Integrative Medicine
Our Approach at the Marty Ross MD Clinic
At the Marty Ross MD Clinic for Functional Medicine & Lyme Disease, we practice integrative medicine. Based on what’s best for the patient, this means we blend the best approaches from holistic and natural medicine with conventional prescription medicine.
Our practice of this technique is rooted in science that moves beyond the often oversimplified conventional methodology of symptom management. Our integrative medicine approach for patients at our Seattle clinic is “whole person” focused.
Beyond simply prescribing you a pill for the pain, we consider critical factors like sleep, exercise, diet, and nutritional supplements that aims to fix, rather than just medicate, the problem.
Integrative medicine was first developed by Andrew Weil, MD in the 1990s. His approach relies on scientifically-grounded alternative and conventional medicine for treating and managing medical conditions. We build on Dr. Weil's approach and apply his principles to complex chronic illnesses such as Lyme disease, mold toxicity, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, long COVID, and other difficult-to-treat conditions.
The Integrative Medicine Toolbox
At its foundation, our integrative medicine approach addresses lifestyle factors like diet and sleep, plus mind-body approaches. We then layer in supplements, herbal medicines, vitamins, oral peptides, and prescriptions as needed. We also consider referrals for physical therapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic care as needed or desired.
We’ve found that there are many ways to approach the same problem. For instance, acupuncture, chiropractic care, herbal anti-inflammatories, and prescription pain medicines may all help a person with back pain.
We offer a number of different treatment options, and then work collaboratively with you to pick what’s right for you, your lifestyle, and your preferences.
Conventional and Compounded Prescriptions
Generally, we start with these more holistic approaches first, and add prescription medicines later as needed. At our Seattle-based clinic, we offer a full range of prescriptions, including antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, stomach and intestinal medicines, hormones, and antidepressants.
As an integrative medicine practice, we also think outside of the conventional prescription medicine box. We work with compounding pharmacies to prescribe science-based therapies like low dose naltrexone (LDN), which helps regulate immune function and may reduce fibromyalgia pain, and methylene blue, which supports mitochondrial energy production and can be effective for certain tick-borne infections including Bartonella and Borrelia.
The Bottom Line
The Marty Ross MD Clinic’s integrative medicine approach is well-suited to people dealing with complex chronic illnesses like Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, mold toxicity, and long COVID.
We are pleased to offer these advanced medicine approaches as we help you take back your life from chronic illness.
If you'd like to learn more about how we apply Integrative Medicine at our Seattle clinic, book a consultation or explore our areas of practice.