Standard workups routinely miss the underlying drivers of chronic disease. Dr. Kristina Carman and Dr. Michael Turner present an integrative diagnostic framework, from comprehensive stool analysis to full thyroid and nutrient panels, and show how it maps onto metabolic dysfunction, autoimmune disease, and mood disorders. They keep it grounded in evidence, distinguishing well-supported interventions from the merely promising, and tackle the practical questions: supplement safety, drug interactions, and how to fit lifestyle medicine into a time-limited visit.

Learning objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify functional root causes of chronic disease: recognize how advanced diagnostic tools (GI-MAP comprehensive stool analysis, organic acids testing, full thyroid panels, targeted nutrient panels) reveal underlying drivers that standard workups routinely miss, and apply this framework to metabolic dysfunction, autoimmune disease, mood disorders, and inflammatory bowel disease.
2. Apply evidence-based integrative protocols alongside conventional treatment: demonstrate how nutrition, targeted supplementation, microbiome restoration, and lifestyle medicine integrate safely with conventional pharmaceutical management, and distinguish approaches with strong RCT support (selenium in Hashimoto’s, curcumin in UC, EPA in depression, berberine in insulin resistance) from those with emerging evidence.
3. Counsel patients on the gut-brain-immune axis: explain the clinical significance of intestinal permeability, gut dysbiosis, and the gut-brain axis in systemic disease, and use this framework to counsel patients on gut-directed interventions.
4. Evaluate supplement safety, drug interactions, and quality standards: select evidence-based supplements, identify clinically significant drug-herb-nutrient interactions (zinc and levothyroxine, berberine and metformin, omega-3s and anticoagulants), and direct patients toward third-party verified products (USP, NSF International, ConsumerLab).
5. Incorporate lifestyle medicine screening into routine practice: implement at least two strategies for integrating lifestyle and wellness assessment into time-limited encounters, using validated screening questions and appropriate referral pathways.