Functional Medicine and Holistic practitioner Dr. Steve Wander spoke at Business Expert Forum at Harvard Faculty Club and shared the stage with New York Time Best-selling author Suzanne Somers.
He provides noninvasive treatments and solutions for patients suffering from thyroid, Type 2 Diabetes, and autoimmune issues. His grandmother’s health problems initially influenced the focus of his functional medicine practice.
Dr. Wander also works with all metabolic conditions, adrenal fatigue, leaky gut and more. His latest book is “Reverse Your Diabetes, Change Your Life” and co-authored “Secrets to Weight Loss Success.” He has been interviewed on CNN, Fox News, Bravo TV, and MSNBC.
Dr. Wander says his patients are people whose health is their number one priority. They are tired of suffering and ready to do what it takes to change their current health situation rather than cover up their symptoms with medication. He provides education and tools to help his patients get to the root cause of their health problems and symptoms. He then customizes a treatment plan as well as an education plan to help them achieve their healthcare goals.
New patients sometimes arrive at Dr. Wander’s practice with several misconceptions. Some expect the same tired old instructions: Change your diet, lose weight and exercise. “Some people should exercise while some should not. Another misconception is that you will need to starve and eat ‘rabbit food.’ This could not be further from the truth,” Dr. Wander said.
“Our clinical model which many refer to as functional medicine is a branch of healthcare that addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach and diagnostic testing to find the cause of your ailment, and not just put a bandage over the symptoms.”
He said 90-percent of women who are tired, can’t lose weight, can’t sleep, have low libido or thinning hair possibly don’t have thyroid disease and probably have a different issue. He said in those cases, he addresses the fire and not the smoke. Only after a thorough evaluation, will Dr. Wander prescribe a treatment plan.
“The research shows Type 2 Diabetes is preventable, treatable and reversible,” he said, citing a recent study in The Journal of American Medical Association suggesting that it can be put into partial or complete remission. He cautions and cites articles that prescription insulin is associated with an increased risk of diabetes-related complications, cancer, and mortality.
Dr. Wander calls autoimmune diseases a unique class of illnesses. “Essentially they are characterized by the immune system no longer just attacking foreign invaders, but instead attacking our own tissues.”
According to research, a person has a 60- to 65-percent chance of developing a second autoimmune condition after being diagnosed with the first.
“If you are frustrated and don’t understand why your condition doesn’t improve or is yo-yo-ing up and down, we will find out the why and find a solution,” he said. “Once we find out the why then our expertise is building a custom-made plan from the ground up. This can include dietary changes, vitamins, supplements, allergy elimination — the solutions are infinite.”
To learn more about Dr. Steve Wander, visit his website at dcfunctionalhealth.com or by calling 301-770-5395.