Services
Gut Health Support
Dr. Fred Harvey and his team considers the impact of lifestyle and diet on gut health. Optimizing gut health requires a comprehensive approach and it can have a significant impact on total body wellness.
Gut health
Causes of illness
Gut health is connected to the five root causes of illness:
- 01
Stress
Stressors (both physical and psychological) impact GI function in several ways. Living in a state of chronic stress, or sympathetic nervous system activation (“fight or flight” mode), impairs digestion. Poorly digested food damages the intestinal lining and causes inflammation. Damage to the intestinal lining allows poorly digested food particles and toxins to cross the intestinal barrier into the bloodstream (this is called “leaky gut”).
- 02
Toxins
A poorly functioning GI tract leads to compromised detoxification processes in the body. This allows the body’s toxic burden to build and directly compromise other systems. Toxins are also a physical stressor on the body, which can trigger the aforementioned mechanisms.
- 03
Allergens
Allergens cause damage to the intestinal lining and promote GI inflammation, which activates the immune system and leads to systemic inflammation. They are also physical stressors on the body, exacerbating intestinal lining permeability and GI inflammation further.
- 04
Microbes
An overgrowth of bacteria and yeast can occur in the intestines due to stress, poor diet, toxins, food intolerances, some medications, and infections. An imbalance in the GI microbiome can lead to inflammation and leaky gut. Parasites and hidden infections can also reside in the gut, contributing to chronic immune system activation.
- 05
Poor Diet and Movement
Nutrient deficiencies from a poor diet can impair the function of the GI tract, as well as all other bodily functions. A poor diet may also contribute to stress on the body, toxin exposures, an imbalanced microbiome, and leaky gut. An inactive lifestyle contributes to an imbalanced microbiome and promotes inflammatory pathways in the body.
Testimonials
What People Say
— Chris Vercelli, 5 out of 5 starsI’m a health practitioner who has worked with many of Dr. Harvey’s patients, and the feedback I’ve gotten from them about his care is wonderful. He is very well educated and very good at developing treatment plans for a variety of health problems. His approach to healthcare is SO needed in this world of cookie cutter “medicine”, and even if you only went to him for a second opinion, it’d be well worth it. Thanks for all you do Doc! God bless!
— Kenn R., 5 out of 5 starsDr. Harvey is head-and-shoulders above any other medical practitioner we have encountered. When we first came to Sarasota, he gave my wife and me the most thorough physical exams we had ever had, ordering very different sets of blood tests for each of us based on his extensive initial questioning. From the blood tests, he figured out right away what had baffled my previous family doctor, and a high-dollar hematologist, and corrected my problem using simple dietary changes. With his help, my wife got off medications she had needed for decades. …Dr. Harvey is just a delightful, open person and a pleasure to work with.
— Judith Harding, 5 out of 5 starsI’ve been a patient of Dr. Harvey’s for several years, something like seven years. He always has a very knowledgeable and supportive staff. Recently, I had a very quick and hard fall that changed my life drastically. Dr. Harvey and his staff, especially Haylee, Kerry, and Tracy have helped me through some dark days. I am so grateful for their support. I can see there is hope for me to have continued good health and quality of life.
— Susan Miller, 5 out of 5 starsBest people in the world! Sweetest people! Doing the best job anyone can do on the planet present or future. Everyone here is an angel
Results are individual and not guaranteed. Ask Dr. Harvey whether this approach is right for you.
Your healing begins with a phone call
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What we do
Services we offer
Functional Medicine
We focus on finding and dealing with the root cause of illness.
Preventative Diagnostics
Diagnostic testing and evaluation is an important component to understand how your body's processes are functioning.
Functional Lab Testing
Functional laboratory evaluation is an important component to understanding how your body's processes are functioning.
Brain Health
This form of medicine focuses on detecting, dealing with, and preventing conditions that come with aging.
Nutritional Counseling
Personalized education including the evaluation of your current dietary intake and how that impacts your current health conditions.
Toxicity Reduction
Toxicity is the byproduct of industrial society — we're subjected to exposures of many toxic substances daily, if not minute by minute.
Gut Health Support
We address GI complaints first, as they often indicate the point of weakness and breakdown in the integrity of this most important system — the platform for vibrant health.
Health Coaching
Personalized counseling to understand your needs and the tools required to change behavior in specific areas of lifestyle in order to shift function and achieve vital wellness.