The Journey thus Far

The Journey thus Far

(This letter will update my established patients and give a bit of my background for potential and new patients. It will give everyone a snapshot of my journey, as well as allow patients seeking care to explore the possibilities of their own journey to true health and wellness)

 

Welcome to Good Medicine Colorado, My New Home Base

 

I have been out of patient care for over 18 months, and I miss it. It’s a part of my life I cannot do without. There are plenty of good reasons I was missing in action for 18 months, including moving with my family halfway across the country. After settling the house and this long hiatus from practicing, I feel once again called to see and treat patients. I wear many hats, but this is my true and favorite calling: being a doctor. 

 

When I started practicing medicine in 2001, I was a year removed from my Chief Resident position in Family Medicine at Miami Valley Hospital and had spent that year working in the Emergency Room to get enough money to start my first practice. This practice eventually evolved into an eight-provider practice where we practiced traditional medicine, and I hated it. I saw 30-35 patients a day and felt like the monkey for the organ grinder. I was herding people through like cattle, and if testing and prescriptions did not fix them, I would send them on to the specialist to do their bazillion tests and procedures and get lost in the system. The system seemed to like me being a “monkey” as everybody in that system, (pharmaceuticals, hospitals, and insurance) won, but the patients and I lost big time. I lost because what I went to medical school to do—heal people—seemed like a pipe dream. The patients lost because they were dependent on medications, testing, and specialists and were never empowered to understand their health or educated in ways to stay healthy. They believed disease was inevitable, and only the above-described system could help them. I felt helpless in the traditional approach, the very opposite of what I expected to feel as a doctor. 

I took various routes to feel useful outside of patient care, such as consulting with hospitals and office buildings, thinking business was better than feeling ineffective at the office. Plainly, I was looking at a severe case of burnout. Then, my world got turned upside down, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me.  

My son was four years old and was still not speaking. The school finally diagnosed him with an autism spectrum disorder, not I. Denial is not just for everyone else but was where I lived for those four years because, if he was on the spectrum, there was nothing to do but lots of therapy and hope for the best. With the diagnosis of “untreatable” autism as a wake-up call and help from a chiropractic friend, I understood there was a way to view the human body as a connected whole. The term “untreatable” applies to that which we don’t understand fully.

Finally, I understood why I went to medical school: to search for root causes of disease to implement true healing. My son started speaking full sentences 24 hours after changing his diet. There are tears in my eyes as I write this, for there is no greater love than a parent has for his child. I realized that many parents and patients were feeling helpless too. I could not use my previous techniques, so I struck out on my own and started my Functional Medicine practice.  

I started anew in a 900 square foot office in a small town with the “Field of Dreams” mantra playing in my head, “If you build it, they will come,” Though it was not the “ideal” location, I felt the “ideal” spot to be was where there were people who needed care. Guess what? People came, and I was busy. My practice developed over the next 11 years and I had to get a bigger place in Oxford, Ohio. During that time, I became advanced certified in Functional Medicine and created a genetic platform, Pure Genomics. This platform allows people to understand another piece of their medical puzzle, genetics, for free. That project was in partnership with Atrium Innovations Pro Brands, a supplement company, and they eventually made me their Chief Medical Advisor. With this position came more responsibilities. I was having a hard time juggling patient care and creating a vision of reaching even more people with Functional Medicine in my new role as Chief Medical Advisor, so I took some time off and regroup.  

Over the last 18 months, I have worked with others in my field on some fantastic projects that will help educate medical students and residents in functional medicine, along with creating an even more robust personalization platform with Pure Genomics. Now, I have come back to my true calling: seeing patients.  

I am super excited about my new practice in Palmer Lake, Colorado, where three other Certified Functional Medicine practitioners will join me. I look forward to applying all the things I have learned over these many years to help my patients/friends and support my patients in Ohio and my community in Colorado.

Solve the Puzzle of Baby Eczema

Solve the Puzzle of Baby Eczema

There are few things worse than seeing your baby struggle with bright red cheeks, oozing wounds, and scratching themself bloody. Watching their skin flake off and leave piles where they sat is horrible. The sleepless nights and tortured cries are gut-wrenching. 

As a parent and a clinician that sees this on a weekly basis, my heart goes out to the parents who are watching their little ones suffer. I’ve been there myself having had eczema and with little ones that had it too, so I can relate to the experience of the parents and the kiddos suffering through it. 

Thankfully, you can solve the eczema puzzle with the right steps. The key is identifying the underlying root causes and treating them appropriately. 

In adults, the underlying causes are many ranging from genetic predispositions, stress/trauma, and toxicity, to dietary factors, hormone and nutrient imbalances, and a disrupted microbiome- especially in the gut. Inflammatory conditions like eczema arise when the environmental factors mentioned collide with genetics (dig deeper into this subject in another article I wrote).   

The GREAT news is that eczema in little ones is much easier to resolve since they don’t have decades of stress, trauma, and environmental exposures that make it trickier in adults! Plus, their little bodies have an incredible capacity to heal.  

Taking a Thorough History to learn more about your baby’s eczema

The first step in this process is taking a thorough history to uncover predisposing factors. Some of the issues we commonly see in little ones with eczema are:

  •  C-section birth or birth complications/ interventions 
  •  Mom had Group B Strep, UTI, or yeast infection during pregnancy 
  •  Stress for Mom during pregnancy
  •  Mom having known GI issues that were not resolved prior to pregnancy.
  •  Family history of the allergic triad (allergies, asthma, and eczema), 
  •  Nursing or feeding troubles, colic, or early food allergies (rejection of solids or food   avoidance can be a sign something is off with the gut)
  •  Seasonal skin flares indicating an allergic component
  •  History of mother or baby living in a moldy environment or near high chemical or pollutant concentrations such as farms, golf courses, airports, highways, industry, etc.
  •  Baby or child having constipation, diarrhea or loose stools, gas, burping or bloating

Having a thorough history allows us to see the big picture of what the likely causes are and what tests we need to order. I always order a comprehensive stool analysis so gut imbalances like dysbiosis can be identified, as well as the bacteria, fungi, and parasites that may be causing it. GI health markers are also helpful in determining inflammation, immune activation, and digestive function. 

Additional Testing for an accurate diagnosis and treatment

Additional testing is sometimes necessary and could involve: 

  • serum labs to assess the immune system or allergens 
  • organic acids to assess fungi/mold and harmful bacteria
  • food allergy or sensitivity testing or other specialized testing 
  • we can also do genetic analysis if the child or parent has completed a 23andMe.  

Regarding testing, it’s important to note that you should wait until you see a qualified provider to decide which tests are needed. If you order them on your own, you may order the wrong ones and end up having to spend extra money unnecessarily on the right ones. In my practice, the only tests we order are ones that directly inform the course of treatment. 

Once the test results are received and reviewed, a treatment plan specific to the needs of the patient is made. The bulk of treatment in little ones is generally focused on balancing the immune system, replacing nutrients, and supporting proper gut and digestive function. 

Skin healing typically begins during the first 1-2 months and is often almost resolved by 3-4 months. Total treatment time for babies is generally around 4-6 months total and sometimes a little longer in older children. 

Our goal is not only for your child to find relief and have soft, smooth skin, but also to give parents the tools to support their kiddos if skin issues crop up again. 

Dr. Stephanie Davis