HEALTH INFORMATION: SUMMARY SHEETS
 Dr. Coombs has written many information sheets outlining key factors in navigating our way back to better health. Links to some of the more commonly used ones are posted on this page. 

Some Basic Health Principles

​     -A brief overview of seven factors affecting health
 

Functional Medicine as a Matrix- A Systems Approach to Health and Disease

     -A more detailed overview of 18 different factors affecting health and disease,

     a complex mix of factors that all affect each other (technical term for this is 'matrix').

    This is a general outline that applies to many chronic illnesses. The outline is 

    long,  but an approach this detailed is necessary in addressing chronic complex disease... 



A Detailed Look at the Biomedical Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder

     -Biological treatment of autism is functional medicine & systems biology at its most                    complex. As research on the condition progresses, our understanding is constantly                    evolving, and so are treatment methods. This summary outlines many of the  underlying          causative factors and some of the treatment interventions that can be used. As you look at      this, bear in mind that the approach is constantly evolving...


 A Brief Overview of the Biomedical Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder
    -There are many possible ways of approaching the autism puzzle: every ASD child is                    different, and there are variations between physicians in terms of treatment sequence and      priorities.This is only a very general summary of the treatment path I take, and this will              vary from child to child…


DIET AND NUTRITION SUMMARY SHEETS

A Basic Guide to Good Nutrition
-This is a guide to the best (& the worst) foods available in grocery stores

 How to Limit Intake of Sugars
-This is one of the most important steps in improving nutrition and health

 Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-free diet
-The diet is an important (usually essential) part of a biological treatment protocol for autism and for autoimmune diseases.

 Beyond the Gluten/Dairy-free Diet: Reducing Fermentable Carbohydrates
-This is an important step for those with gluten/dairy intolerance who have not experienced relief with a Gluten/Dairy-free diet. This is usually the result of an imbalanced bowel bacterial flora, and it sometimes is impossible to restore a normal bowel flora without taking this step.

The Dietary Elimination/Challenge Test
Food sensitivity/intolerance is a very complex phenomenon, and there are no perfect testing methods to document the phenomenon of delayed food sensitivity (as opposed to immediate food allergies, which can be documented with the scratch testing by allergists). If a person has only a few potential food reactions, a trial of eliminating the suspect foods for a period of time, then reintroducing the suspect foods one at a time can often help identify which foods are the culprits.