As a functional and integrative healthcare provider in Tampa, Florida, I have many experiences to share about the failures of conventional medicine in treating chronic health conditions, as well as the transformative success of our clinic’s personalized approach.
In this post, I tell the tale of Melinda, a 69-year-old woman who had been suffering from a number of chronic illnesses for more than two decades.
When Melinda arrived at PROVOKE Health, she was on prescription pain medication, thyroid hormone, cholesterol medication, blood pressure medication, metformin, and Mounjaro (GLP-1, in the same class as Ozempic), along with over-the-counter Tylenol. She was struggling with the following conditions:
- Memory loss and impaired concentration and mental acuity
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
- Chronic fatigue
- Fungal (candida) overgrowth
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
Melinda described her conditions as follows:
“I am severely bloated, in pain, cannot think clearly nor exercise due to both pain and fatigue. My quality of life has greatly diminished over the last few years, and I have been progressively gaining weight and losing mental acuity.
“I have lost motivation to exercise due to the lasting pain in my joints that is worsened with activity. I have a scheduled surgery for my hands in the upcoming year, but I am concerned about undergoing surgery in my current state.
“I feel inflamed all over and am worried about recovery. I have had previous hip and knee replacements and shoulder and foot surgery.”
Melinda’s Road to Recovery
Over the past six months, I met with Melinda nearly a dozen times, and she consulted with all the providers on our team. The visits were designed to first understand her health history, current concerns, and goals. From there, we created a starting point for care that included dietary interventions and supplements, along with the medication low-dose naltrexone (LDN) and anti-inflammatory peptides, which is a combination that’s helpful in calming the immune response and reducing inflammation.
By her third month in treatment, Melinda was clearly improving with respect to joint pain. She believed that the pain relief was primarily due to the LDN. (For more about LDN, see our previous post “Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) and Healthy Immune Function.”)
She wanted more energy, so we provided her with a combination of B12 injections and Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). These are both associated with increased energy due to their support for mitochondrial health and metabolism. B12 and NAD work synergistically with the GLP-1 med she was already taking to boost energy while promoting weight loss. (For more about the benefits of NAD, see our previous post “Get Energized: Increase Your NAD+ Levels.”)
Melinda made significant changes to her diet to address the bloating and constipation she was experiencing. She started to drink more water, and we added herbs that are known to kill fungal colonies in the digestive tract, including candida. Melinda had developed a resistance to a variety of prescription antifungal medications including fluconazole, nystatin, and itraconazole. We determined that was due to using intravenous antibiotics in years past followed by antifungals to counteract the resulting fungal overgrowths. We also added Amphotericin B as a nasal spray to support killing off fungal colonies in her sinuses and to provide some systemic effect. She is tolerating that well. Our efforts to reduce fungal overgrowth are showing signs of improvement regarding the bloating and digestive issues.
To address Melinda’s concerns over her loss of mental acuity, we provided her with two peptides, Semax and Selank, which are nootropic (supportive of brain health). These peptides improve nerve health and reduce inflammation in the brain. We can attest to the fact that Melinda was experiencing cognitive impairment during her initial visits. Having a conversation with her during those first few visits was challenging. Her thoughts were disjointed, and she had difficulty expressing herself and finishing sentences. After several months of taking Semax and Selank, Melinda reported that her brain was working better, which was obvious before she mentioned it. We are now having clearer and more concise conversations during our visits.
Melinda has been able to wean herself off the prescription pain medications and is no longer using Tylenol, except for an occasional flare up. This is a huge accomplishment, because these medications negatively impact the kidneys and liver. Melinda, like many Americans, has a fatty liver, and Tylenol and NSAIDs (aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and others) can cause fatty liver to progress into more serious liver disease.
A Better Approach to Treating Chronic Medical Conditions
Cases like Melinda’s are far too common in the medical field. Many patients have multiple chronic conditions. In Melinda’s case, she lived with them for more than 20 years, and they were only getting worse — despite decades of conventional medicine. I can only imagine how well she could have been had she found the right integrative approach for herself sooner. Thinking about this case, given her age, it’s wonderful to see how well the body can actually heal and respond when treatment addresses inflammation and diet and uses peptide therapies to support the body’s self-healing mechanisms.
I think about all the pain and suffering that could have been avoided if the healthcare system had empowered her to take better control of her health and offered different options than the standard conventional treatment protocols for arthritis, high cholesterol, pain, and autoimmunity. Each patient needs a unique approach and an open-minded team of providers willing to work on behalf of and in partnership with the patient to help them achieve the best outcome.
Unfortunately, personalized treatment that’s focused on restoring health and fitness and building resilience is difficult and may even be impossible to achieve in the context of a bureaucratic and profit-driven conventional healthcare system focused more on treating symptoms than patients.
Take Ownership of Your Health with a Personalized, Root-Cause Approach
If you or a loved one have been struggling with chronic health conditions like that ones I covered above and feel like you’ve exhausted conventional options without lasting relief, there is hope. At PROVOKE Health, my team and I take a personalized, integrative approach to uncovering the root causes of illness and helping the body heal itself.
Whether you’re dealing with pain, inflammation, fatigue, cognitive decline, or complex autoimmune conditions, we’re here to guide you toward real solutions (not just symptom management). Use the button below to schedule a free 10-minute consultation today to explore how our functional medicine approach can support your health and well-being.
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About The Author: Dr. Matthew Lewis, D.C., DACBN, CFMP® is the founder of PROVOKE Health (Functional Healthcare Group, PLLC) — a Tampa, Florida-based functional medicine and integrative healthcare practice that is committed to motivating, guiding, and supporting patients on their journey to regaining their confidence, resiliency, and health. By creating and co- managing highly personalized plans of care that address complex health problems and offer advanced preventive care, Dr. Lewis and the team at PROVOKE Health repair patient’s confidence, resiliency, and health.
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