The Alchemy Functional Medicine Process
Get to the root of your health condition through an in-depth consultation, cutting edge lab tests and the latest nutrition plans.
We treat you and your body as a whole functioning ecosystem, with multiple systems combining physical, emotional, mental, and even spiritual dimensions.
What’s different about Alchemy Radiant Health compared with other practitioners and healing systems you’ve worked with in the past?
The system of medicine practiced by most western physicians is based on acute care – the treatment of trauma or illness that needs urgent care. That might be something like appendicitis or a heart attack, or a broken limb, or acute pain. The treatments typically include pharmaceutical drugs, surgery, or both.
Acute care is very important, but it lacks the proper methodology and tools for preventing and treating complex, multifactorial chronic conditions like Autoimmunity or Diabetes or Anxiety. Acute care is simply not designed to treat these problems effectively because it addresses symptoms rather than understanding the systemic-level dysfunction that led to the problem. It is based on a reductionist model of the body that is too simplistic for today’s world.
We see the evidence of this in our practice almost daily, with new patients who have run the gamut of the conventional healthcare system, having seen some of the most talented physicians in their fields, and tried multiple therapies. But they still don’t feel well. In many cases they don’t even have an accurate diagnosis.
At Alchemy Radiant Health, our approach treats you and your body as a whole functioning ecosystem, with multiple systems combining physical, emotional, mental, and even spiritual dimensions. Fundamental to the Alchemy Healing System is the concept of a human blueprint. This is a multilayered view of our life plan as an individual being, that encompasses not just our unique genetic makeup, but also our spiritual roadmap for the lessons to be learned in this life. We do not separate the body from the environment or the challenges you face in your day to day life. We believe in Qi or life force, the underlying palpable energy that connects all life and experience.
This approach to healthcare show us that the solution to your condition is much more complex than relieving symptoms, so we get to the root of your health challenge by combining the very latest science from Functional Medicine with the wisdom and systems approach of Chinese Medicine.
So what is Functional Medicine and what is its connection to Chinese Medicine? And even more important, how can it help you?
Functional medicine and Chinese medicine share a similar view of diagnosis and care – namely that our bodies are a complex and sophisticated web of multiple systems and organs, all of which can and do impact each other. This extends even beyond purely physical aspects, recognizing that emotions, trauma, life experience and our interactions with family, friends, and the environment all influence our health. Part of the explanation lies in epigenetics…
Between 1990 and 2003 the Human Genome Project gave us the complete genetic blueprint for building a human being. Scientists involved in the project hoped that a better understanding our DNA would unlock the genetic basis for a wide variety of illnesses, and that this understanding would open up new possibilities for healing. What we’ve learned since then is that this was a somewhat simplistic view.
The behavior of a person's genes doesn't just depend on the genes' DNA sequence – it's also affected by so called “epigenetic” factors. Epigenetics tells us that the biological mechanisms that switch genes on and off are influenced by a huge array of lifestyle factors such as what you eat, where you live, who you interact with, when you sleep, how you exercise, how much stress you carry, whether you had a vaginal birth or a C-Section, and many more. All of these factors can result in chemical modifications around the genes that will turn those genes on or off over time, leading to differing levels of health and vitality, or degeneration and disease.
Adding more flavor is that science science now recognizes that the gut microbiome – the universe of friendly and unfriendly bacteria living in our gut, plays a central role in our health. It’s now well understood that the health of the gut impacts almost every aspect of the body’s systems including the brain and the immune functions. As an example, the gut is home to 70% of our immune system, and manufactures 90% of the neurotransmitter Serotonin. Serotonin is responsible for regulating mood and social behavior, appetite and digestion, sleep, memory, and sexual desire and function. So an unhealthy gut from poor food or lifestyle choices can lead to multiple systemic failures throughout the body, with physical, mental, and emotional impacts.
Both Functional Medicine and Chinese Medicine recognize this holistic and systemic view and apply this understanding to bring the body back to a state of health. So why both and what’s the difference between them?
Chinese Medicine is the original systems-based medicine, with a successful lineage going back many thousands of years to the early Taoist Sages. It understands the body as a system of organs and processes interconnected by energetic highways, or “meridians”. Using a combination of acupuncture and herbal formulas, the practitioner seeks to bring the body back to a state of balance and health. By diagnosing and treating the whole person as a complete system, the patient is cured and their symptoms relieved.
Functional Medicine brings the time-honored holistic approach of Chinese Medicine into the modern age and fuses it with the latest evidence-based scientific research. It uses the understanding that our genetics, environment, and lifestyle interact as a whole system to diagnose and treat diseases based on patterns of imbalance and dysfunction – without treating the disease specifically. Functional medicine focuses on treating the person, not the disease.
As you can see, Functional Medicine and Chinese Medicine share the same philosophical approach of diagnosing and treating the whole human, and in our experience they each have unique benefits that can be tailored to each patient’s individual journey.
How much do you want radiant health?
Restoring your health takes time and patience. In many cases your current health is the result of years or decades of poor health choices or stressful conditions and expecting meaningful results in a few days or weeks isn’t realistic. Stress comes in many forms – physical, emotional, psychological, and environmental to name just a few, and none of us are immune. For this reason we typically work with treatment programs with all our patients, ranging from 3 to 12 months in duration.
Getting well will take an investment of commitment and money on your part, but the exciting news is that functional medicine works and nearly all patients can recover their health! The question you need to ask yourself honestly before taking the next step is, “Am I willing to change?”
You are the human equivalent of a Ferrari or a Lamborghini or an Aston Martin, Would you put anything less than premium-grade fuel into one of those incredible vehicles? Or would you prefer to be a battered old Toyota?
The Alchemy Radiant Health Process
Initial Consultation
We start every patient with an extensive initial consultation that typically lasts 60-90 minutes. During this session, we delve deeply into your health history, including an array of physical, psychological, emotional, genetic, family, food and lifestyle factors. We’re looking for the influences that have triggered your body into a state of ill-health. During the initial consultation we will also often recommend and order one or more functional labs. These go well beyond the regular lab tests you’ll see from your MD or clinic, identifying systemic issues and imbalances throughout your body.
The Treatment Plan
Based on the results of the initial consultation, we recommend a treatment plan. First and foremost we start with a nutrition plan tailored to your unique biology. Contrary to popular belief, Hippocrates (the father of modern medicine) didn’t actually say, “Let food be thy medicine”. What he said was, “In food excellent medicine can be found, in food bad medicine can be found; good and bad are relative.” The “relative” is important because one person’s healthy food may be toxic for another. In our experience food is INCREDIBLY important for recovery. Patients who take this part of the program seriously are nearly always successful in recovering their health. Those who don’t take it seriously have mixed results.
High Potency Supplements
With a nutrition plan in place we then add high-potency practitioner-grade botanical supplements to address specific problem areas in the body, and to accelerate the healing process. This is particularly important for addressing opportunistic bacteria and parasites in the gut, and for restoring function to depleted organs. We use only the very highest quality supplements from a handful of suppliers in the U.S. and Australia, including Standard Process, Mediherb, Premier Research Labs, Bio Botanical Research, and Quicksilver Scientific. These premium products are not available from your supermarket or health food store.
Acupuncture (Optional)
With Chinese Medicine at our disposal we can also add further treatment options for our patients. Acupuncture is very powerful for addressing energy imbalances in the body, and a course of treatments can move the body towards a state of health. This is very synergistic with nutrition and supplements. We also prescribe custom Chinese herbal formulas that have a lineage of thousands of years addressing illness. The ancient Chinese herbalists had a strong connection with Taoist philosophy and understood the relationship between the human, nature and heaven. They were able to bring the powerful healing powers of the plant world to treat the sick, and their formulas are still profound and effective today.
Frequency Specific Microcurrent
Finally we offer Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM) treatments to address health imbalances. FSM works by potentially increasing the production of the coenzyme Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in inflamed or injured tissues. ATP is the major source of energy for all cellular reactions in the body and FSM can increase ATP production by as much as 500% in damaged tissues. Since inflammation is the source of nearly all chronic illness FSM can be very effective for many patients.
Ready to Get Started?
We aim to get to the root of your health problem and to give you a plan that, in time, will lead you back to the radiant health that is your birth right.
“After my first consultation I embraced the changes Dr. Josse recommended and the experience was transformative. The hot flashes have diminished, I can sleep through the night, and I have more energy and clarity. A friend asked me if I had botox because I looked so refreshed!"
Emily, Encinitas
“After 4 weeks of following Dr. Josse's recommendations for dietary changes, detoxing, incorporating botanicals into my diet and having a combination of FSM and acupuncture treatments, I have experienced remarkable results. I have much less pain and inflammation. I have more energy and a much more positive disposition."
Lisa, Encinitas
“Now that I've incorporated Dr. Josse's guidance into my daily life, my menopause symptoms have dramatically improved. My overall health feels much better, I've lost weight and I've had many small victories like healthier nails, improved eye color, clear skin, very infrequent headaches.
Diana, San Diego
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