Dr. Daniel H. Duffy D.C.
Dr. Deborah Johnson D.C.Dr. DeeDee Duffy D.C.
Functional Medicine Physicians
25 Years Experience
Functional Medicine determines how and why illness occurs and restores health by addressing the root causes of disease for each individual.
"The Functional Medicine model is an individualized, patient-centered, science-based approach that empowers patients and practitioners to work together to address the underlying causes of disease and promote optimal wellness. It requires a detailed understanding of each patient’s genetic, biochemical, and lifestyle factors and leverages that data to direct personalized treatment plans that lead to improved patient outcomes"
(Institute for Functional Medicine)
Applied Kinesiology
Functional Medicine
Addressing Sensitivities, Deficiencies, and Toxicities, While
Utilizing the Functional Medicine/Applied Kinesiology Approach
Functional Medicine New Client Special
Now: $195
Highland Wellness Center
5606 Wilson Mills Road
Highland Heights, OH 44143
Or Call to Schedule
440-449-1866
From the desk of Dr. Daniel Duffy, Jr. and Dr. Deborah Johnson:
For 25+ years we've been helping patients get to the ROOT CAUSE of their health challenges. We do not believe in a one size fits all "cookie cutter" approach! We believe each and every patient is unique and different...with different needs.
Our country is sick and getting sicker. Right now 71% of the U.S. is overweight or obese! Projected to be 80% by 2020! We're trending in the wrong direction! What we're doing is NOT working!
Not only do we have a weight loss resistance epidemic but we have an autoimmune epidemic. There are roughly 50 million Americans with an autoimmune condition of some sorts. There are roughly 140 varieties of an autoimmune condition.
We have an ADHD epidemic. We have a low thyroid epidemic (i.e. Hashimoto's).
We have an INFLAMMATION epidemic!
Our Approach Is Unique!
We lean heavily on an approach that has 3 pillars. Sensitivities, deficiencies, & toxicities.
For over twenty years we've been objectively TESTING our patients. We'll look at FOODS and customize accordingly. We'll look at nutrient status and customize accordingly. We'll also look at toxicities.
We believe that MOST health challenges are FOOD RELATED.
The Standard American Diet (SAD) is very processed, pro-inflammatory, & TOXIC!
By toxic I mean, high fructose corn syrup, nitrates, preservatives, MSG, trans fats, colors, dyes, and artificial weirdness.
Friend, if a food has 27 ingredients it's NOT A FOOD! It's BUILT! In a laboratory by a food chemist who has 1 job...to make that food TASTE GOOD...so you come back for more and more. Simply trace the dollars.
We have a saying in our clinics..."We Don't Guess...We TEST!"
We MUST also address the cellular inflammation with patients.
INFLAMMATION is at the root cause of A LOT of health challenges. Heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, chronic pain, diabetes, stroke etc...these can all be traced back to INFLAMMATION being a primary culprit!
So if we to get well...we MUST fix the cell and address toxicities.
If you're sick of the medical run-around.
If you're sick of seeing 1 specialist after another...and NOBODY is spending time with you to DIG towards a root cause...then please give our clinics a call for a 100% FREE consultation.
No Cost - No Obligation! Even through a quick 10-minute phone consultation we'll be able to determine if you're a candidate for one of our treatment programs.
Below what I'd like to do to is provide a few more details about conditions we specialize in and explain more about the services we offer.
Again, we're a functional medicine based clinic. We work to dig, find, and fix the root cause of people's health challenges. We provide natural health solutions. This is a key factor you need to understand. We're not going to simply throw a medication at you. A drug, most of the time, is simply a chemical cover up. It's not working towards fix the cause. That is our goal at Highland Wellness Center.
What Conditions Do We Specialize In?
Patients
Who Can We Help?
Weight loss resistance is a huge struggle for a lot of people. We've found that eating the wrong foods (i.e. foods that you're sensitive to) spikes inflammation.
It is VERY hard to lose weight when you're inflamed and the researcher is clear that food intolerances, sensitivities, & food allergies spike inflammation in the body. This is why we food test our patients.
We also must detoxify at the cell level. Why? Because your body hangs on to FAT as a buffer against toxins. It's a defense mechanism.
Patients often ask what's the best way to lose weight / what's the best weight loss program out there?
The answer is simple, that one that is CUSTOM and involves some form of food / nutrient testing.
The ketogenic diet is great for some people and a nightmare for others. Why? Because many patients react to dairy! The ketogenic diet relies heavily on higher fat...cheeses...dairy etc. If somebody is sensitive to dairy, the ketogenic diet can do more harm than good.
Paleo is great, but what if somebody reacts to various fruits and vegetables?
So again, MODIFYING things is the key to a successful program. We don't believe in one size fits all!
A lot of digestive issues come from eating the wrong foods. Food sensitivities, intolerances, allergies etc.
Leaky gut is also a HUGE epidemic. In your digestive tract there should be tight junctions. Because of toxins, inflammation, and a variety of other factors...these junctions open up. This allows bacteria, proteins, and other foreign particles to leaky into the blood stream.
Then what happens?
You get a MASSIVE immune response and immune reaction. This also creates a huge inflammatory affect. Basically your immune system is working overtime to put out all the fires of the "foreign invaders"! We believe leaky gut is a huge culprit in the autoimmune explosion in recent years. When you consistently stress your immune system...eventually it turns on itself. Now you have 50 million Americans suffering and 140 "labels" of an autoimmune condition. This starts in the GUT!!
Research has shown a link to food sensitivities and kids who struggle with ADHD! When we remove the foods that are harming the child's digestive system and immune system they begin to FUNCTION better. Research has shown a link to ADHD and digestive challenges which is why food testing is so critical. There is a "gut brain axis" that needs to be addressed.
We also must address toxicities with ADHD kids. There are a variety of factors but when attempting to improve overall function...we need to look at artificial colors, dyes, preservatives etc. Gluten can also play a role. Vitamin deficiencies can also be a factor which is why we TEST!
Migraines are a common symptom for a lot of people. Research has shown migraines to have an inflammatory component as well. So we MUST remove the pro inflammatory foods. Could there be other “causes” of a migraine? Absolutely. But getting food tested should be step #1!
We also must address nutrient status and toxicities.
It’s been estimated that 20 million Americans struggle with low thyroid and another 10 million have gone undiagnosed. 90% of low thyroid is a condition called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. This is actually an AUTOIMMUNE condition! IT’S NOT EVEN A THYROID ISSUE!! If it's an immune system issue, wouldn't it make sense to test HOW your immune system reacts to foods?
These are the most common conditions we see at Highland Wellness Center. Again, we use a natural approach. We believe functional medicine is an amazing gift and should be the first line of attack when struggling with a health challenge.
Food Sensitivity
&
Food Allergy Testing
&
Food Allergy Testing
A food sensitivity or a food intolerance is caused by an inability to digest a food and occurs in the digestive tract and not the bloodstream, like a food allergy. Symptoms are “delayed onset”, where symptoms do not appear for hours or even days. Food sensitivities are not fixed, and can come and go during the course of one’s life.
Strangely, people often crave foods to which they are sensitive to. Some researchers suggest that our bodies can become addicted to the chemical messengers.
Messengers such as histamine or cortisol, which are secreted by immune cells in response to allergens in the body. The body may experience a soothing response from the presence of the chemical messengers, increasing the desire to eat more of that food.
Note that food sensitivities and allergies can change every year. Just because you’re diagnosed with a food sensitivity or allergy one year does not mean it will hold true for the rest of your life. This is why we encourage people to get tested at least once a year.
Food Sensitivity vs. Food Allergy
Food Allergy:
A food allergy is an exaggerated immune response triggered by eggs, peanuts, milk, or some other specific food. With a true food allergy the IgE portion of the immune system is being triggered. This is the IMMEDIATE reaction. A patient might eat strawberries and get an immediate rash on their face. The reaction is so fast that testing is not needed because it's easy to determine the "culprit".
Food Sensitivity / Intolerance:
Food intolerance or non-allergic food hypersensitivity is a term used widely for varied physiological responses associated with a particular food, or compound found in a range of foods. This is the IgG portion of the immune system. It’s important to recognize the difference.
We are testing for the DELAYED sensitivity response…not the immediate response. We’re testing the 10-12 hour...sometimes up to 72 hour immune response that patients cannot figure out on their own! The time frame is simply too much to do any sort of elimination diet which is why it's important to objectively test.
Here is a sample report. We test roughly 100 foods to determine exactly how you react!
What Causes A Food Sensitivity?
Too much of one food. You can become sensitive to any food you eat too often. Many people eat a relatively small number of foods several times a day. For example, wheat, a common food sensitivity, is found in breakfast cereals, the bread used to make a sandwich at lunchtime, and the spaghetti eaten at dinnertime.
Leaky gut syndrome. The digestive tract plays a vital role in preventing illness and disease by providing an impenetrable barrier. When the lining of the gut is inflamed from a food sensitivity, small openings develop between the tightly woven cells making up the gut walls. This is called “leaky gut syndrome". With leaky gut syndrome, partially digested dietary protein can cross the intestinal barrier into the bloodstream. These large protein molecules can cause an allergic response, producing symptoms directly in the intestines or throughout the body. Additionally, hundreds of yeast and bacteria are released from the gut into the bloodstream where they set up infection anywhere, including muscles, joints, bones, teeth roots, coronary arteries, or even the brain. The early introduction of solid foods to infants before six months of age contributes to leaky gut syndrome and subsequent food allergies and sensitivities.
Deficiency of Probiotics. One of the causes of leaky gut is an absence of probiotics or ‘friendly’ bacteria in the intestines. The friendly bacteria help maintain the health of the intestines by producing fuel for intestinal cells and killing bad bacteria. Parasitic infections, treatment with antibiotics and other toxic pharmaceuticals, stress, poor diet (sugar and flour), smoking, alcohol, excessive hygiene, candida overgrowth and bottle-feeding your baby can disrupt the proper balance of friendly bacteria to bad bacteria.
Over-worked immune system. Constant stress, exposure to air and water pollution, and pesticides and chemicals in our food puts a strain on our immune system, making it less able to respond appropriately to the antigens in food.
Genetics. Food allergies and intolerances seem to be hereditary. Research indicates that if both parents have allergies, their children have a sixty-seven percent chance of developing food allergies. When only one parent is allergic, the child has a 33% chance of developing food allergies. Specifically, a person may inherit a deficiency of an enzyme like lactase, the enzyme that digests dairy. With nightshade sensitivities, there are ten genetic variants for susceptibility, not all individuals are affected equally or at all. A similar case can be made for other food sensitivities. Genetic variations predict the severity of your sensitivity.
Nutrient Deficiency Testing
While maintaining a balanced diet and taking multivitamins are great ways to be healthier, they’re not enough to achieve OPTIMAL nutritional balance. You are NOT what you eat, you are what you ABSORB and we're finding more and more people with GI challenges (IBS, leaky gut, Crohn's, gluten intolerance etc.) that aren't absorbing the key nutrients needed for optimal health.
With our nutrient deficiency test, we can accurately and OBJECTIVELY assess what YOUR body needs, and what your diet is failing to provide. Everybody has different nutritional needs and we encourage patients NOT to guess with their health.
Deficiency testing identifies these "shortages" so we can work to compensate for them, either by making changes in your diet or by taking nutritional supplements.
By testing for nutrient deficiencies we can help you design a personalized plan for maintaining your overall health and increasing your level of wellness or finding an underlying ROOT CAUSE that's causing a health challenge.
Our nutrient deficiency testing looks at 34 different vitamins & nutrients.
Do You Have Cravings?
What's The Next Step?
Call To Schedule a 1-on-1 Consultation With Dr. Duffy or Dr. Johnson
Appointments available now! No wait list!
Remember:
We Help Patients All Across Northeast Ohio Get Healthy Safely, Effectively, & Naturally!
We Help Patients All Across Northeast Ohio Get Healthy Safely, Effectively, & Naturally!
- Mentor, OH Functional Medicine
-
Highland Heights, OH Functional Medicine
- Cleveland, OH Functional Medicine
- Brunswick, OH Functional Medicine
- Avon, OH Functional Medicine
- Chardon, OH Functional Medicine
- Kirtland, OH Functional Medicine
- Geneva, OH Functional Medicine
- Rocky River, OH Functional Medicine
- Strongsville, OH Functional Medicine
- Painesville, OH Functional Medicine
- Beachwood, OH Functional Medicine
- Westlake, OH Functional Medicine
- North Olmsted, OH Functional Medicine
- Medina, OH Functional Medicine
- Twinsburg, OH Functional Medicine
- Pepper Pike, OH Functional Medicine
- Gates Mills, OH Functional Medicine
We Offer A Professional, Comfortable, Relaxed Environment!
About Our Doctors
Dr. Daniel Duffy, Jr.
Dr. Duffy Jr. was accepted into National College of Chiropractic in Chicago, Illinois. Upon graduating in 1994 Dr. Duffy Jr. moved to the Northeast Ohio area to study with his father in the family clinic. Dr. Duffy Jr. is certified in Applied Kinesiology having over a thousand hours of basic and advanced study. He is a member of the International College of Applied Kinesiology, a member of the Institute for Functional Medicine, and has completed the Institute’s Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice Course. Dr. Duffy has also completed his Fellowship in acupuncture through the International Academy of Medical Acupuncture.
Dr. Deborah Johnson
Dr. Deborah Johnson spent her undergraduate years studying Biology at Lewis University while excelling on the court playing NCAA Division II Basketball. After finishing her undergraduate studies, Dr. Johnson attended National College of Chiropractic in Chicago, Illinois. At National College of Chiropractic, Dr. Johnson discovered her passion for helping others achieve their optimal level of health. Dr. Johnson's special interests include Applied Kinesiology, Functional Medicine, Women's health, and is a certified Thermographer. She has completed over a thousand hours in basic and advanced study in Applied Kinesiology. Dr. Johnson is also a member of the Institute for Functional Medicine and International College of Applied Kinesiology.
Applied Kinesiology
Functional Medicine
Contact Us
440-449-1866
Highland Wellness Center
5606 Wilson Mills Road
Highland Heights, OH 44143
CUSTOM JAVASCRIPT / HTML
The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational & educational purposes only. The purpose of this website is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. No guarantee is provided or implied. Results may vary based on each patient’s physical health and adherence to the care plan designed by the doctor.These statements have not been evaluated by the United States Food & Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease.
Copyright © 2020 www.FunctionalMedicineCleveland.com · All Rights Reserved.