BY Samuel Mathis, MD, Assistant Professor, UTMB   Recently, I have spent a significant amount of time helping a family member navigate the healthcare system. As the physician in the family, I’ve been on call during rounds, participated in family meetings, and even been present for resident and faculty evaluations while staying with the family members. This experience has been eye-opening for me to watch the various ways physicians interact with the patient and their...

BY Hasan Yasin, MD, Integrative and Behavioral Medicine Fellow, and Samuel Mathis, MD, Assistant Professor, UTMB   “Our bodies are our gardens. Our wills are our gardeners.” – William Shakespeare   With the holidays coming soon, many conversations turn to the foods we eat or plan to eat during the holidays. This can be a prime conversation to recommend appropriate and healthy food choices to our patients. Small health-conscious decisions can profoundly impact a patient’s health...

BY Elijah Romero, MS3 Student Doctor, Family Medicine, UTMB Introduction With the increasing prevalence of diabetes in the US, there is significant interest in identifying effective diabetes therapies with few side effects. Because of the high cost of many medications, many patients and physicians are exploring alternative botanical treatments that may help with glycemic control. By researching different botanicals’ efficacy in lowering HbA1C levels or fasting blood glucose levels, we may find more healthy alternatives...

BY Samuel Mathis, MD, Assistant Professor, UTMB   With the recent increase in COVID cases over the past month, this year’s flu season is gearing up to be worse than last year potentially. Many times, patients look for alternative therapies that can help prevent or reduce the duration of upper respiratory infections (URI). As a Family Medicine physician, I regularly get patient visits asking for antibiotics after only 1-2 days of cough, congestion, or rhinorrhea....

BY Samuel Mathis, MD, Assistant Professor, UTMB   One common question asked during nutritional counseling is about the nutritional value of plant-based milk. These milk substitutes are derived from plants such as oats, coconut, almonds, soy, or even hemp. In the grocery store, these kinds of milk are promoted as being healthier than their dairy counterparts. But what does the research show about these milk products? Are they any healthier than cow or goat milk?...

By Samuel Mathis, MD, Assistant Professor, UTMB   It is estimated that 75% of all adults have had a headache in the last year and 16% of the US population currently has a headache. Headaches cost the US approximately $22 billion per year in both direct medical costs and indirect costs through lost productivity. Many of our standard therapies have significant costs or side effects associated with them. This is a wonderful opportunity for integrative...

BY Samuel Mathis, MD, Assistant Professor, UTMB   I’ve always found the phrase, “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away” to be humorous. As a child, I imagined that doctors responded to apples in the same way vampires responded to garlic. Interestingly enough, it turns out that there may be some truth to the phrase. Apples have some amazing health benefits that can keep us and our patients healthy and lower the risks of...

BY Samuel Mathis, MD, Assistant Professor, UTMB, Family Medicine, UTMB   In the past few months, I have seen several patients with what one of my colleagues calls a “GLP-1 deficiency.” Where I work, semaglutide has quickly become the newest fad diet. It does not help that the media and pharmaceutical companies continue to promote these drugs as “cures” rather than weight loss aids. I admit, many patients are seeing significant results in their weight...

BY Samuel Mathis, MD, Assistant Professor, UTMB, and Eldin Nikocevic, MS4, Family Medicine, UTMB   Psychedelics are a class of drugs that have recently regained attention for their potential therapeutic effects on a range of mood disorders. Among them, psilocybin, the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms,” is currently gaining attention for its potential to treat depression. The substance produces profound changes in perception, mood, and cognition, often inducing hallucinations. While psilocybin has a long history...

BY Samuel Mathis, MD, UTMB Recently, I listened to a physician’s podcast about Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR). This practice, also called Yoga Nidra, is a way to help the body relax and replenish dopamine levels. The underlying theory of this activity is based on the dopamine depletion theory. As we go throughout the day, our dopamine levels naturally fall during the day and with activities that bring excitement and happiness. Lower levels of dopamine lead...