Approach

Treating more than just your brain

Underlying physiologic and chemical imbalances in the body contribute to common mental health issues.  These can include hormone imbalance, digestion, metabolism (making energy out of food), nutrient deficiency, toxic burden, mineral imbalance and most importantly inflammation. Hidden food sensitivities, untreated infections, autoimmune and other chronic inflammation affect your mood, sleep, anxiety level, cognitive performance and overall sense of well-being.  It is underappreciated in conventional mental health circles that these conditions cause a variety of chronic (and often stubborn) mental health problems that often don’t respond well to conventional psychiatric treatment modalities.

Those chronic difficult to treat symptoms include:

• Fatigue
• Depression including unipolar and bipolar types of depression
• Anxiety including generalized anxiety, panic attacks and obsessive-compulsive anxiety
• Irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive complaints
• Insomnia
• Aches & pains, chronic pain, and headaches
• Cognitive symptoms including memory issues and ADHD-like symptoms
• PMS/PMDD

As a specialist in integrative medicine, Dr. Settle evaluates your symptoms in the context of the entire body and creates an individualized treatment plan to address all of the factors contributing to your dis-ease.

Treatment plans often include several of the following:

• Hormone therapies include herbal or bio-identical hormone replacement
• Dietary and lifestyle recommendations
• Extensive lab evaluation is customized to the individual presentation
• Nutritional supplements for inflammation, immune support, detoxification, gut restoration and energy production
• Assessment and possible treatment for hidden infections. Treatment for Lyme and tick borne infections is referred out to Lyme-literate clinicians
• Conventional psychiatric and antihistamine prescription medications play an important role in the path to recovery. Dr. Settle finds the best outcomes using a liberal combination of prescription medications and holistic interventions.

Psychotherapy – Dr. Settle is no longer providing psychotherapy services. If you don’t already have a therapist, you will receive a referral.

The brain is a flexible organ that maintains the capacity to develop new brain pathways throughout life. Using psychotherapy as a tool you can modify your pattern of thinking and behavior. Psychotherapy reduces obstacles to the natural capacity in every person for joy, connection, passion, ease, laughter, and meaning.

Dr. Settle’s most recommended type of psychotherapy is Internal Family Systems. The provider directory can be found at www.ifs-institute.com