This month at the Functional Forum we are focused on germs of all varieties, particularly the new science that is shifting our perspective on how we relate to our those 'critters' that live on, in and around us all the time. One fascinating example of symptoms that occur when this balance is off is "auto-brewery syndrome".

This syndrome refers to cases where the patient seems intoxicated (and can even fail a breathalyzer) without drinking any alcohol, as the alcohol is being made internally. Although extreme cases are not that common, there is growing evidence that the underlying issues affect many more people in a range of ways.

This week on the podcast, we are joined by Dr. Anup Kanodia, from Ohio. Not only is he one of the leading experts in this condition, but also through the lens of functional medicine he has developed successful protocols for reversing and treating this complex issue.

In this podcast you will learn

• The typical causes of auto-brewery syndrome and how to look for it in your patients
• Dr. Kanodia's holistic protocol for reversing and treating it using functional medicine
• What auto-brewery syndrome teaches us about the microbiome and more

Healing Backs Without Surgery

Once upon a time Dr. David Hanscom was a back surgeon in the Pacific Northwest, cranking our surgeries like all of his colleagues. But in what is becoming more and more of a common story, a change in his own health made him think twice about his profession. That lead him to write his speciality-changing book "Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain".

David Hanscom, MD • www.drdavidhanscom.com

In this podcast you can hear the amazing story, plus the 5 Step process that Dr. Hanscom has created to help anyone get our of chronic pain. It is a truly holistic approach, accessing the mind/body and emotional components of this debilitating condition.

Three things you will learn from this podcast

• Dr. Hanscom's realization about back surgery and placebo
• The 5-Step Process that Dr. Hanscom uses to reverse back symptoms
• How you can replicate his protocol in your practice with ease

Episode #24

New Model Week: Naturopathic Medicine

Whilst at Naturopathic Medical School, Dr. Sara DeFrancesco realized there weren't many options for NDs emerging from school. Either become an employee on salary (making little impact on her student loan debt) or take a position working for another doctor and lose a large percentage of her earnings disappear. Was there another way?

So, Dr. DeFrancesco created a new path and a new practice, called Thriving Force Natural Medicine. She has learned from a diverse groups of organizations, not only other providers with more business savvy, but also some of our work at the Evolution of Medicine. We are excited to feature young doctors looking to break the mold and attract the top graduates into integrative medicine.

On this podcast you will learn

• The systemic problems of business training for doctors
• The top things that Dr. DeFrancesco has learned along the way
• Empowering news for those looking to follow in her footsteps

Episode #23

New Model Week: Functional Medicine

Back in September, Dr. Robin Berzin was a keynote speaker at our EvoMed Summit kickoff event at ABC Home. In that event she dared to mention the elephant in the room for Functional Medicine. As a new doctor with student loans, she can't afford to see herself.

In that talk, that you can see here, she shared the solution to this problem was to "harness the digital technologies that are in our pockets that expand our reach and offer functional medicine services to the public at affordable prices".

Fast tracks a few months later, Dr. Berzin has her own new practice, Parsley Health, where she will be putting this into practice and setting a new model for functional medicine to be delivered at scale.

In this podcast you will learn

• How digital technology can help make Functional Medicine affordable
• The tools Dr. Berzin will be using in her new practice
• How different providers can create a remarkable patient experience

Dr. Donna Embree has been practicing a Naturopathic Doctor since the mid 1990s, before that she was a childhood educator. Over the last 20 years, Dr. Embree has taught doctors and other practitioners in holistic, bioenergetic and integrative medicine. One area of her teaching that is unique surround best practices in the patient / practitioner relationship.

As our medical model evolves to treat chronic and autoimmune diseases, getting patient 'compliance' and engagement is key. There are many strategies that are being used, but none are as effective as creating a "Thinking Environment", which comes from Nancy Kline's book "Time to Think". These strategies can also be used very effectively for creating great communication in your staff team.

What you will learn from this podcast:

• Why a "Thinking Environment" is crucial for optimal communication
• Why a thinking patient is a 'compliant' patient
• Ways to use this for better team communication