Functional Medicine

Functional medicine is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the healthcare needs of the 21st century. By shifting the traditional disease-centered focus of medical practice to a more patient-centered approach, functional medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms. Functional medicine practitioners and health coaches spend time with their patients, taking a detailed history, listening to their background and stories,  and looking at the interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex, chronic disease. In this way, functional medicine supports the unique expression of health and vitality for each individual.

By changing the disease-centered focus of medical practice to this patient-centered approach, our physicians are able to support the healing process by viewing health and illness as part of a cycle in which all components of the human biological system interact dynamically with the environment. The human body all acts together. There are many systems but they all influence each other to maintain homeostasis. Functional medicine takes this understanding of the body and instead of sending the patient to multiple specialists for each system, it treats the body as a whole. This process helps to seek and identify genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors that may shift a person’s health from illness to well-being.

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Slow Down The Aging Brain

Alzheimer’s disease is one that impacts many lives. There are multiple factors that go into the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, some people’s diet, environment, genetics, head trauma and more. The classic symptoms include loss of memory, memory issues that begin to disrupt everyday life (such as where you keep your coffee mugs), difficulty completing familiar tasks in the workplace or home, confusion with time or place, and trouble understanding images. 

Normal Aging vs Alzheimer’s 

With normal aging, we see brain atrophy, some neurotransmitter loss, and oxidative damage. These changes occur but they do not interfere with daily tasks or quality of life. To determine the difference, we can perform a simple test in the office that consists of a few questions. The score will determine if the aging of the brain is within normal limits. 

Synapse Loss 

As mentioned above, head trauma can lead to Alzheimer’s as it increases synapse loss. Things that contribute to head trauma include physical trauma, stroke, hypertension, and diabetes. Additionally, high cholesterol, high homocysteine, low exercise, and specific genes. 

Genes

Although we are unable to change the genes we were born with, we can alter their expression. There are steps that we can take to alter these genes to express in a positive manner rather than negative. This can help slow down the progression or onset of Alzheimer’s. The genes we specifically look at in reference to Alzheimer’s are those that impact lipid metabolism, inflammation, and are dopaminergic and neurotrophic. These include:

CRP
IL-6 
TNFA 
COMT 
BDNF 

We have the ability to perform genetic testing through DNA Life to assess your genes and your susceptibility. DNA Mind provides an identification of the level of impact of any genetic variant. It also provides us with a broken down explanation of the genes and their specific impact on the biochemical area and mental health. Additionally, this test not only reports on Alzheimer’s disease but also dementia, cognitive decline, addictive behavior, risk-taking behavior, and mood disorders. A sample report can be seen below: 

 

Lifestyle : InBody 

As previously mentioned, we see a direct link between lack of exercise, poor nutrition, and Alzheimer’s disease. We are able to create personalized nutrition plans for your body as well as determine other predisposing factors with the help of the InBody 770 system. This advanced machine provides a great deal of information for us regarding the patient. We track patients Anthropometric measurements in order to determine their lean muscle mass, fat density, visceral fat (fat surrounding the organs- a key indicator of disease risk), water percentage, and height and weight. We measure our patients every 8 weeks and keep a detailed record. These reports are great indicators for health and also assess inflammation and edema. There is more information regarding the InBody below. 

[embedyt] www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3_BEhgJCGc%5B/embedyt%5D

InBody_E_Book.pdf

GENETIC TESTING IS AVAILABLE NOW AND PROVIDES US WITH MORE INFORMATION THAN EVER BEFORE. WITH THIS INFORMATION AND THIS TECHNOLOGY, WE ARE ABLE TO CREATE PREVENTABLE PLANS GEARED TOWARDS YOU. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND GETTING TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND YOUR GENES. -KENNA VAUGHN, SENIOR HEALTH COACH 

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dyslipidemia nutrition

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Metabolic syndrome

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Root Causes of *GUT DYSFUNCTION* | El Paso, Tx (2021)

Welcome to our Functional Medicine episodes brought to you by Dr. Alex Jimenez. In this episode, we have a presentation by a Chiropractic Specialist; where…

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A guide for Food Allergies, Hypersensitivity and Intolerances | El Paso, Tx (2021)

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC brings to you Part Three of a Functional Medicine presentation titled “Food Allergies, Hypersensitivity, and Intolerances: Diagnosis and Treatment” featuring a…

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Diagnosis & Treatment of Food Allergies | El Paso, Tx (2021)

Welcome to part two of a Functional Medicine presentation titled “Food Allergies, Hypersensitivity and Intolerances: Diagnosis and Treatment” featuring Naturopathic specialists. who will present to…

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*GASTRO-INTESTINAL* dysfunction treatment | El Paso, Tx (2021)

Welcome to our new Functional Medicine series, brought to you by Dr. Alex Jimenez. In this edition, we feature part two of a presentation titled…

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Treatment of GI Dysfunction *PART THREE* | El Paso, Tx (2021)

Welcome to our new Functional Medicine series, brought to you by Dr. Alex Jimenez. In this edition, we feature part three of a presentation titled…

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C. majus
Detox Therapy with Chelidonium majus L.

Once again, traditional Chinese medicine and herbal medicine are coming back to treat chronic conditions’ underlying cause potentially. Consequently, Chelidonium majus L., commonly known as…

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LICORICE
Licorice Effects and Application

Licorice is a widely researched root; it provides health benefits, and these have been applied in herbal medicine for thousands of years. Its main active…

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curcimin
Curcumin and its Detoxifying Effects

The growing evidence about the clinical application of naturally occurring phytochemicals has revealed multiple phytochemicals’ detoxifying properties. Curcumin, commonly known as turmeric, has previously reported…

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Migraines: A Functional Perspective

When a migraine hits, it can take you out anywhere from 2-72 hours. Often times, individuals report their migraines consist of a pulsating feeling and sensitivity to light. In fact, many who suffer from migraines report an “aura” before the migraine begins. An “aura” is a visual change (lights, the shape or size of an object, or dark spots in line of vision), auditory changes, and something deja vu, tingling, or strange smells.  

Migraine Risks

Those with migraines typically make less nitric oxide. In women, that increases their chance of myocardial infarction, strokes, and angina two times more likely. In men, 42% of them who have migraines, had heart attacks. 

The inside coating of a blood vessel is referred to as vascular endothelium. It is made up of endothelial cells. The purpose of a healthy endothelium is to suppress inflammation, prevent clots, and keep blood flowing. If the endothelium becomes damaged, its function becomes compromised. Those with migraines showed a decreased number of endothelial functions.

Genetics 

One thing that sets functional medicine apart from traditional medicine is the lab work and genetic consideration. We work with many high tech diagnostic lab companies to determine the underlying cause of symptoms. In fact, there is a specific genetic mutation that leads to elevated homocysteine levels. It is MTHFR 677- the methylation gene. In fact, many patients who suffer from migraines have a family history of it.  

We can break down a migraine even further and look at how it affects the rest of the body. Oxidative stress is a free radical that floats around the body. Oxidative stress is normal and necessary but too much of it begins to cause issues. In migraine sufferers, there is an increase in superoxide dismutase and elevated levels of catalase. 

Nutrition 

The standard American diet has done nothing but increase migraine factors. The foods consumed negatively influence gene expression as well as contribute to obesity. Many individuals have success when they switch from the standard American diet to the paleo diet. This diet gets rid of gluten and grains and patients tend to see improvement quickly. On top of this, they are now providing their bodies with the proper nutrients and healthy fats for optimal function. Here is an article that provides more information on acute migraine strategies. 

InBody 

We are able to create personalized nutrition plans for your body as well as determine other predisposing factors with the help of the InBody 770 system. This advanced machine provides a great deal of information for us regarding the patient. We track patients Anthropometric measurements in order to determine their lean muscle mass, fat density, visceral fat (fat surrounding the organs- a key indication of disease risk), water percentage, and height and weight. We measure our patients every 8 weeks and keep a detailed record. These reports are great indicators for health and also assess inflammation and edema.

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Vitamins
Natural Antioxidants

The utilization of natural antioxidants to reduce oxidative stress is a promising therapeutic approach to prevent diseases by reducing ROS. Flavonoids, phenolic compounds, antioxidant vitamins…

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Detox and Dandelion’s Bioactive Compounds

Metabolic and chronic disorders have created a tremendous economic burden in developed and developing countries. The overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), proinflammatory cytokines, and…

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Antigens and Autoimmune Disease

There are over 80 different autoimmune diseases. An autoimmune disease is when the body is so inflamed from the inside, it begins to turn on itself and begins to attack its own cells. What the body attacks determines what autoimmune disease an individual has. Some diseases that are associated with autoimmune conditions are Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and fibromyalgia.
Causes
There are different events and circumstances that bring on an autoimmune disease. It varies from person to person. However, it has been shown that environmental exposures are linked. Environmental exposures occur when we breathe in poor quality air and eat food that has been sprayed with pesticides and chemicals. It is referred to as an antigen overload.
Antigens
An antigen is a substance that enters the body. However, when this antigen enters the body the body reacts by producing antibodies. Similar to what happens when you get a vaccine. However, these substances that enter the body are not ones that we want a reaction to. Antigens can include things like toxins and bacteria.

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