Investigative Medicine

Do you suffer from symptoms or conditions that doctors can’t explain? Are you tired all the time? It could be your thyroid.

“I’m tired all the time, I have no motivation. I can’t concentrate. I’m cold all the time. I’m gaining weight and eating the same. I’m constipated.” These very common complaints are all symptoms of low thyroid function. There are also some less common complaints such as: anxiety, depression, infertility and miscarriage. Hypothyroidism frequently goes undiagnosed and untreated because of the theoretical approach of the practitioner.

This is where an investigative approach to your health would be greatly beneficial. Thyroid lab tests included in your standard exam include only a TSH. This is a measure of a hormone that signals your thyroid to produce more of its’ own hormones, T3 and T4. Functional medicine actually measures TSH, T3, T4, and several other related hormones. Functional medicine practitioners tend to be broader in their scope. They look at you as a whole. Investigative practitioners go even further than that, looking for the root cause of your presenting symptom. In the case of low thyroid function, investigative practitioners look for clues about inflammation, nutritional status and toxicity, as these things can disrupt thyroid. Another big piece of the puzzle is autoimmune status. An autoimmune response can be responsible for your dysfunctional thyroid.

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (an autoimmune disorder) is the most common cause of hypothyroidism. So as investigative practitioners, we look for clues related to your immune system function too. We put all the pieces together and attempt to resolve the driving force of the condition. We seek to go further than identifying and modifying symptoms. Hashimoto’s can be caused by inflammation, malnutrition, toxicity, autoimmimmunity, or something undefined.

One example might be that Hashimoto’s, being an autoimmune disorder, has been “kicked off” by a common dietary ingredient called gluten. Humans cannot digest gluten down to amino acids. The improperly digested pieces damage the gut. The pieces then cross the gut, get into the thyroid, other organs, the blood brain barrier, and respiratory tree. Their presence signals your immune system that you are under attack because your body does not recognize these proteins. Your immune system becomes overactive to the constant flow of unrecognized particles, and begins to recognize the organ the proteins have taken up residence in as foreign as well.

Using all of this valuable information, investigative medicine seeks to resolve what is driving your condition. If the cause is a nutrient deficiency, we replace it.

It if is toxicity, we help you detoxify. And so it goes on down the line until we have optimized your whole body and you are at your very best.

Do you need a medical Detective?
Have you exhausted yourself going from Doctor to Doctor, spending time and money only to continue feeling bad? Do you feel like you’re never going to find an answer to your health issues? Are you feeling like your voice is not being heard when you’re sitting in front of your physician and leaving his or her office with no solution? Keep in mind that conventional medical practice is not designed for such challenges.

However, Dr. Doreen DeStefano works as your personal medical detective. She will spend time listening to you, studying your health story, and then dig further. She and her team will review your past care and give your case the investigative time necessary to research identify the driving force behind your health concern. We have a new era of lab testing that allows us to get very detailed information about the functionality of various body systems.

But testing alone is not enough. It is the nuance of patient information, asking the right questions, finding the right lab tests, interpreting test results, and finding the piece or pieces of the puzzle that are causing the dysfunction. We take the time to thoroughly understand each patient’s health. Our dedication to you and your health drives us to consult the latest research during treatment, effectively reducing the gap between new breakthroughs and practical care.

Once we have identified our target, we apply our unique blend of cutting edge holistic and functional medicine principles to optimize your health and wellbeing, resolving the root cause of dysfunction rather than disguising the symptoms.

Root Causes practices a teamwork approach which includes patient participation in collaboration with the Doctor and staff. As a team we create a written, custom health restoration plan for you that includes dietary changes, healthy lifestyle practices, a supplement regimen, hormone optimization, and therapeutic treatments. Treatments may include nutrient IV therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, bioidentical hormone replacement, ozone therapy, and other innovative, integrative therapies.

Optimize your health. Call today to schedule your Investigative Health consultation and be on your way to your healthiest year ever!

Intravenous
Nutrient Therapy:
The Fastest Way to Health
A healthy diet rich in vitamins and minerals is the best way to nourish your body.

There are instances, though, when the body has trouble obtaining these nutrients through natural digestive functions. Conditions such as stress, a medical illness, or food intolerances can inhibit the absorption of important substances such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, C, folic acid, glutathione, or biotin. Commonly, our digestive function decreases as we age, making our absorption of nutrients much less efficient.

In these cases, injecting those nutrients directly into the blood stream may be the best option to ensure that your body is getting what it needs. This is the goal of IV nutritional therapy.

Uses of IV Therapy
Here is just a short list of some of the numerous ways that IV therapy can improve your health:

Detoxification
IV therapy can introduce nutrients that help your body remove toxins like mercury which can harm almost any organ.

Eye Health
Free radicals that degenerate eye sight and contribute to conditions such as macular degeneration, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy can be reduced with an injection of antioxidants.

Heart Health
The proper blend of nutrients can strengthen your arteries, making it easier for the heart to circulate blood through your body.

Brain Health
Re-energize cellular membranes and activity with intravenous supplements like NAD and phophatidyl choline for better brain function and cellular health.

Anti-Aging
A combination of ingredients can combat a number of symptoms associated with the aging process, such as a loss of skin elasticity, weight gain, fatigue, and illness.

Other Uses
IV therapy may also be used in cancer therapy and to treat autoimmune diseases and neurological conditions.

Root and Causes Holistic Health Medicine
239-425-2900 | www.rtcausesmd.com