My Philosophy

The Root Cause Approach

As a conventionally trained Pediatrician, I have watched for many years as the rates of chronic illness in children and adults have increased at an astounding rate.  We are all likely to know multiple people with autoimmune disease, allergies, asthma, heart disease, obesity, diabetes and more. The rates of food allergies alone in our children are frightening, while mental health disorders are increasing exponentially as well. Rather than investigating what has gone wrong, we seem to simply focus on applying stronger band aids to the problem.  

This band-aid approach doesn’t make sense anymore. For the past two years I have been training in an area of healthcare called functional medicine. While the conventional model of medicine is excellent for acute care issues, it is too often focused on suppressing symptoms of illness, rather than treating the root cause. This “one size fits all” approach is ineffective. Similar symptoms in different people have various causes and require different treatments.   

I believe in a personalized approach to medical care. A functional approach to healthcare aims to address the root cause of an illness for treatment, rather than simply the symptoms that arise. My goal is to work with you to identify the underlying causes of your symptoms and health concerns and help you achieve your best results. I believe that a treatment plan requires customization to the individual needs of each patient, taking into consideration your unique biochemistry and lifestyle factors. 

Functional medicine is also focused on wellness, both how to regain it and maintain it. Nutrition and lifestyle habits are an integral aspect of treating “unwellness” and maintaining health. I focus on educating my patients on how to treat various medical conditions using nutrition and lifestyle interventions. Of course, there are many instances when a conventional approach is absolutely necessary while we are addressing a problem through a root cause approach. There are times when I need to use a traditional antibiotic or other medication to treat an infection, for example. I am able to integrate both functional and conventional medicine as needed to optimally treat my patients.