provide both mechanical and immunological protection to the internal body environment from external agents. The mucosal barriers consist of the conjunctiva of the eye and the linings of the oral cavity, nasal cavity, pharyngeal cavity, tracheobronchial tree, alimentary tract, urinary tract and genital tract.
The normal intestinal epithelium is a semi permeable (selective) barrier with substantial immunological activity from secretory IgA (SigA). SigA can successfully exclude external agents from entering the internal environment of the body by binding to bacteria and other antigens, thereby preventing the toxic, antigenic or pathogenic molecules or micro-organisms from entering the bloodstream.
14
With a healthy mucosal barrier, approximately two percent of encountered antigens penetrate into the general circulation.
Failure or abnormalities in any one of these protective functions of the intestinal barrier can result in many symptoms specifically auto-immune and immune-focused diseases.
Excess intake of alcohol, infections, NSAID use, stress, chemical contamination of food, broad spectrum antibiotics, corticosteroid hormones, and use of oral birth control pills are just a few factors that can adversely affect the intestinal barrier and permit pathogenic bacteria to produce infectious diseases either by invading into deeper tissues, or secretin antigens and / or toxins that damage local and distant tissues.
Damage to the mucosal barrier can also occur as a result of the overgrowth of yeast. The yeast release toxins and enzymes, and can also be translocated into peripheral organs. Yeast proliferates in the presence of mercury, and altered pH, which accompanies abnormal composition of bacterial flora. Any of the aforementioned insults to the intestinal barrier can result in increased permeability, which can be associated with unregulated uptake of partially digested proteins with resultant symptoms of food allergy. The key is to identify the primary cause and extent of increased GI permeability.
#3 Intestinal Permeability Test (IPT)
It was clear from the stool test that Lisa's SigA was well below the optimal level indicating a strong likelihood of malabsorption and Intestinal Hyperpermeability. This was confirmed by the following Intestinal Permeability Test. The increased Lactulose Percent Recovery and Lactulose/Mannitol Ratio are both strong indicators of Intestinal Hyperpermeability.
15
#4 Urine Organic Acid Assay
This innovative test gets into the deeper biochemical glitches seen in gastrointestinal dysfunction, mitochondrial dysfunction, detoxification problems, and nutrient deficiencies that are not commonly identified on conventional lab tests. It was clear from the seriousness of Lisa's condition and the compromise of her primary immune function that I needed a test that would efficiently and cost-effectively evaluate the effects of this on other systems of the body.
Here are the results of this test and the clinical implications for this case:
Lisa had elevated Pyroglutamate at 17.8 and significantly low Sulfate at 147, which clearly indicated an increased stress on detoxification system. Without ample amount of sulfate, her body was unable to neutralize the toxic stress of drugs and other toxic chemicals.
Elevated Pyroglutamate indicates that there is inadequate organic sulfur sources for the production of cysteine required for glutathione synthesis. This is further confirmed with the bottomed out sulfate indicating once again a high glutathione demand. Glutathione is constantly used up in the removal of toxic molecules and prevention of oxidative damage. Elevated Pyroglutamate reveals that glutathione is being lost at a high rate. Sulfation pathways are important for the body’s transformation of many drugs, steroid hormones and toxic compounds. The key amino acid to effectively turn this biochemical dysfunction around and raise the glutathione and sulfate levels is N-Acetylcysteine
She had elevated Phenylpropionate and Tricarballylate which are markers indicating dysbiosis. In addition, Tricarballylate has an extremely high affinity for magnesium preventing magnesium absorption.
The elevated Dihydroxyphenylpropionate is another marker for intestinal bacterial overgrowth with Clostridium overgrowth the most common. The natural therapeutic, Saccharomyces boulardii, is commonly prescribed for this specific pathogen.
16
Lisa’s anti-oxidant reserves were severely depleted. No wonder her body was resistant to recovery.
17
Lisa also had high levels of Ethylmalonate, Pyruvate, Lactate, B-Hydroxybutyrate, a- Ketoglutarate, a-Ketoisovalerate and Methylmalonate. These findings all indicated a severe depletion of her B-Vitamins.
Of special interest, her elevated Methylmalonate and high Homocysteine both document a severe B12 deficiency. Of course a deficiency of B12 directly relates to chronic fatigue.
18
#5 Serum Essential Fatty Acid Test
Lisa’s fatty acid profile revealed very low levels of omega 3 essential fatty acids. Her levels of omega 3 were bottomed-out, no wonder she was having so much pain.
19
#6 Stool Test and Mucosal Barrier Function Test
Lisa’s results clearly revealed a candida overgrowth. This was supported by both tests.
20
21
Of special interest, we ordered a prescriptive and natural agent sensitivity test to accurately determine the best treatment to eradicate the candida overgrowth:
22
Case Analysis and Treatment Guidelines
As you can clearly see, this was a challenging case with a number of underlying physiological and biochemical dysfunctions.
The information derived from the functional diagnostic testing was invaluable in helping me crack this most difficult case.
Based on the large amount of information derived from the testing, my treatment consisted of a series of small carefully executed treatment protocols.
The key was NOT to overwhelm Lisa but to proceed in a baby step fashion.
This was much appreciated and the outcome was beyond her expectations and to be quite honest nothing short of amazing.
Here is the entire protocol I recommended over a three to six month time frame. Again I want to emphasize that the timing of each of the below clinical recommendations were carefully planned to maximize her recovery and minimize any healing crisis.
1. Adrenal support via Licorice Extract and Adrenal Support
23
2. Easy to digest mineral supplement: was only taken one hour before her bedtime 3. Low digestive stress diet was prescribed: Juicing organic vegetables was encouraged
to also improve her compromised anti-oxidant status. 4. Patient was counseled on reducing her stress loads. 5. Quality sleep was encouraged. 6. Spring water in glass bottle 7. Minimize any external toxic exposures 8. Liver support with added N-Acetylcysteine 9. Omega 3 supplementation 10. Aggressive increase of her anti-oxidants 11. A candida protocol was not initially recommended due to her body’s compromised
detox. status. 12. B-12 injection 13. Rebuild her mucosal intestinal lining played a critical role in helping her achieve the
results she eventually achieved. Of course this was not first on the last but was introduced approximately three months into the treatment.
Important Note:
This is one area where many physicians make the assumption that treating the candida pathogen would be of value for this patient. Unfortunately, this would be a recipe for disaster considering her weakened state. Appropriate action steps to support her adrenal glands and detox. pathways would be a much better direction to move in. Of course the approach I took could NOT have been identified unless I had the wealth of data obtained from the above functional diagnostic lab tests.
Be Prepared to Graduate Your Patients
So there you have it, 2 cases closed!
Can you imagine how wonderful it feels to look your patients in the eye and tell them you don't want to see them again, that they have graduated? All their goals have been achieved and there's nothing more you can do for them. Not because you've run out of ideas or they have run out of money but because YOU have solved their case and they have achieved a greater sense of health and wellness because of it.
They've graduated from what we call "Condition Care" and they can now enter the realm of "Maintenance Care".
This is one of the most gratifying things in the world and to the Functional Diagnostic Medicine Practitioner "Graduation Parties" are not an uncommon event.
24
But, we have to let you know, there's nothing secret to what Functional Diagnostic Medicine practitioners do.
From the cases we ran through you can appreciate how powerful it is to know what questions to ask, how to interpret all those labs, and how to treat with nutrition.
...And that's why this next statement is going to seem pretty weird.
FORGET ABOUT NUTRITION!
That's NOT what Functional Diagnostic Medicine is about!
Yes, we know that sounds totally bizarre since we just showed you the Functional Diagnostic Medicine approach to blood sugar dysregulation, fibromyalgia, and anxiety.
And yes, we know that sounds weird because we just finished showing you how you can treat these conditions with individualized treatment protocols using clinical nutrition.
The bottom line is,
Functional Diagnostic Medicine Goes Way Beyond Nutrition
Heck, if you want to do nutrition go to one of the many supplement companies that provide supplements to our professions and enroll in one of their cookbook nutrition courses.
Functional Diagnostic Medicine is about much, much more.
It's about people willing to wait and see you because you are the ONLY doctor in your town who has ALL the answers.
Actually, let us help you out and show you....
How Functional Diagnostic Medicine Is Different From Anything
You've Ever Seen
Functional Diagnostic Medicine is NOT Just About Good History Taking: Obviously you will learn the cutting edge techniques to get a ton of information from your patients' history and you will learn them well...but that's not all that Functional Diagnostic Medicine is.
Functional Diagnostic Medicine is NOT Just About Doing Great Physical Examinations: Obviously it's essential to get your hands on your patients and do the absolute best and most comprehensive physical exam... but that's not all that Functional Diagnostic Medicine is.
Functional Diagnostic Medicine is NOT Just About Lab Testing: Again, you will learn state-of-the-art blood interpretation techniques and how to interpret many of the important advanced Functional Diagnostic Medicine tests, and you will learn them well... but that's not all that Functional Diagnostic Medicine is.
25
Functional Diagnostic Medicine is NOT Just About Nutrition: To a lot of health care practitioners nutrition is synonymous with nutritional supplements. We'd like you to consider something for a minute.
THE MAJORITY OF DOCTORS USING NUTRITION TODAY ARE DOING IT ALLOPATHICALLY
The reason we say this is that most doctors, whether they are prescribing drugs or some natural supplement or an herb, focus on temporary symptomatic relief rather than getting to the true underlying cause of the dysfunction, disorder or disease.
They Are Practicing "GreenAllopathy"
The majority of the nutritional supplement companies have what they call "Protocol Manuals", which are just glorified cookbooks: "Patient A has this disease then give them these 3 supplements". We might as well do our patients a favor. Just give them the protocol manual and have them buy whatever supplements they like so we can go and sit on the beach!
Now we know that you are different or you wouldn't be interested in what Functional Diagnostic Medicine can do for you and your patients.
But you know what? Your patients are different too.
You and I know this: Times have changed. Today's patients are more highly informed than ever before thanks mostly to the internet.
The reason why is simple: FRAME OF MIND
Today's patients who are seeking your care are in a different frame of mind than they were even a few years ago. They are sicker, feel less functional than at any time in history and allopathic medicine does not have any answers.
They want answers and are no longer satisfied with the same old nutritional approaches.
They want a practitioner who has a wide frame of focus, can see the wood from the trees, does not just seek temporary relief of symptoms, can analyze information from multiple systems of the body, organize that data into a detailed report that clearly identifies what areas of the body are out of balance and communicate what steps are necessary to restore optimal function.
Remember,...
Functional Diagnostic Medicine is About Becoming the Ultimate Medical Detective.
As a physician working in the realm of function and dysfunction, you need to have as many tools as possible to assess the body.
You must be able to cast your net wide
You must have as much data about your patient as possible flowing into your assessment funnel.
26
• Data from the patient's story and history • Data from the patient's medical records • Data from the patient's body • Data from the patient's urine • Data from the patient's saliva • Data from the patient's blood • Data from a whole range of Advanced Functional Diagnostic Medicine tests
But once you have all that information you must be able to process and make sense of it all. You must be able to quickly and efficiently communicate to the patient exactly what you think is going on. And finally, you must be able to clearly and concisely recommend what they must do to achieve a greater state of health and well-being.
This is what Functional Diagnostic Medicine is all about and this is what you are going to learn in our Functional Diagnostic Medicine Training Program.
We will teach you how to be an excellent medical detective.
By the end of our program you will know:
• How to ask the right questions • How to use primary and advanced lab testing to get as much functional data
from the body as possible • How to process all that information to get a sense of the true underlying
cause • How to implement individualized treatment protocols based on your
assessments that will restore your patients to optimal function
You will learn to do this even if you don't know where to start, where to begin, or how to proceed.
If you are already familiar with Functional Diagnostic Medicine, we'll show you the quickest way to get from point A to point B.
While your competition is peddling supplements, you will have positioned yourself as the only practitioner in your town that has answers to the countless health problems afflicting your patients.
This results in happy and satisfied patients, tons of referrals and the ultimate waiting list practice!