Functional Medicine

Dr. Berland's main goal is to help every patient improve their lifespan (years lived), and more importantly their healthspan (healthy years lived). It's essential for individuals to regularly monitor the most critical variables to optimize their health:

  • Nutrition

  • Regular physical activity

  • Restorative sleep

  • Stress management

  • Avoidance of risky substances, and

  • Positive social connection.

These are the pillars of Lifestyle medicine, with the goal of preventing chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity.  Improvements in some or all aspects of these variables may be enough to return to excellent health.

Others may still not feel optimized.  This is where Functional Medicine is critical!  Most physicians are not adequately trained to assess the underlying causes of complex, chronic disease and to apply strategies, to both treat and prevent these illnesses in their patients. Dr. Berland has more than two decades of research in this realm, and extensive experience treating patients.

Longevity is about more than living longer—it’s about living better. Longevity emphasizes healthy aging through proactive and preventive measures, addressing age-related hormonal shifts, improving cognitive clarity and mental focus, supporting metabolism and energy, and enhancing recovery outcomes. With a strong patient–provider partnership, continuous support, and personalized strategies to ensure an optimal patient experience, Dr. Berland offers specific outcomes that contribute to not just a longer life but a healthier, more dynamic life experience:

  • Increased energy

  • Improved cognitive performance

  • Reduced inflammation

  • Better metabolic health

  • Faster recovery

  • Stronger immune resilience

Dr. Berland’s Comprehensive Set of Tools

Body Composition Testing

Your overall weight is just a number. Body composition matters. Ditch the basic scale and get a more accurate depiction of your overall health with the Inbody Test.

Why Body Composition Testing?

This quick, non-invasive, and accurate body composition analysis provides a detailed breakdown of your weight in terms of muscle, fat, and water. Dr. Berland has an Inbody scale in his office. InBody testing is free for Patients First Direct Primary Care members and $50 for non-members (self-pay only).

The Inbody provides a measure of:

  • Skeletal Muscle Mass
  • Percent Body Fat
  • Body Fat Mass
  • Visceral fat
  • Basal Metabolic Rate

Coronary Artery Calcium Testing

A coronary artery calcium score (CAC) is a simple, inexpensive test used to assess a person’s risk of future heart attack or stroke.

Why Test for Coronary Calcium?

The test uses computed tomography (CT scan) to detect calcium in the heart’s arteries, which can indicate the presence of plaque. The plaques are made of multiple substances, including calcium, cholesterol, and inflammatory products, and the buildup of plaque in the arteries can increase the likelihood of having a heart attack or stroke. This is most commonly used in asymptomatic patients who are at low to intermediate risk for heart disease.  

Sleep Apnea Testing

Home Sleep Apnea testing: convenient  and cost-effective diagnosis of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults.

Why Test for Sleep Apnea?

This testing is recommended for symptomatic patients (snoring, daytime fatigue, pauses in breathing) with high probability of OSA, offering greater comfort and faster results. It can be conducted in your own bed, and is generally 90 percent cheaper than in-lab studies. Insurance generally approves home sleep studies, but they are very affordable for those with high deductibles, or without insurance.

Coronary CT Angiography

Coronary CT angiography (including Cleerly CT scans) is used to evaluate for calcified AND soft plaque in coronary arteries. 

Why CT Angiography?

By generating a precise 3D model of the heart's arteries, the technology non-invasively identifies, measures, and categorizes both soft and calcified plaque. It more precisely detects early signs of coronary artery disease, arterial narrowing (stenosis), and ischemia (reduced blood flow), generating comprehensive reports to help personalize preventive treatment plans

Wearable Fitness Device Evaluation

Expert evaluation for wearable devices (Apple and Garmin watches, Aura ring)

Why Wearable Devices?

Fitness trackers worn as rings or watches can provide a great deal of medical information. Dr. Berland can evaluate your wearable and counsel you in regard to:

  • readiness to exercise
  • sleep pattern disorders (including potential diagnosis of sleep apnea)
  • heart rhythm abnormalities
  • acute stressors, such as infection
  • chronic metabolic disorders, including cardiovascular disease.

Whole Body MRI Testing

Whole body MRI prescriptions and interpretations provide: 

Why Whole Body MRI?

  • Extremely detailed imaging testing as a cancer screening.  Since this is magnet based, there are no radiation exposure concerns.
  • Two local websites that offer testing

Advanced lab testing- Hormones, Food Sensitivities, Inflammation, Detailed Lipid testing, GI Health Evaluations, Advanced Cancer Screenings

Click to View All Screening Information

Plans tailored to your individual needs

Based on your current health and healthcare goals, a unique combination of treatments will be implemented.
The foundation will always be the pillars of Lifestyle Medicine.    

Mens Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is a form of hormone replacement therapy that restores testosterone levels in men with androgen deficiency—those whose bodies no longer produce enough on their own. Aging affects every man differently, but by the time many hit their 40s and 50s, they're experiencing real symptoms: fatigue that coffee can't fix, muscle loss despite working out, decline in muscle mass, elevation in body fat, decreased libido, brain fog, and mood changes. Hormone replacement therapy is not about getting "more than normal"—it's about getting back to optimal. Forty percent of men over 45 have low testosterone! After the age of 30, testosterone levels decline by one to two percent yearly. Fewer than five percent of men with low testosterone levels get treatment! 

Dr. Berland employs lifestyle modifications, natural agents to improve testosterone production, and bioidentical hormone prescriptions to restore healthier testosterone levels.  Not everyone needs prescription testosterone to reach ideal levels. Enclomiphene, DHEA, pregnenolone, and HCG may be a part of a treatment plan to achieve successful results

While on treatment, patients will be monitored for body composition changes, metabolic function, blood pressure, and lab work to evaluate cholesterol, prostate health, and other important markers.

Women’s Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy uses hormones molecularly identical to those your body naturally produces. Unlike synthetic hormones, bioidentical estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone are recognized by your body as its own, reducing hormone therapy side effects while maximizing hormone therapy benefits.

As women approach menopause, hormone production doesn't just drop—it becomes erratic. Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone all decline, causing the symptoms that make so many women feel like they've lost themselves: hot flashes, night sweats, unexplained weight gain, mood swings, brain fog, low libido, and disrupted sleep.  

Dr. Berland will discuss hormone therapy risks and benefits specific to your health history. Testing includes comprehensive panels that go beyond basic estrogen levels, looking at thyroid function, metabolic health, and inflammatory markers. Patients receive a personalized protocol that delivers the benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy while minimizing any potential risks.  No protocol is complete (or successful) without instruction to optimize nutrition, exercise, stress management, and sleep!

Peptide Treatments
What They Do

 Peptides are small proteins—typically 3-50 amino acids—that your body uses as signaling molecules. Unlike hormones that circulate broadly, peptides deliver specific instructions to targeted cells. Peptides signal your body to produce its own hormones naturally. Anabolic steroids introduce synthetic hormones thatsuppress your natural production. Peptides work with your biology; steroids work instead of it. They are an integral component of a successful optimization plan. No peptide treatment plan will be successful without the understanding of how lifestyle impacts our health. Sleep, stress reduction, and improvements in exercise and food intake will prepare your body for success. Nutrition and peptide recommendations will accelerate your path to success.

Muscle Recovery/Improvement and Skin Health

BPC-157 and TB 500 work synergistically to repair tendon, muscle, and ligament stress and damage. GHK-Cu is excellent for collagen improvement and tissue remodeling. This has shown improvement in skin health and tightness, as well as hair health and wound healing. 

Body Composition/Weight Loss

Peptides such as tirzepatide, semaglutide, tesamorelin, AOD 9604, 5-Amino-1MQ, and Tesnofensine are excellent adjuncts to an appropriate weight modification program. They all work differently and will be chosen as a part of a precise plan for your success.

Muscular Growth, Anti-Aging, and Longevity 

CJC-1295, Ipamorelin, and Sermorelin signal the pituitary to release growth hormone through the body's natural pathways. These peptides support sleep quality and REM stage sleep, skin and collagen quality, general vitality and well-being, and improvement in muscle mass and body composition.

Cognitive Health and Focus

Selanx, Semax, PE 22-28, Dihexa, and pinealon all work in different ways to improve memory, mood, focus, and concentration. Some of these peptides can help after brain injury; others show promise with cognitive decline.

Immune Support  

Thymosin alpha 1 and LL 37 are excellent peptides to boost immune system function, reduce autoimmunity, and can help to reduce severity and duration of acute illness.

Gastrointestinal Health

Oral peptides such as BPC-157, KPV, and Larazotide can restore gut health and improve “leaky gut” issues. These peptides can improve food sensitivity issues and IBS complaints and reduce severity in inflammatory bowel diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease

Energy regulation and mitochondrial health 

Repairing and optimizing the power plants in each cell (mitochondria) is integral in restoring energy, mood, and focus in patients. Dr. Berland will discuss NAD+, SS-31, MOTS-C, as well as specific supplements to aid you.

Sexual health

Peptides can be used to optimize intimacy for both men and women. PT-141, bremelanotide, kisspeptin, and prescriptive agents tadalafil and sildenafil can all be used in a variety of methods, such as nasal sprays and sublingual troches. 

Weight Management

Medically supervised weight loss programs, designed to restore balance, boost energy, and support lasting lifestyle changes, are tailored to your unique needs. Prescription plans start with tailored nutrition and exercise programming, plus sleep and stress optimization. Dr. Berland will test body composition and often recommend continuous glucose monitoring. A tailored plan will include supplements and prescription medication. A review of practical short- and long-term goals will include maintenance plans to guide long-term success.  

Fullscript Supplements

The Fullscript patient portal is a convenient, practitioner-driven platform that allows patients to securely access, order, and manage their personalized supplement plans. It eliminates the guesswork of navigating crowded store aisles by delivering high-quality, professional-grade wellness products directly to the user's door 

Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) Treatments

Low-Dose Naltrexone:

  • recognized as an off-label treatment for autoimmune diseases, chronic inflammation, pain, fatigue, obesity, and viral infections since 1985.
  • Increase levels of endorphins, which have powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and mood-boosting properties.
  • lower pro-inflammatory factors in the body that drive inflammation, pain, weight gain, and age-related decline in health.
  • may reduce inflammation in the brain that is associated with fatigue, mental health disorders, and cognitive decline.
  • LDN  treatments block receptors on immune calls (TLR-4) that drive uncontrolled immune reactivity associated with autoimmune disease, aging, and age-related disease.

                Information sources on Low Dose Naltrexone Treatments:

                LDN Research Trust website: https://ldnresearchtrust.org/what-is-low-dose-naltrexone-ldn

                The use of low-dose naltrexone (LDN) as a novel anti-inflammatory treatment for chronic pain:: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3962576/

                Low-Dose Naltrexone: A Future Gold Medalist?: https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/afp-community-blog/entry/low-dose-naltrexone-a-future-gold-medalist.html

                Article from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/low-dose-naltrexone

                Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN): A promising treatment in immune-related diseases and cancer therapy: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1567576918302315

Platelet Rich Plasma Injections—Coming Soon

Platelet Rich Plasma injections use a patient's own concentrated platelets to accelerate healing in injured tendons, ligaments, muscles, and joints. This in-office procedure will involve drawing blood, spinning it in a centrifuge to concentrate platelets, and injecting it into the patient’s damaged area.

  • Uses your cells for healing.
  • Reduces pain and inflammation.
  • Helps avoid or delay surgery.
  • Supports faster recovery from injury or surgery.
  • Has lower risks than steroid injections.
  • Is a quick outpatient procedure.
  • Improves long-term mobility and function.