Western Medicine and Complimentary Practices

Toolbox
Western medicine historically has focused on the diagnosis and treatment of disease. That was appropriate as science began to define how the body worked and how it became ill. As diseases became defined, treatments became more sophisticated. As technology advanced, extraordinary treatment options and diagnostic testing became commonplace (heart surgery, MRI’s, etc). However, with all of the enormous talent and mone...

Wellness and Western Science

Why Wellness?
Today many, many of us have moved ahead of traditional medical practices in recognizing that health is not defined by the presence or absence of disease. Far beyond simple freedom from disease, we want robust, energetic, high performance minds and bodies. In our quest, we spend billions of dollars every year with alternative care systems. Why? Because alternative systems have recognized wellness problems that exist b...

What is Wellness?

A Modern Definition
Medical care is something your doctor does for you. Wellness is something that you do for yourself. The term ‘wellness’ is used here as an alternative to ‘health’. In current usage ‘health care’ refers to medical practices concerned almost exclusively with the presence or absence of disease. We use ‘wellness’ to imply an expanded focus. Think of your life as a continuum that moves from health and ...

Wellness in a Nutshell

Achieving Balance
The wellness approach to medicine is exciting, thorough, and available for individuals of all ages. The only requirement is a desire to learn how to work with his/her body to maintain balance. The proper homeostatic balance of your complex body physiology is wellness. Wellness maintenance is a science-based methodology that can follow one throughout their whole life. It is specific, detailed, and physiologically base...

Pathology and Function

Understanding the Difference
There is a difference between physiology and pathology. Physiology defines normal functions. Pathology defines a disease state that usually includes cellular abnormalities that are recognized either through laboratory testing or by looking at slides. Physiological dysfunctions , on the other hand, are associated with symptoms or laboratory values that are not yet severe enough to be classified as disease. Dysfunction...

Oxidative Stress

Oxidative Stress can be likened to ‘biological rusting’. Oxidative stress is part of life, all life. It is the process that causes us to age. It involves one molecule taking an electron (oxidation) from another molecule. It happens literally billions of ti...

Clinical Chemistries

Free Radical Therapy was developed by H.L. ‘Sam’ Queen, a chemist, writer and teacher who studied with the father of forensic pathology in America, R.B.H. Gradwohl. Mr. Queen has been working in this field for over 50 years, specializing in drawing connect...

Homeostatic Processes

The process of maintaining physiological balance in the body was termed ‘Homeostasis’ by the esteemed Harvard physiologist, Walter Cannon, almost 100 years ago. We all witness this every day in ourselves, our friends, and family. We get sick, sustain an in...

Acid Stress

The body works very, very hard to control the amount of acid. Acid is measured and discussed in terms of pH. The ideal pH of the body has been scientifically determined to be 7.4. The body works very hard to maintain itself as close to that level as possible. ...

Why Wellness?

Today many, many of us have moved ahead of traditional medical practices in recognizing that health is not defined by the presence or absence of disease. Far beyond simple freedom from disease, we want robust, energetic, high performance minds and bodies. In o...

Micronutrients

Many of us have been taking supplements, hoping to provide adequate and correct amounts of nutrients for our body and its metabolism. However, measurements show us that this approach usually does not work well. A better approach, available with today’s techn...

Achieving Balance

The wellness approach to medicine is exciting, thorough, and available for individuals of all ages. The only requirement is a desire to learn how to work with his/her body to maintain balance. The proper homeostatic balance of your complex body physiology is w...

Anaerobic Stress

The body prefers to make energy using oxygen. This is called Aerobic Metabolism. It is the most efficient method of creating energy from foods. You get a much higher return (you make MORE high energy phosphate bonds, ATP) when things are done aerobically. How...

Hormone Replacement Therapy

The area with perhaps the most recognizable and immediate impact for the average person is the correction of hormone deficiencies. The hormone therapy most widely recognized by the general public is treatment of hypothyroidism with thyroid hormone. Women have ...

Lipid Profiling

The standard of lipid testing, a basic cholesterol profile, has become obsolete. Traditionally, this profile consisted of cholesterol, LDL (‘bad’ cholesterol), HDL (‘good’ cholesterol), and triglycerides. Today, advanced lipid profiles are available th...

A Modern Definition

Medical care is something your doctor does for you. Wellness is something that you do for yourself. The term ‘wellness’ is used here as an alternative to ‘health’. In current usage ‘health care’ refers to medical practices concerned almost exclu...

How to Succeed

The single most important factor in restoring your health and wellness will be your individual desire and effort. How important is it to you to be at your optimum state of health? What are you willing to do to attain this “wellness”? How will you know when...

Food Allergy Testing

One reason for an imbalanced digestive system is eating foods to which you are allergic. An allergy implies that there are antibodies in your system that act against a specific food, causing inflammation and symptoms. A food sensitivity does not necessarily ha...

Calcium Metabolism

Calcium balance is absolutely crucial for your health and wellness. Calcium is the only mineral that has its very own glandular system devoted to maintaining its balance: the parathyroid glands. Why is the balance of calcium so important? We mostly think of ca...

Neurotransmitters

This test analyzes the amounts of specific neurotransmitters found in the urine. Although relatively new, this type of analysis has proven clinical usefulness. Seeing the relationships of the amounts of various neurotransmitters leaving the body in the urine, ...

Connective Tissue Balance

Connective tissues connect the body together. Healthy connective tissue reflects in smooth skin, strong muscles, strong bone matrix, and healthy amounts of cartilage in joints. It is an unappreciated property of youth and, usually, is not appreciated fully unt...

Wellness Maintenance Based on Western Science

Until now, traditional Western medical practices have adhered to a two-tiered model of health. You are either in a state of disease or you are healthy. Frequently, treatments tend to be algorithmic and of a ‘one size fits all’ nature. A nationwide study pr...

Adrenal Stress Index

This is a sensitive and convenient test for measuring the proper functioning of the adrenal glands through a 12 hour day. Based on measuring the concentration of hormones in the saliva, the technique was developed at Harvard in the 1980s and has a very high co...

Our Tests

The concept of ‘free radicals’ as an underlying chemical cause of disease at the cellular level has long been known. The process of Free Radical Therapy was defined and expanded by H.L. ‘Sam’ Queen in the 1990s. This approach is an excellent way to loo...

Inflammation

Inflammation is above all a health maintenance process. Its study occupies the whole area of medicine known as immunology. It cannot be measured directly by a single specific laboratory test, but is viewed through many different parameters, much like looking a...

Gastrointestinal Testing

Traditional gastroenterology diagnoses diseases such as cancer, esophagitis, ulcers, pancreatitis, hepatitis, gall bladder stones, inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s Disease, and ulcerative colitis. Every person over 50 should have a colonoscopy at ...

Understanding the Difference

There is a difference between physiology and pathology. Physiology defines normal functions. Pathology defines a disease state that usually includes cellular abnormalities that are recognized either through laboratory testing or by looking at slides. Physiolog...

Protein Metabolism

Your body is literally held together by a web of protein. Proteins are constructed from amino acids. The supply of amino acids in the body is tightly regulated and monitored. Your body demands that you have a certain “level” of amino acids available for th...

Your Wellness Program

Healthy people do all the things unhealthy people don’t want to do. The goal of our practice is to help you become (or stay) healthy and increase your quality of life. Our practice provides Western medical care, but with the added focus of helping you achiev...

Toolbox

Western medicine historically has focused on the diagnosis and treatment of disease. That was appropriate as science began to define how the body worked and how it became ill. As diseases became defined, treatments became more sophisticated. As technology adva...

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Dr. David Luce | MD

W. David Luce, M.D., P.C. is a Board Certified Internist in private practice in Colorado. He is recognized as a medical innovator, educator, public health advocate, and a leader in the integration of evidence-based Western medicine with complimentary therapies. Educated at Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale, Dr. Luce has over 20 years experience designing and implementing innovative treatment programs that restore health and wellness to his patients. He is a passionate proponent for the use of Western science, not only to prevent disease, but also ...

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