My name is Craig and I was diagnosed with Diabetes in 1999 or 2000 by my then family doctor. I had no symptoms, but during one of my chiropractic visits my Chiropractor took my blood pressure and it was 200/forgot the bottom number; he wanted me to go to the ER, I said I would see my family MD in the morning and I did; at this time I was put on an oral diabetic medication and advised to go to “the diabetic class” with my wife. Fast forward a couple of years, all along my diet and exercise essentially never changed. I decreased soda and ate less of the typical “carbs”. There was no follow up of weight or nutrition, so within 8 years I was now on 2 oral diabetic medications and now sent to an Endocrinologist by my family MD, and right before seeing Dr. Boham, an added flex pen and an uncontrolled A1C of 8.0. At this point my wife was worried and said you are not getting any better or cured and before you know it you may be on a pump. A few months after this we were watching the PBS fundraising event and Dr. Hyman was the speaker. As soon as he said, “Diabesity”, we knew this was the missing piece/solution to my diabetic management. We watched to the end and soaked up every word. My wife called, become a member in order to receive the informational packet. Denise called Dr. Hyman’s office the next morning; the appointment was made and I was seen in April, 2012. There was so much to do and absorb. In the beginning I felt overwhelmed, but Denise encouraged me to persevere. What a difference in care than my traditional doctors, there were phlebotomists, nutritionists and nurses all dedicated to helping me succeed. Dr. Boham and Maggie my nutritionist were knowledgeable in so much and not seen with my other doctors. Maggie fine tuned my protein powder, sugar substitute and several other foods. At every in person visit and phone visit there was collaboration between Maggie and Dr. Boham and for awhile there were changes to always get to the best outcome. There were some studies performed that are not commonly done by the traditional doctors and not all were recognized by even my endocrinologist. Some recommendations were as simple as getting more sun for my vitamin D and using the sauna to get rid of toxins; there were more major changes such as a trainer a few times a week to start and 30 minutes of exercise 4 – 6 days a week and of course an entire shift in my nutrition; as in the amount of calories, portion sizes and trying and incorporating many foods, grains, seeds and supplements that were foreign to me. Now after 3 years I have gone from close to 170 lbs. to 138-140 lbs. I can now eat fruits and nuts of which I was previously “allergic” and going to the gym is part of almost every day schedule whether at home or on vacation and the best part is I no longer use the flex pen, the glimeperide has been reduced from 2mg BID to 1mg prn. My A1C is usually 6.2 - 6.3 and my blood sugar average is about 100.

I am a 50 year old female, a fitness and health fanatic, and have been a personal trainer for 28 years. In May 2011, I started getting headaches and feeling really miserable. I was having headaches every day, some days turning into migraines. After two months of headaches I finally said to my husband, “something is wrong with me”. I had many other nagging issues, such as, weight gain, dizziness, brain fog, fatigue, hair loss, sleeping issues, just to name a few. After passing out and spending over six hours in the emergency room, noone could tell me what was wrong with me. I went to my primary care doctor and then to a heart specialist. Over the next six months I had a head scope, two neurologist visits, three MRI’s, three visits to eye doctors, two visits to ENT specialist and began physical therapy twice a week for six months. They found a slight disc issue in my neck and thought that was what was causing my headaches. Nothing was working and I was actually getting worse. We ruled out most tick diseases and other things along the way. Doctors and physical therapists were baffled. All I know is I felt bad and had headaches every day. Next step was a Lumbar Puncture, which I chose not to do. After a year and a half of dealing with this, I stumbled upon an article in the New York Times written by Dr. Mark Hyman , that changed my approach. I read The UltraMind Solution in a weekend and knew I wanted to go to The UltraWellness Center. I was lucky enough to get Dr. Elizabeth Boham as my doctor and Maggie Ward as my nutritionist. I remember how miserable I felt the morning I met both of them. By the afternoon I knew I had found my answer and had hope. After pinpointing my food intolerances, mineral and vitamin deficiencies and then changing my diet, all of my symptoms disappeared. I can honestly say at 50 years old….I have never felt better. All my symptoms are gone, I’m sleeping better, my quality of life has improved and I am a much happier person. I don’t know where I would be if I had not gone to The UltraWellness Center. I am truly, forever grateful to the entire staff at The UltraWellness Center.

Dad was first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis back in 1996 and was treated by several gastrointestinal specialists over the years. The doctors’ treatments including a plethora of pharmaceutical drugs and some “hit or miss” food restrictions; none of which resolved his digestive and bowel disorders. Over time, almost any foods that Dad consumed caused some negative reaction…upset stomach, indigestion and heartburn and/or debilitating bowel irritations! In December of 2010, Dad’s doctor recommended a consultation with a general surgeon to discuss a colon resection to remove the diseased colon. Our initial visit and consultation with physician Dr. Elizabeth Boham and Maggie Ward, the nutritionist was a very interesting and informative experience; consisting of a comprehensive discussion about Dad’s lifelong health issues and treatments, his current and past diet(s) and any environmental exposures that he was subjected to in his lifetime. Following a battery of testing that included extensive blood work, urine and stool samples; Dr. Bohams’ diagnosis was that Dad had a “gluten” intolerance and was suffering from a gut and yeast infection with severe imbalance of several health markers that were causing him to feel weak and ill. The recommended treatment began immediately. Within the first month Dad was feeling much better, resuming his physical activities for the first time in months and within three months was miraculously without any colitis symptoms and feeling 100% better than he had in many, many years! Today Dad is completely free of any digestive and bowel issues and has stopped taking any pharmaceutical drugs for the maintenance of colitis that he had been taking for the last 55 years! We are at a loss for words and cannot begin to express our family’s gratitude and appreciation for Dr. Hyman and his UltraWellness Center, to Dr. Elizabeth Boham, to Maggie Ward and all of the support staff for Dad’s successful treatment and continued good health that we have all enjoyed since our first visit there in February 2011… You have changed our lives and may have very well saved his, and for that, we thank you!!!

This note is for Dr. Hyman and for the staff, all of whom have changed my life dramatically, given me back my health, my body, my natural level of contentment, and my ability to engage vibrantly with everything and everyone in my life. I came to the Ultrawellness Clinic in August of 2011 in desperation. I had been deteriorating ever since surgery for thyroid cancer in 2000. I was sophisticated in the world of doctors (my ex belonged to the tribe) and ran from one to the other; every one of them told me I was fine. But I felt like I was eighty years old, dragged myself to work and to fulfill obligations and had energy for little else. This was complicated by an undiagnosed piriformis syndrome so that, with further general deterioration, I also could hardly walk half a block. I saw Dr. Hyman’s name mentioned in a NYT Magazine article as the doctor of a woman who had a benign tumor all over her body which could turn malignant on a dime. She wrote books and devoted her life to her health. Ah, I thought, she has done all the research for me. I read up about Dr. Hyman and his approach, and made an appointment. Because I had not felt well for so long, I kept all of my blood work religiously. I had perhaps 15 years worth arranged chronologically which I would bring to my first appointment with a new doctor. At best, they looked at the more recent bloodwork. When I showed Dr. Hyman my two inch thick loose leaf, he said, “Excellent,” with an expression of true delight, read through every page right there in front of me and made notes on the pages as well. At one point he asked me, who is so and so? Why did he have you take such and such a test and not tell you, you had this and this. Then based on the tests I had been asked to take in preparation for my appointment (perhaps with the help of the information I also had provided), Dr. Hyman told me I had a leaky gut, very high levels of lead and mercury, a gluten intolerance, homocysteinemia, a cryptosporidium and a variety of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. In the notes he prepared for me listing 13 or so issues, he indicated the treatment, dosage and brand of supplement I should take where indicated, and the date of the next time I should test for this issue. When it was close to the testing date, I was contacted by the office and test materials were sent out to me. When I saw Dr. Hyman for my next appointment, he had all the data in front of him to see my progress and to think through adjustments to my treatment as called for. Within weeks of following Dr. Hyman’s instructions, I found myself living in a new body, or better, I found myself back in my original vibrant body! A habitual mood of contentment returned replacing a sense of void and emptiness that would come and go. Fatigue left. After ten long years of deterioration, I suddenly had energy, not just to drag myself to work, but to live, to enjoy, to engage in new projects, spend time with family and friends. It was a miracle. I had forgotten one could feel like this! I don’t know if I ever knew one could feel like this. And as I searched my shelves at mealtime for anything and everything nutritionally dense that I might add to my meal or salad, seventeen pounds slipped away never to return. But the magic was bigger than just Dr. Hyman, his unassuming manner, smile, attention and approach to medicine. There was a team standing behind and with Dr. Hyman. I worked most closely with Maggie, with Susan and Jamie but have been in touch with many on the staff. Working with you guys, is different from working with any other fancy New York doctor (I live in New York). I could email in a question for my nurse (Susan) or for my nutritionist (Maggie). I wrote detailed food diaries for Maggie which we reviewed together to optimize the ways I eat, all in the context of my medical issues and care. As issues came up, big and little, I emailed Jamie. When I drove up to Lenox for my appointments, I was welcomed, not as a patient or client or consumer of some sort, but from the heart. Where on this planet can one find care like this? Recently I had a call. The team must have been reviewing patient medications against recent tests and called to ask me to take another thyroid test to verify the correct dosage of the medication I am taking. Never have I received a call like this, unconnected to a particular visit; just part of a smart and conscientious review and follow up of data. I have brought all I learned from Dr. Hyman and the team to my family. I have five kids and eighteen grandchildren. When I visit them in Houston, in Chicago and in Baltimore, each grandchild tells me his or her favorite fruit or vegetable. Then we shop for these treasures. After that we prepare for our fruit and vegetable party, which can include reading up about the benefits of this favorite item and drawing pictures and hanging them on the walls. When I come, the kids all look forward to these parties! My journey with Dr. Hyman and all of you has brought so much to all the members of my family! At a recent appointment with Dr. Hyman he made the point that before sixty, one can get away with eating right but that after sixty, exercise is critical. I took him at his word. In New York I take a weekly hour long gaga class (a form of movement developed by the choreographer Ohad Naharin). I write now from Israel where I have come to do take gaga classes for one month. I take 14 classes and walk an addition 12 hours to get to class every week. I am 66 and brimming with energy. None of my friends are engaging physically to this extent. I would not trade this vitality with any billionaire who lacked it!

It’s early September and I’m back at the seashore with my husband on vacation. Three years ago I was at this very same spot, having just been released from the hospital. Instead of sitting on the beach, I had been huddled up in bed, too exhausted to enjoy my surroundings. I was mystified by what had happened to me. A few weeks earlier I had developed a rash after taking a high dosage of ibuprofen, prescribed for a rotator cuff injury. I started physical therapy to avoid “frozen shoulder”, which worked beautifully. However, several days later I began to suffer from serious itching, mostly on my limbs, which my physician attributed to a possible allergic reaction to ibuprofen. I began taking antihistamines of all types, but nothing worked. Within a week it became worse and when my doctor ordered blood work, it showed that my liver function tests were extremely elevated. Other tests were ordered (abdominal ultrasound, MRI and CT scan), but things then went downhill so quickly that I was told to immediately check myself into the hospital emergency room. It was frightening. Extensive blood work continued to show skyrocketing liver function results. I was jaundiced and the itching became intense. Next came a liver biopsy. The preliminary diagnosis was primary biliary cirrhosis (when bile ducts collapse, preventing bile from leaving the body), but not all of the tests were conclusive. It appeared I had autoimmune hepatitis. For six months I was put on several medications that began to slowly improve my liver function. Weekly blood tests were my routine. I went through several excruciating months with lack of sleep due to the pruritis (itching). Because I was taking prednisone, I also developed steroid-induced diabetes! Although the itching finally subsided and improvement seemed to be in sight, after six months I experienced a serious setback. After a second liver biopsy my gastroenterologist told me I had “stumped” their team (at one of the top liver centers in the USA) and recommended that I see an internationally known specialist in NYC. I will always be grateful to her for being forthright and for the referral. My husband and I for years have believed in the power of nutrition, done significant reading on the subject, consulted with nutritionists and tried to follow a healthful approach to eating. We decided that yes, I would definitely contact the liver specialist in NYC, but also concurrently find a doctor who followed an integrated medicine approach. We had also recently become aware of the field of functional medicine. After research and phone interviews, I decided upon the UltraWellness Center. For anyone who is about to do such a search, don’t waste your time calling other centers! I called several and there is a world of difference in how the UltraWellness Center treats a potential patient. (Ann Grande, you make such a difference!) I was eager to see Dr. Boham as soon as possible and was put on a waiting list in case any cancellations came up. Fortunately for me, one did! I actually met with Dr. Boham before I saw the specialist in NYC (that waiting list was longer). I had submitted extensive documentation in advance and it was obvious that Dr. Boham was familiar with my medical history from the get-go. We discussed my symptoms, autoimmune disease and the need to decrease the inflammation in my digestive system. She prescribed a series of specialized tests, changes to my diet, and supplements. The focus was on detoxification, reducing inflammation and liver support. She also stated clearly that she was not a liver specialist, so that my working concurrently with a gastroenterologist at this stage of my illness made sense. On that first day I also met with nutritionist Maggie Ward, who meticulously tailored a diet to my individual needs (this included a gluten-free regime). Maggie always listened to my concerns and “tweaked” things as I made progress along the way. I should also add that I regularly shared the list of supplements with my traditional doctors, so that there would be no conflict or questions as to what might affect my blood tests. Although there is growing recognition of the functional medicine approach, be prepared for some resistance! I stood my ground and the results speak for themselves. Within a few months my liver test results took a steady path into the positive range and in less than a year I was able to start weaning myself off prednisone. As my liver improved, I worked with Dr. Boham and Maggie Ward to relax both my dietary restrictions and supplements. At the onset of my treatment I had also lost a significant amount of weight, but it has since returned to a normal range. Although I’ve been told that this autoimmune disease may be with me for the rest of my life, my medications have also been reduced significantly and to this day I continue to follow Dr. Boham’s and Maggie Ward’s recommendations. The most important thing is that I feel well! One thing I neglected to mention above is that I live in Pennsylvania and traveled several times for in-person meetings at the UltraWellness Center. Afterwards, I had phone consultations as needed. From the day I walked into the UltraWellness Center and until now, I’ve been treated with the utmost care and respect. As far as I’m concerned, it was a decision that saved my life!