Areas of Specialty
I became a registered nurse in 2006 and completed a master's degree in 2010 at the University of Michigan. I worked on a cardiothoracic unit at the Detroit Medical Center while completing my graduate studies. Upon graduating as a nurse practitioner, I worked in a suburban hospital setting as a hospitalist. It was in this traditional healthcare environment that I began to experience a profound paradigm shift in the way I viewed illness, wellness and the treatment of chronic disease conditions.
Because the cornerstone of the nurse practitioner profession is that of health promotion and disease prevention, I soon became disillusioned with the traditional healthcare model and the "pill for every ill" mentality that drives the current healthcare system. I intuitively knew that there was a better way to manage health and promote wellness.
While in graduate school, I became a patient in a local Functional Medicine practice in suburban Detroit where I was exposed firsthand to the tenets of Functional Medicine and Anti-Aging Medicine, including an emphasis on healthy lifestyle choices, sound nutrition, daily exercise and stress reduction. I also began bio-identical hormone replacement therapy and understood their value in promoting health, wellness and vitality.
I ultimately joined this private practice and have undergone extensive training in both Functional Medicine (Institute for Functional Medicine) and Anti-Aging Medicine (American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine). I was recruited by Dr. Mark Hyman for the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine and continued to expand upon my experience for four years in both Functional Medicine and Anti-Aging Medicine. I became certified in Functional Medicine in 2017.
PERSONAL
My personal interests include public speaking, working with my personal trainer, and trying to keep up with my three young grandchildren!
FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE | ANTI-AGING MEDICINE
PEPTIDES
PEPTIDES - THE NEXT FRONTIER IN MEDICINE
As a provider in the Functional Medicine/Anti-Aging space, I’m a firm believer that you can “turn back the clock” on the aging process in a safe healthy way. Restoring hormone levels in both men and women is step #1 and a big contributor to a patient’s ability to achieve and maintain healthy aging.
Step #2 is PEPTIDES! Peptides allow us to redefine the aging process. Peptides are naturally occurring strings of amino acids that act as signaling agents in the body. They assist in overall cell function and can be recreated in a laboratory. Peptides can be assembled in a variety of different “chains” and they have different effects on different parts of the human body.
Like so many other things in the human body, natural signaling agents trend down as part of the aging process. IGF-1 (insulin-growth factor), for example, is a laboratory indicator of anti-aging and longevity. The benefits of IGF-1 in the human body include prevention of muscle wasting, management of blood sugar levels and protection against neurological disorders. Peptides have the ability to improve IGF-1 levels in the human body in a natural, pulsed manner.
Human growth hormone (HGH) has been around for years, but can only be legally prescribed under very narrow parameters. HGH is also not safe because it can cause uninhibited growth in the human body and increase the risk for certain types of cancer. Peptides, on the other hand, STIMULATE the anterior pituitary (a part of the brain) to release human growth hormone in a pulsed manner, which is the natural way it should be released.
There are currently over 60 U.S. FDA-approved peptides on the market and the number continues to grow. I have attended virtual conferences and read countless research articles on the topic of peptides. I have started prescribing peptides for my patient population with success.