Integr Med (Encinitas). 2016 Aug;15(4):19-22.

The Gut Mucosal Firewall and Functional Medicine.

Bland J1. Author information: 1. Jeffrey Bland, PhD is the president and founder of the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute in Seattle, Washington. He has been an internationally recognized leader in nutrition medicine for more than 25 years. Dr Bland is the cofounder of the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) and is chairman emeritus of IFM’s Board of Directors. He is the author of the 2014 book The Disease Delusion: Conquering the Causes of Chronic Illness for a Healthier, Longer, and Happier Life.

Abstract

The evidence is strong: Protection and restoration of the intestinal firewall is of primary importance in many patients suffering from a wide range of chronic diseases. The functional medicine approach to evaluation and treatment of problems associated with compromised integrity of the intestinal firewall represents a successful application of the systems biology approach to the management of chronic disease. PMCID: PMC4991645 PMID: 27574489