UPDATES and GUIDANCE MAY 31, 2026​​

 

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I am retiring from Clinical Scheduled Patient Care after 42 years on May 31, 2026 and will focus on my educational outreach passion (Children's Health Storybooks like Come Sit by Me and Morning Light). The plan is to write these and the INTEGRATED MEDICINE HANDBOOK: Tips from over Three Decades on the Front Line.

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• Lifestyle choice Information on this website will be updated to help you in a time and cost effective way to make important changes.

• My Fullscript e-store with resources and references will give access to the same vetted effective supplements that I had in the clinic at a discount.​

• The BRAINSPAN TEST is used to track the health of your cells and identifies dietary inflammatory risk factors. You can order your own test kit from them and use their site for help in interpretation. Do this every 6-12 months until you are in the 'green zones' and then yearly. It is like getting your teeth cleaned. MY BRAINSPAN TEST

• WALK-IN LABS.COM has Labrix hormone tests (and others) that are customer direct (no doctor order needed) to track yourself and share with your provider.

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​​​Q. What have you learned over 40 years taking care of patients of all ages?

A. I believe that we can help prevent, delay and reverse up to 85% of the debilitating modern diseases with functional testing and metabolic rebalancing by identifying risks in order to make changes early rather than in crisis. In 1900 the average life expectancy was 42. Women died in childbirth, men from trauma, and children from infection. By the 1960's the average age of death was 65. Acute care and emergency services gave us anesthetics, antibiotics, labs and imaging. The average life expectancy is now up to 82 years. Yet cognitive decline starts on average at 70. Those of us practicing modern medicine AND integrative functional medicine know that chronic diseases, (heart, stroke, autoimmune, cancer, dementia, etc) are inflammatory diseases and best treated with lifestyle changes and micronutrients with pharmaceuticals when indicated. WISDOM NUGGETS

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Q What are the core basics I need to know about? SELF CARE TIPS

1. FOOD IS MEDICINE. Hippocrates, the father of medicine said,"Let food be thy medicine and leave the drugs in the chemist's pot". (... use when needed). Mother's milk includes water, carbohydrates for energy, protein for building and repairing the body, fats for the brain, the nervous system, the hormones and for insulation. A colorful plate of food, that will spoil or go rancid over time, is full of vitamins, minerals and co-factors. A thoughtful balanced intake 3-4 x per day, every 3-4 hours, is ideal for the mitochondria inside every cell of your body to make energy. 

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I have spent a great deal of time over the decades educating my patients on the importance of optimizing the 'Macronutrient' (MACROS) ratios of carbs, protein and fat (especially increasing the anti-inflammatory omega 3 oils). Fiber at 35 grams per day for women, and 45 grams per day for men.

 

You decrease your overall risk for morbidity and mortality by minimizing simple sugars, modern wheat and grains, inflammatory Omega 6 seed oils (ie canola, safflower, grape-seed...) and highly processed foods (many ingredients and preservatives with a very long shelf life compared to whole foods). The newly written HOW TO EAT FOR OPTIMAL METABOLIC BALANCE is being used in clinic. It will be published as I free up time. 

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2. The MICRONUTRIENTS (MICROS) are 'food bits with little or no calories' to fill in the gaps to supplement our food intake. The quality matters just like choosing foods. My E-store on the Fullscript platform will match 99% of what we have had in the clinic. My favorites and protocols will be available to you starting in May. Even now you may access the whole site once you have an account. The supplements we use are those found to have the most benefit to the Brainspan, hormone, adrenal, gut, bone, cardiovascular system and symptom scores.

​MY FULLSCRIPT E-STORE​​​

ABOUT SUPPLEMENTS​​​

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IN SUMMARY: My plans are to...

• Retire from Clinical scheduled care as of May 31, 2026.

• Take my decades of clinical experience in primary, functional medical care and publish the series of children's books on many health issues for schools, daycares, medical offices and families over the next few years.

• Publish INTEGRATED MEDICINE HANDBOOK- Tips from Three Decades on the Front Line.

• Publish the HOW TO EAT FOR OPTIMAL METABOLIC BALANCE 

• Create a 12 unit integrated health course for adults and schools (over time) including Masterclasses for BrainSpan, Integrated Esthetics, Adrenal Fatigue, Hormonal Imbalance, Gut Disorders, Mood Disorders and Brain Disorders. 

​​​For updates you can be added to our email list: email request to info@drmerrifieldmd.com.​​​​​​​