Integrative Medicine in Practice

Rachel Schneyer LAc, MS, FABORM

Indole-3-Carbinol and Cancer• Impact to metabolic pathway

via food therapy on disease, such as 1995 study on Brussel sprouts and colon cancer (Nijhoff WA et al, Carcinogenisis. 1995)

•Now to individualize…

• Genetic factors• Assimilation/Detoxification• Environmental factors:

Epigenetics• Stress assay: Biofeedback,

Salivary panels

Pathology + Individual = Treatment

Conventional + Traditional = Broad Spectrum Care

The Era of Functional Medicine• Some… carry polymorphisms that are

most important in determining the outcome of {one’s} health history. Administration of cofactors to these polymorphic genes can restore activity to normal levels.

• Ames et al (Am Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2002; 75: 616-58.)

MTHFR• Errors in Folic acid metabolism & impact

on homocysteine

• Low Folate status may lead to cardiovascular events, dementia, increased clotting (cited in miscarriage) and depression.

“The Superior Physician treats the patient in wellness,

The Inferior Physician in disease.”

-Nei Jing

Prevention as Medicine

“Food for Thought”• How to merge prevention with managed

care?

Can technology provide tools to quantify one’s prevention effort?

Elements of Daily Focus• Glycemic Control & Stress Response

• Circadian Rhythm (linked to antioxidant status)

• Movement as medicine

Influences on Stress• Jacobs GD: The Physiology of mind-

body interactions: the stress response and the relaxation response. J Altern Complement Med. 2001.

Acupuncture and Stress• Michael Hollifield et al “Acupuncture

for PTSD: A randomnized controlled pilot.” Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 2007.

• Acupuncture demonstrated as equally useful to cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Applied technology

• MRI study demonstrated acupuncture has measurable impact on brain areas known to respond to opiates.

• Pariente J. et al. Neuroimage, 25. 1161 - 1167 (2005).

Reproductive Medicine• “Changes in serum cortisol and prolactin

associated with acupuncture during IVF”

-Magarellii, PC et al Fertil Sterility 2009.

• “Beneficial changes in serum levels of stress hormones while undergoing IVF, with higher rates of pregnancy and live birth”

Integration of Pharma and Herbal medicine

• John Chen “Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology”

• www.naturaldatabase.com

• *Details interaction/research validity

NIH funding on Tumeric

• Reduces beta-amyloid protein

• Cox-2 inhibitor

• Tumor inhibition

Tumeric

Four Clinical trials span arthritis, cancer, and Alzheimer’s

Food for Thought

• How might data on individual variance reshape patient care?

• How can technology provide access to experts, education and social networks?

Chinese Medical Theory• Prenatal

Reserves• Postnatal

Reserves

Nutrition & Assimilation

“Finite” Genetic Makeup

Clinical Assessment• Qualitative

– Elimination diets– Subjective

• Quantitative – Holistic stool – Food intolerance– Stress index– Intestinal permeability