Dr. Juarez's Story
My Holistic Roots
When I was 16 my grandmother was diagnosed with Cancer. I was visiting her for the summer and I remember browsing through her stack of natural healing books, one in particular, The Magic of Catalytic Health Vitalizers. This book was chock full of fascinating chapters on healing and preventing diseases by using natural remedies. Plants, fruits, vegetables, you name it, it was in there! My grandfather had a wonderful garden in Northern Michigan and I frequently witnessed grandma eating fresh vegetables from the garden in an effort to heal her cancer. From that day forth I never stopped learning that sources from nature hold the power to heal us! This book (yes I still have a copy of it!) is now one of the many books on natural health and healing which stock my home office bookshelves.
Over the years of undergraduate and osteopathic medical school at Michigan State University, I frequently found myself drawn to the book section of the local health food store ( the only one in town!) sifting through pages upon pages seeking answers for relief of the nagging symptoms that I was afflicted with. My symptoms included unbearable monthly periods, headaches, stress , fatigue and acne (to name a few).
With a relatively poor diet due to being on the go, I thought these symptoms were normal. The years passed, and well into internship and residency, my symptoms worsened and now I found myself adding to the list.
There were frequent migraines and severe menstrual cramps, enough to frequenly call in sick during my residency. I still thought this was normal for someone with my lifestyle and career demands.
Although I was mostly through my training years, now in my early thirties, I had not yet learned anything that I could truly put my finger on , as to what these symptoms could possibly mean to a supposedly healthy young woman.
It was later in my thirties that I started to realize there had to be more to what I had learned in my family medicine training. I decided to advance my knowledge and began to attend conferences which educated physicians in cutting -edge science based holistic, integrative and functional medicine. This began a career shifting journey and to date I have expanded my knowledge base through annually attending seminars both in person and online. I have studied the coursework of Dr. Datis Kharrazian, master researcher and teacher in the functional medicine approach to diagnosing and treating autoimmune, brain, gastrointestinal and thyroid diseases. It has been through this learning process that I realized how much was missing from my conventional medical training. Training which teaches doctors to treat a symptom with a drug , which does not help patients achieve true health!
I was now on a journey to heal myself. The young college girl was long gone (by 20 years), now in my forties and trying to have a child, but unable to conceive. By the age of 51 , I had gathered enough information about myself to conclude that I had been suffering lifelong with a variant form of hypothyroidism! We were taught that a hypothyroid patient gains weight, feel sluggish and has low body temperature. Since I was always thin and active I had never put two and two together! It turns out I was born with a condition that affected many critical aspects of my life!
Insufficient thyroid testing (which is the standard in our U.S. healthcare system) caused a great delay in a much needed diagnosis. It wasn't until I had really had enough of the painful cycles, infertility, migraine headaches, constipation and low body temp, that I was able to finally figure out the ROOT CAUSE OF MY HEALTH CONDITION! With dietary restrictions and proper supplementation, I am now in complete remission of all the plaguing symptoms I endured for so long, and have finally achieved a new lease on life! The functional , systems based approach to my healthcare has changed my life! As I continue to grow older, I feel assured that I have truly unlocked the key to what had ailed me for way too long! I am eager to help my patients find their road to recovery and achieve the optimal health they deserve! The conventional system of medicine is broken, and I am living proof that what is taught to doctors in the U.S. medical schools is missing so much important information! I was missing the true pieces of the puzzle to fix my own health!
I am a Board Certified Family Medicine physician, a graduate of Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Nova Southeastern Family Medicine Residency. I practice Functional, Anti-Aging and Lifestyle Medicine with a passion to help people find the ROOT CAUSE of their health problems. No one should suffer for half a century with chronic symptoms and their consequences! Healthcare professionals have the resources to obtain education outside of the conventional arena, now more than ever. Epidemic numbers of chronic disease are upon us, and we need a new paradigm of healthcare delivery in the U.S.
I maintain active memberships with The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) and the Association for the Advancement of Restorative Medicine. I participate in online conferences and seminars on a regular basis and stay abreast of the advances in functional and anti-aging medicine through The Kharrazian Institute , The Kalish Institute of Functional Medicine, the A4M, and the Klinghardt Institute.
I am looking forward to meeting with prospective and current patients at my monthly events where we will learn and share our health concerns in a group setting. I hope to help you on your journey to achieving optimal health, through ROOT CAUSE FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE! Please view the online calendar for a list of events.
My Mission
My mission is to change the face of healthcare delivery and help my patients discover the truth about their health problems so they may age better and enjoy the freedom to live without disease! By teaching the importance of disease prevention and lifestyle change, I strive to help and inspire my patients to learn to live a disease free life!
Choosing to change habits that have contributed to poor health is the first step to reversal of chronic disease. You are in control of your destiny! By utilizing the principles of Functional, Lifestyle and Age Management Medicine we can teach people how to live longer and stay healthy well into their golden years! You CAN accomplish your goals to have a healthier, brighter future. As I continue on my journey to stay as healthy as possible through prevention and healthy lifestyle choices, it is my mission to teach others to use the same approaches to a healthy and disease free life as they can possibly achieve! The future belongs to the children, and we adults must pave the way to teach them to make healthier choices!