Advanced Functional Medicine

I was given the diagnoses of pre diabetes 5 years ago my fasting glucose was at 99. Now to many this number does not seem bad. However I was getting tired and had little energy. I was not on medication for diabetes. I was having esophageal spasms and stomach discomfort. So I determined to do something myself. I bought glucose levelers on the internet and took them. I looked up food on the glycemic scale and tried to follow some of the food guidelines Watched the sweets and switched to truvia. I drank diet sodas thinking that was OK. However I drank wine with my dinner and had a beer many nights or occasionally an alcoholic beverage on the rocks. When I went to the coffee house on a daily basis I drank a coffee mocha and had a bagle with cream cheese. Many times when my wife and I went to dinner I had bread a butter and one of my favorite pasta dishes. I made 4 cheese Panini sandwiches for dinner. To put itt in a nutshell my glucose kept creeping up. Then about two years ago I was given my first A1C test it was 6.7. So I redoubled my efforts dropped the mocha and the bagel but still had the same diet for the rest of it. While my A1C did drop a couple of tenths my gluclose level continued to climb to what I thought was the magic number 126. This was about the time the post card came in the mail. I read it, talked it over with my wife and went to the seminar at a restaurant. Much of what Dr. Willis said made sense so we booked an appointment. I figured I could cancel it if after my research on the internet I found his statements unfounded. However I did find all kinds of data backing up what he said.
As i mentioned I was not as of yet on medication, but I wanted to do the program so I would not have to go on the meds. The first thing after the initial meeting and a substantial number of blood tests was the first lets get down to business meeting. At this meeting supplements were given as to my specific needs. I also went on a 1 month detox. By the time I was thru the detox I no longer had esophageal spasms I was taking less tums and my energy was up.
I did not mention but I have degenerative back disease and bum knees making exercise next to
for the next 5 months including the one for detox I religiously followed the program absolutely no cheating.
Learned how to go to a restaurant and order food that kept me on program. I also used the attached shopping guide to learn how to shop for the right food.
So lets close this out by saying my A1C is down to 6.1 and my fasting glucose is down to 96. The blood test that gives an indication as to your immediate chance for a heart attack or stroke is approaching a normal range. My energy is up my knee pain is down my back pain has decreased to the point I only occasionally take Tylenol arthritis capsules. Where as before I took them every day. I will be honest with you I sorely miss my bread and pasta dishes but I can cope with that seeing the results of what is happening in my body Another benefit is loss of 42 lbs remember this is without being able to exercise.
Throughout this whole time I have felt that Dr. Willis and his staff of nutritionists have been totally on my side in reversing the trend I was on. They all could have not been more helpful or courteous thru this 5 months I have been going there. They are super people and consumet professionals. I am going to continue for some time in the future to meet with them every 4 to 6 weeks to reinforce my resolve and have the input of their wisdom. Oh by the way my last meeting I used a walker to go from my car to the office 5 months ago I had to use a mobility scooter.
Ron Meloche

I can now say… I will no longer be diabetic. Advance Functional Medicine has given me a new lease on my life. I was skeptical, just as others were, when I got that postcard in the mail inviting me to come to their seminar and free meal. Now, after 6 months of personalized treatment I am a recovered carboholic who started with an A1C of 12.8 to 7.4. I am not at my A1C goal yet, but I will be in about 6 – 8 weeks thanks to AFM. Dr. Willis and his incredible staff have given me a new way to get off the Standard American Diet (SAD) diet with delicious foods that do not take my blood glucose for a daily roller coaster ride. Diabetes has a cure! I am proof of that! Do not let your HMO /​PPO give you the standard chemical medications to mask the symptoms of diabetes!
Heal your body naturally with AFM!

I was curious about their program so I went to a dinner seminar. And another time with another doc in desperation to get my husbands diabetes reversed
It was odd to me that a doctor that is promoting health that gave the presentation for Advanced Functional medicine was portly and out of shape
Odd also that he left abruptly right when the dinner was served rather than interacting with potential patients to make his approach more
Humanistic and caring .
Used the free dinner as
a distraction for him to slip out the door .
After paying $ 50
To just learn that Their program is very expensive compared to other San Diego options.
I wondered
What I got for the two hours I took of from
Work and for my $ 50?
Tests and evaluation of tests are
Higher here than with other doctors
We went to a second dinner seminar which was almost identical but with different power point slides
It looks like their presentation was a canned marketing product purchased
from a dinner seminar marketing firm because they are so identical right down to the form you have to sign saying you will be fined 50k if you film their
Proprietary informational speech .
Are you kidding me ?
Do your homework and interview many doctors before you sign up and dive into any program .
The seminar was enlightening and
Convinced us to go the functional medicine route.
But I wasn’t really sure why I had to pay $ 50 for a sales pitch at a later date in their office.
I interviewed them and another doctor
as an option for me and my husband to help us manage diabetes. We went with the second doctor because
We actually met
With him on two occasions and he only charged
Us $ 50 for his time to explain how functional
Medicine works
And then did not
Charge us for the evaluation of our tests .
We were never «sold» or «closed» just educated in an informative way that convinced us he would be a good fit for us .
I was really frustrated by the
lack of detailed information given to us from advanced functional medicine on their protocol, the approximate cost of supplements and who was qualified to educate us, dispense products and advise us on a plan and their business practices and what the program entailed for what we were paying over a 10 month time frame. There was no itemized breakdown and a lot of smoke and mirrors .
The staff was very reluctant to answer questions and made us uncomfortable when we
Asked for details. That expected us to buy in without knowing what we were buying
There was very little transparency about how much the program would ultimately cost and a breakdown of prices .
The most disturbing thing about their business model is that your first meeting in their offices is with the
«clinic director «who you presume will be a doctor but is not a doctor .
The clinic director is a closer
Salesman type guy (also portly) who scares you about the risks of diabetes and then tries to get you
To sign up for testing and overpriced evaluation of the test results. That he will discount 50% is you sign up then and there .
I am totally sold on Functional
Medicine to get my husband off synthetic drugs but I think their business model needs
A Paradigm shift in ethics to make it
More Transparent to potential patients and they need to show value in what they offer instead
Of the scam of doubling the prices then chopping it
in half to make you think you are getting a «deal «at
50% off .
They should be proud of what they offer at a fair price rather than using sales tactics and a «closer «
To get you signed up for medical
Care.
We paid in full and were not comfortable with their approach after we interviewed another doctor
So Lauren their office manager offered us a full refund .
The bottom line is that functional medicine is a much better approach to managing your health
But when bottom line profits are
More important to a doctor then ethics and transparency may be compromised.
Do your homework and ask a lot of questions
When shopping for the right program to help you .
It’s your body and health care is a team effort
So don’t surrender your care to a program that is vague
And you interact with a salesman and not a doctor.
I am sure that Dr Willis has good intentions
And is qualified
given his training .
He just has the wrong
Marketing approach and the wrong canned power point pitch to capture Patients that are Educated and don’t want a buffer of office staff to obstruct patients from actually seeing the doctor.
San Diegans are a savvy enlightened lot of people
And we don’t often fall for a pitch sales
Ploy over just good old fashioned health education and compassion to help patients.
Functional medicine doctors reading this should realize that actually making yourself
Available to interface with
patients that need your help
Is far better money spent than having a formulaic marketing company make you keep your distance .
Genuine Compassionate doctors
Are their own best salesmen for something they are passionate about

Like so many others I thought the best I could hope for was to manage my diabetes. I was 46, tired, and feeling much older. I felt depressed which only led to eating the wrong things and making the disease worse. When I heard the ad on the radio for Advanced Functional Medicine I was skeptical but liked to hear they weren’t just going to throw some new medicine at me. Upon listening to the presentation by Dr. Willis I was intrigued and hopeful. I made my appointment with them and couldn’t be happier I made that decision. I am almost at the end of 6 months working with Dr. Willis and his staff. The changes have been incredible and I started to see them immediately. My average blood glucose at the start of this was over 300 with an A1C approaching 11.
I just had an appointment with my primary physician and my A1C is now 5.4 with an average blood glucose of 108. My cholesterol, liver, kidney, and blood pressure are all within normal range. Those are all just numbers but the important thing is I feel great. I feel like I’ve added years to my life and feel much younger. The great part is I know all of these numbers are going to continue to get better. Nice added benefit was the loss of 30 pounds.
I give Dr. Willis and his caring staff my highest recommendation and thank them from the bottom of my heart for turning my health around and giving me more years with my fiancé and children.

Two months ago I had run out of steam … I had lost 20 lbs since September, and my AIc was higher not lower. I was cheating on my diet and not feeling good about myself or my future. When I accepted the dinner invitation, I was highly skeptical — everyone knows you only get worse with diabetes. But Dr. Willis’ presentation spoke to my reservations, and made me aware of the fact that I had no idea WHY I had developed diabetes, and without knowing that, how could I expect to be getting better? Two months later I know why I’m ill, I know what can be done about it, and I know what I can and cannot eat, and have recipes galore for inspiration. His staff are a terrific cheering team, and you can call anytime to ask questions. I needed help, and I’m getting it. Yesterday I got a congratulations e-​mail from my regular doctor … my AIc has fallen sharply, so I’m now pre-​diabetic, and am confident I can stay the course back to good health in the next 4 months. It can be done,

I walked into the office with no energy, heavy in spirit with what I thought was an incurable chronic disease that could only be «managed» with life long meds that I couldn’t tolerate. Six weeks into the program my diagnostic results are radically improved. I’m hopeful, lighter, sleeping peacefully and know that I will overcome type two diabetes. Dr. Willis is such an amazing teacher. He listens and caters your care plan to you! He shows you why you feel the way you do and how to support your body to function again! Lauren and Sam make you feel welcome and are great cheerleaders for your progress. I know I made a life altering choice. My life will be longer and I am already feeling the effects!

I had a stroke over two years ago, at age 50, which caused my visual impairment. It was at that time, I found out I was also diabetic. By April 2015, I was taking 40 units of Lantus insulin at night, a varying amount (usually between 6 & 18 units) of Novolog insulin at each meal, 2,000mg of Metformin daily, and a few others meds for blood pressure, etc. I am a caregiver for my mom who is 89, lives with me and has several medical complications of her own. I have to do nearly everything for her & if she can’t sleep at night, neither do I. It’s pretty much like having an infant, you get the picture. So my life is ordinarily full of stress, day and night. Then when various issues (financial, medical or family matters) cause more stress, my blood sugar goes into a tailspin. Diabetes is a disease of blood sugar being out of balance and for me stress is the main culprit. Since April 2015, I’ve been under Dr. Willis’ care, using the supplements, meal adjustments, and carefully checking and recording my blood sugar levels daily, I have improved dramatically. In just three short months, my A1C level went from over 17 down to 10.8; while my triglycerides were at 940 and blood serum was 472, both numbers reduced in half. My energy level has increased and I am feeling so more aware and excited about my life. Now I meet with Dr. Willis every few weeks and he is certainly my health coach and guide. I also notice when certain life issues cause me stress, my blood sugar reacts accordingly. So I am learning to deal with these matters in a different way and to take more time to do things for myself. I want to say that Dr. Willis and the AFM staff are genuinely concerned in helping me on my journey back to better health. I want to thank them for giving me the tools and looking out for my needs. For anyone out there struggling with diabetes, insulin, and always feeling sick and tired, I highly recommend Advanced Functional Medicine and the entire team because with them there is hope; it is certainly working for me and saving my life. One day (maybe sooner than I think), I will be living my life without any diabetes medication and then I will know that the hard work of all this has paid off. That’s the goal for me: to be a healthy man once again.

If you are looking for a wonderful doctor who cares about YOU, come and see Dr Willis. He is amazing and truly dedicated to his patients and their well being. All of the doctors and staff really do care about YOU!