Andropause: scourge of all that is male. Want to stop it, halt it and throw it back into whatever pit it crawled out of? Are you tired of being tired? Hate the gut? Would you like your libido back, would you like it to stay?  Would you like to regain your masculine power and feel the prowess and vitality you used to? We are modern man, and modern man must counter-balance a sometimes debilitating modern culture with modern design. Engineering your lifestyle a little and offsetting naturally declining hormone levels with Testosterone Replacement Therapy can keep you feeling like you were 25 until your 80, after that, maybe 26.

The decline of natural testosterone hinges partly on nature and largely on culture and environment. Here are a few nearly universal basics:

• Over-indulgence of rich, fatty foods and sugars boosts estrogens and slows blood flow.
• Overuse of plastics and the collateral inhalation of solvents tends to boost estrogen levels.
• Toxin build-up may hamper the body’s ability to lose weight and cause depression, preventing testosterone production and increasing estrogen.
• A stationary lifestyle does not place a demand on the body to produce testosterone, so it doesn’t.

In general, a diet rich in protein and vegetables with a moderate, low glycemic intake of carbohydrates and some healthy fats (olive oil, fish-oil, coconut oil, nut butters) is ideal for most men. Carbohydrates are an energy source. If you do not perform physical labor of some kind throughout the day, you are not burning tons of energy and thereby should not eat tons of carbohydrates. Eating your carbs early in the day is best, as that gives you all day to burn them. A meal of vegetables and protein is ideal in the evening.

Avoiding plastics and estrogen encouraging fumes is essential. Microwave dinners and sun heated water bottles are two main culprits you can easily put an end to. No more microwave dinners and purchase a metal or glass water bottle. Be sure to work in a well ventilated area when using paint, automobile products (lubricants, cleaners and sealants), and when working with chemicals of any kind around the house (particularly pesticides, herbicides, bleaches, etc.).

Toxins slow the body’s functions down and significantly hamper testosterone production. Should you feel that you have an inordinate toxin build-up in your system a good detox is in order. Saunas, plenty of greens, castor-oil liver-packs, exercise, and some detoxifying supplementation would be very helpful. Other considerations you and your Bodhi Physician may discuss might include heavy metals chelating and/or a custom detox based on your specific needs.

Exercise is key to maintaining natural testosterone levels, whether supplementing your Testosterone or not. Men must exercise. There is no way around it. Remaining stationary causes weight gain, which increases fat, which encourages estrogen, which lowers total testosterone, which causes weight gain. It is a vicious cycle. End it with exercise, preferably resistance exercise at least 3 days per week to increase lean muscle mass and maintain a healthy heart and steady blood pressure. This encourages natural Testosterone production, increases your body’s ability to detox and keeps you in good shape to enjoy the benefits of greater Testosterone and vitality. Commit to exercising 45 minutes a day at least three times a week. Make it a permanent addition to your lifestyle. Weight lifting, resistance bands (Life-Line, Bowflex, etc.), calisthenics (push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups and jacks, though we aren’t talking 10 of each and your good), or any combination of the three will all work. Remember, change up the routine every three months and keep it difficult. If it isn’t hard, it is not telling your body to produce more muscle and thereby testosterone, enjoy the challenge, enjoy the benefits. This will also continue burn calories throughout your day at work and at home as your body works to acclimate.

These are necessities in any man’s life, so how do you take it step, or a leap or a bound further. How do you take advantage of all that is modern? How do you optimize? You come into Bodhi, and discuss your particular lifestyle, health concerns and goals for the future with your Bodhi Physician. In addition to what you and your physician discuss, you get your Total and Free Testosterone levels measured via blood test. Should your levels come back sub-optimal, your physician will likely recommend Testosterone Replacement in conjunction with supplementation to build and maintain your optimized body and prevent conversion or binding of your Testosterone to estrogens. A step further than this might include the addition of IV Therapy. IV Therapy delivers therapeutic doses of vitamins, minerals and amino acids directly into your blood stream, guaranteeing absorption. Different ratios of these things generate different effects in the body. Elimination of toxins, reversal of various diseases, accelerated healing, rejuvenation of energy and vitality, increased ability to gain and maintain muscle mass are just a few uses IV therapy can be employed towards.

Not sure? Come in for a complimentary 15 minute consult with a Bodhi Physician to see if you feel comfortable at Bodhi and discuss what we can do for you and how we would do it. We look forward to meeting you and optimizing your path to vitality and wellness.

Diabetes During the Holidays by Antonio Peirce

Holiday Season is upon us.  Along with it, for many, a few pounds will also be upon us. A “few pounds” is one thing, but a trip to the hospital is not festive. So, how do you manage diabetes during the holidays? You manage with balance. Blood sugar getting too low at this time is an unlikely problem for most, so we will discuss blood sugar getting too high.

Let’s keep it festive, enjoy a holiday with friends and family without anxiety. Make your holiday special and exciting by planning ahead.  When moving into uncharted waters (family qualifies as uncharted waters, no matter how long you have known them), one must have a map. It needn’t be too precise and detailed, just a general plan, leaving room for the adventure.

• Make sure you have any Prescriptions or Supplements you may need.  Think about counting out your medicines and filling your scripts as needed. Insure that you have refills available to you before you leave town.
• Plan ahead for Physical Activity (this is a great way to manage your blood sugar), think about frequent walks, hit the gym if possible, maybe an online yoga course (Yogaglo.com is beyond excellent) or, in a pinch, good old fashioned calisthenics will do just fine (try push-ups to failure, 50 crunches, 50 jumping jacks in the morning).  Do something every morning and go for a walk after meals.
• Consider the Foods Likely to be Served or that you will be serving. Find balance, a bartering system that will work for you.  If for instance, you wish to have a reasonable slice of pumpkin pie, cut another carb out of your meal (a roll, mashed potatoes, your Uncle Bill’s Fondue Surprise); it is a matter of trading. Remember, too many fats and meats may also present problems if unmonitored. Maintain good portioning. Tricky as the game may be, play it well and you can enjoy some of your vices with little or no ill consequence.
• Plenty of Vegetables. Raw, steamed, lightly sautéed, cooked half to death (hey not everyone is a chef) vegetables of any kind, well almost, try to avoid buttered and deep fried. Salad with reasonable dressing is an excellent choice; sneak a peek at the dressing or choose a simple Italian vinaigrette, always a safe bet. Enjoy the peas peas have been demonstrated in numerous studies to help regulate blood sugar.
• Don’t forget, Alcohol is a Sugar, take this into account in your planning. Of all cocktails, vodka with sparkling water and a lime wedge (not tonic) will carry the least collateral damage. The better the vodka, the less the toxins and sugars.

There are also some therapeutic services that you can pre-treat yourself to prior to or during the holidays to prepare your body for the roller coaster of events and activities during the holiday season.

• Come in for an Ozone Therapy (super oxygenating the blood, plasma and cells) before you leave or become too busy. Ozone accelerates healing, helps substantially in the control and regulation of blood sugar and is generally vitalizing.
• A Nutritional IV is a great way to bump up the chromium, b complex, and vitamin C maximizing your ability to process difficult foods and bolstering your body against upcoming stressors.

The Cliff’s Notes version: Prescriptions, Supplements, lots of Veggies, Exercise, Food Trading, Vodka, Peas. Enjoy your holiday a little more with a simple map of the territory and a few simple preparations.  We at Bodhi wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season and fine tidings in the New Year!

Last week I represented Bodhi at the Pearls Of Wisdom event hosted by Anne Groth of the Dollarhide Financial Group.  Pearls of Wisdom is a free, yet priceless, quarterly event for women that showcases inspiring women who teach and transform those around them.  The featured guest, Dr. Gladys McGarey, the Mother of Holistic Medicine, along with Dr. Mary Delaney, PHD, a licensed psychologist, shared with us their pearls of wisdom about fear, gratitude and breath.

The importance of correct and focused breathing cannot be minimized, suggested Dr. Delaney.  Most people, in fact, do not breathe correctly or fully into the diaphragm.  The signs of oxygen deprivation can be seen in a person who begins proper breathing technique and then starts to yawn or feels lightheaded.  Most people don’t breathe well. Many are shallow breathers. This seems to be more the case with our increasingly sedentary life styles and when we are chronically stressed. This leads to less oxygen transfer in the lungs with devastating consequences for our brain function.  Unlike muscles, your brain cannot store energy. It needs a steady flow of nutrients and oxygen to function normally. Oxygen deficiency can decrease your alertness, memory and judgment.

The word “breath” translates to “spirit” in ancient Greek.  The Greeks must have known that by breathing we were literally allowing spirit to flow through us.  Dr. Delaney shared that the single most important activity we could do for our health (mental, emotional, physical) every day was to spend ten minutes breathing correctly; in through the nose, pulling the air deep into our diaphragm so that our stomach is slightly distended and out through the mouth or nose, pulling our stomach muscles in to expel completely.  At some point this daily breathing exercise may transform into daily meditation where we let go of the racing thoughts, the “to do” list and as much mental noise as possible, and just breath.

Taking effective breathing to the level of preventative health care is to do it in conjunction with a hand mudra. Mudras are made by manipulating the fingers of our hands. By using the “Apan Vayu Mudra”, one can mitigate heart disease, and is highly effective even in case of heart attack.  For more information about this mudra and how to use it please see full article here.  Dr. Delaney challenged all of us to spend ten minutes each day to mindfully breathe and let spirit in.

A question was posed to the panel as to what is the biggest threat to people achieving health in their life, whether it be physical, psycho-emotional or financial health.  “Fear is the basic immobilizer”, answered Dr. McGarey.  Fear is what keeps us from our hopes and dreams and most importantly, the actions that will heal us.  Fear for many people may be about giving up or letting go.  Fear may be about the unknown, even if it may be good for us.   For example, if we are in an unhealthy relationship with food or with another person or with a drug (all can be highly addictive), we may find comfort in the known.  Moving away from the known, even for the hope or promise of a happier, healthier unknown can strike immense levels of fear and anxiety.  One can focus on the impending sense of loss we may feel once we move forward.  Sometimes, actually every time, it is easier not to do something that it is to do something; easy to do, easy not to do.

Dr. McGarey suggests that we try to “move through fear into love”.  This profound prescription sounds easy and daunting at the same time.   But her suggestion is simply to take action by focusing on love; love for oneself or love for one another.  She says her “starting point is gratitude” and that by letting the mind settle on appreciation and thankfulness, we can access a path through the fear towards healthy action.  Dr. Delaney suggests that if we are scared about something the first step in diminishing the paralysis is to share it with someone we trust.  “If you can speak it, then you can take the next step”, she assured. As long as the fear is unspoken and unacknowledged it holds much greater power over us.  By voicing our fears, out loud to another, we are better equipped to see, acknowledge, release and take action.

230 amputations:  No I am not switching gears and talking about a war in the Middle East or Africa.  230 amputations occur every day as a result of type two diabetes!  As far as heart disease goes, every other tombstone in the grave yard is a result of a heart disease death.  Most diabetics die of heart disease so these diseases go together.

Here are the risk factors for developing these diseases:

• Elevated waist circumference <40 inches in men, <35 inches in women
• Elevated Triglycerides
• Low LDL (good cholesterol)
• Elevated Blood Pressure (even slightly)
• Elevated Fasting Blood Sugar

If you or someone you love has three or more of these risk factors, you have what doctors call “Metabolic Syndrome”.  Having Metabolic Syndrome puts you at a 10 times increased risk of developing Type Two Diabetes, and a 4 times increased risk of developing heart disease.

The good news is that we can reverse these risk factors with Lifestyle modification and a Medical Food program offered at Bodhi Body, Bodhi Fit.  In two landmark clinical studies, the UltraMeal Plus 360 Medical Food program showed significant improvements in recognized risk markers for heart and blood sugar-related disorders in just 12 weeks!  Unlike many conventional approaches that carry greater risk of serious adverse effects, no such events have been reported with this program.  Why?  Because the UltraMeal Plus 360 lifestyle program is research-based and the medical food contains only natural ingredients manufactured to higher quality standards.  The medical food supercharges this healthy diet so you get results fast!

Don’t let belly fat get your way any longer.  Take charge of your health and have the energy to do more of the things you enjoy in life.

Manage your health Risks by taking Action Now!

Metabolic syndrome is the name for a group of risk factors that raise your risk for heart disease and other health problems, such as diabetes and stroke. At least 20% of the US population has a condition called Metabolic Syndrome.

The term “metabolic” refers to the biochemical processes involved in the body’s normal functioning. Risk factors are traits, conditions, or habits that increase your chance of developing a disease.  According to The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the criteria for a diagnosis of Metabolic Syndrome comes from meeting any three of the following traits in the same individual (female criteria listed).

1. A large waistline. This also is called abdominal obesity.  Specifically: waist circumference over 35 inches
2. A high triglyceride level (or you’re on medicine to treat high triglycerides). Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood. Specifically: triglyceride levels over 150
3. A low HDL cholesterol level (or you’re on medicine to treat low HDL cholesterol). HDL sometimes is called “good” cholesterol. This is because it helps remove cholesterol from your arteries. A low HDL cholesterol level raises your risk for heart disease. Specifically: HDL levels below 50
4. High blood pressure (or you’re on medicine to treat high blood pressure). Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage your heart and lead to plaque buildup. Specifically: if you have blood pressure above 130/85
5. High fasting blood sugar (or you’re on medicine to treat high blood sugar). Mildly high blood sugar may be an early sign of diabetes.  Specifically: if you have fasting glucose levels above 100 CMS

If you are a woman and you meet any of the three criteria, you are considered to have Metabolic Syndrome.

So what does that mean for you? Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of type 2 diabetes (the common type of diabetes) anywhere from 9-30 times over the normal population. Additionally, metabolic syndrome appears to increase the risk of heart disease 2-4 times that of the normal population.  Other concerns include: cirrhosis of the liver, kidney damage, sleep apnea, polycystic ovary syndrome, increased risk of dementia with aging, and cognitive decline in the elderly.

The treatment for Metabolic Syndrome:  Easy to do and easy NOT to do

Most people with Metabolic Syndrome live sedentary lifestyles and are overweight.  This is a syndrome that we create for ourselves through the lifestyle choices we make every day.  Conversely, we have the ability to reverse this condition easily and effectively ourselves, or with the help of a program designed specifically for Metabolic Syndrome.  The first line of therapy for those with Metabolic Syndrome is a therapeutic lifestyle modification program.  This type of program should be based on a low glycemic Mediterranean diet coupled with regular exercise.  Sounds simple right?  Inherently, most people know that their lifestyle affects their health.  They know that the foods they eat, the exercise they participate in (or do not participate in) along with lives filled with stress, will have a direct impact on optimal health and the prevention of disease.  So why are there so many people affected by this condition?  Why don’t we just make the right choices?

• Easy to do, but easy not to do.  Everything you need to do to transform your life is easy to do.  The problem is that these things and these choices are also easy NOT TO DO.  How easy is it to go through the drive thru at Taco Bell or McDonalds because you are running short on time and “it won’t kill me” (today) if I eat fast food.  Or how about not taking the 30 minute walk around the neighborhood today because your kids need help with their science project or there is a work deadline that you “must” complete.  Even though these small decisions, made each and every day, won’t kill us, or seemingly hurt us, over time these actions take us on a path that will eventually put us at risk.

• Making the right choices does not have an immediate impact.  It’s difficult to achieve a sense of accomplishment when we first start making positive lifestyle choices.  There is definitely no noticeable immediate reward.  We might feel that we are making sacrifices by eating a certain way or taking time out to exercise.  Then, when we don’t see a change right away, we get frustrated and revert back to old habits.  But what separates healthy people from unhealthy people is a long-term vision of their health.  They understand that it’s the small choices we make every day, over a long period of time, that add up to health.  There is no short cut to true health.

Because of these issues many people cannot get out of the vicious, unhealthy cycle themselves.

How To Break The Cycle

Engaging in a tailored program for lifestyle modification can help many people achieve their goals and get them on the right track for long term health and disease prevention.  Successful programs with include the following:

• Medically supervised
• Program length of at least 12 weeks
• Regular, periodic assessments during the program to check progress, adjust course and celebrate results
• Easy to follow diet plan – Mediterranean
• Exercise as a key program component

At Bodhi, we have a lifestyle modification program called Bodhi Fit.  This program is specifically designed for those with Metabolic Syndrome.  Call today to schedule a complimentary consultation with our Care Coordinator to discuss your participation in Bodhi Fit.  888-271-8877

I’m the guy who cuts you off to order my cheeseburger, french fries and diet coke. I’m the guy who steps in front of you at the coffee shop to order my latte and pastry. I’m the guy who you can’t get around in the ice cream aisle at the grocery store.

You don’t know me, but I’m the guy who’s racing you … to the cemetery.

In America today, I’m just a normal guy (or gal). Why?

• 60% of the US adult population is overweight. 1 in 4 of us is obese!

• 30% of our children are overweight (wonder where they learned those habits?)

• 71% of the obese have high blood pressure

• Half of the overweight have high cholesterol

• 1 in 3 of us have insulin resistance and are on the path to Type 2 Diabetes

I’m just a normal guy … and I’m on the fast-track … to an early death.

You don’t know me … and fortunately, you don’t need to be a normal guy or a normal gal like me.

Schedule a FREE 15-Minute Physician Consultation at Bodhi today.

Isn’t your life worth saving?

It’s that dreaded time of the season again.  That which we fear has returned again to claim all those who are susceptible.  We hear the media’s view whose sole purpose is to transcend fear into the hearts of all individuals.  We hear our doctor’s telling us that it is unwise to forego such a simple procedure.  But what is the truth?  Is the flu vaccine as safe and effective as our society has deemed, or is it a mere action mediated by propaganda and fear?

There are over 200 different strains of the flu virus.  When we become vaccinated the most strains that we could hope to become immune against are 3.  That calculates out to less than 2% of all the strains out there.  The truth is that the strain that the medical community decides upon is determined up to a year in advance.  In fact, it takes at least 6 months (which is done through inoculation of chicken eggs) to grow sufficient quantities of influenza (the flu) vaccine.  It is essentially a hypothesis of what strain will be the most prevalent in the forthcoming season based on worldwide surveillance.  One may bring up the Influenza pandemic of 1918 aka “The Spanish Flu” which claimed the lives of roughly 600,000 Americans as the defining reason to vaccinate.  The flu virus rapidly mutated prior to becoming lethal.  So in today’s society if one were to become vaccinated against a strain that was determined up to a year in advance the slightest mutation could make that vaccine absolutely ineffective.  What I’m saying is that if the unfortunate Americans who lost their lives to influenza were being vaccinated against the flu in 1918 they still would have succumbed.  That is the fact.

The standard influenza vaccine is administered through a shot into the muscle.  Question: when someone is exposed to a pathogen what is the primary route of exposure?  The answer is through the naso-oropharynx aka as the nose and mouth.  Our bodies have adapted to this exposure by forming a wall of protective lymphatic tissue throughout our nose, mouth, and gastrointestinal tracts.  In essence our bodies have built a fortress against pathogens introduced from the outside world.  Through our natural route of exposure our immune system is able to identify, screen, process, and form the appropriate actions against these foreign invaders.  So why would anyone opt to bypass this route to be injected into the muscle which is a completely unnatural form of exposure.  With this understanding it is not unreasonable to see how this vaccine is associated with neurological and muscle disorders that in many cases result in permanent disability.

The best way to fight infection is to have an optimal defense.  Intravenous therapies coupled with high doses of Vitamin D3 is the most optimal way to restore your immune system and fight any present infection you may possess.  Intravenous therapies are extremely effective because they deliver 100% absorption into the body.  One can administer physiological doses of vitamin C, zinc, selenium, and any other nutrient without the problems associated with stomach or intestinal absorption.  Vitamin D3 is required for normal immune function, which is deficient in nearly 75% of the individuals our clinic has tested in Arizona.  In closing the call is yours and the facts have been exposed.  However, this physician will refrain from getting the yearly influenza vaccine for ineffectiveness and also due to the risk of permanent disability.

Bodhi Body offers a FLU BUSTER Nutritional IV that can help the immune system fight and prevent the occurrence of the flu virus.

Are you ready to begin your path towards optimal health?

Call today to schedule your appointment for a Flu Buster Nutritional IV

888-271-8877

This generalist approach does not deny the value of specialty care, which can offer expertise and unique services to the care of patients with chronic illness. But the generalist approach affirms a central role for the primary care clinician as the coordinator and integrator of specialty care and other referral services, working in partnership with the patient and other health care personnel to optimize overall physical functioning, mental health, and well-being.

Functional medicine is not a unique and separate body of knowledge, but it does represent a different way of applying the scientific and clinical information that emerges from the research literature and from the clinical practices of many disciplines. Functional medicine emphasizes a definable and teachable process of integrating multiple knowledge bases within a pragmatic intellectual matrix that focuses on functionality at several levels as the key to health.

Functional medicine uses the patient’s story as an essential tool for integrating diagnosis, signs and symptoms, and evidence of clinical imbalances into a comprehensive approach to improve both the patient’s environmental inputs and his or her physiological function. It is a clinician’s discipline, and it directly addresses the need to transform the practice of primary care.

Functional medicine can substantially improve the existing Chronic Care Model, which comprises six basic elements to foster productive interactions between patients and providers:

• Patient self-management support;
• Delivery system design (team-based delivery of care);
• Decision support (consistent with scientific evidence and patient preferences);
• Clinical information system (organizes individual patients and patient populations to receive appropriate levels of care);
• Organizational support; and
• Community support.

At Bodhi, We Change Lives with a functional medicine approach. We do that by focusing on the causes of disease rather than just the symptoms.

Learn more about how We Change Lives using a Functional Medicine approach at Bodhi. No matter what condition or disease you are battling in your life, we are confident can help you feel well again.

Contact us today to book a consultation or call us at 1.888.271.8877 to discuss your wellness!

Be well!

PS – If you missed other articles in our series on Functional Medicine, be sure to read:

Why Functional Medicine
The Importance of Improving the Management of Complex, Chronic Disease
A Critical Problem
The Increasing Economic Burden
Functional Medicine and the Chronic Care Model

The power of organ-system medicine and the scientific research based on this model have brought us to the doorstep of the 21st century where, despite huge advances in disease detection, pharmacology, and surgical interventions, we are ill-equipped for the century’s greatest challenge–an aging population with ever-increasing rates of (largely preventable, often reversible) chronic disease. The dominance of the existing heuristic (rule of thumb and experience) and reductionist model has fragmented medical care into specialty and sub-specialty care, which drives costs upward and conflicts with the need for a comprehensive, integrated approach to chronically ill patients with multiple comorbidities.

In Grumbach’s insightful editorial, Chronic Illness, Comorbidities, and the Need for Medical Generalism, he opens: “It is said that when students enter medical school, they care about the whole person, and by the time they graduate, all they care about is the hole in the person. Current medical education inculcates many of the dominant values of modern medicine, reductionism, specialization, mechanistic models of disease and faith in a definitive cure.”

He suggests that the dominant paradigm now being taught is most applicable in the context of acute illness (e.g., trauma and infection). However, the dominant illnesses of the 21st century are and will be the chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and dementia, among others). In this context, the reductionist model fails to address (what he believes is) the most germane issue: “Cure is rarely possible, but improved functional status with amelioration of symptoms of pain and dysfunction and longer life (health span) through a thorough understanding of secondary prevention is possible.” The intellectual framework and filter taught and then used by primary care practitioners will, from here on, be called the intellectual matrix.

At Bodhi, We Change Lives with a functional medicine approach. We do that by focusing on the causes of disease rather than just the symptoms.

No matter what condition or disease you are battling in your life, we are confident can help you feel well again. Contact us today to book a consultation or call us at 1.888.271.8877 to discuss your wellness.

Be well!

PS – If you missed other articles in our series on Functional Medicine, be sure to read:

Why Functional Medicine
The Importance of Improving the Management of Complex, Chronic Disease
A Critical Problem
The Increasing Economic Burden

Consider just a few of the many significant statistics available on this subject:

• National health expenditures increased 69% between 1990 and 2000, to a per capita cost of $4,637,
• which is 68.5% higher than our closest competitor (Germany) and more than 2½ times as much as the UK;
• increased at a rate 4-5 times that of inflation in most years of that decade (a time of relatively low inflation in other industries)
• were disproportionately affected by the cost of prescription drugs, which were responsible for 21% of the cost increases in Year 2000, while representing only 9% of total spending; and
• are expected to rise to $3.1 trillion over the next 10 years (from a level of $1.4 trillion in 2001).

What does the American public get for this exorbitant price tag?

• A nation with 43.6 million uninsured in 2002 (while every other westernized nation provides basic coverage to all its citizens).
• An excessively high serious medical error rate (highest among U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia and New
• Zealand), including (in 1994) 160,000 deaths from adverse drug reactions (ADRs).
• An unacceptable portion (45%) of Americans failing to receive “indicated care” including, notably, preventive care.
• A healthcare system that is thought by many to be “in imminent danger of collapse.”

Add to this volatile mix, the projection that one-third of the people born in the year 2000 will eventually have diabetes — perhaps the most costly of the chronic diseases when all its comorbidities and secondary complications are considered– and we believe that no further evidence is necessary to justify a sea change in our approach to health care.

There will be many ideas about the best changes to consider, but this textbook is being written, in part, to ensure that all those who are interested in the assessment, prevention, and treatment of chronic disease know what functional medicine has to offer.

There are, of course, other powerful societal drivers for the problems described above. Among them are the demand for fast and easy, high-fat, high-sugar foods; the demand for expensive testing (such as CAT scans or MRIs) and expensive drugs; the increasingly sedentary nature of most jobs (tied to a desk) and personal lifestyles (centered around television and other passive entertainment experiences).

It is important that all sectors share the responsibility for empowering healthful choices–the individual and his/her family, the workplace, the residential and civic communities, the marketplace, and the healthcare system.

At Bodhi, We Change Lives with a functional medicine approach. We do that by focusing on the causes of disease rather than just the symptoms.

No matter what condition or disease you are battling in your life, we are confident can help you feel well again. Contact us today to book a consultation or call us at 1.888.271.8877 to discuss your wellness.

Be well!

PS – If you missed other articles in our series on Functional Medicine, be sure to read:

Why Functional Medicine
The Importance of Improving the Management of Complex, Chronic Disease
A Critical Problem