MEDICINE WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH

Patricia McEachrane-Gross, M.D., M.D.H., recently opened a new medical practice, Peppertree Primary Care, in Ocala, Fla. Following is a condensed version of a story printed with permission from Ocala Magazine.
“I call my philosophy ‘functional medicine,'” says Dr. Patricia McEachrane-Gross.
“It’s treating the patient as an individual person, with a unique makeup, and looking at the symptoms to find an underlying cause,” she explains. “It’s just a natural way of thinking about things…. We then might use a combination of mainstream medicine, drugs, supplements, and modification of one’s lifestyle and diet as treatment. That’s preventive medicine.”
Prior to seeing a patient, Dr. McEachrane-Gross will review the individual’s medical history and background in detail, followed by a 20-minute conversation with the patient. Her approach, she says, involves “spending time with the patient, looking carefully at the symptoms and medical history, and getting lots of information.” This helps her tailor the treatment for each individual.
Dr. McEachrane-Gross is board certified in family medicine and preventive medicine. Her practice, she notes, will be primary care with office hours throughout the week. However, she intends to reserve Thursday and Friday afternoons for house calls—a component of family medicine that has practically disappeared in the 21st century.
Educating patients about proper diet and lifestyle will be a major component of her practice, she says. “Most of our chronic diseases, whether it’s high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, cancer—all of them have a lifestyle basis. Yes, there are some hereditary aspects, but the majority of the causes are based on lifestyle and diet. The Western diet is what I call an inflammatory diet, because it produces inflammation in the body…. Often, it’s what we choose to eat.”
Dr. McEachrane-Gross is aware of how difficult it is for some patients to make a transition to a healthier lifestyle, but she says she’s here to help. “It can be difficult to make these changes, but that’s my goal—to help my patients through these transitions.” It’s a common-sense philosophy, or as Dr. McEachrane-Gross calls it, “medicine with a personal touch.”