Pillar Primary Care

07/18/2025

We're hiring!

Pillar is looking for a part time dietitian to work directly with our members in one on one counseling. Our nutrition program advocates for a real food diet limiting carbohydrates and promoting protein in order to reverse insulin resistance, cure diabetes, and promote weight loss with health restoration. It's a fun, tight-knit community of staff and participants who learn and practice this together.

Please share this post with any dietitian who might be interested and have them contact the office at info@pillarpc.com for more information.

06/12/2025

Did you know that Pillar’s health coach Terri Stewart just published her own book?

10 Stones that Steady Your Soul: A Grace-Filled Path to Health and Transformation

With real-life stories, reflective prompts, and soul-steadying truth, 10 Stones that Steady Your Soul offers a gentle path toward healing, strength, and wholeness. This book invites you to explore 10 mindset shifts that helped Terri transform from being a tired morbidly obese nurse into a person living in health and the fullness of God's design. Learn what triggered this major turnaround and propelled her forward--step by step.

Be sure to check it out!

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

05/02/2025

Welcome back Carly from maternity leave!

04/20/2025

Happy Easter From Pillar Primary Care

“He has risen; he is not here.” Perhaps the most profound words ever spoken. The Son of God, Jesus, died, was buried, and overcame death as he promised. A turning point in humanity, where a holy and just God sat in judgment of sin and became the justifier through Jesus’ sacrifice redeeming His people back to himself. Celebrate today the glorious truth that ‘he is risen; he is not here’!

“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” Mark‬ ‭16‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. [Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–2

04/17/2025

Dr. Howell crossed another milestone today! 300 patients and he's now half full for his panel. [Insert Bon Jovi's Livin on a Prayer]. You're welcome if that song is stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

04/02/2025

Our improvements continue and we're keeping it in the family. Carly's uncle, Stuart Row, has a crew working to provide a whole new outside look. Check them out at Stuart Row Landscapes, Inc.

03/29/2025

Pillar PC Ghibli Studio style

03/06/2025

Wish your family out of town could have a great DPC practice like Pillar Primary Care?

Check out the new DPC clinic mapper hosted by Atlas.md to find a clinic for your loved ones in their hometown.

https://atlas.md/map/

More and more direct care clinics are developing around the US as the movement toward more responsible healthcare continues to expand.

02/21/2025

Many years ago I created four celebration boards to encourage patients as they acheive milestones of success towards better health. Today, I restarted that tradition at Pillar PC with a new set.

With each milestone, patients are invited by their physician to publically sign their name showcasing their accomplishment. These boards represent a reminder to what has been achieved to those who need refreshment and what can be achieved to those who need encouragement.

It is only fitting that the very first signatory for these new boards was able to sign all four at once.

About 15 months ago Mr. M received a diagnosis of diabetes. This came about as part lifestyle and part medication side effect. He and his family vowed a change. Now 50 lbs lighter, with normalized numbers, off a couple medications, and the reversal of the diabetes diagnosis, he is crushing it. As a result of his hard work, his underlying health concerns have improved and he told me today that he received two very impressive performance rewards at work. His body just works better now. (And his kids are asking for more spinach at dinner!)

At Pillar, we are commited to your success. We will walk with you every step of the way. We’ll brush you off when you stumble, cheer you on as you overcome a challenge, and celebrate when you succeed.

-Dr. McColl

02/09/2025

Take 10 minutes to understand this graph and you’ll understand everything you need know to eat healthy.

This is the Pillar PC nutritional paradigm as a visual display.

3d Ternary Macronutrient Plot

02/05/2025

The gut microbiome is an amazing ecosystem that can help improve or harm our health. Many of my patients have heard the stories I share of how improving the quality of our food, deliberately adding and fostering beneficial bacteria, and limiting the toxic substances which harm the gut can have life changing effects. Here’s a study showing how hypertension (high blood pressure) in mice can be improved by adding a bacteria found in Kefir and other cultured milk products. It provides a proof of mechanism study in what I’ve seen clinically happen where addressing the gut microbiome resolves multi-decade hypertension in a person.

“We also find that Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) CCFM639 attenuates the increase in blood pressure (BP) potentially through inhibiting the proliferation of S. aureofaciens Tü117 in mice. “

Zhou et al. reveal that the S. aureofaciens Tü117-α-lipomycin axis is correlated with HSD and an increase in BPs. Mechanistically, α-lipomycin causes vasodilation impairment involving TRPV4 -mediated NO and EDHF pathways. Targeting S. aureofaciens Tü117 by L. plantarum CCFM639 might be a pro...

02/03/2025

“It is no surprise that quality sleep is crucial to our health and well-being. But what are some ways we can improve the quality of our sleep? One easy approach to increase the quality of our sleep is to have a consistent sleep schedule. Recent research has shown that a consistent sleep schedule is just as important as the number of hours you get each night. We should be doing our best to go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day. Yes, this includes the weekend! Consistency is key! Try it for 14 days and see how you feel.”

Eli is our current medical student rotating with us and picked out this gem of advice. Take a read through the systematic review if you're interested in more details.

The objective of this systematic review was to examine the associations between sleep timing (e.g., bedtime/wake-up time, midpoint of sleep), sleep consistency/regularity (e.g., intra-individual variability in sleep duration, social jetlag, catch-up sleep), and health outcomes in adults aged 18 year...