Cardiometabolic Health2023-07-02T06:17:13+00:00

Are You in
Control of Your Cardiometabolic Health?

Cardiovascular disease generally refers to conditions involving narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to heart attack, chest pain or stroke. Given the prevalence and severity of these conditions, it is no surprise that reducing cardiovascular risk is the #1 question on patients’ minds.

How We Help Our Clients Control & Reduce Their Cardiometabolic Risk

Given the prevalence and severity of cardiovascular disease, it is no surprise that the number one question patients ask their health care practitioners is, “How do I reduce my risk for cardiovascular disease?”

Oftentimes, the answer to this question is a prescription: a statin for cholesterol, beta blocker for blood pressure or insulin for blood sugar. This style of treatment is called a polypharmacy approach, in that health care practitioners prescribe multiple drugs to help manage certain numbers.

Unfortunately, this approach won’t attack the root cause or consider why these numbers are elevated, leaving patients feeling confused and helpless.

A functional approach to cardiometabolic treatment breaks the polypharmacy mold and puts you in control of your cardiometabolic risk. This approach uses lifestyle medicine to attack the root cause of elevated numbers while considering the connections between them.

We can provide you with a comprehensive and targeted solution for improving cardiometabolic health that looks beyond the numbers and considers the why. Finally, you will have an answer to that number one question and take back control of your health!

Understanding Your Cardiometabolic Risk

Cardiometabolic risk is a collection of factors that help determine a patient’s overall risk for cardiometabolic disease.

Regardless of your risk level, the recommended course of treatment is often focused on drug therapies aimed at reducing an individual lab value (e.g., a statin for high LDL). This type of management is a reactive way of helping you lower your risk, but it clearly does not attack the underlying cause of the problem.

An abnormal lab value is a signal of multiple levels of body functions failing; therefore, simply addressing the lab value will not solve the many layers of dysfunction that continue to persist.

In order to truly improve risk, we must be proactive and attack the underlying cause of the problem. The cause of increased cardiometabolic risk is often a decreased physiological resilience and metabolic reserve caused by chronic inflammation and insulin resistance stemming from poor lifestyle choices such as obesity, physical inactivity, stress, environmental factors, and nutrient deficiencies.

We all have an aunt or uncle who lives a very unhealthy lifestyle and still lived to be 95 years old. On the flip side, we all know someone who practiced a very healthy lifestyle, but unfortunately was diagnosed with cardiometabolic disease before the age of 60.

These two groups of people are anomalies, and they represent a very small portion of the general population. Even though your genes play a role in disease progression, they are not the deciding factor for a majority of the population.

Introducing The CM Vitals Program

Your risk for cardiometabolic disease takes years to develop. The cumulative burden of years of poor choices eventually add up to create your risk or health profile. This is called the metabolic continuum. If you’ve made some unhealthy choices over your lifetime, you can change your course. However, if you take no action, the risk for disease will snowball as the years progress.

Our team will help you understand where you fall on the metabolic continuum, and how you can take steps to improve your trajectory as needed.

Chronic inflammation is commonly the cause of your cardiometabolic risk. If unaddressed and unstopped, your risk can then turn into full cardiometabolic disease. Luckily, your risk setting can be significantly improved by using the power of lifestyle medicine to help lower and control chronic inflammation.

Skipping breakfast after fasting overnight, causes your blood sugar levels to drop. Your body attempts to restore balance by increasing cortisol levels which will restore blood sugar to normal. There are no major consequences if this is an occasional occurrence, however, ongoing blood sugar fluctuations controlled by hormones can become a problem.

If blood sugar remains an issue, coupled with inflammation in the body, poor sleep patterns, and then topped with mental and emotional stress, you have created a recipe for disaster. It is critical to identify the major stressors in your life so you may develop a plan to overcome stress before it becomes a pathway to chronic disease.

Our CM Vitals Program is a nutritional and lifestyle program to assist you in understanding the importance of the cardiovascular system, and how it can have a significant effect on the health of your entire body.

To get started, take the FREE assessment to find out your cardiometabolic risk!

Assessing GI Health Imbalances

The Remove step restricts toxic, pro-inflammatory and potentially allergic foods from the diet, and eliminates harmful organisms. The traditional approach is to add a prescription medication to the body, but often the best medicine for our GI tract is in elimination and allowing the system to rest.

After the critical Remove step, our team can then help you address the need to Replace with digestive aids, Reinoculate with probiotics, and Repair a damaged GI tract.

Discover the key contributors to gastrointestinal health!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Functional Medicine?2023-06-26T04:25:10+00:00

Functional medicine is a science-based, individualized approach to health that goes beyond traditional medicine. It finds the root cause of illness by focusing on gut health, metabolism, hormones, environment, and genetics. A personalized diet, nutritional supplementation, and lifestyle plan is designed for your unique profile to achieve health. The Institute for Functional Medicine’s website (ifm.org) has detailed information regarding our practice model.

How is functional medicine different from holistic medicine?2023-06-26T04:25:41+00:00

Both functional and holistic medicine focus on the total body. Functional medicine focuses on interactions between genetics, environment, and lifestyle that impact health. Holistic medicine has a spiritual approach to the body, mind, and soul.

Can you help me with my health problem?2023-06-26T04:26:23+00:00

Functional medicine can help with many health problems, such as fatigue, sleep problems, indigestion, weight gain, and hormonal imbalances. If you’re on multiple medications, want to get to the root of your symptoms, or want more natural ways to optimize your health, functional medicine can help you.

What diseases do you treat?2023-06-26T04:26:39+00:00

As a board-certified internist, I am experienced with chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiac, inflammatory, gastrointestinal, and autoimmune diseases. I also treat fatigue, weight gain, hormone imbalances, and gut dysfunction, such as bloating and gas.

Can I benefit from functional medicine if I don’t have a chronic illness?2023-06-26T04:26:56+00:00

Absolutely! In addition to treating illness, functional medicine also emphasizes prevention for health maintenance.

Is Dr. Shimizu a primary care provider?2023-06-26T04:27:17+00:00

No, I am not a primary care provider. I will work with you as a functional medicine consultant to address the cause of your chronic health problems and discuss them with your primary care provider if necessary.

Who can Dr. Shimizu See?2023-06-26T04:28:15+00:00

Dr. Shimizu is licensed to practice Internal Medicine (adult medicine) in the state of Hawaii.

Do you prescribe medications?2023-06-26T04:28:31+00:00

Yes, when necessary.

Do you recommend supplements and herbs?2023-06-26T04:28:48+00:00

Yes, when necessary.

What about laboratory testing?2023-07-03T17:40:38+00:00

I review the traditional labs obtained by your primary provider, such as cholesterol levels and blood counts. Depending on your health goals, I recommend further testing. Some examples are specialized metabolic tests, gut health, environmental toxins, or food sensitivity tests. Some of these specialized testing are not covered by insurance and are out-of-pocket.

What is the cost of these services? Does insurance cover it?2023-07-03T18:17:03+00:00

Functional medicine is considered complementary alternative medicine; not all insurance plans cover this service. You will pay at the time of your visit, and I will provide a superbill for you if you wish to submit the claim to your insurance or apply to your flexible spending accounts (FSA). We currently accept traditional Medicare.

Rates:Initial visit (60 minutes): $300 – Second visit (45 minutes): $225 – Follow-up visits (20 minutes): $100 – Initial Visit Package (first three visits included): $700

How do I get started?2023-06-26T04:29:56+00:00

Go to Olena Center’s online scheduler to schedule an initial appointment. (make this a click here) You will complete health questionnaires and upload available medical records before your appointment. During the first visit, you and I will discuss your health history, family history, diet, and lifestyle habits. I will review different approaches to your health and make some suggestions for change at this time. I may also recommend laboratory testing. The second visit is generally 1-2 months later. At this time, I will evaluate your progress and further personalize your care plan. I may recommend additional dietary changes, supplements, lifestyle changes, and possibly medications. The timing for additional follow-up visits will depend on your customized plan.

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