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Discussion This patient's chronic mercury toxicity from dental amalgams was effectively treated using a functional medicine approach to care. More studies are needed to compare pharmacologic versus supplemental chelation.Background A 23-year-old Caucasian female was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and symptoms were successfully managed with the 5-Rs (e.g. remove, replace, re-inoculate, repair, and rebalance) gut restoration program. Case/intervention Diagnostic laboratory testing was initially utilized which identified microbial imbalances, vitamin D deficiency, and vitamin B12 deficiency. Nutrition therapy was then implemented over a course of 7 months, which included a whole foods elimination diet that was low in fermentable oligo-, di-, monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAPs) and avoided leading allergens such as cow dairy, soy, gluten, and corn. Nutritional supplements were implemented in phases to aid in rebalancing gut bacteria, repair the mucosal lining, and correct nutritional deficiencies. After good dietary adherence and the 5-Rs program, the patient became 100% asymptomatic with no use of mesalamine suppositories for more than 6 weeks. Conclusion This case report demonstrates the effectiveness of the 5-Rs program approach for the successful management of UC. Long-term resolution was supported by the elimination of specific foods, nutrition supplementation, and stress management.Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common cause of menstrual irregularity and hyperandrogenism in women of reproductive age. Conventional treatment is centered around the use of oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) to regulate menstrual cycles, protect against endometrial hyperplasia, and manage clinically evident androgen excess. Many women prefer to avoid OCPs due to concerns about risks and adverse effects, or simply because they desire a non-pharmacologic approach. We present the case of a young woman with a strong preference for a natural approach to her care who presented with PCOS manifesting in menstrual irregularity, acne, and hirsutism. In this case, acupuncture as well as the botanicals Vitex agnus-castus and diindolylmethane were used over a 10-month period. The patient regained menstrual cyclicity, and clinical and biochemical hyperandrogenism normalized. This report underscores the need for an integrative approach to the management of multifactorial disorders such as PCOS and highlights the basic science and clinical data supporting the use of acupuncture, Vitex agnus-castus, and diindolylmethane in patients with this condition.The leaves of Carica papaya have been used to treat thrombocytopenia in Dengue fever in areas where the virus is endemic. This case series describes the use of C. papaya leaf liquid extract (CPLE) as an adjunctive therapy for four patients receiving standard-of-care treatment for chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The cases presented here indicate that CPLE may prove beneficial in the management of chronic ITP for patients interested in alternative therapy before progressing to second-line treatments. A larger clinical trial is warranted to evaluate CPLE as an adjunctive therapy in chronic ITP.Through experiences gained over the past 3 decades, the development and application of the Functional Medicine model has demonstrated its ability to improve clinical decision making in the treatment of patients with complex chronic disease. The Functional Medicine model provides a system that effectively translates the emerging understanding of the gene-environment regulation of the structure and function of the individual into clinical practice.Foundational to the standard of care is diagnosis of overt disease as well as testing for early predictors of future disease. Obvious examples of the later include measurement of blood pressure and cholesterol. The time has come to add to this thinking early detection of the environmental causes of disease. Substantial research now shows that metal and chemical contamination of the environment has resulted in body loads of these toxicants at high enough levels to induce disease. The time has come to add screening for toxicant load to the standard of care.The patient was a 27-month-old girl a congenital defect involving the 47th chromosome who was referred to an acupuncture clinic for supportive treatment of Trisomy-18 (T-18). The condition results in severe medical complications, developmental delays and a shortened lifespan. This patient was unable to eat or swallow, unable to move, and had difficulty sleeping. Her parents and the flew to New Mexico from New York and the patient underwent four consecutive neuro-acupuncture treatments (also called scalp acupuncture). The treatment response was immediate resulting in dramatic sleep improvement, cessation of vomiting, beginning to eat, and improved ability to stand and subsequently move. Treatment effects have been sustained for more than one year.Much research associated with mindful eating pertains to weight loss, so this review is novel in that it explores mindful eating in a broader context of it attenuating the widespread problem of chronic stress disturbing gastrointestinal function. This attenuation is rooted in stress offsetting biological homeostasis and mindfulness being a widely studied stress-reduction intervention due to its ability to promote parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) dominance. The stress-digestion-mindfulness triad is a hypothesized construct, integrating what is understood about the digestive system with literature about the nervous system, neuro-endocrine-immune signaling, stress, and mindfulness. Thus, the plausibility of mind-body practices (e.g., mindful eating), which maintain PSNS dominance, helping to cultivate autonomic nervous system (ANS) homeostasis vital for optimal digestive function is established. The clinical utility of the stress-digestion-mindfulness triad involves a clinician-friendly application of mindful eating to improve digestive function.There may be no more exemplary story of the development of natural healing within chiropractornaturopaths than the story of Henry J. Schlichting, Jr. of Midland, Texas. Schlichting was trained as a chiropractor in Oklahoma, and moved to Texas in 1941, setting himself up as a naturopath. At the time, neither chiropractors nor naturopaths were licensed in Texas. Schlichting became a leader within natural healing professionals, first within Texas, and then nationally. He became a trusted ally of both Robert Carroll and of Dr. Budden at Western States College. He and his Texas naturopaths achieved licensed status in 1949. In the early 1950s all looked bright; and then it all turned dark. This is Part 2.From the earliest days of the ambitious and high-budget Human Genome Project right through to our present-day marketplace of affordable direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing kits, much of the narrative-and controversy-has been focused on genes that tell us about disease risk. The interpretation of genetic information is moving away from the analysis of each gene in isolation and towards the analysis of families of genes that work together to control specific functions in the body (polygenic analysis). MTX-211 ic50 This approach has been determined to have a higher level of predictive ability in terms of defining the ways that genetic information can influence individual response to environment, lifestyle, and diet. While disease risk is the purview of specialized medical professionals, perhaps it is time to consider the many ways that DTC genetic testing could be used by consumers as a tool for self-discovery and optimized functional health.Lifestyle, dietary, and nutritional choices are important influencing parameters of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, the number one cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Our aims were to i) characterize CVD risk parameters using data from 7939 participants enrolled in a preventive health and wellness program between March 2010 and January 2017; and ii) evaluate intervention effects in 3,020 participants who returned for follow-up. Blood measurements (nutrient markers), CVD risk parameters (abdominal obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL), insulin resistance, and inflammation), glycemic status (HbA1c), and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were assessed. Framingham and Reynold's risk scores were also calculated. After approximately one year of treatment (n = 3 020), mean arachidonic acideicosapentaenoic acid (AAEPA) ratio, homocysteine, and HbAlc concentrations were significantly reduced; other risk parameters did not improve but mean values remained within reference ranges. Excluding participants taking related medications, 38.8%, 37.2%, 38.0%, 42.5%, and 59.7% of those with hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL, insulin resistance, or prediabetes, respectively, at baseline no longer had the condition at follow-up. In contrast, of individuals within the reference range at baseline, new cases at follow-up were found for 10.1%, 12.2%, 6.3%, 8.2%, and 7.6% (as above, respectively). Regression models revealed a significant association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations ≥100 nmol/L and reductions in many CVD risk parameters after adjustment for confounding variables. These findings suggest that a preventive approach to health and wellness focused on nutrients, optimal serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, and lifestyle changes has the potential to reduce the risk of CVD.The philosophy, principles, and theories of naturopathic medicine include the six Principles of Naturopathic Medicine and the Therapeutic Order. Together these constructs, describe the core principles of the practice of naturopathic medicine, as established by thought leaders throughout the formation and development of the profession. The naturopathic medicine research agenda (NMRA) set forth recommendations for the codification of the foundational theories of naturopathic medical practice. The "Therapeutic Order, Whole-systems, Evidence-based Research Standards" (TOWERS) initiative is proposed with the primary objective to conduct the rigorous evaluation of the Principles of Naturopathic Medicine and the Therapeutic Order constructs. It is envisioned that this initiative will result in the development of an evidence-base concerning the clinical theory, philosophy and principles of whole-systems naturopathic medicine. After over one hundred years of professional organization and formal practice, there is a need to translate these empirically derived constructs into an evidence-informed theory of naturopathic medicine.The 21st century has already demonstrated itself to be an era of change for medicine and science. There is a new openness-to ideas, to a shift in perspectives, to a redefinition of evidence and the many ways it can be gathered. New interest in real-world data, patient-experience information has also become an increasingly important contributor to the evaluation of treatment effectiveness. It is a fertile time on many fronts, including an expanded reach for a systems biology formalism and the Functional Medicine movement.For 200 years there has been a largely untold, even actively hidden, history of Western medicine. Individuals, organization and professions have for centuries striven to elucidate and advance a way of healthcare based on the individual and health promotion in contrast to the disease diagnosis and treatment focus of mainstream medicine. An optimal healthcare system requires the best of both ways of thinking about and caring for patients. This 100th issue of IMCJ is the first of a 3-part series presenting the pioneers of what I title here, Health Medicine courageous individuals, organizations and professions. This first issue focuses on key concepts and their origins. The next 2 issues will continue to present concepts but will focus more on the professions and organizations that advanced these Concepts.