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Integrative Functional Medicine

Conveniently located to serve Portland, Scarborough, and Cumberland County
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Integrative Functional Medicine

At Age Management Center, we understand that addressing your unique medical conditions and concerns requires personalized attention and trusted medical expertise.

Our Integrative Functional Medicine division is designed to help both male and female take a deeper look at medical issues or concerns that go beyond traditional hormone balancing in order to optimize specific aspects of their health that are putting them at risk or keeping them from living a healthy, fulfilling lifestyle.

Integrative Wellness Journey

Our clients begin their integrative wellness journey following either a free screening or upon identifying special areas of medical need during their hormone evaluation. The initial Functional Integrative Consultation is an intensive, one-hour evaluation addressing special areas of individual concern that are not covered by our standard Hormone Replacement Therapy consultations.

These conditions may include, but are not limited to cardiovascular risk, chronic adrenal fatigue, thyroid autoimmune disorders (Hashimoto’s disease, Grave’s disease), gut health, weight management and more. Treatments may include everything from lifestyle changes to prescription medications. For those dealing with bladder incontinence and or that are interested in improving their sexual health, we also have our Intimate Health Consultations for men and women looking to address those specific areas of concern.

Our expert medical team will meet with you to develop protocols and comprehensive treatments methods to help you understand and address your specific condition(s). This may be a condition(s) that we uncover during your HRT medical review and lab analysis, or that you have identified and want more personal support in managing.

How does Integrative Functional Medicine differ from HRT?

Hormone Replacement Therapy is a form of medicine that focuses on analyzing and balancing your hormones to optimal levels. HRT is a powerful tool to help patients optimize their wellbeing. Integrative Functional Medicine is a complementary service we offer patients to help them address medical conditions and concerns that fall outside the scope of hormone replacement therapy. Not all Integrative Functional Medicine patients are on an HRT program, and not all HRT patients need Integrative Functional Medicine counsel. However, for those patients with outstanding conditions that require extra support or attention, our expert team is ready to provide you the insight and expertise to help you optimize your wellness – beyond just your hormone health.

Case Study 1 - Female

Patient A, a 48-year-old woman was suffering from hot flashes, insomnia, low libido and overall “uncomfortable” feelings as a result of her transition through menopause. After her free screening, she completed her hormone lab panel and underwent our physical exam and medical history intake. Our medical team then evaluated her results and found that her hormonal composition had indeed shifted to unhealthy levels, with suboptimal testosterone, progesterone and estrogen causing undesirable effects of menopause that were invading her life. We developed an HRT program for her, and she is currently undergoing hormone replacement therapy to address and reverse these symptoms.
However, during her HRT onboarding, we also uncovered that Patient A was at severe risk of a cardiovascular event. Her lipids were severely elevated, her C-reactive proteins were skyrocketing and her blood pressure on top of those results was particularly concerning. She had always been a healthy weight and never experience traditional signs of cardiovascular disease, but her bloodwork revealed that—without some immediate and meaningful changes—she was at serious risk of a heart attack.

Optimizing your hormones is not done in a vacuum. These changes can and often do benefit your body’s overall ability to maintain good cardiovascular health as you experience HRT-related improvements in endurance, energy, libido, weight optimization and motivation. But addressing an issue like impaired cardiovascular health, adrenal fatigue, GI disturbances, obesity, diabetes and beyond, takes more time and a tailored focus.

Patient A is now under separate consultation with Anita Nicholson, who has extensive experience and training in cardiovascular health. Anita is intimately familiar with Patient A’s bloodwork and medical history. During their initial one-hour Integrative Functional Medical Consultation, Anita covered the key, tangible heart health protocols she had developed specifically for Patient A based on her condition, lifestyle and other contributing factors like stress, diet, sleep patterns, etc.

“Traditional medicine is more disease focused, with often quick visits in and out rather developing a wellness plan, a preventative plan, or a plan for healthy aging,” said Anita. “That takes a partnership with an expert, and close monitoring and follow up.”

Patient A is now seeing Anita once every six weeks for a 30-minute encounter to monitor her progression and is working toward a lifestyle that is not only free of her previously debilitating menopause symptoms, but that will help ensure she doesn’t suffer from a life-threatening cardio event.

Case Study 2 - Male

Patient B, a 51-year-old male came in suffering from fatigue, weight gain and sluggishness. He was an active man in his younger days, but lately hasn’t felt the energy or drive to live the kind of life he used to. After completing his medical history intake, physical exam and blood tests, we found Patient B was not only extremely testosterone deficient, but that his anti-thyroglobin (anti-TG) antibody levels were exceptionally high. The presence of anti-TG antibodies is often a sign of a thyroid autoimmune disorder, in his case, Hashimoto’s disease, and can lead to a host of symptoms that include extreme fatigue, weight gain, dry skin, brittle hair and nails, bloating in the face, and, in some cases, more serious issues like advanced hypothyroidism.
While HRT does take into account the monitoring and balancing of your thyroid hormones, an autoimmune disorder like Hashimoto’s may require additional treatment modalities. In this case, our Integrative Functional Medicine services will allow Patient B to learn about ways beyond HRT that can help him manage his condition—a condition that his traditional medical providers have overlooked for years, perhaps even decades.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get started?
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Patients generally schedule a consultation following their HRT consultation, or after a free screening where specific areas of concern are identified. Additionally, some people have existing concerns or known ailments that are not being full addressed by their conventional health care providers and choose to schedule a consultation with or without the free screening.

How do programs work?
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Our Integrative Functional Medicine program is unique to every patient and the suggested protocols will vary depending on your individual needs. Appointments are scheduled in 30- or 60-minute intervals, depending on the patient situation, and will be billed individually per visit. For some patients, recurring lab testing and or other testing may be suggested and scheduled. An Integrative Functional Medicine consultation is generally scheduled as a subsequent appointment to an HRT consult.

How do your appointments differ from what my PCP can offer?
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We always suggest you first seek the advice of your primary health care provider in addressing your health concerns. At Age Management Center, our care typically begins when patients feel that their concerns haven’t been fully or adequately addressed by other health care providers and they are seeking more personalized, holistic attention to address a specific question or concern about their wellbeing.

Book a Free, Confidential Screening

If you are interested in learning more about our Integrative Functional Medicine offerings, or want to book a consultation, contact us today. Our goal is to both optimize and preserve your wellbeing into the future so that you can live as well as you can, for as long as you can.

Related Treatments

How Hormone Replacement Therapy Works

How Hormone Replacement Therapy Works

 

Natural hormone replacement therapy, also called bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, uses natural, plant-based hormone sources to restore and optimize hormone levels in our bodies.

Regenerative Medicine

Regenerative Medicine

 

Regenerative medicine is the field of medicine that works with human tissue to restore the human body.

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE & NUTRITION PROGRAM

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE & NUTRITION PROGRAM

 

This program is aimed at supporting patients’ individual diet, fitness and weight loss goals with customized nutrition plans that incorporate important topics like aging, fitness and weight loss.

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