Welcome to the Blog of
Dr. Matthew Lewis
Here, you’ll find news from our office, insights and observations from trusted sources in health, information about innovations in the effort to take back your own good health, testimonials from our clients, resources and recommendations of note, and more. Read a post or two and comment on anything that strikes a chord.
The 5 Pillars of Battling the Lingering Effects of COVID-19
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Over the course of the past few years, I have noticed a startling and worrisome trend — the age range of my patients has declined from the early 40s to the early 30s. And they share many of the same symptoms, including brain fog, impaired concentration, post exertional fatigue, and day-to-day exhaustion.
I hesitate to attribute this trend to COVID-19, Long Covid, or Long Vax (Long post-COVID Vaccination Syndrome) based solely on my own clinical evidence. Too many variables exist, and too much has happened over the past five (5) years to draw such a hasty conclusion.
Emotional stress alone can cause many of these symptoms, and we have no shortage of that. Combine that with increased challenges to the immune system, toxins in our environment and in our diet, and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, and it should be no surprise that younger people are starting to show signs of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion.
To some degree, the problem matters less than the solution, and the cause matters less than the cure. Changes to my patient demographic may be the result of the above-mentioned symptoms. Or they may be due to anxiety over politics, personal finances, employment, relationships, or other issues. Whatever the cause, these patients are struggling with the same cluster of symptoms. And they respond positively to a similar treatment protocol personalized to each patient’s unique health history (and family health history), biology, and symptom profile.
In this post, I focus on solutions. Here I lay out the five (5) pillars that are key to recovering from Long Covid and other conditions that trigger chronic inflammation, deplete your reserves, and impair your body’s self-healing and self-repair mechanisms. What you will find is that these five pillars are familiar concepts for health, with added medicinal tools to push the body to reduce inflammation and build resilience.
Pillar No. 1: Use synthetic peptides from a trusted and reliable compounding pharmacy.
Synthetic peptides mimic the peptides often found in your body. They are small proteins that signal the release of hormones, reduce inflammation, and repair tissue naturally. Peptides are made in compounding pharmacies and require a prescription. Low side-effect profiles and the benefits they provide in healing inflammation are what make them a valuable tool in fighting Long Covid and similar conditions.
(If you’re unfamiliar with peptides, please read my post The Healing and Rejuvenating Power of Therapeutic Peptides here on the PROVOKE Health blog.)
At PROVOKE Health, we use a combination of peptides and cofactors from a trusted compounding pharmacy. Based on each patient’s unique history and symptom profile, we may prescribe one or more of
Restoring Immune Health and Function with Thymosin Alpha-1
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Your immune system can act as a double-edged sword. When it’s functioning properly, it attacks and eliminates every alien invader that poses a threat to your health, be it a pathogenic bacteria, virus, fungus, or parasite.
When it’s underperforming, you’re at a greater risk of contracting infectious illnesses, including colds, flu, staph infections, e. coli infections, herpes, shingles, salmonella, pneumonia, and the list goes on.
When it’s overperforming, this active system can attack healthy tissues, causing autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, lupus, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and Graves’s disease. Then there are other immune disorders that often fly under the radar, triggering chronic inflammatory responses that can cause significant distress.
Modern medicine has provided us with numerous medications that can dial up or dial down the immune response. Medications most frequently used for dialing up the immune response are vaccines that trigger a response to specific pathogens that cause common illnesses such as measles, mumps, hepatitis, and polio. Other medications that prompt an immune response include interferon, colony-stimulating factors (CFSs), and monoclonal antibodies. Those medications that dial down the immune response include antihistamines and corticosteroids, among many others.
That being said, there are very few medications or supplements that are effective at both dialing up and dialing down the immune response to restore healthy immune function. Which is why we here at PROVOKE Health often recommend a peptide called Thymosin Alpha-1 (Tα1) to our patients who are struggling with immune system dysfunction or age-related immunosenescence (deterioration of the immune system).
What Is Thymosin Alpha-1
Thymosin Alpha-1 is a zinc-dependent thymus peptide primarily secreted by the thymus. If you’re unfamiliar with peptides, please read The Healing and Rejuvenating Power of Therapeutic Peptides by our founder, Dr. Matthew Lewis, D.C., DACBN, CFMP®, here on the PROVOKE Health blog.
Thymosin Alpha-1 plays a crucial role in modulating immune function, particularly in T-cell differentiation and immune response regulation. (T cells are a type of white blood cell that plays a key role in fighting infections.) Over the years, research into Thymosin Alpha-1 has uncovered its potential applications beyond immunomodulation, including neuroprotection and anti-inflammatory effects.
One of the beneficial applications of Thymosin Alpha-1 is its ability to
Using Tesamorelin and Glutathione to Treat Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
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With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, healthcare bloggers will no doubt be focusing their content on heart health. I have no objection to that. The heart is certainly a vital organ worthy of admiration.
However, the liver is often overlooked and equally deserving of love. After all, it’s a veritable workhorse in terms of all the vital services it provides. This dark reddish-brown, wedge-shaped organ serves the body with everything from digestion to detoxification. It produces bile to help digest fats and absorb fat-soluble vitamins. It helps regulate metabolism. It manufactures essential proteins. It regulates cholesterol levels by producing, converting, and breaking them down. And it’s a crucial component of the body’s detox mechanisms.
This Valentine’s Day, start showing your liver a little love. In this post, I introduce you to two natural therapies that promote liver health and provide valuable support for combatting a common liver condition — nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
What Is Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease?
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global health issue, affecting nearly a 32 percent of adults — 40 percent of men and 26 percent of women, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Characterized by excessive fat accumulation in the liver, NAFLD can progress to more severe conditions, including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even liver cancer.
NAFLD happens when too much fat builds up in the liver, even without heavy alcohol use. It is closely connected to health problems like obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol. Too much fat in the liver can cause stress and swelling, which can damage liver cells and make the condition worse. Right now, there are no FDA-approved medicines to treat NAFLD, so making healthy lifestyle changes and using natural treatments is very important.
While healthy diet and lifestyle, along with exercise, remain the cornerstone of maintaining liver health and managing NAFLD, emerging research highlights the potential benefits of Tesamorelin and glutathione in mitigating liver damage and improving overall liver function.
Targeting the Excess Fat with Tesamorelin
Here at PROVOKE Health, we provide peptide therapies that include Tesamorelin, which human studies have shown to significantly reduce NAFLD in
Making Functional Medicine More Affordable with a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
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It’s no secret that paying for healthcare in 2025 is a concern. While most traditional healthcare practices and doctors accept health insurance, many do not. These include those who practice functional medicine, integrative healthcare, or the type of complementary medicine that combines functional and integrative with conventional.
Here at PROVOKE Health, we combine the best of functional medicine, conventional healthcare, and complementary therapies with an emphasis on motivating patients to achieve their health goals and objectives. In this case, we’re a bit of a hybrid. We accept insurance for select treatments and therapies — but not all.
Regardless of the healthcare practice in which you place your trust, paying for that care can be a stressful proposition. You may have heard about using a health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) to cover the cost of medical expenses with pre-tax dollars. With HSAs and FSAs, you deposit money into an account before taxes are taken out of it and then use that money tax-free to pay for certain medical expenses, such as copays for doctor visits and dental care, prescription and over-the-counter medications, and eligible medical procedures.
In these challenging times, understanding your options is important, and that’s what this post is about, with a focus on HSAs and FSAs.
How Pre-Tax Dollars Reduce the Cost of Functional Medicine
An HSA or FSA can help address a common challenge many patients face when they pursue functional, integrative, and complementary healthcare options, such as care provided by practices like ours. Insurance companies often deny claims for testing or treatment that’s outside the scope of the traditional medical and pharmaceutical industries.
However, insurance companies have no say over what doctor or medical treatments you choose to use your HSA or FSA funds. As long as you’re paying for an eligible medical expense, such as a doctor’s visit, lab test, or medical procedure, you’re free to spend the money however you wish.
This opens the door to a useful strategy for making functional medicine and integrative healthcare more affordable — using an FSA or HSA to pay for it. By paying with pre-tax dollars, your expenses for non-traditional medical care are essentially reduced by the amount of money you would have paid in taxes on those contributions.
How Much Can You Save? Let’s Do the Math
For example, suppose you contribute $4,300 to an HSA over the course of the 2025 tax year, and you use the entire amount to cover out-of-pocket costs for functional medicine consultations, tests, and prescribed treatments.
Also suppose — based on your income tax bracket — you’re required to pay 24 percent in federal income taxes. You’re saving $4,300 x 0.24 = $1,032. So, instead
2024 in Review: A Year of Growth and Transformation for PROVOKE Health
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As 2024 draws to a close, we’re looking back and reflecting on what has proven to be a most remarkable year here at PROVOKE Health. The past dozen months have been become a year full of growth, transformation, and groundbreaking initiatives. All of it driven by our mission of collaborating with patients to rekindle their confidence and improve their resiliency by creating and co-managing personalized treatment plans that address complex and often chronic health problems.
Here’s a look back at the milestones that made 2024 a pivotal year for both PROVOKE Health and more important, our patients.
Launching the PROVOKE Health Brand
In 2024, we unveiled the PROVOKE Health brand, marking a new chapter in our commitment to improving lives through a unique blend of allopathic, functional, and integrative medicine. Our name embodies our approach: provoking positive change in health, challenging outdated medical norms, and empowering patients to take control of their wellness journeys.
The launch of our new brand was further amplified by our website. Designed with you in mind, it serves as an educational hub and a gateway to our approach to healthcare, blending functional, integrative, and holistic medicine. With features like an online appointment scheduler, insights into the conditions we treat and our services, and highly informative blog posts, our website is an important component of the PROVOKE Health experience.
Welcoming our Medical Director: Dr. Karalynne Blochberger
This year, we expanded our leadership team by welcoming Dr. Karalynne Blochberger, MD as PROVOKE Health’s Medical Director. Affectionately known as Dr. B., she brings a wealth of experience and a shared passion for functional medicine. Her patient-focused approach and expertise in treating complex and chronic conditions have already made a significant impact on our practice. Under her guidance, we’re better equipped than ever to deliver transformative personalized healthcare.
Supporting Dr. B and our founder, Dr. Matt Lewis, are Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Cara Palermo, Administrative Coordinator Margaret Palmer, and Lutz clinic Administrative Assistant Elizabeth “Liz” Russo. Suffice it to say, PROVOKE Health wouldn’t be where it is today without the extraordinary efforts and skills that Cara, Margaret, and Liz bring to the team!
Opening Our Lutz Clinic
In 2024, we officially opened the doors to our flagship functional medicine clinic in Lutz, Florida. This facility was thoughtfully conceived to provide
PROVOKE Health’s 2024 Holiday Hours
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As we approach the holiday season, you may be wondering about our clinic and virtual / telehealth hours and availability. While the holiday season is a time for rest and connection with family and loved ones, we also remain committed to supporting your health and well-being.
Below is our clinic and virtual / telehealth schedule for Dec. 23, 2024, through Jan. 3, 2025, followed by a full return to our normal hours starting Jan. 6, 2025.
If you have a medical emergency during any of dates below or at any other time during the holidays, do not call PROVOKE Health. Instead, call 911 or seek medical immediate medical treatment from the nearest emergency room or urgent care facility.
Monday, Dec. 23, 2024
- Margaret Palmer, Administrative Coordinator, is available all day.
Tuesday, Dec. 24 & Wednesday, Dec. 25
- CLOSED: PROVOKE Health is closed — everyone is off for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the first night of Hannukah.
Thursday, Dec. 26
- Dr. Karalynne Blochberger, Medical Director: Available for virtual / telehealth appointments from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time
- Margaret Palmer, Administrative Coordinator, is available all day.
Friday, Dec. 27th
- Cara Palermo, Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), and Elizabeth “Liz” Russo, Administrative Assistant: Available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time at the Lutz clinic.
- Margaret Palmer, Administrative Coordinator, is available all day.
Saturday and Sunday — Dec. 28 & 29
- CLOSED: Enjoy your weekend!
Monday, Dec. 30
Plaquex and the Health Benefits of Intravenous Phosphatidylcholine
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Recently here at PROVOKE Health, we began offering Plaquex to some of our patients as part of their personalized plan of care. Plaquex is a special formulation of phosphatidylcholine delivered intravenously. Phosphatidylcholine is an essential phospholipid found in cell membranes that is gaining traction in medical and wellness circles for its potential therapeutic benefits.
Administered intravenously, phosphatidylcholine has been used and studied widely for its role in cellular repair, detoxification, and cardiovascular health.
But let’s apply the brakes for a second. Before we go any further, you need to know that while some healthcare providers claim on their websites and in their marketing materials that Plaquex is FDA approved, it is not.
However, its primary ingredient is phosphatidylcholine, which is recognized as safe by the FDA for use in a number of areas, including in food and dietary supplements. That’s because phosphatidylcholine is a naturally occurring phospholipid found in many foods and is not subject to the same stringent approval process as a drug when used in this context.
For that reason, phosphatidylcholine has been used in nearly a quarter of all other countries around the world, primarily to reduce the buildup of plaque in the arteries.
In our clinical practice here at PROVOKE Health, we have found it useful in our treatment of the following conditions:
Peptide Therapy for Joint Repair and Pain Relief
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Whether you’re a 23-year-old college-level athlete or a 62-year-old nearing retirement, your body’s joints take a beating, even when you’re healthy and somewhat active. If you have the added burden of dealing with some form of arthritis — a disease that targets the joints — that strain is even greater.
The good news? Emerging treatments like peptide therapy for joint pain show promise in easing pain and supporting long-term joint health.
Unfortunately, conventional medicine (think primary care physician) offers patients only imperfect solutions — pain relief and anti-inflammatory medications, steroid injections, and joint replacement. These treatments can certainly be helpful, but most provide only temporary relief at best, and one requires invasive surgery.
If you’re looking for a unique approach tailored to how you experience pain — an approach that deploys cutting-edge peptides, natural anti-inflammatory protocols, and expert advice on reducing pain and promoting healing both short- and long-term — the team here at PROVOKE Health can help. . This is not a quick-fix solution. It requires time, effort, and expertise. But it restores joint health and function without surgery and without medications that may cause additional joint deterioration and other health issues.
In this post, we explore the reasons joint pain can be so difficult to manage, and we explain our approach at PROVOKE Health using peptide therapies that focus on restoring joint health and function and make the pain go away or reduces it significantly, making it much easier to manage.
Knee pain and shoulder pain are the two most common types of joint pain. Tennis elbow (pickleball elbow?) is also common. Here at PROVOKE Health, our own Dr. Matt Lewis struggled with an injury to his rotator cuff. Check out his previous post, “Is There a Miracle Cure for Rotator Cuff and Other Joint Injuries?” to read about his personal experience and recovery.
Peptide Therapy for Joint Pain
Knee pain is one of the most common forms of joint pain. Traditional treatments include rest, physical therapy, and steroid injections. These treatments tend to
Getting to the Heart of High Cholesterol and Cardiovascular Disease
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During a recent visit to a conventional medicine doctor, I shared my Cardio IQ lipid test results from Quest Labs — a test I ordered on my own. As the doctor reviewed the data, he looked puzzled, eventually remarking, “Fancy tests, above my pay grade.”
Cardiovascular disease, as you may know, is a silent epidemic affecting nearly half of all U.S. adults and claiming more lives each year than any other health condition. Despite its prevalence, many doctors are unaware of next level tests like Cardio IQ, while their approach to care focuses primarily on short-term symptom relief, overlooking the deeper, underlying causes.
At PROVOKE Health, we’re committed to a different approach. Through advanced testing and a functional medicine approach to healthcare, we address cardiovascular disease at its roots, offering patients more than just a temporary fix and paving the way for optimal long-term health.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a classification of illnesses that include arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), atherosclerosis (buildup of plaque in the arteries), cardiac arrest (heart stops beating), heart attack (blockage stops blood flow to the heart), congenital heart disease (structural deformities present from birth), high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy (enlarged, thickened, or stiffened heart muscle), and stroke.
According to the most recent data from the American Heart Association (AHA), cardiovascular disease accounted for 931,578 deaths in the United States in 2021. That’s more than all forms of cancer and chronic lower respiratory disease combined. Between 2017 and 2020, 127.9 million U.S. adults (48.6 percent) had some form of cardiovascular disease. And between 2019 and 2020, direct and indirect costs of total cardiovascular disease were $422.3 billion ($254.3 billion in direct costs and $168.0 billion in lost productivity/mortality).
Despite these alarming statistics, many healthcare providers — especially those who are trained in conventional medicine — continue to offer only short-term solutions that often fail to address the root causes of cardiovascular disease, such as the following treatments:
The Patient Dilemma: Face-to-Face or Telehealth Doctor Visits
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As healthcare practices continue to evolve, many patients we treat find themselves weighing the benefits of in-person appointments against the convenience of virtual consultations. Most functional medicine and integrative healthcare practices, which is what we are (we focus on treating the whole person rather than just symptoms) offer both telehealth and in-person options to meet the diverse needs of patients.
For anyone interested in understanding the inherent differences between the two appointment formats, a recent study sheds light on the pros and cons of in-person and virtual doctor visits. These insights can help patients make informed decisions about how they interact with their doctors and other healthcare providers.
In-Person Interactions: The Power of Presence
The study, which is entitled, Separable processes for live “in-person” and live “zoom-like” faces, was conducted by researchers from Yale University’s School of Medicine. It focused on how people respond to live, in-person interactions compared to “zoom-like” virtual meetings. One finding claims people participating in in-person settings often feel a stronger connection and experience more intense social and emotional engagement. This is linked to what scientists call “live face processing,” which purports our brains are wired to respond more deeply to real-life, face-to-face interactions.
In fact, the study showed that during in-person interactions, participants spent more time focusing on their partner’s face and eyes. This led to:
- Greater visual engagement, reflected in both behavioral and physiological responses such as increased pupil dilation, which can indicate heightened arousal and attentiveness.
- Brain scans also revealed greater neural activity in regions associated with social cues, such as the somatosensory cortex, suggesting that the brain is more stimulated by in-person communication.
For patients, this means that an in-person visit with a healthcare provider may provide a stronger sense of connection, which can be important when discussing personal health concerns or forming a trusting relationship with your doctor. Patients who thrive on personal interaction and value the subtleties of body language, facial expressions, and direct eye contact, may find that in-person visits offer a richer, more satisfying experience.
Virtual Consultations: Convenience and Accessibility
On the other hand, the study also highlighted some of the unique strengths of virtual interactions, especially in terms of convenience and accessibility. While virtual consultations may lack the depth of in-person, face-to-face interaction, they still allow for
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