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fore functional medicine, preventative neurology never received any attention, and no one realized that the brain can be modified by changes in diet and lifestyle,” advises Perlmutter, whose forthcoming book explores the connec- tion between gluten and the brain.


Carol Roberts, M.D. Board certified in integrative medicine, Roberts recalls that in 2006, when she took her first formal course in FM, she recognized that it was already the foundation of her 20-year integrative medical practice.


Carol Roberts


“In functional medicine, which is not another term for alternative, holistic or complementary medicine, we are more aware of subtle things that occur early in the disease process, even though they may not show up on a blood test. That’s why a patient’s personal history can be so revealing,” advises Roberts.


The process of rebuilding health through proper diet and supplemen- tation, with the goal of reducing or eliminating medications, can take months. Meanwhile, Roberts focuses on the entire digestive process. “It’s not just about what patients eat, it’s about the nutrients absorbed, inflammation- causing foods and restoring the proper mix of good and bad bacteria in the gut, which is the home for 65 percent of the immune system,” she explains. Roberts and Post note that these approaches aren’t taught in medical school. “Medical education is con- trolled and funded by drug companies, which aren’t interested in a real cure, only fixing symptoms,” they advise.


Deborah Post, ARNP After being diag- nosed with rheuma- toid arthritis early in her nursing career, Post discovered that when she eliminated dairy products, her lab values returned to normal and her


hands functioned better. This piqued her curiosity about the role of diet in health. “I had one nutrition class in medical school, and I didn’t hear anything about the importance of food, other than data showing that a lack of vitamin C causes scurvy,” says Post. “I was attracted to functional medi- cine before it had a name. As I educat- ed myself on supplements and herbals and learned that they were gentle and effective resources for building and re- storing health, and as I saw through my clinical experience that drugs caused more problems than they solved, I was convinced functional medicine was the only path for me and my patients,” notes Post, who has completed numer- ous modules in the IFM curriculum.


Terri Evans, DOM The practice of FM fits Evans like a glove. “I’m naturally inquisitive and al- ways want to know why an organ or sys- tem isn’t functioning properly, what ac- tion in the patient’s lifestyle created the


analysis 13 months ago, he stopped us- ing the primary tool of his profession— manipulation—and only practices FM. “I understood that dealing with the un- derlying cause is the only way to help my


Robert Gilliland


patients with chronic health problems get well,” he remarks.


Terri Evans


dysfunction and what can I do to keep the patient healthy,” remarks Evans. FM diagnostic tools, such as functional blood testing, reveal clear answers to these questions.


According to Roberts, Post and Evans, FM often means that patients have to accept responsibility for their actions. Evans points out that this can be difficult. “When I talk about life- style changes that will help the healing process, patients start justifying their actions and frequently refuse to give up the very thing or habit that is causing their problem,” she says.


Patients make decisions based upon the knowledge Evans gives them. Sometimes that means they discontinue treatment, only to return a few years later to declare that they are ready.


Robert Gilliland, DC Deb Post


Gilliand immediately recognized the value of FM when he learned about it. After completing FMU modules in neu- rology, nutrition, functional endocrinol- ogy and functional blood chemistry


First-time patients that visit a FM practitioner should set aside a mini- mum of 90 minutes. An office visit be- gins with an in-depth questionnaire and generally, an hour of face-to-face time with the doctor. Blood tests, the science for determining specific deficiencies and imbalances that are the root cause of health problems, are scheduled by FM professionals that peel away the layers of chronic illness in the order recommended by Dr. Mark Hyman: examining diet, identifying food aller- gens, fixing the gut, optimizing nutrient status, balancing hormones, supporting energy metabolism, enhancing de- toxification and teaching self-care and nourishment of the mind and soul.


Terri Evans, DOM, TAE Healthy Aging Center, 3811 Airport Rd. N., Ste. 203, Naples. Call 239-430-6800 or visit MagnifyYourHealth.org.


Robert Gilliland, DC, Southwest Florida Natural Health Center, LLC, 27449 Riverview Center Blvd., Ste. 255, Bo- nita Springs. Call 239-444-3106 or visit SWFThyroid.com.


The Institute for Functional Medicine, 505 S. 336th St., Ste. 500, Federal Way, WA. Call 800-228-0622 or visit FunctionalMedicine.org.


David Perlmutter, M.D., ABIHM, and Carol L. Roberts, M.D., ABIHM, Perl- mutter Health Center, 800 Goodlette Rd. N., Ste. 270, Naples. Call 239-649- 7400 or visit PerlHealth.com.


Deborah Post, MSN, ARNP, Well- bridges, Inc., 17595 Tamiami Trail S., Ste. 108-14, Fort Myers. Call 239-481- 5600 or visit Facebook.com/pages/ WellbridgesInc-A-Practice-of-Health- and-Wellness or DebPost.com.


natural awakenings September 2012 31


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