Essential Insights

Every January, millions of people commit to the same health resolutions: eat better, exercise more, lose weight, sleep longer, and stress less. The intentions are genuine, but by the time February hits, many of those goals quietly dissolve. This isn’t due to a lack of willpower or discipline, but because most resolutions are built on…

Peptides have been quietly rising from the background of research into mainstream medicine, especially with the uptick of weight loss medications flooding the market. But what are peptides, exactly, and why are they so powerful? Contrary to popular belief, peptides are not futuristic potions or performance shortcuts, but rather natural, biological messengers that help coordinate…

While the holidays are synonymous with indulgence, that doesn’t have to mean feeling sluggish, bloated, or off-balance. By filling your holiday recipes with health-promoting ingredients, your favorite seasonal dishes can nourish your hormones, boost your energy, and support your body’s natural rhythms – without sacrificing comfort or taste. Below are our favorite balanced holiday recipes…

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced this week that it is removing “black box” safety warnings from all hormone therapy treatments used to address symptoms of menopause and perimenopause in women. Black box warnings are the FDA’s strongest labels used to cite a certain drug’s risk to human health which often discourages providers and…

Scientific advancement in regenerative medicine has evolved remarkably over the past few decades, establishing the field as a more trusted option for patients and providers. The concept of regenerative medicine at its core involves applying the body’s own powerful cellular mechanisms to promote healing. Regenerative medicine procedures often utilize stem cells, exosomes, or blood factors…

Essential Health – Raleigh is pleased to announce the launch of two new primary care programs, Essential Collective Care and Total Collective Care! These distinct, direct primary care memberships are designed for patients ages 5 and up who are seeking a whole-body approach to the management of primary care concerns, medications, and sick visits, but…

With the tendency to over-rely on prescription medication, procedures, and other invasive protocols, conventional medicine often pushes patients to seek alternate avenues of care to help address their health condition from another angle. Terms like alternative medicine, holistic medicine, integrative medicine, and functional medicine are models that mostly fall beyond the insurance-based healthcare system that offer a different perspective on…

Most health conditions rarely arise independently, nor can they be resolved by treating symptoms with prescription medications. A conventional healthcare approach, however, assumes just this. In a conventional setting, the first course of action to address a health concern is typically to prescribe a pill or procedure. Medications that mask symptoms may provide a patient…

Over the past 30 years, different models of healthcare delivery outside of the conventional insurance-based system have emerged with the goal of better addressing the needs of patients and the livelihoods of providers. In the case of primary care, concierge and direct primary care models have enabled patients to spend more time with their provider…

How much value do you truly receive with insurance-based healthcare? It’s a question that is on the mind of patients and providers alike these days. Many patients are clearly paying more for less, with insurance premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs rising steadily over the last two decades. Despite increasing costs, health outcomes have declined, especially…

It’s clear to see the healthcare system in the U.S. is creating challenges for both patients and providers. While patients often find themselves facing long wait times, rushed appointments, and limited access to primary care providers, providers themselves are experiencing burn-out and sadly, some are leaving the field all together. A different model, direct primary…

The study of medicine was born out of the concept of avoiding death. From the early days of antibiotics and vaccines to the more recent longevity-oriented research, medicine has always held the goal of extending life. While improving lifespan is central to modern human health, a conventional medicine perspective can often fall short of prioritizing…

The start of a new year is a natural time to reflect, reset, and for many, to consider what steps to take to improve health and wellness. Common health-related New Year’s resolutions often focus on quick-fix diets, extreme exercise programs, or intense detox protocols. However, these approaches rarely lead to lasting habit change or significant…

The U.S. healthcare system has been hailed as one of the most “advanced in the world,” but it has historically been built around a reactive model. This approach focuses on treating diseases and health conditions after they emerge and managing symptoms rather than addressing the root cause of an illness. While a reactive model has…

The term “aging” may seem reserved by the cosmetics and geriatric care industries. However, now it is a mainstream headline and an increasingly robust field of study in medicine. Commonly associated with the concept of longevity, aging science explores the process by which the body changes over time, along with factors that can affect the…

Primary care providers are the backbone of the healthcare industry, often serving as the first point of contact for patients of all ages experiencing a broad spectrum of health issues. It is no surprise that the increasing demands placed on medical professionals is leading to alarming levels of stress and burnout, with serious consequences for…

Provider burn-out is a growing issue in healthcare. Here’s how you can forge a new pathway in your practice. In the evolving healthcare landscape, it is apparent that a growing number of medical providers are facing challenges with burn-out in their practices. Adhering to a conventional, insurance-based model, while convenient in some ways, means providers…

The body is designed in a sophisticated way: to engage with the outside environment, balancing both the ability to absorb helpful compounds and to protect against harmful agents. Protective elements including the skin, mucus membranes, and immune system work together to fight against outside threats that can harm health. Even with all of these factors…

Blood is the life force of the human body. It serves myriad roles that support the health and functioning of the body’s systems, organs, and cells. The body has evolved to detoxify blood through a process led primarily by the liver, kidneys, lungs, and sophisticated metabolic cellular activity. However, scientific advancements in functional medicine have…

BOZEMAN, MONTANA, April 3, 2024: We are pleased to announce Essential Health – Bozeman is now offering Essential Primary Care with Dr. Todd J. Harris!  From our inception, our mission at Essential Health has been to provide exceptional service to our patients. We do this by continuing to evolve our practice towards new programs and…

“Weight loss medication” is currently a buzzing collection of terms in healthcare. In particular, gut hormone peptides, including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists (semaglutide, for example), have garnered significant attention, first for their role in diabetes treatment and prevention, and now in medically supervised weight loss. While the scientific basis behind GLP-1 agonists is profound, their…

Taking care of your internal health is a journey unique to each of us, and one that is best approached through personalized care. Assessing biomarkers, addressing symptoms, and healing from within using a holistic, systems-wide approach can help you reach optimal health from the inside-out. While focusing on internal health is paramount to overall health…

It is a new year, which often means new motivation to get healthier. While there are thousands of fad diets, exercise programs, and detox systems you could buy into, to truly experience a transformation in your health requires an approach that considers your unique body and your goals for the future. Embracing the principles of…

Every so often, an advancement in medicine provides a substantial leap in progress toward improving health outcomes. Peptide therapy is no exception. What are Peptides? Peptides are short chains of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. Proteins are essential molecules in the body that play various roles in cellular function, structure, and…

Have you ever been told your symptoms are “in your head?” It happens far too often in conventional medicine, especially for women. Typically, symptoms related to hormone imbalances or decline can have systemic effects. These effects can be less clear to pinpoint through the conventional lens, which is why they are often dismissed or justified…

In the pursuit of optimal health, the significance of the digestive system cannot be overstated. A healthy gut plays a crucial role in digestion and influences a myriad of factors, including weight loss, mental well-being, and the risk for chronic disease. Millions of research dollars have been poured into studies that examine the link between…

The field of regenerative medicine has witnessed remarkable advancements in recent years, offering new hope for patients suffering from a wide range of medical conditions. One promising aspect of regenerative medicine is the utilization of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) chambers. These chambers provide a unique environment where patients can receive concentrated oxygen at increased atmospheric…

The population of aging adults in the U.S. has grown exponentially over the past 50 years. With this boon has come a growing concern over cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders. The cause of cognitive decline has historically been a natural process in aging or an affliction of disease from genetic predisposition. While these both can…

Hormones help control crucial processes in the body, from appetite to reproduction. With age, sex hormones typically cause the most disruption in well-being due to the natural decline of estrogen during menopause in women and testosterone in men over time (also known as andropause). These transitions can lead to symptoms like low energy, decreased libido,…

Our philosophy of care at Essential Health rests on the concept of time. Unlike conventional medicine, the model of our flagship program, Essential Primary Care, was created to give time back to the patient and the provider. This helps to foster strong relationships and provides special attention to each patient’s unique healthcare needs. Because of…

Nikki Fowler, FNP-C is a provider at Essential Health – Raleigh who has worked in a variety of conventional primary care settings and has a nursing background in surgical, intensive care, postpartum, and lactation. Nikki’s passion for functional and integrative approaches in medicine grew as she began to make adjustments to her and her family’s…

Our philosophy of care at Essential Health rests on the concept of time. Unlike conventional medicine, the model of our flagship program, Essential Primary Care, was created to give time back to the patient and the provider. This helps to foster strong relationships and provides special attention to each patient’s unique healthcare needs. Because of…

The body has adapted for thousands of years to overcome physical adversities and weather extreme circumstances – escaping a predator, going a length of time without food, and migrating to climates suitable for survival. Humans have also evolved to experience drastic shifts in temperature, reacting physiologically to heat and cold by either sweating to cool…

There is no doubt that conventional medicine has made incredible strides when it comes to extending the human lifespan. Since 1950, the average life expectancy has increased by over 10 years in the U.S. and by over 30 years across the globe. Much of this progress is due to advances in medical care and screening…

Several approaches to health care have emerged in the industry, many of which intersect and stem from one another and provide different means of eliminating disease and promoting health. Among these include functional medicine and integrative medicine. While both challenge the status quo of conventional care, they are nuanced in practice and benefit patients in…

It’s no secret that vitamins are essential components of health. The body is an intricate, connected organism that operates at a microscope level making highly sophisticated interactions using different molecules to carry out specific tasks. Vitamins and minerals assist these interactions by supporting the development of necessary compounds and structures in the body that keep…

The food we eat powers our everyday lives and our health. What we put in our body can either support health and longevity or can undermine it. However, there is a significant amount of “noise” in the health and wellness industry that can cause confusion around what an optimal diet looks like and how we…

Approaching a health condition can look different depending on who you ask. Healthcare consists of several different perspectives in treating illness, ranging from strictly conventional to wildly alternative. In most cases, a conventional medical perspective prioritizes treating symptoms to manage a condition or disease. This can look like prescribing medication, surgery or other interventions that…

Achieving your best health can often seem straightforward, at least in theory. All it takes, a bounty of evidence has found, is adopting a lifestyle that balances activity, nutrition, socialization, and rest. In reality, it’s usually not that easy. Life can be busy with work, family, and technology. This can make it hard to prioritize our health.  What…

What are the Benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?  With every breath we take, our lungs fill with a life-giving substance: oxygen. Oxygen, along with nitrogen and carbon dioxide, are among the main elements that contribute to life on this planet and the living things that call it home. For humans, oxygen is necessary for proper…

“You are what you eat” isn’t just a silly idiom: every morsel of food and drink we consume is broken down, processed, and absorbed by the body at a cellular level, for better or for worse. Nutrition is the cornerstone of internal health, therefore, food we eat is a direct reflection of our overall health.…

Living a healthy lifestyle means staying consistent with healthy behaviors, including eating well, staying active, warding off stress when possible, and getting great sleep. If you ask any functional medicine provider what they consider the most impactful aspect out of all of these behaviors, the likely and unanimous answer would be sleep. The health benefits…

Optimizing your health as you age means taking proactive steps to understand where your health stands currently, and determining what interventions or protocols are needed to evolve from disease management to a state of total well-being. Lab testing is typically the first frontier of information a provider and patient must gather in order to assess…

As we age, the body can experience a typical host of changes, most of which are physically noticeable: greying hair, postural and body composition changes, deepening wrinkles on the skin. Physical attributes of older age stem from cellular changes in the body associated with the aging process. Hormone depletion occurs naturally with age, which can…

Health, as many define it, is the absence of disease. Health is also commonly thought of as a prescription from a doctor or a yearly checkup. The truth is, health is all around us. Factors in our environment and daily lifestyle can either support health or undermine it. Unlike the obvious doctor’s visits, exercising, or…

The holiday season is typically a time of year when health becomes a second thought. It can mean more emphasis on family obligations, travel, hosting, cleaning, cooking, and eating what was cooked. In many cases, the “stretched thin” feeling can disproportionately affect women, who – let’s be honest – often take on a brunt of…

Dr. Elizabeth Sierakowski, MD, ABFM, ABOIM, ABAARM, Medical Director & Provider at Essential Health – Raleigh, NC, is expertly trained in both medical and lifestyle approaches to improving health at the cellular level. Read on to learn more about what cellular health means and how you can take simple steps today to support your body,…

RALEIGH, N.C. — For more than three years, I have been fighting the never-ending feeling that my body is failing me. It doesn’t look or function the way I would like it to. Extreme stress and unhappiness at work manifested as near-constant neck and shoulder pain. Leaving my job and career in February 2020, unrelated…

Glucose is a high-ranking buzzword these days in the health and wellness realm, with new research and technology being funneled into gaining a closer understanding of what controls glucose (blood sugar) levels in the body and how these levels impact health. New devices have come onto the consumer healthcare scene promising an inside look at…

There is no denying that gut health has become one of the most researched areas in science over the last decade. With more and more studies associating significant drivers of health with gut health, it’s hard to ignore the importance of building and maintaining strong internal health. Luckily, by exposing the body to the “right”…

The clock is ticking. How healthy are you? How healthy do you feel? If you’re lucky, at age 45 you have another 45 years still to live. How do you want to live out those years? Your body is smart and wants to be healthy. Unfortunately, many of us are “undoing” what it knows to do…

What do you associate with summer? Long days at the beach? Lazy afternoons at the pool? Picnics and barbecues? For many people, these traditional activities all come with one important caveat: sun exposure. Sun safety should be top of mind this time of year. Health experts have long agreed that sun safety is an important…

In the search for the ideal healthcare team, the conversation is often focused on the type of tests offered, the specialties and experience of providers, and the outcomes they produce. While these factors are undoubtedly important, one component that often gets ignored is the quality of the doctor-patient relationship. It is understandable how this might…

Over the past few years, intermittent fasting (IF) has become a popular protocol to support overall health — and for good reason. Decades of research seem to show a range of benefits, from weight loss and metabolic health improvements to possible anti-aging properties. However, IF may not be right for everyone. In some cases, it…

We’re all familiar with the ins and outs of conventional primary care. You go to your provider’s office for a brief visit, receive a diagnosis and maybe a prescription, and you’re sent on your way with minimal follow-up. You reschedule again for the next year. Most of us grow up experiencing some form of this…

Spring is well underway in most areas of the U.S. The flowers are blooming, warmth is filling the air, and more people are venturing outside. The change in season often brings a resurgence of motivation to shift into healthier habits that may have been neglected all winter long. However, getting back into a rhythm of…

As adults, we typically do not consider hormones as an important part of our health, as much of our focus on hormones usually passed after surviving adolescence. But while we may not (hopefully) have to worry as much about voice cracks and skin issues many of us experienced as teenagers, hormones have and always will…

It doesn’t take much to see that the typical primary care experience is less than ideal. Well-intentioned providers who would prefer focusing more on each patient are forced to prioritize volume within the confounds of the current healthcare reimbursement system. The more patients they can fit through the door, and the faster they can see…

It’s safe to say some limitations of conventional medicine were revealed over the course of the pandemic. To understand why, take a look at the numbers. Of the close to one million people who have lost their lives so far due to the virus, 76 percent also suffered from one or more chronic diseases. These…

The case for relying entirely on conventional medicine is closed. While conventional approaches to health care are valuable in the right circumstances, it can over-rely on pharmaceuticals and invasive treatments, and tends to focus on addressing symptoms instead of the underlying causes of disease. This makes conventional medicine unsuitable for optimizing long-term health on its…

Everyone has an off day here and there. But what if a whole month goes by, or even a whole year, and you still don’t feel like yourself? Maybe you can’t seem to get out of bed even when you’ve struggled to get to sleep all night. Or maybe your mood is all over place…

The winter months are rarely kind to our healthy habits. The days grow shorter and the weather gets colder, and suddenly we’re stuck inside — often with plenty of delicious holiday food to tempt us into the kitchen. After spending all year trying to get back into shape (or simply trying to lead a lifestyle…

Depending on who you ask, “healthy” can have very different definitions. Many providers may define their patients as “healthy” when they receive results from generic screening tests, such as a blood pressure reading, body mass index measurement, or cholesterol labs, that are “within a normal range.” However, “normal” results often do not resolve feelings of…

When we feel sick, we schedule a doctor’s appointment. When we feel depressed or anxious, we schedule a session with a therapist or counselor.  In a conventional health care system, it is typical to think about the treatment of mental and physical health as entirely separate entities. However, research has long shown a concrete connection…

Sleep is easy to take for granted. In the U.S., more than one-third of adults regularly get less than seven hours of sleep a night. Our work culture of long hours, along with our modern lifestyles, often even celebrates a lack of sleep. As a result, few people think twice about losing a few hours…

Several medical practice models exist in healthcare that provide different experiences for both patients and providers. The changing healthcare landscape in the U.S. has ignited a shift in primary care delivery as providers experience burnout from grueling work schedules and unsustainable patient volumes, with less compensation than ever before. What has emerged? A new way…

There is no denying that conventional medicine has its limitations. Prescribing pharmaceuticals as a primary defense against disease can swiftly disregard underlying issues that lay at the root of a health condition. Many turn to alternative forms of health care only to face confusion about the myriad options. And for good reason: the road to…

As the body’s main mechanism for cell communication, hormones control numerous processes, from growth and development to appetite and the immune system. Hormone deficiencies or imbalances, therefore, may lead to significant downstream effects on major systems of the body. A decline in hormones is most often correlated with age but can be brought on by…

Becoming an Essential Health precision health care client means taking a step towards optimal health. Precision health care combines the best of conventional medicine with principles in functional and integrative medicine to approach health care from a whole-person perspective. It provides 24/7 access to a provider with minimal wait time for appointments, and visits with…

Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone (though women have small amounts) that regulates many of the body’s functions, including the development of muscle, bone, and fat mass; libido and sexual function; and blood cell production. Testosterone is produced in the testes in men and the ovaries in women, as well as trace amounts in…

Hormone changes typically occur with age, but can be exacerbated by several factors, including but not limited to cortisol imbalances, chronic medication use, or thyroid issues. Treatment to regulate hormones within the scope of conventional medicine relies on daily medication that provides the body with synthetic hormones to replace what it is unable to produce…

Intravenous (IV) therapy provides critical nutrients needed for proper hydration, as well as intake of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants delivered directly into the bloodstream. This technique allows for immediate and complete absorption of nutrients into the body and can be effective in managing chronic health problems or optimizing health.  Benefits of IV therapy may include:…

Low energy can be the result of more than just a poor night’s sleep. There are several factors that can contribute to a pattern of low energy and fatigue that may signal larger issues in overall health. Chronic low energy or fatigue may mean your lifestyle habits are not fully supportive of optimal health or…

Hormone imbalances can begin at any point in life, but most commonly start at middle-age as sex hormones gradually decline. A majority of imbalances stem from conditions such as menopause, andropause (low testosterone in men), cortisol imbalance (burnout), or chronic medication use, such as birth control. Long-term exposure to stress and toxins in the environment…

There’s a pernicious, pervasive, myth about health care today. It is fueled by the pharmaceutical industry and often encouraged by conventional practitioners. And it is at the root of why so many people continue to suffer from chronic and/or undiagnosed conditions. It goes something like this: “If I can just find the right prescription, then…

When was the last time you came out of your primary care doctor’s office completely pleased with the experience? It’s no secret that the conventional health care system has long been broken in the U.S. Despite spending more on health care than any other developed nation, Americans have both the lowest life expectancy and the…