To Existing Patients, from Dr. Ellison

Why Functional Medicine?

After doing primary care for over 35 years, I have realized that I love working on challenging issues that take more time and deeper looks than I can routinely offer in a primary care mode. So, you will definitely need to maintain a primary care provider, and any specialty care that you currently have - at least for a time. If a functional medicine approach improves your health significantly, it is our intention that you will need much less medical care. Period. Even the most challenging and hopeless problems like cognitive decline can be helped. But this usually takes many months of implementing the changes we recommend. Your health problems did not start yesterday, but they can improve. And I love to work with whatever it is that breaks my heart.

Read what my current patients are saying:

"Yes! This has been an amazing experience for my wife & I! So many people don't understand that with a dedicated health care professional, such as yourself, the treatment of Alzheimer's can be aggressively and successfully undertaken and experience favorable results! Personally, I feel better each day and have a very positive outlook and look forward to the challenges ahead of us." from an Alzheimer's patient whose MOCA score went from 19 to 21 in 3 months and who is still improving.

"I cannot believe it, I did the one thing you suggested and I already feel much better a week later."

from a patient with low stomach acid, and weak fingernails, among other things.

"I have had such a battle with SIBO, but you have helped me get my health back!"

from a 25 year old young woman who had been struggling with GI symptoms for years.

"My migraines were the scary kind with stroke-like residual, and now with the program I am on, I don't fear them, and they are much less frequent now."

from a 28 year old man with methylation issues and Gilbert's syndrome

"I am so grateful, my endometrial biopsy came back normal - no hysterectomy!"

from a woman with hormonal issues that were manifesting as a precancerous uterine lining.

"I came to you with such brain fog and fatigue, and now I feel ten years younger. Thank you for helping me with my health. I like it that my MOCA score went from 22 to 26!"

from a woman with food sensitivities and 'leaky gut' who got a reversal of her Minimum Cognitive Decline diagnosis.

"You have given me my life back! My energy, my digestion - I can't believe, after two years of distress, are almost normal."

from a 70 year old woman who still plays Pickle Ball

"Your sauna detox protocol is so effective - and so pleasant!"

from a 72 year old writer who had been waylaid by mycotoxin effects on her GI tract.

What in addition to a comprehensive history and physical examination are you to expect?

I will review whatever labs and studies you can make available to me through the care you've already received. Then to aid in diagnosis and preventive strategies, depending on your history, I often suggest certain sophisticated labs or CIMT, if for example, the main issue is cardiovascular prevention. And pertinent other labs are possible such as toxin, hormone, stool studies, etc.

CIMT

CIMT stands for carotid intima media thickness and abnormalities in this inexpensive scan predict greater risk of stroke and heart attack. If plaque is present in these very visible neck arteries, it can be anywhere. Commonly, I meet patients who don't want to or just cannot take the statins that are recommended. With a CIMT we can better address that issue. We can even see arteries improve with the treatment approach we use.

Lab Testing

Lab testing is done by providers such as Vibrant America, Great Plains, Quicksilver, Genova, Doctor's Data and Cyrex Labs, to name a few. I don't always need sophisticated labs, but often these will aid us in zeroing in on problems such as GI issues, cardiovascular risk, cognitive decline, and hormonal issues. Great Plains Lab or Real Time offer us mycotoxin testing. Great Plains also offers organic acid testing and much more. Vibrant America does our advanced cardiovascular labs and hormonal labs. General lab panels can be drawn at any lab - we will write that order, and help you find the lab to do the processing. To help with coverage, we provide justifying diagnoses and any support documentation needed. Laboratory fees are either paid directly to those labs or through us if we can provide a discount, and may be covered in part or in whole by your insurance plan once you show them your paid bill. But there are no guarantees of this. We will work with you to get as much covered by your insurance as possible. Medicare is another story with my "opt out" status, the labs I order would be covered if not handled by my office. However, we will give thought as to ordering only what is really needed so as to minimize the financial burden on you even when we have to use specialty labs.

Genetics/Nutrigenetics

I find it very useful to personalize a patient's care if I know their genetic profile as interpreted through an algorithm which shows a person's genetic strengths and weaknesses. There is an added charge for this incredibly useful assessment, but in having your diet and supplementation guided by your genetics, there is also added peace of mind.

Medical Technology

Though I cannot emphasize enough that diet and other lifestyle changes are like trump cards in a game of bridge, I have discovered through seeking optimal health that several special therapeutic devices can make a big difference. The older we get, the more help we often need to stay healthy. Is this true for you? And with certain adjunctive therapeutic wellness devices, we help people achieve the goal of living stronger longer.

The three I commonly recommend are in place at the SEE Wellness office and are: First, to improve blood flow at the capillary level, the best device available is here. The Bemer is worth exploring. There have been over a thousand medical studies on EMF, particularly in Europe, and particularly of the Bemer, that have verified the clinical usefulness of this mode of care. NASA, in fact, is utilizing this same device in the astronauts' space suits in an attempt to mitigate the dramatic bone and muscle wasting that happens in astronauts who spend a year in space.

Second, the use of regular sauna aids detox and weight loss and has been found to be beneficial for issues as serious as congestive heart failure. We often recommend a Sauna protocol for our patients.

Third, the Vielight, is a photobiomodulation device that has FDA approval as a general wellness device. Lately a study of 9 Alzheimer's patients showed improvement of their mental status to such a significant degree that a much larger multi-center study of 250 patients has begun at three major medical centers. To book any of these services, please visit the Adjunctive Medical Technology page.

And there's more.

Retreats

Fourth, with the help of others, I occaisionaly offer 3-5 day Wellness retreats to help patients immerse themselves in every aspect of our care at SEE Wellness. These are held at the Haven River Inn, Comfort, Texas. All the modalities we offer will be part of that experience. Click here to learn more about the retreats.

My Book

Fifth, so much of a patient's improvement comes from their own education and perseverance, so the book that I wrote to start them on their health journey with SEE Wellness is a must read. It's called, Do I Eat This? D.I.E.T?

What can I say, if you'd like a head-start, you should buy one. Please click here to learn more about the book and hear what others have said about it.