07 Jun Functional Medicine Plan Treats Fatigue, Stress and Digestive Issues in Women
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Susanne Cutshall
SUSANNE M. CUTSHALL, APRN, CNS, D.N.P.
Division of General Internal Medicine
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Several years ago a group of practitioners from the Mayo Clinic, including Sue Cutshall and Larry Bergstrom took my functional medicine training program that I teach through The Kalish Institute. They were interested in researching the effectiveness of the functional medicine techniques I’ve developed over the last twenty years, so we embarked on this study together. The study showed women on the program experienced increased energy, were better able to handle stress and had less physical pain. Additional information gathered from follow-up testing, but not reported in the formal study, showed a significant improvement in digestive health as well.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: The report depicts a functional medicine approach, combining lifestyle changes addressing diet and stress reduction with a lab based supplement program. A successful program can lead to significant improvements in the quality of life and sense of well-being. During the first few weeks of treatment we conducted nutritional coaching sessions, eliminating all gluten, dairy, sugar, alcohol and caffeine. Of course this is a struggle for most people, but it was remarkable the changes we saw in those early weeks simply from the lifestyle changes.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: I’d like to see larger groups of participants studied and a focus on how these programs can impact specific conditions such as depression or diabetes. I believe that the idea of a single solution for most of the chronic health problems we face is unrealistic, in other words a single drug or single nutritional supplement most likely won’t be effective in resolving the chronic multi-factorial health problems we see in functional medicine clinics. Therefore, studying a multi-faceted treatment plan that includes diet changes, stress reduction as well as lab based nutritional supplement programs makes sense even though it goes against the current model for clinical trials that focus on short term outcomes with single interventions.
MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Response: We all know many crippling diseases are on the rise, from obesity, depression and diabetes to autism in children and neuro-degenerative diseases in the elderly. In order to tackle these problems head on I believe we need a fresh perspective on the types of treatment options available and that solutions will require looking outside the current framework we are using today.
MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.
Citation:
Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2016 May;23:75-81. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2016.03.005. Epub 2016 Mar 24.
Evaluation of a functional medicine approach to treating fatigue, stress, and digestive issues in women.
Cutshall SM1, Bergstrom LR2, Kalish DJ3.
Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.
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Last Updated on June 7, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD