Direct Functional Medicine

09/21/2025

Quick Overview of Thyroid Hormones:
• T4 (Thyroxine): Produced by the thyroid gland; it's a prohormone. It has very little direct activity.

• T3 (Triiodothyronine): The active form of thyroid hormone. It’s what your cells actually use to regulate metabolism, energy, mood, body temperature, and more.

• Free T3 (FT3) and Free T4 (FT4): The “unbound” forms, which are bioavailable (usable by the body).

• TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone): Made by the pituitary gland to regulate thyroid output.
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🔁 Why T3 Matters (and Why T4 Alone Can Be Misleading):

1. T4 Must Convert to T3 to Work
• T4 is converted to T3 in the liver, gut, and other tissues.
• Some people have impaired conversion, due to:
• Chronic illness
• Inflammation
• Stress or high cortisol
• Nutrient deficiencies (like selenium, zinc, iron)
• Certain medications
👉 So, even if T4 and TSH are "normal", if conversion is poor, Free T3 can be low, and the person can still have hypothyroid symptoms.
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2. Low T3 = Hypothyroid Symptoms
Patients with low T3 may experience:
• Fatigue
• Brain fog
• Depression/anxiety
• Cold intolerance
• Weight gain
• Constipation
• Hair thinning
Even if TSH and T4 are in range, if Free T3 is low, the person can feel very unwell.

Direct Functional Medicine Offices in Mebane and Clayton Schedule a Meet & Greet Schedule An Appointment No matter where you live in North Carolina, you have access to quality Functional Medicine Care from the comfort of your home! Don’t pay thousands of dollars upfront for Functional Medicine! No...

09/21/2025

Conventional providers do not think women need testosterone but there are many benefits of testosterone for women which is why we are supposed to produce it.

Mood & Mental Health

Mood Regulation: Adequate testosterone levels are associated with better mood stability and lower rates of depression or anxiety.

Confidence and Drive: It can improve motivation, assertiveness, and overall sense of well-being.

Sexual Health

Libido: Testosterone supports healthy s*xual desire and arousal.

Vaginal Health: Supports vaginal tissue health, helping with lubrication and reducing discomfort during s*x.

Energy & Vitality

Fatigue Reduction: Low testosterone can cause fatigue; restoring levels may boost energy.

Improved Resilience: May help with mental and physical endurance.

Muscle Mass & Strength

Lean Muscle Maintenance: Supports muscle development and helps prevent muscle loss, especially post-menopause.

Improved Physical Performance: May increase strength, endurance, and recovery from exercise.

Bone Health

Bone Density: Works in synergy with estrogen to maintain bone strength and reduce risk of osteoporosis.

Cognitive Function

Memory and Focus: Some evidence suggests testosterone may aid in memory, focus, and cognitive sharpness.

09/20/2025

We are now open in downtown Clayton at 423 East Second Street.

07/06/2025

Due to flooding in our area the office will be closed tomorrow.

05/28/2025

When trying to lose weight the goal is to do it in a healthy way. I have heard of places that tell patients to decrease calories to 700-800 calories per day. This is not sustainable. It also slows metabolism and thyroid function. This will lead to more weight gain once you come off of the diet/weight loss medicine.

If you are taking a GLP medication and decreasing calories to these levels you can lose muscle mass. A loss of muscle mass also slows down metabolism.

The goal should be eating healthy whole foods and exercising while focusing on reasons you may not be losing weight such as imbalances in your body.

If you choose to add a GLP medication make sure you are still getting enough calories and protein.

04/04/2025

Yale published about post vaccine syndrome. The publication discuss symptoms such as brain fog and fatigue but also states "From participants’ blood samples, the researchers looked for immune features that were different between the two groups. They found several differences in immune cell populations; those with PVS had lower levels of effector CD4+ T cells and higher levels of TNF-alpha+ CD8 T cells — both are types of white blood cells — among other differences."

https://news.yale.edu/2025/02/19/immune-markers-post-vaccination-syndrome-indicate-future-research-directions

Lower levels of effector CD4+ T cells and higher levels of TNF-alpha+ CD8 T cells (both types of white blood cells) can indeed increase the risk of cancer, as they can disrupt the cancer-immunity cycle and impair the body's ability to effectively fight tumors.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1074761323004107 #:~:text=CD4+%20T%20cells%20can%20have,the%20CD4+%20T%20cell%20compartment.

If you are experiencing these symptoms or concerns, please reach out for a free Meet and Greet through our website at directfunctionalmed.com

A small number of people report chronic symptoms after receiving COVID-19 shots. A new study provides clues for further research.

04/04/2025

Long COVID is debilitating and difficult to treat because it is a complex illness.

Studies show it can cause thyroid dysfunction, vitamin deficiencies, gut health imbalances, mitochondrial deficiencies, adrenal gland problems, elevated estrogen and can be more prevalent in people with an MTHFR gene mutation.

All of these plus toxins need to be evaluated and treated in patients with Long COVID.

If you have been told you have Long COVID and are interested in getting advanced testing and treatment please schedule a Free Meet and Greet through our website at

Direct Functional Medicine Offices in Greensboro, High Point and Mebane Schedule a Meet & Greet Schedule An Appointment No matter where you live in North Carolina, you have access to quality Functional Medicine Care from the comfort of your home! Don’t pay thousands of dollars upfront for Function...

03/08/2025

Leptin is a hormone made by fat cells to keep food intake and weight balanced. It is released by the brain to control the sensation of feeling full. Leptin resistance can alter metabolism and makes people feel hungry and eat more. There are several causes for leptin resistance, including chronic inflammation, stress, leaky gut, gut bacteria overgrowth or gut microbiome imbalance, nutrient deficiencies, and toxins. If you think you may be struggling with Leptin resistance please schedule a free Meet and Greet at www.directfunctionalmed.com

03/06/2025

A sign of vitamin D deficiency is binge eating. Impaired satiety and the tendency to overeat are often seen in people who have low vitamin D levels.

Low vitamin D also leads to weight gain because your metabolism slows down.

03/04/2025

Almost every patient I have tested for mold is positive for ochratoxin A (OTA) which is a very toxic strain of mycotoxin. A colleague of mine who has practiced Integrative oncology for 30 years has found it in almost all of his cancer patients. A study published in 2024 found a strong correlation between OTA and renal cell carcinoma (RCC), with potential associations with other malignancies, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), gallbladder cancer (GBC), and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). In North Carolina mold is found in at least 25% of homes, which includes new builds. Please reach out for a free Meet and Greet if you think you may have been exposed to mold. It lives in the body for years after exposure.

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/16/20/3473

03/04/2025

Many people think Integrative and functional medicine are the same thing. They may be similar in some ways but are actually very different. Integrative medicine uses many different types of therapy to heal your mind, body and spirit. This is usually done by adding in massage therapy, acupuncture and chiropractic care. Functional medicine seeks to identify and treat the underlying cause of your condition. It centers on the idea that one condition may have many causes or one cause can have many conditions. Many functional providers also focus on mind, body and spirit.

02/26/2025

I have been treating vaccine injured people for a few years now. I am happy to see Yale is putting out their research showing that these vaccines have made people sick.

A small number of people report chronic symptoms after receiving COVID-19 shots. A new study provides clues for further research.