Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - Community Healthcare - (Page 56)

lancing Ba Act Integrative functional medicine offers an alternative for patients by ElisE sims re you fatigued, anxious, irritable, moody or stressed? Is your body accumulating belly fat and, despite dieting, have you been unable to lose weight? Have you sought traditional medical care for these symptoms but been told you are disease-free? If so, you may benefit from a different, combined approach to care that can help you attain optimal body function and feel your best. Family practitioner Karin Patterson, D.O., and nurse practitioner Kelly Oney, FNP-BC, on staff at St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart, are using an alternative approach to treatment, called functional medicine, that has been around for ages. It more recently has been combined with traditional medicine to help patients achieve optimal health. This combination is called integrative medicine. A Kelly oney, fnP-bC, provides consultation on interventions such as lifestyle changes that give the body an opportunity to heal and rebalance. Karin Patterson, d.o., takes an integrative, science-based approach to healthcare through her practice in Winfield, focusing on specific medical needs of each patient. findinG the RiGht Solution Integrative medicine at St. Mary Medical Center offers options to attain wellness through adrenal and other hormonal testing, nutrition analysis, food sensitivity testing and comprehensive stool analysis. “People, especially middle-age women, tend to blame changing hormones for how they feel or how they look,” says Oney. She is also fellowship trained and a certified diplomate of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine in Integrative Medicine, and pursuing her master’s degree in metabolic and nutritional health through the University of South Florida School of Medicine. “However, a little testing and some dedication to lifestyle and diet changes utilizing functional medicine can really have a major impact on how someone looks and feels.” Testing includes salivary, adrenal and hormone testing to determine adrenal fatigue, which can mimic hormone imbalances. Excessive cortisol production can be responsible for carbohydrate cravings. Nutritional and stool testing can determine the level of normal gut flora in the intestine to support proper digestion and absorption. Finally, testing can determine levels of food sensitivity that contribute to lack of weight loss, inflammation and metabolic overload symptoms. “Patients come to us wanting to feel better,” Patterson says. “Together we can take the first step toward finding integrative solutions for them.” GettinG to the Root of the PRoblem Integrative medicine examines an individual’s physiological makeup and lifestyle to address the underlying cause of illness using a systems-oriented approach, with both the patient and the practitioner working to activate the body’s own natural mechanisms to heal. “Most chronic disease is preventable, and much of it is reversible, if a comprehensive, individualized approach is used that addresses genetics, diet, nutrition, environmental exposures, stress, exercise and even spiritual needs,” says Patterson, who practices at the Winfield Family Health Center of St. Mary Medical Center. “In other words, we treat the whole person.” Fellowship trained and board eligible through the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine in Integrative Medicine, Patterson also is obtaining her master’s degree in metabolic and nutritional health through the University of South Florida School of Medicine. She takes an integrative, science-based approach to healthcare through her practice in Winfield, focusing on specific medical needs of each patient. CAll Think integrative medicine might be a good fit for you? To find your new path to better health and wellness, call 219-836-3477 or 866-836-3477 or visit www.comhs.org. Get on the Road to Better Health 56 Vim & Vigor • Sum m er 2 012 http://www.comhs.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - Community Healthcare

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - Community Healthcare
Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - Community Healthcare
Contents
Contents
Community Message
Community Message
A Tiny Miracle
A Tiny Miracle
Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
Home Is Where Hartsfield Is
Home Is Where Hartsfield Is
Get RIPPED
Get RIPPED
The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club
Arthritis Answers
Arthritis Answers
A TV Guide to Radiology
A TV Guide to Radiology
Take Aim
Take Aim
It Might NOT Be Cancer
It Might NOT Be Cancer
Colin Firth
Colin Firth
Step Up to the Plate
Step Up to the Plate
Life After Cancer
Life After Cancer
Get Dad to the Doc
Get Dad to the Doc
Getting His Groove Back
Getting His Groove Back
SPOTLIGHT ON: Community Hospital
SPOTLIGHT ON: Community Hospital
SPOTLIGHT ON: St. Catherine Hospital
SPOTLIGHT ON: St. Catherine Hospital
SPOTLIGHT ON: St. Mary Medical Center
SPOTLIGHT ON: St. Mary Medical Center
Balancing Act
Balancing Act

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - Community Healthcare