Understanding Functional Medicine with Dr. Ben Weitz

Joe Cohen talks with Dr. Ben Weitz, a functional medicine practitioner with over 35 years of experience, about his approach to addressing gut health and autoimmune conditions.

Ben explains how functional medicine focuses on finding and treating root causes, such as diet, lifestyle, microbiome imbalances, and chronic infections, rather than just managing symptoms. 

They discuss how conditions like IBS and autoimmune diseases are connected to factors like food sensitivities, toxins, and gut health, and explore various testing methods and treatment strategies. 

Ben also shares practical insights from his clinical practice and ongoing work in the functional medicine community.

Tune in to learn how functional medicine practitioners approach complex health issues and what steps you can take to support your gut and immune health.

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Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction

(00:16) Meet Functional Medicine Practitioner Dr. Ben Weitz

(01:20) Understanding Functional Medicine

(02:03) Exploring Gut Health and IBS

(05:09) Autoimmune Diseases: Functional vs. Conventional Medicine

(09:40) Case Studies and Practical Applications

(12:21) Debating the Validity of Functional Medicine Tests

(19:12) Understanding Histidine and Folate Correlation

(20:00) Critique of Biochemical Assumptions in Testing

(21:01) Genetic Conditions and Functional Medicine Tests

(23:02) Protein Consumption and Metabolite Variability

(23:19) Legitimate Tests and Their Validity

(27:37) Stool Testing and Gut Health

(30:54) Addressing Autoimmune Diseases and Chronic Infections

(35:59) Conclusion