Wellness FAQ: Q&A with Lane Sebring, M.D

AFM: Why do you practice in a way so different from most medical doctors?

Dr. Sebring: I knew before I went to medical school that nutrition was not going to be part of the curriculum. I did not know how so very true that was. We were taught drugs and scalpels. After completing my residency and opening a practice in Wimberley 23 years ago, I began attending nutrition conferences and functional medicine conferences. I also attended The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine conferences where I served as a board examiner for many years for fellow physicians who also wanted to become board certified in Anti Aging. Over the years and somewhat to my surprise, I have learned to be very effective using a more or even completely natural approach. Early on in my post-medical school and post-residency education, I was fortunate enough to attend a lecture by Lauren Cordain Ph.D. where he first revealed the Paleo diet. The diet so beautifully explained why humans get all these chronic diseases as we age and wild animals and our hunter-gatherer brethren do not. They all eat the foods they are designed to eat. BYW Hunter gatherers almost universally die of one of three causes, trauma, infection and in their sleep at a ripe old age, typically in their late 70s, 80s and 90s having dance through the night like everyone else two nights before. We have data on more than 229 groups of hunter gatherers and not one of them have even a word for any of the arthritides we expect to get as we age.

I became the first doctor to base their medical practice on the paleo diet. That paradigm shift opened the door and my mind and presented me with a much larger tool box and none of it was toxic. I still find occasional need to use modern drugs but it is usually temporary and it is my last choice. I practice Integrative Medicine. I integrate Modern Medicine into my Natural Medicine practice when it is better for my patient.

AFM: What sort of tools does an Integrative Medicine doctor have that Traditional Medicine doctors do not?

Dr. Sebring: The biggest tool is the fact that people are largely shown how and empowered to take care of themselves and not nearly so dependent someone, the doctor, telling them what to do. So the tool is motivated and very results-inspired patients.

The next tool is putting people on the human diet, the Paleo diet. Not being on the Paleo diet is the largest cause of disease we have. It’s an archaeological fact that when we went off of this diet is when chronic diseases began. It caused us to have weaker bones, narrowed faces, smaller brains and a loss of 6-7 inches in height. These changes and followed the introduction of the agricultural production of food all around the world.

Integrative doctors also recognize the total toxic load that things like heavy metals, plasticizers, pesticides, herbicides, food additives, hormone disruptors and on and on and we can help facilitate their removal. Our bones have 100 times more heavy metals than our ancestors 2,000 years ago. The World Health Organization said in the 90s that more than 90 percent of chronic diseases have a heavy metal component.

AFM: What is Orthomolecular Medicine and how do  you use it?

Dr. Sebring: Orthomolecular Medicine utilizes the body’s own chemistry to recreate a normal, healthy metabolism which has previously fallen victim to illness caused by infection, hormonal imbalance, chronic inflammation and stress. In other words, Orthomolecular Medicine respects your body’s original design and enables you to discover what it’s like to be a healthy human.

The testing utilized is considerably more expansive, personalized and focused. It is used to confirm diagnosis, to discover cause and monitor the correction. I use the body’s own chemistry to rebalance and resupply the body with what it needs. This can be done with diet, nutritional supplements and bio identical hormones. From cortisol for adrenal fatigue to testosterone creams that transport them into the skin or even customized IV nutrition delivered directly into the body.

Questions?
To learn more visit sebringclinic.com 
Or reach Sebring Clinic at 512.847.5618