In this video, Dr. Jennifer Ridley talks with Terri Suresh of the Hormonal Health & Wellness Center about functional nutrition, and working to find the root cause of a patient’s ailment instead of just treating the symptoms. Things like high cholesterol, headaches, high blood pressure, fatigue, bowel issues, acid reflux and insomnia aren’t just symptoms that require more pills, but are your body’s warning lights telling you about other problems. Integrative medicine changes the focus from treating symptoms to looking at the body as a whole, and determining which things are having a negative impact. Once identified, the next step is to determine how to reduce or eliminate them from your life.
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Dr. Ridley discusses how she works with patients by reviewing their health histories as far back as they can remember. She then runs a variety of tests to determine where the real problem lies. There could be a food allergy that is preventing your body from being able to heal itself. Once identified, the transformation can be amazing!
Food allergy testing, or food sensitivity testing, goes way beyond just the skin test to determine how different foods affect you. Do you often spread peanut butter on your forearm to digest it? No, it’s elements within your blood that aid in digestion, and that’s the type of testing Dr. Ridley orders. Your blood is paired with a variety of foods to determine which react well, and which identify a sensitivity. Focusing on inflammation in the blood stream is a key element of the integrative medicine model.
Integrative Medicine Approach
Dr. Ridley wants to work with patients, educate them about the importance of balanced nutrition, exercise and rest, and helping people to understand that the goal of good health is vitality and not just the absence of symptoms. She’s able to meet with people in her office in Hurst, Texas, but if you’re far away, she can work with your primary care physician to run the necessary tests for her program.
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