Pathways to Well-Being

In this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, we welcome 2024 AIC speaker Dr. Deanna Minich to discuss the intricate relationship between the changing seasons, circadian rhythms, the foods we eat, and our health

In this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, we welcome 2024 AIC speaker Dr. Michael Ash to discuss what we know about the phytobiome and its potential implications for planetary and human health View episode transcript: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/podcast-april-2024-phytobiome-planteray-health/

In this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, we welcome Dr. Liz Lipski to discuss the importance of micronutrients and how emphasizing these components in personalized therapeutic food plans may benefit a patient’s health. Read episode transcript here: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/podcast-april-2024-micronutrient-deficiencies-processed-foods/

In this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, Dr. Kate Kresge from Rupa Health discusses nutrition, exercise, and functional lab testing in the context of ADHD management. Click to view episodes transcript: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/podcast-march-2024-adhd-management/

In this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, functional medicine expert Dr. Elroy Vojdani discusses long COVID and how personalized care that addresses root causes may help.

The oral and gut microbiomes have a complex relationship influenced by several factors, including the micronutrients, macronutrients, and phytochemicals that we consume. Research suggests that the intestinal microbiome can be influenced by diet, and that these dietary interventions, while they may not result in the same responsiveness in all patients, may improve the symptoms and outcomes of a broad spectrum of diseases such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, colorectal cancer, cardiovascular disease, and more. Today on Pathways to Well-Being we are talking with Megan Barnett, functional medicine nutritionist, about the oral-systemic connection and the role of personalized nutrition on these microbiota. We will be discussing how the oral microbiome influences inflammatory pathways via the gut creating dysbiosis, and how personalized nutrition may help bring the body back into balance.

Intermittent fasting may be an appropriate therapeutic approach for some patients and has been associated with improved health across a range of areas.1-4 Research suggests that the potential benefits of fasting work through multiple pathways from reducing oxidative stress to triggering autophagy. What are potential benefits when intermittent fasting therapies are used in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease? And how can the latest research help inform clinical interventions? In this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, intermittent fasting expert Dr. Jason Fung joins us to discuss the fasting-heart health connection and how personalized intermittent fasting treatments may help improve patient outcomes. Click to view episodes transcript: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/intermittent-fasting-and-heart-health/.

Whole Health and the Whole Health approach received a lot of attention in 2023. The move toward a cultural transformation in care delivery to include both prevention and treatment with conventional and complementary approaches that embed each patient in a “circle of health” was noted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine as a potential model for higher-value care nationally. Prioritizing a person-centered, integrated approach to health care that focuses on health creation and well-being by incorporating patients’ goals into their health care changes the focus from “What’s the matter with you?” to “What matters to you?” If that sounds a lot like functional medicine, it should; these two models of care are aligned in many ways. Today, we welcome IFM CEO Amy R. Mack, along with IFM Directors of Medical Education Drs. Robert Luby and Dan Lukaczer, for a conversation through the lens of Whole Health, with a look back on the important themes that emerged in 2023 and a look ahead to what is to come for the Whole Health approach and functional medicine. View episodes full transcript: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/whole-health-and-functional-medicine-2023-and-beyond/

Metabolic dysfunction is common in many communities and contributes to many of the most debilitating chronic diseases across the globe. The spectrum of metabolic function includes several points for intervention both before and after the diagnosis of conditions such as type 2 diabetes. The functional medicine approach to assessing and treating metabolic dysfunction involves a personalized approach to each patient, including understanding the root causes of each patient’s issues and developing individualized treatment plans to address those specific causes. Researchers recently proposed a system for subtyping type 2 diabetes cases that may aid clinicians with pattern recognition and lead to therapeutic plans that are more tailored to each diabetes patient. On this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, we welcome Dr. Yousef Elyaman to discuss the functional medicine approach to metabolic health and how subtyping of diabetes might help clinicians identify and treat patients with metabolic dysfunction. Click to view episodes transcript: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/diabetes-subtypes-and-individualized-approaches-to-metabolic-health/.

Toxins and environmental chemicals pervade our everyday lives, and the human body has adapted over the years to withstand the increasing volume and complexities of these exposures. However, chronic exposure to known carcinogenic substances present in the environment, our indoor spaces, and even in the products we use, may contribute to significant health risks. When should clinicians begin to suspect toxicity as a contributing factor to disease and cancer? In this episode of Pathways to Well-Being Dr. Robert Rountree, discusses the connections between toxicant exposure and cancer risk, highlighting the critical role of the body’s detoxification pathways and offering key preventive strategies. Click to view full transcript: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/environmental-toxicants-cancer-exposure-risks-and-the-path-forward/

A therapeutic fasting intervention may be an appropriate component for a personalized treatment strategy and may improve health across a range of areas, from mental and cognitive performance to cardiometabolic health to the effectiveness of cancer treatments. Research suggests that the potential benefits of fasting work through multiple pathways, such as reducing oxidative stress, enhancing mitochondrial health, and triggering autophagy. Now, more studies indicate that fasting also positively impacts the gut microbiome. What’s that connection? What are the gut health benefits? And how can the latest research help inform clinical treatments? In this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, IFM educator and functional medicine expert Dr. Patrick Hanaway joins us to discuss the fasting-gut connection and to explore how a beneficial gut microbiome response to fasting may translate to improved patient outcomes. Click to view full transcript: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/fasting-and-the-gut-microbiome-exploring-the-connection-and-health-benefits/

Mood disorders such as depression and anxiety are multi-factorial in nature, resulting from physiological and biochemical imbalances, and psycho-social imbalances. The field of functional psychiatry aims to identify the somatic root causes that contribute to mental health disorders. Due to the complexity and sensitivity around how these conditions manifest in each patient, the optimal treatment plan goes beyond a singular treatment modality and focuses on truly bringing the body, mind, and spirit back into balance. In this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, noted functional medicine psychiatrist Dr. Achina Stein joins us to explore how various body systems affect mental health and walks us throughs her approach to the diagnostic workup. Click here to view episode transcript: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/exploring-mood-disorders-and-brain-health-through-the-lens-of-functional-psychiatry/

In this podcast, Dr. Colleen Cutliffe, a PhD scientist and the co-founder and CEO of the microbiome company, Pendulum Therapeutics, discusses the role that different bacterium such as Akkermansia play in optimal gut health and function. Click here to view episode transcript: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/akkermansia-gut-health-with-dr-colleen-cutcliffe/

Mental health disorders including depression and anxiety are a major cause of disability and reduction in quality of life worldwide. Many people who experience these conditions do not achieve lasting remission from pharmaceuticals or talk therapy alone. In the past ten years, the practice of nutritional psychiatry has developed to help fill this void. Focused on integrating dietary change into a broader treatment plan that may include medication, talk therapy, and other lifestyle approaches, nutritional psychiatry has helped many patients. On this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, Dr. Uma Naidoo joins us to discuss the connections between food and mood and how dietary change can impact the gut microbiome and improve mental health outcomes. Click here to view episode transcript: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/food-and-mood-nutritional-psychiatry-the-microbiome-and-mental-health/

The transition to menopause is a significant hormonal shift that marks each woman’s life and every journey is different depending on the person’s unique hormonal profile, health history, and wellness path. Along with the common vasomotor symptoms, women may also experience changes in arousal or desire and in mental-emotional function. Through nutrition and lifestyle change, women can stay empowered during menopause and maintain sexual health and optimal mental-emotional function. In this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, leading sexual health and menopause expert Dr. Anna Cabeca will discuss her functional medicine approach to optimizing functional hormones, mental-emotional function, and sexual health during the stages of menopause. Click here to view episode transcript: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/navigating-menopause-functional-hormones-libido-and-sexual-health/

What role does nutrition play in anxiety disorders? Kate Henry, ND Head of Medical Education at RUPA Health, speaks with IFM podcast host Kalea Wattles, ND on this pertinent topic. Anxiety disorders in the US are common, affecting approximately 40 million adults every year. Concerns about mental health remain elevated three years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 90% of US adults believing that the country is facing a mental health crisis. Both anxiety and panic disorders may severely impair a patient’s ability to function in life. While in some patients, mental wellness may be challenging to cultivate and maintain, clinical strategies that include nutrition interventions may have significant impacts. Dr. Wattles speaks with Dr. Henry about the nutritional imbalances that may contribute to the root cause of many mental health problems, as well as the role functional testing, including testing for nutrient deficiencies, which can help the clinician direct an appropriate treatment plan. Click here to view episode transcript: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/nutritions-role-in-anxiety-disorders-evaluating-mental-wellness/

Description: Understanding medical cannabis, how it interacts with the human brain and body and the current clinical applications is necessary for all healthcare professionals now that it is available in most states and many countries. Bonni Goldstein, MD, will discuss her clinical experience using phytocannabanoids to treat common conditions as well as her research into using them as a treatment in pediatric populations. Click here to view episode transcript: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/phytocannabinoids-for-treating-common-conditions/

In this podcast, Rhonda Patrick, PhD, discusses healthy aging and longevity using personalized lifestyle-based approaches and emphasizes the importance of micronutrients, healthy fat intake, physical activity, and hormetic stress for disease prevention. Click here to view episode transcript: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/increasing-healthspan-from-micronutrients-to-hormetic-stressors-with-dr-rhonda-patrick/

After the gut, the second largest and most diverse microbiome in the body is located in the mouth. The oral microbiome is becoming an increasing area of interest in the medical community as research highlights several connections between chronic oral dysbiosis and systemic diseases, with inflammation being a common link. Pathogenic oral bacteria may influence inflammatory pathways particularly via the gut and by translocation through perivascular spaces. Thus, maintaining balance is the oral microbiome is a critical strategy for reducing inflammatory burden and reducing the risk of certain diseases. On this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, we welcome 2023 Annual International Conference speaker Doug Thompson, DDS, FAAMM, ABAAHP, to discuss new prevention and treatment opportunities that bridge the gap between dental care and health care. Click here to view episode transcript:https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/the-oral-microbiome-systemic-disease/

Jade Teta, ND discusses modifiable lifestyle factors integral to metabolic health, explores the intricate connections between hormones and an individual’s metabolism, and shares clinical pearls for collaborative, effective and sustainable personalized interventions. Click here to view episode transcript: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/fueling-for-fitness-igniting-metabolism-through-personalized-lifestyle-interventions/