HELPING YOU BUILD A HEALTHY AND VIBRANT FUTURE

BY SHALEEN DESTEFANO

For over a year, Dr. Tracy McCubbin has been writing our monthly wellness articles. She’s our in-house guru of all things health-related and this month we wanted to shine a light on her practice, Radiance Functional Medicine as well as her hard-working team. Her depth of knowledge is inspiring and encourages us each day to put our wellness at the top of our priority list. 

Dr. McCubbin, tell us about your 3-decade long journey in medicine and how it led you to opening your practice, Radiance Functional Medicine.

Somehow, I always knew that I was meant to serve and help people.  Since I excelled in math and science, medical school seemed like a good option. I loved every rotation so I chose Emergency Medicine so I could see a little bit of everything! Denver Health was the best program in the country in 1989 and I was lucky to land a spot here.  It was the perfect career choice for me at that time in my life.

Somewhere along the way, I realized that Western medicine does acute care very well but was lacking in the treatment of some chronic health conditions.  It seemed there might be a better way.  In addition, I had my son late in life and once he arrived, I craved more connection in my medical practice.  Five ambulance arrivals in 5 minutes does not allow for much bonding!

I met Dr. Andrew Weil and developed an interest in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (now known as Integrative Medicine).  I created the Centers for Complementary Medicine (CCM) at Kaiser Permanente Colorado.  Ultimately, I enrolled in the Weil Fellowship at University of Arizona School of Medicine and obtained my board certification in Integrative Medicine in 2014.  I had a clinical practice at CCM for 5 years.

Furthering my education, I completed the training program in Functional Medicine.

I became more and more interested in “Wellness” care and less intrigued with “Illness” care.  Taking full early retirement after 28 years with Kaiser Permanente, I opened Radiance Functional Medicine so that I could put all of this training and experience together to further help my patients.

 

For those who might not understand, how do you define “functional medicine?”

Functional medicine is a more integrated approach to healthcare.  Instead of using medications to treat the symptoms of a disease, a functional medicine approach looks for the root cause of the illness (such as toxin exposure, infections, gut permeability issues, hormone imbalance etc.) and works to reverse the disease state.  Functional Medicine looks at the whole person, not just the isolated symptoms and there is no one size fits all approach. I spend 2 hours getting to know my patients and learning how their unique health history coupled with lifestyle, diet, environment and genetics impact their health.

Can you tell us about your specialties?  

In my private practice I see both men and women for a variety of conditions, some more complicated than the next. At Radiance Functional Medicine, we treat autoimmune conditions and digestive disorders and help reverse these conditions.

While I enjoy working with all kinds of patients, I am passionate about working with women to balance hormones, optimize fertility and treat the conditions that have been building for years. 

I also find that my integrative and functional approach has been especially beneficial for people with childhood trauma. Trauma is stored in every cell in the body and when we keep that buried for decades it can manifest in symptoms that our traditional doctors just can’t seem to find a diagnosis. Basic labs seem “normal” but there is still something that is just not right.  I love to support these patients on their path to healing.  

 

You recently added an infrared sauna to your clinic. What exactly is this used for?  

We love our sauna! Unlike traditional saunas that are hot and sticky, heating the ambient air, this technology warms you up from the inside out. Infrared sauna creates an environment with many therapeutic benefits. Infrared rays can penetrate human tissue to have a direct impact on our detoxification and healing processes within the body. It is completely safe to use. In fact, this technology is used in the NICU to keep the babies warm! We recommend this for almost anybody and even 15 minutes has been shown to be impactful. It supports cardiovascular health, detoxification, pain management, cellular health and anti-aging. 

Mention this article when booking your sauna appointment and your first visit is free!

 

Diet and lifestyle are two important elements you focus on for your patients. What else sets RFM apart?

Radiance Functional Medicine is all about finding that light within you, and making it shine as bright as possible! We want you to feel radiant inside and out!

Our Initial Consultation is 2 hours. We believe in hearing your story, learning about your joys, passions and pitfalls and where you need support. You are not alone on this journey to optimal health.  We utilize healthy lifestyle choices and other modalities to prevent chronic disease and slow down the aging process.

 

What is the best health advice you would offer our audience who fall in the 40+ age range?

There are three areas that have been studied in the medical literature and have been shown to prolong the length of our telomeres. These are the ends of our genetic material and they fray and shorten as we age.  The longer, more intact telomere the longer lifespan.  And more importantly, the longer disease-free lifespan.

The three recommendations begin with following a Mediterranean, anti-inflammatory style diet.  Eat whole, real food, not too much and mostly plants!  Second, exercise regularly: cardio, strength training and stretching/flexibility.  Mix things up, do not get into an exercise rut.  And last but not least, meditation – 5-10 minutes daily is all you need for the health benefits.

And those over 40, get your hormones checked!

 

You definitely walk the walk. Can you share with us some of your favorite healthy habits?

We live in a very arid climate in Colorado and we lose water by just breathing.  I drink 64 oz of good, clean water daily and increase to 85 oz with exercise.  And I exercise 4-5 times per week. I have always been an athlete, so this is a non-negotiable for me. It protects my heart and supports my mental health. I also follow a whole foods diet and practice mindfulness daily.  I keep a gratitude journal and I try to “play” regularly!

What can we expect from RFM in the future?

We have recently expanded our office and our team.  We have welcomed Lesley Hurd, RN, BSN and a dedicated health coach to support our current patients and grow our practice.  With the addition of a Registered Nurse on our team, we are now offering BioT pelleting in our space!

Now that COVID has calmed down, we plan to host more in person, educational events for small groups. I hope you can join one of our sessions.  In addition to being educational, they are so much fun.  We always include a cooking demonstration with our presentations and group discussions.  Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to read our blogs and learn about upcoming events.  We would love to see you there!

Tracy, thank you so much for allowing us to put you in the spotlight this month. We’re grateful to have you on our team. If you would like to learn more about hormonal transitions, healthy aging, autoimmune disease, digestive health, breast cancer survivorship and overall nutrition for life, we hope you reach out to Dr. Tracy and her team at Radiance Functional Medicine at 303-333-1668, 1805 South Bellaire Street, Ste 310 in Denver and at radiancefunctionalmedicine.com.