Nutritional Implications of Diet

An inflammatory diet causes oxidative stress to cells and causes patients to feel poorly. It may mainfest as joint and muscle pains, headaches, nausesa, fatigue, malaise, or other nonspecific symptoms. Some examples of inflammatory foods are refined carbohydrates, processed foods, fast food , soda , most artifical sweeteners, trans-fats, and saturated fats. A Functional Nutritionist can work with our patients to help make important dietary changes and improve well-being.

Treatment with Functional Medicine

Functional medicine is a systematic, biology-based approach that focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease. We do our best to determine how and why illness occurs. We diagnose and help restore health by addressing the underlying root cause. Hippocrates knew centuries ago that food causes as well as cures diseases. Functional nutrition and physical activity are a large component of a patient’s well-being. Modern medicine focuses on managing chronic disease with medications (pharmaceuticals). Despite all the research, pharmaceuticals have not sufficiently altered the negative trajectory of diseases like diabetes and heart disease that are constantly on the rise. In contrast, treating a disease with lifestyle medicine actually halts its progression. The core components of lifestyle medicine are good nutrition, regular physical activity, stress reduction, and restorative sleep patterns.

Minimizing the Side Effects

Obviously, conventional medication is needed in many cases, but should work in conjunction with lifestyle medicine. We understand that most patients want to be on the fewest number of pills possible. Dr. Parker will evaluate medications that may have been added over the years by different physicians, safely de-scribing any unnecessary or duplicate medicines. Occasionally, patients are prescribed one medication to offset the side-effect of another. This happens to be one of Dr Parker’s pet peeves.