Dr. Mollie James, a former critical care physician in an ICU, shares her experiences during and after the pandemic. She discusses post-vaccine syndrome, treating chronic health conditions, and her ethical responsibility to keep functional medicine affordable. Learn about her career-defining choices and the importance of consumer-focused medicine in a post-pandemic world.

Peter Kozlowski, MD is a functional medicine physician based in Chicago, Illinois. In this episode, we discussed the importance of detoxification and gut health in his practice. He emphasizes the need to address the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of health because they play a significant role in detoxification. Dr. Kozlowski recommends focusing on the basics of detox, such as sleep, hydration, bowel movements, and sweating, before considering more advanced testing and treatments. He also highlights the importance of community and social support for maintaining a healthy detoxification system in the body. Dr. Kozlowski encourages practitioners to work together and collaborate rather than compete in order to better serve patients and improve outcomes. Download and listen to learn more about the following: How recovering from an alcohol-use disorder led Dr. Kozlowski to functional medicine The value of testing for heavy metals, mycotoxins and glyphosate Addressing the skin and gut barrier during detoxification protocols   Dr. Kozlowski’s experimentation with different payment models and in-person versus virtual visits Using cortisol labs, stool cultures and other tests to show patients how trauma impacts their health And much, much more 

 This episode’s guest is Dr. Michelle Thompson, the medical director of the Lifestyle Medicine Institute at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). This conversation explores how Dr. Thompson is bringing lifestyle and integrative medicine into major health systems. She began her journey practicing integrative medicine but leveraged the six pillars of lifestyle medicine to bridge the gap with conventional medicine. This hybrid path allowed her to excel at practicing in traditional settings and facilitated introducing integrative and lifestyle medicine principles into larger health systems. Dr. Thompson also shared evidence that there is growing momentum behind the integrative and lifestyle medicine movements, including acceptance and adoption of its principles within health systems. She encourages physicians who may have previously left the system to consider returning and joining a hospital system that is open to change and supportive of these modalities. Building upon recent podcast conversations, such as the episode with Dr. Joe Pizzorno, this episode emphasizes the importance of unity amongst the many disciplines within health-promoting care. Download and listen to this episode to learn more about: How clinicans can transform medicine by being bold and authentic in how they choose to practice The responsibility of clinicians, residents and medical students to help shift the culture in medicine to better align with the principles of lifestyle medicine The importance of showing empathy towards patients and letting them drive their own health journey Physician burnout and the importance of clinicians prioritizing self-care And much, much more Related resources: American College of Lifestyle Medicine: About the UMPC Lifestyle Medicine Program Whole Hearted Medicine: Meet Dr. Michelle 

Dr. Joe Pizzorno, a prominent naturopathic doctor and Board Chair at the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), joins James to discuss the unifying factors among the many channels of health medicine, which include acupuncture, naturopathic, functional, integrative, chiropractic, and Ayurvedic medicine. This conversation addresses foundational aspects of health, such as nutrition and lifestyle, that support optimal mitochondrial function for vitality. Dr. Pizzorno also shared the need for scientific research to support the effectiveness of health medicine practices and calls for increased funding in this area. For example, he hopes that we will have access to reliable clinical testing for mitochondrial energy and ATP production in the future. Listen to the episode to learn more about:   Preventing neurodegeneration by eating organically grown food   The importance of flavonoids    Vitalism (creating health) versus pathogenesis and salutogenesis     The need for a clear conceptual basis for integrative medicine   The great potential for Health Medicine Alliance to improve the public health baseline Related resources:  Health Medicine Alliance   Health Medicine by Dr. Joseph Pizzorno and published in Integrative Medicine

ummary  Our guest, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Scott Mann is a former U.S. Army Green Beret, and he now shares his skills and experience as a storyteller, speaker, actor, playwright and leadership trainer. During this podcast episode, he joined Kristen Brokaw, our host for the Business of Functional Medicine quarterly series, to discuss the importance of emotional recovery and human connection for clinicians so they can combat burnout and build trust with patients. Scott Mann's experience in the Special Forces, where relationships were crucial to his survival, has shaped his approach to leadership and communication. He now helps business, nonprofit and corporate leaders develop interpersonal influence skills to bridge trust gaps and engage with others effectively. He also highlights the power of storytelling in healing and fostering connections. Scott encourages practitioners to share their own stories and ask thoughtful, open-ended questions to build trust and understanding with patients and peers. Check out this episode to learn more about the following: ·       Scott Mann’s Pre-Engagement Preparation (PEP) technique (demo video)  What the world should learn from acting and storytelling practices High performers and mental health issues, and why clinicians must protect their well-being Storytelling heals and is a sense-making tool Why narrative competence may be the most important soft skill for clinicians to foster   And much, much more!

In this podcast episode, James Maskell speaks with Swathi Rao, PA-C. She is the owner of Be Well Family Care in Indianapolis, and she was featured in James’ book, The Community Cure, to showcase her successful implementation of group visits. We explored the clinical applications of vitamin K2, which range from musculoskeletal and immune health to aesthetics and longevity. Swathi also shared how her knowledge on vitamin K2 nutrient therapy has developed throughout her career, how to identify patients who may benefit from vitamin K2 therapy and the benefits of combining vitamin K2 with vitamin D, including dosing recommendations. Swathi emphasized the importance of patient education to enable informed decision-making when it comes to controversial health topics like vitamin K2 supplementation. She also provided insights on building a successful practice and the role of non-MD professionals in healthcare. Please download and listen to learn more about:       The forms of vitamin K and which are most beneficial       When it is appropriate to recommend this nutrient       Swathi’s experience with local Functional Forum meetups      Vitamin K2 uses for aesthetics and longevity       And much, much more! Related resources:      Episode with Dr. Leon Schurgers on vitamin K      Be Well Family Care     Dr. Robin Berzin on the Functional Forum

Our podcast guest, Michael Mabry, DO, works in a fully capitated medical group in Johnson City, Tennessee. Capitation is a fee-per-patient model, which tends to promote health by incentivizing preventative medicine, chronic disease reversal and helping patients maintain their health.  Implementing group medical visits has allowed Dr. Mabry’s practice to improve patient outcomes and increase the local community’s access to lifestyle medicine. In his group visits, patients who have similar medical issues come together once a month for a two-hour visit to learn relevant health information. Dr. Mabry also shared that he can spend more time with patients individually because he has systemized patient education. Part of the success of the group visits, according to Dr. Mabry, comes from the much-needed sense of community experienced by participants. Early in his career, he learned about how to build and scale his practice through some of the first Functional Forum events and the Group Visit Toolkits from Lifestyle Matrix Resource Center. When you listen to this episode, you’ll also learn about the following: How to connect your business needs with your passion for lifestyle medicine to evolve health care The benefits of capitation as a business model How you can foster connections with your local community to build your business Practical alternatives for dysfunctional payment models in the health care industry And much more!

This week’s podcast guest is Jonathan Jones, PhD, a plant polyphenols researcher and the Chief Scientific Officer at Monteloeder, a company that provides innovative, scientifically researched botanical ingredients by assessing the botanicals’ components, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities, and mechanisms of action. They developed a product called metabolaid®, which contains a standardized ratio of Hibiscus sabdariffa extract and lemon verbena extract to deliver active compounds, primarily anthocyanins and verbascoside, respectively. This product reduces triglyceride buildup in fat cells in the liver and adipose tissue. We learned from Dr. Jones about how metabolaid® activates AMPK, which can switch on fat burning and block fat storage. There are numerous other cardiovascular and weight-loss benefits linked to this product, including improved microbiome diversity and others discussed by Dr. Jones in this episode. Please listen to the full conversation to learn the following about this powerful botanical:       Its cardiovascular and fat-loss benefits        The plant components and mechanisms of action        The research and extraction process        How this product differs from incretin agonists and increases GLP-1 expression        And much, much more!

Zandra Palma, MD practices what she calls “sub-diagnostic analysis and disease reversal,” which is primarily environmental medicine with a touch of functional medicine. Environmental medicine, according to our guest, looks for elegant solutions to chronic health conditions. This often means removing environmental toxins that trigger mitochondrial dysfunction.  Common environmental toxins include heavy metals, pesticides, plastics like BPA, and biotoxins like Lyme and mold—among many others. She also discusses the treatments she uses to reboot mitochondrial function. Her passion is to spread the word about the gravity of the effects environmental toxins have on human health, especially the hormone-disrupting impacts of plastics and BPAs. She recently gave a TEDx talk, which was censored by the TED organization. Thankfully, she was able to rip the video so you can still watch it online. In her talk, she provides specific tips to protect yourself from environmental toxins and recommendations for initiating grass roots movements in your community. Other topics Dr. Palma covered in the conversation include:  Factors that motivate patients to care about their environment, such as weight loss, fertility and the health of future generations   The CLARITY-BPA Program  Why environmentalism is a public health issue And much more!

Our guest for this episode is Zeev E. Neuwirth, MD, an advocate for transforming healthcare delivery. He is a healthcare executive with over 15 years of clinical practice in internal medicine and another 15 years in clinical operations, quality improvement, care redesign and population health. Dr. Neuwirth is also a digital health industry advisor, podcast host and author. His most recent book released in September 2023 is called Beyond The Walls: Megatrends, Movements and Market Disruptors Transforming American Healthcare. It outlines a three-part strategy for the transformation of American healthcare and documents dozens of examples of the visionary, courageous entrepreneurs and leaders who are transcending the constraints of our legacy past. Dr. Neuwirth is closely aligned with the Evolution of Medicine’s values, and he has been working to change healthcare from a high level within conventional systems. Download and listen to the episode to learn more about the following: How digital technology and group visits can improve healthcare The importance of reducing or preventing physician burnout The urgency behind transforming payment models to reduce healthcare expenses Practical strategies for transforming healthcare from within large healthcare systems and “beyond the walls” of those systems And much, much more!