The solution is usually more than medicine.

If a doctor prescribes a medication for a chronic disease without asking about your diet and lifestyle, and without including non-pharmaceutical recommendations as part of your treatment plan, he is doing you a disservice.

I do not believe it is with malicious intent. Medical school teaches medicine, with a paucity of courses on just keeping patients well and virtually no time spent learning nutrition. Maybe it is assumed we should know that already. But recommendations for how to be “healthy” are constantly changing. From the Food Pyramid to MyPlate, diets like vegetarian, keto, paleo or low-fat and everything else in between, how is anyone supposed to know what to eat? And then there’s exercise. High intensity vs low; how much per day? As a society we get wrapped up in numbers and trends that make healthy living seem complicated.

Furthermore, doctors are pressed for time that the nature of our medical field does not allow. It is much easier and faster to write a prescription than counsel on healthy habits. Certainly, some patients prefer a quick fix as well. If we can use a pill to get your labs to look better on paper, everyone pats themselves on the back. But we are missing the mark. We need to change the environment that led to that condition to begin with, or we will never come out on top of our health.

The morbidity and mortality of chronic disease today is far too vast. As is the prevalence of being on multiple medications. Too often, once a pill for a chronic disease is begun, it may be changed but it is never discontinued. The pharmaceutical industry is growing by the day but people are not better off because of it.

I am a medical doctor and I absolutely support the use of medicine, when appropriate. But we have come to rely too heavily on prescriptions and not enough on prevention.

How does dermatology fit in? I firmly believe that your skin is a reflection of your overall health. Inflammation in the body, nutritional deficiencies, and many internal diseases have exterior signs. Chronic skin disease such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis can be devastating for patients and many resort to long-term antibiotics, steroids, or biologics without any consideration to underlying factors. Helping patients to achieve healthy skin by improving their overall health is my mission. Pleased to say that scheduling is now open with appointments starting mid-April. Let me help get to the root of the problem and improve your skin in a meaningful and sustainable way.