News & Insights

In this free Grand Rounds presentation recorded at Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, Henri Roca, MD, elaborates upon the group visit framework used at the Veterans Administration for chronic pain.

How many patients can you think of that do not suffer from poorly managed stress, chronic pain, or addiction issues? The vast majority of patients struggle with one or more of these three common conditions, which research demonstrates are often connected. The physiological underpinnings of stress, pain, and addiction often overlap, offering new avenues for therapies that provide improved outcomes.

Stephen Loyd, MD, shares his personal and professional journey with addiction and how it informed his approach to long-term, successful addiction treatment. Integrated approaches to addiction treatment may accelerate beneficial changes in the brain by supporting multiple healthy pathways.

Over the last 10 years, advances in human neuroimaging have begun to identify the elements of the brain involved in the chronification of pain. Based on brain imaging studies, there is accruing evidence that chronic pain results from alterations in neural networks. Dave Hagedorn, PhD, BCN, a leader in the field of non-invasive brain stimulation research, talks about chronic pain in an IFM interview.

The incidence of chronic pain in America is rising. Military and veteran populations have unique characteristics as well as comorbid conditions like post-concussive syndrome and behavioral health disorders that complicate the treatment of pain. In an audio interview with Dr. Dave Hagedorn, learn how to interpret and treat chronic pain syndromes in this vulnerable population.

In an interview with IFM Director of Medical Education Dan Lukaczer, ND, Dr. Paul Thomas talks about his personal struggles with addiction, the medical-assisted therapies like buprenorphine he offers in his clinic, and the intrinsic link between stress and addiction.

Stephen Loyd’s personal journey with opioid addiction informs his work with substance abuse patients. Listen to a sneak preview of his lecture at this year’s Annual International Conference.

Pain is widespread in America, but even higher and more severe among individuals who have served in the military. In this podcast, Wayne Jonas, MD, describes how integrative medicine and a focus on salutogenesis can help resolve this situation.

In an IFM interview, Functional Medicine clinician Jane Murray, MD, talks about the innovative ways she has incorporated stress management programs into her practice, her unique path toward retirement, and how she’s helping to treat people with cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.

“I see patients with insurance and try to use their insurance as much as possible, but I also don’t want to keep patients from getting the help they need…In numerous cases, the solution to a health problem cannot, and will not, be found at the bottom of a prescription bottle.” –Yousef Elyaman, MD. Watch his full video.

Over the past decade, studies have shown that chronic stress can induce genome-wide epigenetic changes and affect the distribution of molecules in the brain. What’s more, maternal genetic changes that result from high cortisol exposure may even be passed down to future generations.