How She’s Leveraging Genetic Data to Combat Chronic Illness Diagnoses (such as ADHD, anxiety, other emotional dysregulation, sensory processing disorder, chronic constipation, eczema, autoimmune illness, etc.)
The current generation is the first whose lifespans will be shorter than their parents’, and the incidence of chronic illness is to blame. Some statistics claim that 1 in 3 children have a chronic illness diagnosis with obesity, Type 2 diabetes, asthma, life-threatening allergies, Celiac disease, autism and ADHD leading the charge. These conditions have skyrocketed in just 30 years – and will only continue to climb.
What’s equally alarming is that we’ve begun to accept these as a “new normal” among our kids. In conventional medicine, we aren’t taught to ask WHY a condition occurs, but instead that the human body is a collection of independent organ systems and that when symptoms crop up they should be suppressed with pharmaceuticals.
This just isn’t enough for us at GetzWell – we want to know why.
Dr. Getzelman Gets The Answers with Genetic Data
Dr. Getzelman is taking her personalized medicine approach to the next level by incorporating genetic data collected from 23andMe. Genetic testing allows her to explore the interconnection between a patient’s nutrition, environmental exposures, and genetic predispositions to uncover the underlying causes of a chronic illness. Nutritional diagnostics, analyses for allergies, toxins and metals, specialized stool and urine organic acid testing are among the tools she uses during the diagnostic process. These have allowed her to successfully dig below the symptoms and ameliorate conditions without the primary use of medications. Examples of diagnoses she has successfully treated include:
- ADHD
- ADD
- Anxiety
- Migraine/Headache
- Sensory processing disorders
- Allergies/asthma
- Chronic digestive complaints
- Some autoimmune disorders
Dr. Getzelman is the first primary care pediatrician in San Francisco to utilize genetic analysis in this way and is thrilled to offer these new services to children and adults who may be suffering from conditions not well-suited to pharmaceutical symptom suppression.
It’s important to be aware that this is a collaborative, all-hands-on-deck process that though rewarding will require a significant commitment from families. But we assure you, the end results are worth it.
Just read what our families have to say:
“It’s unbelievable what we have accomplished with GetzWell’s unique approach to our son’s ADHD. Dr. Getzelman has helped him go from being wiggly, impulsive and challenged-to-focus in the classroom to a more calm and successful student in a competitive San Francisco academic setting in just a few short months. We had been preoccupied for years, going from one specialist to another, ultimately without a lot of confidence that a purely conventional approach would provide our highly intelligent kid the help he needed to fulfill what we believed was his full potential. We’re finally seeing that kid: focused, more motivated than ever, and with a growing self-esteem that makes us proud. We are just so amazed and grateful!” Katya M.
“I have 3 children and all of them have health issues including Celiac disease, Type 1 diabetes, anxiety and ADHD. We have been working with Dr. Getzelman for about 9 months (including myself!) and I can’t begin tell you how much the health of our entire family has improved. All of us are much calmer, my son jumps into doing his homework without being asked (a first!), and he and his younger sister have ceased their constant bickering. Additionally, the “brain support” we’re getting has resulted in my son eating his first vegetable in years. Even my own health challenges have been steadily improving. There’s nothing more important than our health – even if we have to pay a little more to go to GetzWell, it’s worth every penny.” Nettie A.
Read more of Nettie’s experience on Yelp.
“This practice is beyond amazing. I had been with multiple pediatric practices since the birth of my first son in New York. It was identified that he had difficulty detoxing yet not a single physician Knew what to do with it or how to address it. Dr. Getzelman was the first doctor to truly dig deeper and help us understand the genetic causes for detox challenges. We now, for the first time in seven years, have the tools to help our son and support him for the rest of his life. I am so grateful for this amazing practice!” Danelle E.