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Welcome to module 27 focused on Integrative Approaches to Systemic Conditions: Functional Medicine Testing!
How to Interpret a Thyroid Panel
This session reviews the role of thyroid testing in dermatology. Thyroid and sex hormones will be discussed along with how to identify subclinical hypothyroidism and subclinical hyperthyroidism.
After completing this activity, participants will be able to:
- Understand the role thyroid hormone plays in overall health including skin health
- Describe the associations between thyroid hormone and sex hormones
- Recognize the testing patterns that help identify subclinical hypothyroidism and subclinical hyperthyroidism
Functional Medicine Testing: Sex Hormones
Sex hormones can have an impact on several dermatological conditions, therefore it is important to understand how to utilize functional medicine testing, including the advantages and limitations of serum, saliva, and urine testing to assess sex hormones.
After completing this activity, participants will be able to:
- Understand the Role and Impact of Sex Hormones in Dermatological Health: Review how sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) influence skin health.
- Integrate Hormone Testing Insights into Patient Care: Apply insights from functional medicine hormone testing in clinical practice in the context of individual patient presentations and personalized treatment plans.
- Explore Functional Medicine Approaches to Hormone Testing: Learn about the various methods and timing of functional medicine testing for sex hormones, including the advantages and limitations of serum, saliva, and urine testing.
Adrenal Health Testing
In this session, we will review the HPA axis and it's role in dermatological conditions. How to evaluate adrenal health function using functional testing methods will be discussed.
After completing this activity, participants will be able to:
- Comprehend HPA Axis Dysfunction and Its Dermatological Implications: Recognize the signs and implications of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction and understand how it can influence various skin conditions.
- Evaluate Adrenal Function Using Functional Medicine Tests: Gain basic proficiency in interpreting test results to assess HPA Dysfunction, appreciating their accuracy and application in integrative dermatology.
- Integrate Adrenal Health Insights into Dermatological Care: Apply knowledge of adrenal function and testing methods to enhance patient care in integrative dermatology, developing more comprehensive treatment strategies that address both hormonal and skin health aspects.
Functional Medicine Testing: Stool Tests and OATs
While dermatological diseases such as eczema have complicated pathologies, there is abundant evidence that part of the underlying root cause of these conditions is connected to gut microbiome dysfunction. This course presents the latest published research on the gut/skin connection including commensal bacteria, pathogenic bacteria, fungal organisms, and intestinal hyperpermeability. It will also review how to use functional medicine tests, like stool tests and organic acid tests, to determine and treat the root cause of dermatological disease.
After completing this activity, participants will be able to:
- List the basic components of a stool test and recognize which specific bacterial strains, markers, and patterns are most helpful for analyzing dermatological problems
- List the basic components of an organic acid test and recognize which specific markers and patterns are most helpful for analyzing dermatological problems
- Summarize research on the changes in the gut microbiome in patients with atopic dermatitis and psoriasis compared to healthy controls
- Analyze research on how gut dysbiosis contributes to the pathophysiology of skin diseases
Faculty
After finishing Medical School and Dermatology Residency at the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Bodemer completed a fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. She was the first Dermatologist to be board certified in both Dermatology and Integrative Medicine and currently is the only Dermatologist to serve on the Integrative Medicine Board. She has authored academic texts and curriculum and has spoken widely on a variety of topics related to Integrative Dermatology. She has always been drawn to exploring how lifestyle choices impact skin health and disease and feels that the most powerful role a physician can play is as an educator and guide, empowering people to get healthy and stay healthy.
Dr. Raja Sivamani is a board-certified dermatologist and practices as an integrative dermatologist at Pacific Skin Institute. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Clinical Dermatology at the University of California, Davis and Director of Clinical Research and the Clinical Trials Unit.He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the California State University, Sacramento and an Associate Professor of Dermatology at California Northstate University, College of Medicine.He engages in clinical practice as well as both clinical and translational research that integrates bioengineering, nutrition, cosmetics, and skin biology. With training in both Allopathic and Ayurvedic medicine, he takes an integrative approach to his patients and in his research.He has published over 100 peer-reviewed research manuscripts, 10 textbook chapters, and a textbook entitled Cosmeceuticals and Active Cosmetics, 3rd Edition with a passion for expanding the evidence and boundaries of integrative medicine for skin care.
Dr. Melinda Ring serves as Director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Northwestern University, and Clinical Associate Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Medical Social Sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL. She earned her medical degree and completed her residency at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, completed a Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, and has been in practice for more than 20 years. Dr. Ring is Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Integrative Medicine, and Diplomate of ABLM, and cares for patients with a wide variety of conditions and preventive health needs, with a special focus on women's health. In her roles at Northwestern, she oversees medical student and resident education and directs the clinical and faculty fellowships in integrative medicine, teaches the Cooking Up Health culinary medicine course, and researches nutrition and integrative strategies to promote health. Additionally, she contributes to textbooks, lectures, and research articles in the field of Women’s Health and Integrative Medicine, including PCOS, sleep disorders and menopause. In 2013, Rodale Books published her first book on integrative women’s health, The Natural Menopause Solution, and she has contributed to a variety of publications, including HuffPost and CNN. Dr. Ring also serves as board chair for the American Board of Integrative Medicine, on the Steering Committee of the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health, and on the editorial boards of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Global Advances in Health and Medicine. In 2021 she received the Bravewell Distinguished Service Award, one of the highest honors in the field of integrative health, and presented a TedxChicago talk on culinary medicine and how patients can be their own, best, first doctor.
