Strong relationships hold strong, and when they break, they break badly, brutally, and apparently irreparably. So when brothers find themselves in enmity....

With a reported 65 million people worldwide dealing with Long COVID at some point, we have enough research (about time) that indicates that a variety of mechanisms contribute to Long COVID including micro-clots in blood vessels and ongoing inflammation. However, despite a few years under our research belts and millions of people affected, the article points out that we still don’t have approved therapies for this debilitating condition. Despite the inability of the convention

People are a study in contradiction. On the one hand, we tend to want control, to decide what happens to us and to everybody else. On the other hand, we hate responsibility, in our fallen state; we strongly dislike....

At Sanctuary Functional Medicine, we have a steady stream of new patients who come to us with mold toxicity problems, some anticipating the diagnosis and others not. Either way, once we are confident in the diagnosis, the “why me and not them?” question arises. It boils down to an interplay of differences in genetics, differences in toxic exposures (exposome), and differences in the types of mold which live in one’s environment. Genetics Confirming a diagnosis of mold toxi

Getting both sides of the story is an absolutely essential part of argument and judgement; it’s also a choice we don't like to make. We get a first impression, and we stick with it, for pride and other reasons. Particularly if we've....

If you have been looking for a new way to eat healthier, support your local community, or get your kids involved in the kitchen, try eating seasonally! If you are local to middle Tennessee, you know there are so many wonderful farms and farmers markets to explore all year round. If not, I still encourage you to investigate what options might be out there for buying local produce. Here are some reasons why it’s a good idea for you and your family:   Local produce has more nutr

Iron is a one of the most important minerals in our bodies. It is responsible for our body’s energy, oxygen transport, and overall vitality. Yet, iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies worldwide. This most often comes with symptoms such as chronic fatigue, paleness, brittle nails, weakness, and even compromises the immune system. Whether you're an athlete, a busy parent, or are someone who struggles with iron deficiency, ensuring you get enough iro

Innovation deserves recognition, especially when it involves a bright new idea applied to an old problem like Lyme disease.  While I am not a big fan of Duke University- I graduated from University of Kentucky-, I have to give these Duke scientists credit for their pharmaceutical engineering.  By connecting a transport molecule to a light activated “berserker” molecule, they created a stealth warhead capable of destroying Lyme bacteria from the inside out.  After sneaking the

The study of interest today seems pretty “Duh!” Just about every parent will attest to the effects of teenage hormones on their sweet little pre-teen.  But there is something here much more critical to the future health of our children!  This study looked at the effects of synthetic hormones known popularly as “birth control” or “the pill” on the impulsivity of teenage rats.  Their findings strongly suggest that dosing hormones in teenage rats similarly to how we dose them in

The internet serves as a sort of battlefield of opinions for so many topics, from medicine to politics to religion. The debate over the safety of fluoride has been one of those channels you could tune into whenever you wanted to watch the two sides grapple, wielding not just opinions but studies to try and disprove the other’s position. Today, we share one of the recent studies indicating that at some point, a child can get too much fluoride and suffer some cognitive effects.

When No One Asks How Dad Is Doing: A Wake-Up Call-Paternal Post-Partum Depression

Why do we need scientific studies to convince us that common sense was right in the first place? On one hand, sometimes common sense is not exactly right and studies disprove myths and legends. On the other hand, we are limited as humans in our knowledge and insight such that biases and blind spots can distort common sense. Regardless, at the end of the day, a good study which confirms our prior suspicions does give us some credibility when urging others to make a lifestyle c

While a mom’s belly should be the safest place for a developing baby to start his life, his mom’s exposure to toxins will affect the children’s life even after birth.  The evidence is clear: prenatal toxins and stressors can matter to his future.  Besides adding to this evidence, this study also confirms biological individuality.  Not every child suffers the same ill effects as others because individual genetics determine how impactful a given toxin is on a person. Researche

Proverbs 14:34 ESV Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. How do we assess the nations we live in, the governments we live under, the peoples we are born amidst? We could run calculations and figure out the local or national GDP; we could consider how much we like our governmental representatives; we could assess how much we enjoy the culture we interact with. These measurements aren’t even all subjective; like and dislike are the definition of

Research is showing that toxic mold may be far more harmful to our health than doctors once believed. A recent study from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio supports what many patients and functional medicine providers have been seeing for years. The researchers looked at a condition called chemical intolerance, where people develop symptoms when exposed to things they once tolerated—like cleaning products, fragrances, foods, medications, or environm

New research explores how gut bacteria and their metabolites may influence brain inflammation in autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and why caution is still needed. Read More >

Proverbs 14:31 ESV Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. [ Proverbs 14:31 ]  God made man in His image. The Fall marred that image but did not destroy it. Therefore, when man harms his fellow man, he assaults the image of God, not mere arrangements of matter and delusion (as the atheist is eventually forced to call man). W

The health of our nation is declining—not only in adult cardiometabolic health, but in how early poor cardiometabolic health now begins. While rates of diabetes, stroke, and heart disease continue to rise in adults, we must recognize a sobering reality: the tsunami of cardiometabolic disease has not yet peaked . More children are now entering adolescence with obesity, elevated blood pressure, high blood sugar, and abnormal cholesterol levels—conditions that were once consider

Artificial sweeteners promise sweetness without consequences—but long-term research suggests they may increase body fat, BMI, and waist circumference.

While none of us enjoy hearing the newest, slightly-longer-than-four-letter curse word—COVID—research into the pathophysiology of both acute and chronic COVID illness has provided an unexpected benefit: it has helped us better understand Lyme disease. Clinical experience in both adult and pediatric functional medicine clinics confirms what the research is now revealing, COVID and Lyme disease activate many of the same inflammatory pathways. In some patients, COVID infection,