The State Of Functional Medicine 2020: Insights From Julie Beth Yelin, M.D

3X4’s new State of Functional Medicine series features interviews with a diverse range of active practitioners and established thought leaders to learn more about why they chose the field of functional medicine, what excites them most about their work, the most common misconceptions they hear from patients, and most importantly — how they see the field evolving in the years ahead as healthcare shifts to be more focused Personalized Health, proactive, and preventative. 

Functional medicine practitioners play a key role in helping patients understand who they are so they can improve their quality of life which is what we’re all about here at 3X4. Our goal with this new series is to celebrate the work these practitioners are doing and inspire others to explore the exciting field of functional medicine.

The following is an interview we have recently had with Julie Beth Yelin, M.D., Owner of Choose Health Wellness Center

Why did you decide to make functional medicine your focus?

JY: I have always had a “preventive” medicine philosophy, so functional medicine helps me teach my patients how to achieve and  maintain optimal health life long. 

Who have been your greatest mentors in your functional medicine journey? 

JY: I have learned lots from so many functional medicine “pioneers,” but  Neal Rouzier, MD of WorldLink Medical has had the biggest influence on my education and career.

What excites you most about your day to day work? 

JY: I am most excited when patients tell me that they feel the best that they have ever felt in their lives. I get great satisfaction in knowing that not only do my patients feel much better, but that I am helping my patients to achieve and maintain their optimal health for their entire life.

What’s the most challenging part of your day to day work? 

JY: Convincing some patients to eat proper nutrition has definitely been a big challenge. Patients must understand that taking synthetic drugs for symptoms/diseases instead of living a healthy lifestyle will not help them maintain their optimal health.

What do patients most commonly get wrong about functional medicine? 

JY: Patients are so used to conventional medicine’s philosophy of treating symptoms with synthetic drugs that some of them accept symptoms as “normal for their age.” Functional medicine teaches that patients should not settle for what’s normal or common for their age, but rather maintain optimal health and prevent symptoms/disease life long.

What’s holding the field of functional medicine back? 

JY: Many health insurance plans do not cover functional medicine, so it is difficult for many patients to afford functional medicine, especially for certain testing/lab work.

What has your experience been with genetic testing? 

JY: Genetic testing has great value in helping me create customized health plans for patients.

How do you see the practice of functional medicine evolving in the years ahead? 

JY: I am hopeful that, one day, functional medicine will become the new mainstream medicine so that everyone can benefit from its philosophy of “getting to root causes to cure and prevent disease as naturally as possible.”

About Julie Beth Yelin, MD

After practicing as an oculoplastic surgeon for a decade, Dr. Yelin made the decision to follow her real passion for preventive medicine and healthy living.  Dr. Yelin believes in preventing disease, instead of treating it.  She follows the principles of functional medicine which identify the root causes of ones health issues and fix them as naturally as possible, rather than simply prescribing synthetic medications which only mask symptoms.

Dr. Yelin trained under Dr. Neal Rouzier, a world renowned leading author and pioneer in the field of Age Management Medicine.  Dr. Yelin enjoys providing comprehensive, individualized plans for her patients.  In an effort to treat the whole patient, Dr. Yelin not only optimizes hormones using the evidence-based support of bio-identical hormone replacement for men and women, but also addresses nutrition, supplementation, and fitness.

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