Lab results are useful—but only when read in context. In a functional–integrative model, I’m reading for drivers  (inflammation/oxidative stress, mitochondrial energy, immune tone, nutrient status, hormones, gut–brain imbalances) and pattern clusters  that explain what you feel day to day. One driver can produce many pictures. Chronic, low-grade inflammation, for instance, may look like joint pain, skin flares, brain fog, insulin resistance, slower recovery, or sleep that nev

Why this lens (and how I arrived here) The single biggest turning point in my training came during a rotation at Weill Cornell’s pediatric endocrinology  service. In a center for pediatric obesity, I watched children and families change—not because of one prescription, but because their whole context  was addressed: food and sleep, movement and family systems, school and culture, even faith and community . When those elements lined up, outcomes were remarkable. I decided to d