Pathways to Well-Being

As life expectancy increases around the world, so too are the rates of dementia and cognitive decline. These conditions may be a major concern for some patients, especially those with a family history or increased genetic risk for neurodegenerative disease. Multi-pronged lifestyle interventions including nutrition and exercise offer hope for the prevention and delay of cognitive decline by reducin...

Conventional mainstays of cancer treatment may include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy, but these approaches may not be as effective as standalone treatments. Supporting cancer patients with complementary lifestyle-based interventions such as nutrition, exercise, and mind-body therapies, may help reduce the side effects of cancer treatment and improve outcom...

Communication between the gut and the brain is bidirectional and researchers continue to study whether brain and behavioral alterations seen in some mental health and neurological conditions are the result of intestinal dysbiosis or vice versa. This research had opened up therapeutic possibilities for targeting the microbiome to support overall mental and physical health. On this episode of Pathwa...

A new article published in Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal (IMCJ) expands on the connections between lifestyle, behavior, and disease, and proposes that a lack of connection to our authentic selves is a major obstacle on the journey towards healing. On this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, we welcome four of the article’s contributing authors, Drs. David Jones, Deanna Minich, Joseph...

Pathways to Well-Being podcast edisode with Brandilyn Binstock, ND, and Briana Aspy, PA on utilitizing IFM’s clinical toolkit in practice. To view the transcript for this episode, click here: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/streamlining-care-with-ifms-toolkit-resources/.

On this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, we welcome Dr. Mark Holthouse to discuss male hormone imbalances and how they affect men’s sexual health and function. We’ll explore the potential antecedents and mediators related to male infertility and erectile dysfunction and discuss how dietary interventions including fasting and aromatase-inhibiting foods can help naturally bring the body back into...

On this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, Dr. Shilpa P. Saxena joins the conversation to explore the concept of evidence-based practice and how the functional medicine approach is designed to support innovations in clinical care. She’ll also discuss how we can collect practice data and leverage that knowledge to increase practice efficiency and streamline effective patient care. Dr. Saxena will b...

Conducting research into the effectiveness of the functional medicine model requires overcoming some barriers, including the inherent difficulty of studying multimodal treatment strategies in randomized controlled studies. Even so, such research is critical to improving access to functional medicine care for all. On this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, we discuss the efforts undertaken by the r...

On this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, Leslie Stone, MD and Emily Rydbom CN, HN, CNP explore the intersection of functional medicine and pregnancy, from supporting fertility to optimizing fetal and maternal health through collaborative personalized care. To view the transcript for this episode, click here: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/functional-fertility-pregnancy-and-fetal-health/.

On this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, Greg Plotnikoff, MD, will explore a topic that has been the subject of an increasing amount of research lately: mast cell activation. He’ll discuss how the functional medicine approach can help recognize when hyperactive mast cells may be contributing to a patient’s dysfunction and how we can begin to address this complex issue. To view the transcript for...

In this podcast, Elizabeth Boham, MD, MS, RD, discusses how to create sustainable dietary interventions for patients with cardiometabolic concerns, including fasting and time-restricted feeding. To view the transcript for this episode, click here: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/fasting-sustainable-dietary-change-and-cardiometabolic-health/.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continued throughout 2021, the functional medicine approach offered help by providing a model that both optimizes health in the short-term and also maintains long-term well-being and prevents future disease. On this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, we’re recapping the functional medicine year in review with IFM’s Director of Medical Education Dan Lukaczer, ND, IFMCP and...

In the modern world, toxicant exposure is ubiquitous, with some studies reporting the average person is exposed to hundreds of environmental chemicals daily via air, water, soil, and food. While these exposures usually occur at a low-level, the bioaccumulation of toxins in the body can be a root cause of several types of dysfunction. On this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, Tom Malterre, MS, CN,...

Stress and unresolved psychological trauma may cause dysbiotic patterns in the gut and conversely, gut dysbiosis may activate stress responses that upregulate inflammatory pathways. Chronic stress may impair communication along the gut-brain axis and is implicated in both psychiatric and GI-related comorbidities such as IBD. On this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, Keesha Ewers, PhD, MSN, ARNP,...

Collaborative care teams can enhance the quality and efficacy of care delivered to patients. Leveraging the expertise of multiple healthcare providers including nutritionists, pharmacists, psychiatrists, health coaches can improve long-term outcomes and keep patients engaged in the lifestyle modifications. Studies indicate that patients who work with health coaches in particular, demonstrate consi...

On this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, noted psychiatrist Robert Hedaya, MD, ABPN, DLFAPA, IFMCP discusses the innovative HYLANE technology for addressing neuropsychiatric conditions like PTSD or TBI. To view the transcript for this episode, click here: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/targeted-healing-inside-the-brain-hylane-technology-for-neuropsychiatric-care/

On this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, James Maskell from the Functional Forum discusses his top takeaways from AIC and what they mean for functional medicine in the future. To view the transcript for this episode, click here: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/where-does-functional-medicine-go-from-here-the-2021-aic-in-review/

Food insecurity and insufficient access to healthy foods have been associated with negative health outcomes, including an increased vulnerability for micronutrient deficiencies and a higher probability of developing chronic diseases. Nutrition interventions are essential therapeutic strategies for combatting many chronic diseases, yet food insecurity and limited access to affordable, varied, and n...

Fasting can be an important clinical tool to promote patient health. There are various approaches to fasting, which allows for the use of the most appropriate therapeutic application for each patient. Intermittent fasting strategies such as periodic fasting mimicking diets have a range of potential health benefits and may improve physical and mental health through multiple pathways, from triggerin...

Research suggests that the presence of atopy itself may be considered a risk factor for the development of autoimmune diseases in adulthood. Atopic conditions often manifest in the first years of life, so as a clinician treating pediatric patients, how might we intervene in this atopic march during childhood to change outcomes? In this episode of Pathways to Well-Being, our guest Dr. Julie Buckley...

Susan Haddow, MD, IFMCP, board-certified in family medicineandintegrative medicine, who has worked primarily in underserved populations shares her clinical experiences in building immune resilience with all kinds of patients and how the environment around us can influence the potential of our immune systems. To view the transcript for this episode, click here: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/imm...

Crossfit Games athlete and family physician Julie Foucher, MD, MS, discusses the overall anti-inflammatory effect of regular, moderate bouts of exercise and how to get patients started on an exercise prescription. To view the transcript for this episode, click here: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/overcoming-barriers-to-physical-fitness/

The year 2020 has been noteworthy in medicine for several reasons. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were several other clinical themes that impact functional medicine care. This episode of Pathways to Well-Being is a conversation with IFM Director of Medical Education Dan Lukaczer, ND, IFMCP and IFM Director of Medical Education Initiatives Robert Luby, MD, IFMCP about the top functiona...

Pharmacist Lara Zakaria, RPh, and physician Elizabeth Board, MD, both strong advocates for using food as medicine and substituting nutritional therapies for medication therapies for prevalent chronic conditions, discuss how pharmacists and primary care clinicians can work together to help their patients reduce their pharmaceutical burden. To view the transcript for this episode, click here: https:...

Now more than ever, clinicians are facing higher rates of burnout and reporting lower satisfaction scores with their careers. Under heightened challenges and increased pressures during the pandemic, burnout is a silent burden plaguing the health care community. On this episode of Pathways to Wellbeing, Georgia Tetlow, MD, and Riva Z. Robinson, MD, discuss how burnout manifests in all stages of pra...