Health is a spectrum; you certainly don’t need to be diagnosed with a disease to enlist the help of a physician.  Ideally, people should start seeing doctors because they wish to become more well and feel as good as possible! Many women don't take the time to try and feel better until symptoms have compounded and they cannot recall the last time they truly felt great. We aim to change that and show you that optimal health can result in:

• Improved sleep
• Improved focus
• Improved ability to handle stress
• Less aches and pains
• Normal immune response to insults
• Increased libido
• Increased physical performance and recovery
• Increased mental clarity
• Weight Loss
• Increased energy

Hormone producing organs of the body (e.g. pancreas, thyroid, ovaries, testes, adrenals) secrete hormones which regulate a multitude of function including metabolism and reproduction. The central nervous system, through the control of the hypothalamus and pituitary sends signals to these organs for secretion. There is a chain of function that begins with the hypothalamus and pituitary and ends with the cell itself where the hormone is intended to act.  Imbalances of hormone production, transport, sensitivity and then detoxification can result in symptoms of hormone dysregulation.  Each of these steps are evaluated for missing or mismatched links, and treatment plans are centered on balancing this system and chain of function. This requires addressing issues in a systematic manner, and typically not jumping straight to hormone therapy. For peri-menopausal and menopausal women, bio-identical hormone therapy is frequently employed, but is certainly not the first step in treatment. Commonly seen conditions include:

• Perimenopause
• Menopause
• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
• Obesity, Diabetes
• Hypothyroidism
• Hashimotos Thyroiditis
• Adrenal Dysfunction
• Female Hormone Dysregulation
• Insulin Resistance

Hippocrates once said “all disease begins in the gut”; we are now seeing how true this statement really is.  There are many foundational systems that depend on good gut health to function well. For instance, 80% of an individual’s immune system is found in the GI tract, and up to 90% of serotonin is produced there as well. Therefore, we often see that poor gut health--- even without ANY GI symptoms--- complicates and worsens other conditions including mental health disorders, immune dysregulation and hormone dysregulation, among others. We absorb nutrients in our gut; if our gut is inflamed or not functioning properly, key minerals and vitamins will not be absorbed and utilized.  We need these key cofactors for basic biochemical processes in our body.

For this reason, nearly all Inner Garden Health patients undergo a thorough GI evaluation.  The tests that are commonly used to workup and treat gut health may include a stool analysis, serum bloodwork or a breath test. Due to the interactions of the GI tract with multiple other systems in the body, most functional evaluations and treatments are foundationally anchored to the health of the gut.  If the gut is not functioning properly, it is more difficult to achieve wellness within other bodily systems. We frequently treat patients with symptoms of:

• GERD
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Food Allergies / Intolerances
• Dysbiosis

Skin is the largest organ in the body.  As physicians we look for clues in the skin when evaluating internal disease.  It is no surprise that oftentimes treating the skin means uncovering and treating root causes of inflammation, imbalance and nutrient deficiencies.Therefore, in assessing skin conditions we closely look at hydration status, gut health, hormone health, nutrition, immune response, stress and sleep habits. Common skin conditions seen include:

• Eczema
• Psoriasis
• Dermatitis
• Chronic Hives
• Allergies and inappropriate histamine response

Today, 1 in 12 suffer from an autoimmune disease in the United States. It represents one of the fastest growing group of chronic disease in modern times; women are disproportionately affected and bear the greatest burden of autoimmune disease.  The immune system is closely linked to mental health, endocrine function, cardiovascular health and growth and repair. Autoimmune diseases are conditions in which a person’s immune system mistakenly attacks their own body.  The body loses the ability to differentiate self from non-self.  Some potential factors that have been shown to increase the body’s susceptibility to autoimmunity include: prior or recurrent trauma, dysbiosis, heavy metals, chronic infections, environmental toxins, mineral and vitamin deficiencies, neuro endocrine disruptors, among others.  

The approach to any autoimmune disease is individualized due to the multiple causes for immune system dysregulation.  The overall goal is to identify and remove the factor that is causing the immune system to become upregulated.  Oftentimes there are multiple factors, which is why a systems biology based approach is necessary. Commonly seen autoimmune conditions include the following:

• Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism
• Lupus
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Psoriasis
• Sjogren’s Syndrome

The key components of cardiovascular risk reduction include inflammation reduction and improving metabolic health.  Key biomarkers are analyzed to stratify risk and assess for lipoprotein status as well as arterial wall inflammation (eg Lp(a)-P, hs CRP, Lp-PLA2, homocysteine and myeloperoxidase).

Treatment and risk reduction is centered around lifestyle changes to incorporate inflammation reducing eating plans, stress reduction, and resolution of root causes of inflammation. This may include evaluation of gut health, toxin exposure and hormone analysis. Commonly seen conditions include:

• Hypertension
• Hyperlipidemia
• Metabolic Syndrome
• Heart Disease
• Pre-Diabetes
• Type 2 Diabetes

Almost every woman we see reports some degree of difficulty sleeping, irritability, anxiety or depression.  This is not surprising, as about 1 in 5 adults suffer from at least one of these ailments.

Insomnia, depression and anxiety are disruptions in brain health.  This means that an evaluation of factors that affect brain health is at the foundation of the assessment.  This may include evaluations of nutrition, physical exercise, environmental toxins, spiritual health, genetic predispositions, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, gut health and interpersonal relationships. A functional approach includes an evaluation of gut health, adrenal function, thyroid disease and vitamin deficiencies.  We perform lifestyle and dietary analyses to identify and reduce inflammation, stabilize mood and blood glucose. A truly multi-faceted approach is essential to ensure good brain health for the long term. Common conditions seen include:

• Insomnia
• 'Brain fog'
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Inattention Disorders