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Cardiometabolic Health
Fat cell accumulation in muscle tissue
Cardiometabolic Health

An Important GLP-1 Therapy Side Effect: Myosteatosis

As functional medicine providers, we are continually assessing the benefits and drawbacks of various therapeutic options for our patients. One such therapy that has gained considerable attention is glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists.

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Dysautonomia blog
Cardiometabolic Health

Dysautonomia: A Growing Clinical Concern

The symptoms of dysautonomia can be so varied and seemingly disconnected that recognizing dysautonomia in the clinical setting can be challenging. When treating your dysautonomia patients, it is essential to address the root causes and support the body's healing process with adaptogenic herbs.

Megan Borreson, ND |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Using Virtual Group Visits to Enhance Patient Success

The American Academy of Family Physicians asserts that group visits are an effective method for enhancing patients' self-care of chronic conditions, increasing patient satisfaction, and improving outcomes.

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Lemon verbena, hibiscus, green coffee bean
Cardiometabolic Health

Promising New Weight Loss Research: Can Specialized Polyphenols Provide the Spark Your Patients Need?

Combat obesity with natural plant polyphenols! Discover how hibiscus, lemon verbena, and green coffee bean extract enhance metabolism, curb appetite and promote weight loss to help your patients overcome the energy gap and achieve long-term weight-loss success.

Megan Borreson, ND |

Cardiometabolic Health
Image of a person running
Cardiometabolic Health

How to Keep Patients from Sabotaging Their Exercise Programs

Some research shows a connection between exercise and weight gain, so let's dig into exercise, diet and sedentary lifestyles to help your patients make healthier choices.

Jonathan Cannizzo, MSc |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

New Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine: Vitamin K2 as MK-7, Part 2

The mechanism by which warfarin prevents blood clotting may have detrimental impacts on vitamin K recycling—and even lead to arterial calcification.

Jeffrey Bland, PhD, FACN, CNS |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

New Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine: Vitamin K2 as MK-7, Part 3

Interfering with vitamin K may have unintended effects, like vascular calcification, which researchers hope to understand how to prevent.

Jeffrey Bland, PhD, FACN, CNS |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

New Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine: Vitamin K2 as MK-7, Part 1

Some experts are raising a new concern: that the common drug warfarin is actually contributing to disease by interfering with vitamin K.

Jeffrey Bland, PhD, FACN, CNS |

Cardiometabolic Health
Is Semaglutide the Solution to the Obesity Epidemic?
Cardiometabolic Health

Is Semaglutide the Solution to the Obesity Epidemic?

Semaglutide may be a powerful obesity treatment option, but given its limitations and challenges, other interventions can help prevent weight regain.

Megan Borreson, ND |

Cardiometabolic Health
Blood glucose
Cardiometabolic Health

Blood Sugar Stability: A Key to Longevity

Use an integrative approach with lifestyle and supplement support to treat unhealthy blood sugar levels, insulin resistance and cardiometabolic disease.

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Movement, nature and wellness
Cardiometabolic Health

Helping Your Patients Optimize Exercise for Weight Loss

Discover effective strategies to help your patients achieve sustainable weight loss through exercise, and learn how to help them avoid common pitfalls and bad habits.

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Ketogenic diet options for cardiometabolic health
Cardiometabolic Health

Ketogenic Diets for Cardiometabolic Outcomes: What Is the Evidence?

A growing body of research has been published regarding the keto diet’s effect on cardiometabolic measures, but practitioners should be aware of the following considerations before encouraging patients to implement versions of the keto diet.

Thomas G. Guilliams, PhD |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Function PLMI Event
Cardiometabolic Health

36 Great Ideas from Cardiometabolic Function: The Intersection Among Neurology, Endocrinology, and Immunology

Key takeaways from the April 2023 Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute conference, Cardiometabolic Function: The Intersection Among Neurology, Endocrinology, and Immunology.

Elizabeth Strong |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Endothelial Glycocalyx Damage: New Considerations in Cardiovascular Disease

The endothelial glycocalyx (eGCx) serves many cardiovascular health functions. When treating cardiovascular conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, consider the importance of the glycocalyx for vascular wellness. Read more to learn how to support glycocalyx health.

Megan Borreson, ND |

Cardiometabolic Health
Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Cardiometabolic Health

NAFLD as a Key Factor in the Cardiometabolic Continuum

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is often asymptomatic, leading to delays in diagnosis and negative impacts on overall cardiometabolic health. Learn more about the nine modifiable NAFLD risk factors and consequences, and discover the top nutrients to support your patients.

Megan Borreson, ND |

Cardiometabolic Health
Uric Acid: The Body’s Physiological Alarm Bell?
Cardiometabolic Health

Uric Acid: The Body’s Physiological Alarm Bell?

Elevated uric acid levels, or hyperuricemia, are associated with cardiometabolic disorders, including hypertension, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and kidney disease. The following dietary, lifestyle and supplement interventions can help optimize your patients' uric acid levels.

Megan Borreson, ND |

Cardiometabolic Health
Mitochondria: The Forgotten Cause of Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiometabolic Health

Mitochondria: The Forgotten Cause of Cardiovascular Disease

Mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with cardiometabolic and cardiovascular risk, so it is vital that clinicians support mitochondrial health.

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Tom Guilliams, PhD on EPA versus DHA
Cardiometabolic Health

Cardiometabolic Differences: EPA vs. DHA

Studies show both mechanistic and clinically-relevant differences between the fatty acids, EPA and DHA, which potentiates targeted therapeutic uses for either EPA or DHA.

Thomas G. Guilliams, PhD |

Cardiometabolic Health
metabolic-syndrome
Cardiometabolic Health

4 Non-Traditional Warning Signs of Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of metabolic and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, including visceral adiposity, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and hypertension, contributing to CV mortality.

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Gut Heart Connection
Cardiometabolic Health

The Gut-Heart Connection, Risk Assessment and Intervention

Many factors can increase the risk of developing heart disease, including inactivity, toxic burden and being overweight or obese. But there’s an important factor that may often be overlooked: gut health.

Ioana Manahilova, DC |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Nailing and Scaling the 80/20 Rule in Cardiometabolic Disease Treatment

If you talk to non-clinicians in the health care industry, you might not be surprised to find they are unimpressed with the average clinician’s understanding of business philosophy. Who would blame us clinicians? We focus on patient care, and the most...

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Fasting and Cardiometabolic Disease: What Practitioners Need to Know

Fads come and go in the health and wellness space. When it comes to fasting, expect this one to stick around for the long-term. Unlike harmful diuretic weight loss pills, cabbage juice dieting, or the Thigh Master, fasting comes in many forms to fit the unique needs of the patient. These include fasting mimicking diets, intermittent fasting, weekly 24-hour fasts, alternate day fasting and more aggressive, extended fasts that require medical supervision.

Steven Imgrund, MS, CNS |

Cardiometabolic Health
Why your patients need feedback
Cardiometabolic Health

Feedback: Why Patients Need It, When to Use It and How to Give It

If someone asked one of your new patients (between three to six months of care) how their care has been progressing, what would they say? Would they be able to talk about their subjective improvements, like energy levels, and how those relate to improvements in other categories, such as body composition goals, inflammatory markers, lipid levels and common diabetic parameters?

Steven Imgrund, MS, CNS |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

The Homocysteine Playbook: Why Should You Test, And What to Do If Elevated

A homocysteine blood test is common and relatively easy to run and has been used to assess cardiovascular and cognitive health.1-2 So, should we throw homocysteine out with the proverbial MTHFR bathwater?

Steven Imgrund, MS, CNS |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

These Are the Cardiovascular Risk Assessments You Need for Better Clinical Outcomes

In functional medicine, we are in no short supply of tests. Given the opportunity, many clinicians would love nothing more than to run copious amounts of blood, saliva, urine, and stool samples to assess every aspect of their patients' health. But the issue is that the cost of testing alone could reach thousands of dollars, and at that price, you better have a good reason why each test was chosen and how each will lead to better treatment.

Steven Imgrund, MS, CNS |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

17 Great Ideas from Simplexity Medicine: Health Care Reimagined

On April 16, 2020, the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute, in collaboration with Ortho Molecular Products, convened more than 4,600 healthcare practitioners to Simplexity Medicine: Health Care Reimagined. The virtual, live conference was a silver lining amid all the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, an opportunity for functional medicine practitioners to connect and learn from a faculty of experts sharing their insight on the virus and its effects. Attendees also learned about ways to transition their practices to a virtual model using the Virtual Practice Pivot Program.

Olivia Morrissey |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Is Your Practice Poised to Be the Future of Medicine?

The triumph of health care will hinge on health professionals reinventing the way in which we work with a patient, with a population, and often overlooked, with each other. We have seen how large conventional multi-disciplinary models are challenged getting to know one patient; conversely, we can admit it is equally challenging for one provider to have all the knowledge needed to provide total care to any one patient or population.

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

4 Ways to Help Metabolic Syndrome Patients Avoid a Lifetime of Medications

Let's face the facts: If you see human patients, you're seeing patients with metabolic dysfunction. Even children, who should be resilient and thriving, are showing signs of metabolic dysfunction. Think back to the average patient walking through your doors (or on your virtual appointment calendar). It's rare to not see at least one or two aspects of metabolic syndrome.

Steven Imgrund, MS, CNS |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Using Bergamot in Your Lipid-Lowering Strategy

In 2021, we are in no short supply of supplements that can support healthy cholesterol and improve lipid measurements. Many are backed by stacks of research including mechanistic studies, human randomized controlled trials, and some even have thousands of years of historical use in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine. It seems a lack of options is not the issue here. Rather, many clinicians are reluctant to or frustrated with incorporating supplements into a treatment plan, especially when it contradicts current guidelines.

Steven Imgrund, MS, CNS |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

New Ways to Implement Functional Medicine Programs in 2021

There has never been a better time for functional medicine.The population of the modern world has a weight around its ankle named chronic disease, and we have been walking the pandemic plank for the better part of 2020.As a health care practitioner with an abundance of passion and sharp clinical knowledge, you see the writing on the wall. You know your patients need a personalized functional medicine plan with a foundation of lifestyle medicine.Knowing this and attracting actual patients to your practice are two separate things, however. Unfortunately, this hurdle often leaves many providers at the starting line stuck in pre-contemplation.

Steven Imgrund, MS, CNS |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Cardiometabolic Lifestyle Medicine: Real People with Real Success

While I enjoy writing technical posts, my passion lives with sharing patient stories as clinical education. In our provider world, we call these "case studies," but to me, it's so sterile-sounding. These are real people-parents, siblings, children-unique individuals who all have a life they literally hand to us so it can be optimized and juiced for everything it's worth. So, without further ado, I introduce you to Ken!

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

The Future of Health is Virtual-Are You Ready?

The coronavirus has skyrocketed the demand for health care while simultaneously amputating its main arm of delivering the care itself. People desperately want to see trained professionals; however, they are equally afraid to see them in-person. And because face-to-face individual appointments had been the comfortable and seemingly secure way of seeing patients pre-COVID-19, many smaller medical offices are suddenly disoriented and struggling to figure out how to pivot to remain solvent these days.

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

4 Ways to Mitigate Heart DiseaseRisk During COVID-19

Heart disease is still the most significant mortality threat to Americans today. But now, cardiometabolic experts are asking this epigenetic question: How will the dramatic COVID-19-related changes to our daily lifestyles affect our patients' risks for cardiovascular disease?

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Statins, Bergamot & Lifestyle Medicine

Statins have been the cornerstone of heart disease prevention in the conventional medical model for a long time. However, there is a growing resistance to using this prescription among patients. More and more, our culture is questioning the slippery use of pharmaceuticals as the panacea for the complex, chronic disease epidemics of our time, and statins are at the forefront of this shift.

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

The Breakfast of Functional Medicine Champions

When I first began my foray into functional medicine, I was pleasantly surprised to hear of this thing called functional foods. As someone who doesn't like to eat solids for breakfast, who loves the concept of eating but feels it gets in the way of more pressing matters, and who surely needs some daily nutrient therapy for existing and future medical issues, I found functional foods deserved that heavenly operatic "Ahhhhhh" when I began enjoying all the benefits they provided me in my day-to-day life.

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Nailing and Scaling the 80/20 Rule in Cardiometabolic Disease Treatment

If you talk to non-clinicians in the health care industry, you may not be surprised to find they are not overly impressed with the average clinician's understanding of business philosophy. Who would blame us clinicians? We focus on patient care, and the most important thing we may learn about the "business" of conventional medicine is how to optimize billing and coding.

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Using Community to Motivate Patient Movement

Let's face it. Advising patients to exercise and engage in regular physical activity is a prescriptive no-brainer. The case for movement as medicine continues to solidify as journal after journal elucidates the anti-inflammatory powerhouse that exercise is. Whether for the reduction or reversal of obvious cardiometabolic diseases like diabetes and heart disease or of lesser-known chronic complex conditions like autoimmunity, cancer and dementia, exercise should be a foundational strategy to reduce inflammation and change epigenetic signaling for a healthier future for all patients.

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

The question in cardiometabolic disease is not what are you eating, but who are you feeding?

Cardiometabolic disease is rampant in the United States and our current approach to treating it is broken. For years, doctors and patients have been taught that cholesterol is the underlying cause of heart disease. The American Heart Association has recommended a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet based on the guidelines of the USDA food pyramid. Unfortunately, following this pathway has led to increased obesity and diabetes, thanks to a calorie intake of mostly sugar and high glycemic carbohydrates.

Todd R. LePine, MD |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Mapping the Cardiometabolic Patient Journey

Mapping the Cardiometabolic Patient JourneyAs of 2015, the combined prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes was 45.4% among adults in the United States. Approximately 11% have diabetes and 33.9% have prediabetes, representing 84.1 million people who could develop type 2 diabetes within five years, according to the CDC in the 2017 National Diabetes Statistics Report.Read more

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Cardiovascular Disease: New Clinical Options for Expanding the Therapeutic Target, Part 3

A New Pleiotropic PathFrom early ideas about dietary fat, to a complex array of genetic risk factors and biomarkers, the arc of scientific discovery is pointing to cardiovascular disease being a pleiotropic condition. It follows, then, that one agent against a cluster of diseases will not produce favorable outcomes. The old "a pill for an ill" model will be outdated.Read more

Jeffrey Bland, PhD, FACN, CNS |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Cardiovascular Disease: New Clinical Options for Expanding the Therapeutic Target, Part 2

Vector of Truth: Medical Research is an Arc of DiscoveryAnyone who devotes their career to scientific research is likely a seeker of truth. But this can sometimes mean taking the road less traveled. Even in medicine, it can be tempting to take the path of not seeking the hard and difficult questions about a disease, but to seek the expedient answers.Read more

Jeffrey Bland, PhD, FACN, CNS |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Cardiovascular Disease: New Clinical Options for Expanding the Therapeutic Target, Part 1

Functional medicine can sometimes clash with the broader healthcare industry, which focuses on treating specific systems or diseases. In functional medicine, practitioners offer a more holistic and preventative approach to care, often recommending lifestyle, diet, and nutritional supplements. However, the norms of pharmaceutical research don't necessarily translate into effective supplement research. Moreover, nutritional supplements often fall into gray areas in drug regulation, making the safe and effective use of supplements difficult for many functional medicine clinicians.Read more

Jeffrey Bland, PhD, FACN, CNS |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

The Gym Inside Your Door

The Gym Inside Your Door program was initially developed to increase daily physical activity in prediabetic and diabetic Alaska Natives in 2007, but has since gained widespread use in primary and secondary prevention programs. Diverse forms of physical activity have been shown to improve health outcomes and reduce risk for cardiometabolic disease. One means of prescribing exercise is by recommending specific physical activities by their frequency, duration and relative intensity. Read more

Ralph LaForge, MSc, FNLA, CLS |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Exercise: The Ultimate Anti-Inflammatory

Do you talk about the importance of nutrition and prescribe a personalized diet to every patient, regardless of health status, who walks into your clinic? Of course, you do. Every functional medicine clinician understands the importance of nutrition. What you eat matters. It plays a role in your long-term health, wellness and ability to prevent chronic disease. No one would argue that. Now, let me ask you this: Do you talk about the importance of physical activity and prescribe a personalized exercise program to every patient, regardless of health status, who walks into your clinic? Read more

Jonathan Cannizzo, MSc |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Be Worth It! Value Your Care and Improve the Financial Wellbeing of Your Patients

This post correlates to a presentation delivered by Dr. Gladd at The Evolution of Cardiology Functional Forum (March 2017). Click here to view the presentation.

Jeffery Gladd, MD |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

3 Steps to Eradicating Cardiometabolic Disease

Cardiovascular and cardiometabolic disease continue to devastate the lives of patients, families, communities and the US healthcare system at large. The sad truth is, a solution already exists. If healthcare systems could figure out how to implement therapeutic lifestyle change, nearly 80% of the world's medical problems would either be prevented or reversed. Over the last 10 years, I have seen this solution play out in my office and other Functional and Integrative offices around the world. So, why isn't this already happening? Three things: 1) Provider training, 2) Patient engagement, and 3) Cost. Read more

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Exercise Adherence Starts with an Exercise Prescription

The statement, "Exercise is an important part of lifestyle medicine," seems rather obvious. Studies indicate relative risks for cardiovascular disease are up to three times higher for inactive persons as compared to active. In fact, physical inactivity is as harmful as other conventional risk factors, such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels, in predicting chronic disease. Yet, only 10% of Americans meet the recommended level of 150 minutes of exercise per week. Read more

Jonathan Cannizzo, MSc |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Care: The Secret Sauce to a Successful Clinic

I get this question a lot when speaking to practitioners about starting their own micropractice, "Why would patients pay me?"Do you wonder how someone would pay cash for your services? Do you think you need to offer fancy testing and really involved therapies in a high-end office space?In my opinion, it is difficult to successfully run a medical practice dedicated to health promotion and take insurance. A direct-pay practice that lives outside of the squeeze and time crunch of insurance will have you loving work and enjoying your life. Many find this daunting, but realize the rewards, not all of them financial, are great. I find picking my kids up from school a couple days a week rewarding. I find three-day weekends rewarding as well. Read more

Jeffery Gladd, MD |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Clinical, Operational and Financial Benefits of Group Visits

Statistics continue to highlight the snowballing burden of complex, chronic disease as the 'Achilles heel' of our healthcare system's future. More and more healthcare providers are realizing that the most effective solution is centered around lifestyle change and behavior modification. Unfortunately, implementation of successful lifestyle modification amongst a population of patients overseen by trained clinicians in supportive institutions has been problematic in the typical medical office, to say the least. Fortunately, a progressive form of relief called lifestyle-based group visits (LBGV) is positioned to rescue the time-starved, well-intentioned clinician. Read more

Shilpa P. Saxena, MD, IFMCP |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Exercise: So Simple and Yet So Hard to Do

Exercise is like eating: Patients think they are doing a lot better at it than they actually are. They may head to the gym after a long workday or commit to going for a run each morning, but the road to an unhealthy lifestyle is paved with good intentions. Hurdles to achieving healthy exercise habits are real, but they can be overcome with the right knowledge and diligence. Read more

Murray Ardies, PhD |

Cardiometabolic Health
Cardiometabolic Health

Improving Metabolic Health, One Active Day at a Time

Do you prescribe regular exercise for your patients with metabolic diseases? Of course you do. You want the best health outcomes for your patients and you know that regular exercise can be a remarkably effective intervention for the prevention and treatment of numerous cardiometabolic diseases and weight management issues. But do you know how much exercise is required to induce metabolic benefits? Even more importantly, do your patients adhere to your exercise prescription? Read more

Sean Newsom, PhD |

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