It’s 2019 and we’ve landed in a time of progressive thinking and awareness when it comes to our health. Most of us are paying attention now and what was once considered hippie or even witchy seems a bit more logical. Hallelujah! What was once an eyeroll and guffaw is now being carefully considered. Even if it is a last resort. As alternative medicine becomes more mainstream, however, it seems to take on new names. Holistic, natural, functional, whole body, alternative medicine… the question shouldn’t be what to call it, but Who practices it and where can I get it?

What are you looking for?

• A practice that treats you like an individual with specific needs to your body
• You want to sit one-on-one with your practitioner and be heard
• A specialist who won’t chase your symptoms and cover them up with meds
• Someone to treat your body as a whole and heal it completely
• Someone to teach you how to listen to your body
• A specialist who won’t tell you what you’re doing wrong, but what you should be doing to make it right
• To understand what’s happening to your body and WHY
• To learn how to live in wellness instead of sickness
• You want to leave with lifelong education

You want a Wellness Center…

So, what is a Wellness Center?

Quite simply, a Wellness Center focuses on the well being of people by looking at the individual body as a unique whole. Whether it be for weight loss/gain, stress/anxiety/depression, hormone imbalances, IBS, fatigue, foggy brain, skin issues, diabetes, kidney failure, thyroid, blood pressure, cognitive decline, cancer, autoimmune disorders, or even the common cold, Forum Health Clarkston will get you on the right track.

In every case, we use a functional medicine or whole-person approach. Some might ask, what is functional medicine? Will I find it at my primary care physician’s office? I can’t speak for everyone in the traditional medicine field, but I’m going to have to say probably not. Before you leave this blog forever, hear me out. That does not mean we want to replace a primary care physician. We do not. I’ll say it again for the people in the back: WE ARE NOT AGAINST YOUR TRADITIONAL, PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN. We just want to change the direction—we want you to stop needing them by teaching you how to LIVE.

Sound Familiar? 

You’re tired, can’t sleep, over/under weight, in a state of chronic pain, hormonal, under the weather, have digestion issues, hair loss, acne, foggy brain—you just feel terrible all the time and you want to know why. Enter Forum Health Clarkston. We know without a doubt that all of those symptoms are related. They all connect to an underlying issue that we want to find and correct. Instead of chasing symptoms with medications that only cover them up, at Forum Health Clarkston we assess all the symptoms to identify the root cause. This is when the body can be healed from within—by giving it the right environment to heal itself.

Who should go to a wellness center?

Everyone! Listen to me. It’s very simple. EV-ER-Y-ONE. Even YOU. Have you ever been to the doctor? Yes, of course, you have. Now, think: How many times were you not seen on time, only to be glanced over for a few minutes and sent away with prescriptions that may or may not help you for the time being, but certainly won’t heal you. Take a number. Rinse, Repeat.

Which leads me to another concern: MEDS. When you are on prescription medications, you are not healed. Period. You might find relief, but you are not healed. The root cause is still there. It’s growing, swelling, and at any moment going to out-do those meds. Your high blood pressure is still there—it’s ticking away, waiting to burst. That high cholesterol is getting worse every day and your thyroid is still not functioning. YOU ARE STILL LIVING IN DISEASE. You’re just wearing a pretty bandaid.

Right now you should be asking yourself: Do I want to survive or do I want to THRIVE? There is a difference.

What can you get out of a wellness center?

• We have clients who come to us right in the middle of disease. When they begin to heal, that’s when the beauty of what we do here shines. They feel better, see the inflammation that’s plagued them for years going down; they sleep better and have more energy. It’s no coincidence that over 50% of our clients come to us based on referrals. Even after our clients have met their goals, they stay with us, coming in every other month or two just to check in.
• Our clients have learned how to LISTEN to their bodies. They can even spot an oncoming cold or flu symptom, and they know we are here to put together an arsenal of supplements to knock it right out of them. All they need to do is call.
• You are important to us! We are never too busy to answer questions. We usually respond within the day.
• Seeing us regularly will improve your health behaviors and keep you on track.
• Staying in touch with our Functional Medicine Nutritionists will reduce elevated health risks.
• You will reduce your need for doctor visits and medications.
• Continuous visits with us can reduce health care costs.
• We can help you age better—you’ll live longer in health and vitality. Retirement is looking even prettier now, isn’t it?

What does an appointment with us look like?

• First, we need to get to know you before we even see you. Our plans for you are tailored to fit YOUR body and YOUR lifestyle. Our job is to find out why and what will work for you. That first contact will help us understand where we’re going and what you need. 
• Next, you come in for your “intake” appointment. We’ll do a couple non-invasive tests on you while you relax on our biomat. Then you’ll sit down, one-on-one with your nutritionist to set goals and make a plan that works for you.
• Finally, we’ll go from there. There are many paths we can take. It all depends on your needs. We’ll see you once per month until you hit your goals and then we have options for our relationship to continue for a lifetime. Whether we see you for a little health check every few months to make sure you’re staying on the right path or if you need a full pick-me-up after the holidays, we are not a one-and-done kind of practice. You are important to us and you always will be.

Additional wellness center offerings

• Educating you continually throughout the process is one of our primary focuses. This is done at every appointment and after each appointment we email you with more educational materials to help you understand further what and why we are doing what we are doing to get your body healthy. We also offer classes, training, informative blogs, testimonials, as well as educational Facebook and Pinterest  posts multiple times a day. Want to learn how to correctly grocery shop for success – we provide that too!
• Mindfulness/Emotional Wellness play a role in your overall success, so part of our package does include a class with a licensed professional to help teach you the importance of mindful eating and practices to put into place for emotional wellness. Individual one one one appointments are also available.
• Complementing therapies such as Cancer & Wellness consults, Essential oils, Reiki and Healing touch appointments can be made through our office as well.

Do we use any medications?

No. We will never prescribe you medications. We heal with FOOD. Our goal is to help you get off medications; however, we will NEVER make that call—that is between you and your primary care physician. Now, we do encourage supplements and here’s why: A healthy diet alone does not provide all the vitamins and protection our bodies need. Our food is too processed out, even if it is organic. There are too many toxins in the air we breathe and environments we encounter daily.

Fortunately, it is possible to get a little backup:

• Normal nuisances like stress, antibiotics, chlorine, fats, oils, and sugar actively destroy our natural probiotics. This leaves the gut defenseless. It’s always nice to have a backup, which is why it’s important to take a daily probiotic that balances the good and bad bacteria in your body and moves food through your gut.
• Multivitamins help fill in nutritional gaps and prevent deficiencies in key vitamins and minerals. They have also been associated with a number of health benefits and may aid in promoting better eye health, improving memory and maintaining bone strength throughout the lifespan.
• You also need a good fish oil, which protects the body from disorders such as ADHD, Alzheimer’s, Cancer, Arthritis, Anxiety, and Cardiovascular Disease. Our food alone does not provide the correct amount of omega 3-fatty acids we need to live.
• On our own, it’s virtually impossible to get the correct amount of vitamin D, which plays an essential role in making disease-preventing proteins and enzymes and affects more than 2,000 genes in the body. It enhances muscle strength, builds bone, has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects and bolsters the immune system. Cut this from your daily regime, and you could be leaving your body vulnerable to afflictions like heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

While you are going through the healing process with us, we will recommend supplement support to get you to your goals. Whether it be support for a hormonal imbalance or even a medical food to support digestion, we will never put you on anything you don’t need and we will always educate you on what that specific supplement is doing to support your health.

**Always remember to purchase your supplements through your health practitioner while under their care and direction. Make the smart choice and avoid buying anything over the counter or on the internet. Be sure to always purchase GMP certified, 3rd party tested quality supplements.

Do we test?

YES! We have an array of tests that can help us get to the bottom of what’s going wrong. In the rare case that we need answers your symptoms aren’t giving us, we turn to one of our many tests to help us guide the way. Some less invasive testing we do automatically each time you come in to see us. Others may take a deeper look at what’s going on, like a stool test to check on your bacteria health or a blood test to check micronutrients. We can do it all.

Final Thoughts…

Forum Health Clarkston takes a Functional Medicine or whole-body approach to every person who walks through our door. Our programs are not one-size-fits-all; every case is an individual. We will never tell you not to listen to your primary care physician; we actually want him/her to know you are working with us to be a part of the plan! Whether you are just a little over weight and need an extra push or you feel terrible every day and feel as though you are at a loss, we are here to help. We are a Wellness Center—we help you get well, stay well, and live well.

Adrian Schirr

Forum Health Clarkston

248-625-5143