Welcome to
Premier Integrative Health
Functional Medicine is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the healthcare needs of the 21st century.
By shifting the traditional disease-centered focus of medical practice to a more patient-centered approach, functional medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms.
Functional Medicine practitioners spend time with their patients, listening to their histories and looking at the interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex, chronic disease.
In this way, Functional Medicine supports the unique expression of health and vitality for each individual.
What is Functional Medicine?
The Current System
The current medical system will generally wait until a disease is present and then reactively take action by prescribing pharmaceuticals and expensive procedures.
This may be effective for acute illness and trauma but is terribly ineffective for the evolving landscape of disease and dysfunction our country faces in this new era. By utilizing detailed history taking and, when needed, advanced testing we can understand your body and personalized health goals on a much deeper level.
“It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease then to know what sort of disease a person has.” –Hippocrates
Why do we need Functional Medicine?
Our society is experiencing a sharp increase in the number of people who suffer from complex, chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, mental illness, and autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis.
The system of medicine practiced by most physicians is oriented toward acute care, the diagnosis and treatment of trauma or illness that is of short duration and in need of urgent care, such as appendicitis or a broken leg.
Unfortunately, the acute-care approach to medicine lacks the proper methodology and tools for preventing and treating complex, chronic disease.
There’s a huge gap between research and the way doctors practice. The gap between emerging research in basic sciences and integration into medical practice is enormous—as long as 50 years—particularly in the area of complex, chronic illness.
Most physicians are not adequately trained to assess the underlying causes of complex, chronic disease and to apply strategies such as nutrition, diet, and exercise to both treat and prevent these illnesses in their patients.
How is Functional
Medicine Different?
Functional medicine involves understanding the origins, prevention, and treatment of complex, chronic disease. Hallmarks of a functional medicine approach include:
Patient-centered care. The focus of functional medicine is on patient-centered care, promoting health as a positive vitality, beyond just the absence of disease.
An integrative, science-based healthcare approach. Functional Medicine practitioners look “upstream” to consider the complex web of interactions in the patient’s history, physiology, and lifestyle that can lead to illness. The unique genetic makeup of each patient is considered, along with both internal (mind, body and spirit) and external (physical and social environment) factors that affect total functioning.
Integrating best medical practices. Functional Medicine integrates traditional Western medical practices with what are sometimes considered “alternative” or “integrative” medicine, creating a focus on prevention through nutrition, diet, and exercise; use of the latest laboratory testing and other diagnostic techniques; and prescribed combinations of drugs and/or botanical medicines, supplements, therapeutic diets, detoxification programs, or stress-management techniques.
Personalized Medicine
Personalized medicine is an approach to health and wellness that is tailored specifically for YOU. If two people present with the same disease or same set of symptoms it is likely they had very different paths that led them there and therefore will require different treatments to restore them to health.
At Premier Integrative Health, we not only take a personalized approach to your health but one that is also predictive, preventative and participatory.
Dr. Dyer and his staff will then work with you on developing a plan that will not only restore health but hopefully give you the tools you need to succeed in many aspects of your life!
A word from Dr. Bradley Dyer
FAQs
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When taking a Functional and Integrative approach to health your complete history is very important to us. Prior to your first appointment, you will receive a very detailed intake form that will ask you about your life from conception all the way to your current concerns. It will be important that you are thorough in answering these questions as it will better help us understand you as a whole person. On the day of your appointment, you will spend 60-90 minutes with Dr. Dyer going over your history, telling your story and identifying your primary concerns and goals. You will undergo a detailed physical exam that will include a bioelectrical impedance analysis of your body composition. We will recommend some basic lab testing to help us with our investigation as well as more advanced testing, if indicated. Within a week of your first visit (or same day if traveling from out of town), you will spend 60 minutes with our Health Coach to help put a plan in place that will get you on your way to wellness.
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No, this is primarily because insurance does not accept this approach to health. Insurance companies would rather pay for multiple short visits that focus on pharmaceutical interventions than long, personalized visits that focus on root cause resolution of disease. By working directly for you and not the insurance company, we are able to give you the personalized care needed to move towards optimal health.
It is important to note that our membership does NOT constitute insurance and does NOT satisfy the requirement by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to have an insurance plan. Members often save money by combining our services with high deductible plans. The high deductible plans serve as ‘wrap-around’ insurance for major events that might require procedures or hospitalization. The membership can take care of your everyday health needs including treating chronic medical conditions. This is similar to using car insurance to cover for big accidents, but paying out of pocket for the routine maintenance and upkeep. -
We accept cash, credit/debit card, ACH and in many cases, FSA/HSA funds. We also accept medical financing through Advance Care Card. We are a program-based clinic with memberships to follow based on the assessment of your health. There is a $150 enrollment fee due upon scheduling your first appointment.
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This is a common question, and the answer is YES. Let’s look at some statistics: if you add up adverse prescription drug reactions, medical errors, surgical complications and hospital acquired infections from our conventional medical systems, it ends up being one of the top 3 causes of deaths in our country. In addition, research shows you are 60 thousand times more likely to die from a prescription drug than a food supplement and 7 thousand times more likely than herbal remedies. At Premier Integrative Health, we take an Integrative Medicine approach which uses the best of both conventional and alternative medicine to get you on your path to wellness. To get started, contact us for a free consultation!
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We ask that our members continue to maintain a relationship with their in-network primary care provider. Our focus at Premier Integrative Health is utilizing integrative and functional medicine to treat, prevent and potentially reverse chronic disease. That being said, if you are looking for more natural approaches to acute conditions such is coughs, colds, aches and pains etc. then we are happy to help you with that as well. We do not provide emergency care, and we do not prescribe opiates or benzodiazepines.