A Reason to Celebrate, and My New Year’s Wish

As another year comes to an end, I hope the notion that chronic disease is not preventable and reversible will also come to an end. If we’re going to achieve true healthcare reform and reduce costs, our nation must start wrapping its arms around an integrated approach to healthcare that focuses on prevention.

As I get ready to celebrate Christmas with my family, I’d like to celebrate the work and success of my colleague, business partner and dear friend, Dr. Oscar Coetzee, PhD. 10 years ago, Dr. Coetzee joined me at Natural Healthcare Center. Together, we continue to see the reversal of chronic illness every day.

Dr. Coetzee is an assistant professor at Maryland University of Integrative Health, where he is pursuing his second doctorate with a specialization in functional clinical nutrition. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Bridgeport. He has too many advanced degrees and professional certifications to mention in a single article.

As Director of Clinical Nutrition and Functional Medicine at Natural Healthcare Center, Dr. Coetzee uses more than 30 science-based, dietary protocols, each written and developed by him, along with more than 15 years of clinical experience to treat a number of conditions. He specializes in treatment of conditions such as metabolic syndrome, intestinal permeability, neurological disorders, inflammatory bowel diseases, and almost all chronic inflammatory diseases.

In other words, it’s not just about teaching for Dr. Coetzee. It’s about doing. It’s about applying his incredible knowledge to achieve real results.

Take the case of a woman who we’ll call Jane to protect her privacy. Jane came to us as a 66-year-old with type 2 diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. She suffered from severe muscle fatigue, low energy, blurry vision, tingling in her extremities, and joint pain, especially in her hands.

Jane was on several prescription medications and taking them as directed. However, they were not controlling her medical issues, partly because she had a high glycemic diet. Dr. Coetzee recommended an integrated, functional medicine-based nutrition program guided by laboratory testing.

After three months of a whole food diet with a “low glycemic load through paleolithic principles” (LGLPP), Jane no longer needed medication. Lab testing showed that her type 2 diabetes had been reversed, her blood pressure had returned to normal, and her hyperlipidemia was improving.

This isn’t magic or some kind of voodoo medicine. It’s science. And it works.

The work being done by Dr. Coetzee, myself, and the entire team here at Natural Healthcare Center isn’t easy. Functional care requires looking at all of the body’s systems, not just body parts.

Getting to the root cause of a problem is hard. It requires a lot of investigating. It takes a certain kind of training and expertise that not many people have. But as Tom Hanks said in “A League of Their Own,” it’s the “hard” that makes it great.

In 2017, I hope you’ll join us in taking our approach to healthcare – one that focuses on the prevention and reversal of chronic illness – to the next level. Spread the word. This approach is the key to feeling better, functioning better and living happily with the people you love for as long as possible.

On behalf of my family, both at home and at Natural Healthcare Center, I wish you and your family a blessed Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and a Happy and Healthy New Year.